One Less!

My newest cake carrier creation!

Christmas is fast approaching, and I would love to make a cake carrier for someone on your list this year! All you need to do to get started is to send me an email at ourheartforadoption@gmail.com, and we'll come up with a plan!

For more information, and to see other designs, go here!

Biometrics- CHECK!

If it seems like it's been quiet around here lately... well... it has been! We have been ALL OVER the place, and are finally settling back in to home - just in time for Thanksgiving fun!

The first of last week, we spent a few days in Columbia attending the South Carolina Baptist Convention. We had a blast meeting up with old friends and professors, and meeting new ones (friends that is, no new professors!! :)).

We came home on Wednesday, just in time for Homework/Hangout time with the students at Church, and Wednesday evening worship.



Thursday, after replacing our cracked windshield (thanks to a rock on the interstate) and working a full day, we headed down to my favorite city, Charleston. We arrived in time to eat at the best hidden jewel of a restaurant, The Mustard Seed... all I have to say about that is YUM!



We got up early the next morning for our biometrics appointment for the Department of Homeland Security! They digitally scanned our 10 card, and now we're being checked out to make sure we are upstanding citizens. :) Once they approve us, our dossier is COMPLETE! It was the last piece of that puzzle, so now we just wait for the approval letter to arrive. From what I'm told, it could be a while.



In the meantime, as soon as our Power of Attorney documents arrive back from the Secretary of State, our almost complete dossier heads over the ocean to begin translation. Sounds like progress to me!!

Operation Christmas Child

Today, I got to be a part of one of my favorite things of the whole year.

Pure shoebox goodness!

Operation Christmas Child is a ministry of Samaritans Purse, which delivers shoeboxes filled with toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and all other kinds of fun, to children ALL over the world who wouldn't ordinarily receive a Christmas gift. These gifts share the love of Christ in a tangible way, and where possible, each child is given a book that tells them about the true meaning of Christmas: Jesus!

My shoebox packing skills were doubted, for sure. A surplus of fun things were purchased to fit into a very finite space!! I covered the floor with all the goodies we purchased, and got to work. Each nook and cranny was carefully evaluated and stuffed with an appropriate sized trinket, like assembling a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. The final result?



It all fits!!! I finished up the boxes by paying for the shipping online, which will tell me what country my shoeboxes ultimately find their home.

We are praying for the boy and girl, between the ages of 10 and 14, that will receive these boxes, that they will also receive Christ in their hearts. What a blessing to be able to participate in such a wonderful ministry!!

Look what arrived today!

Two bags of super delicious Just Love Coffee!!

I was so excited to find a package in the mail today for me from Just Love Coffee! I opened up "African Skies" and immediately brewed us both a cup. (We love coffee, it doesn't matter what time of the day!) It was very smooth, and VERY good. I am so excited to have found this family that knows both coffee and orphans, and has put them together to help adopting families bring home their children. Please visit our store and buy a bag for yourself (or as a gift for the coffee lover in your life!) - each bag brings us $5 closer to having our little one home!

Our Store: Love Coffee? Love Orphans? Love BOTH here!

assembling the puzzle pieces

(source)

Everything is coming together!

I got word yesterday that our dossier is just about ready to mail! The last few documents we were waiting for were returning from being apostilled (This means that the Secretary of State verifies that the notary can notarize. It's a super notary!) and it was time for the bulk of everything to head on over and start to be translated.

Only one small problem. Our power of attorney forms were rejected by the Secretary of State, which sometimes happens, because they were blank- to fill in when we arrived, because they are region specific. So, we got to try again, this time with the info filled in for every possible person who could be our Power of Attorney. Nothing can be translated without these guys.. so we wait just a little bit longer. They're on the way now to get apostilled, and then when they meet up with our other documents for the dossier, off they go across the ocean!

We have our fingerprint appointments for CIS next week, and once we are cleared by Homeland Security, we receive a fantastic document called the I-171H, which will complete our dossier that will already be in the process of translation.

Once everything is translated, our dossier will be placed in a region where they believe our child is. I'm excited to find this out, because being the nerd I am, I love to research stuff like this. I can't wait to find out more about where our child may be! This region could change as we go through the process, since we have requested a Roma/gypsy child- they will move us if they find a Roma child in another region.

And, then we wait some more until we receive our referral- information about our child waiting for us!!

Please continue to pray, as we are trusting God completely in this process to work everything out according to His will. We know we can't do this on our own, and are so excited to see how God works this out!!

A 5th (or 35th!) Birthday!!

Our first "child," also know as Riley, our 10 lb Jack Russell, turned 5! That's 35 in doggy years! My husband was excited to declare her the oldest in the house.

We celebrated with a girl's day in the backyard, with lots of fetch. Isn't she a sweetheart?!

Orphan Sunday

As you watch the video below, please take some time to pray and ask how God would have you be a part of orphan care.

Creation Groans from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

10 Ways to Care for the Orphan

To follow up my last post on why we should care for orphans, I found this on Orphan Sunday's Page:


I thought these were some great, real ways to get involved! So, let's get to it!

loving God = doing something about it!

According to UNICEF estimates, there are more than 143 MILLION orphans in the world today, with an additional 100 MILLION children abandoned and living in the streets.
Approximately 40-50 MILLION of these orphans are adoptable, meaning they meet their country's requirements to qualify for adoption. While these numbers are staggering in and of themselves, this one hits me to the core:

If only 6-7% of born-again Christians adopted JUST one of these children, every adoptable orphan in the world would have a forever home. These statistics, among others, can be found here.

Why does this bother me so much?

1 John 5:3a says this:

"In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands."

Across the world, 800 million people confess their love for God through a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. But is this love demonstrated in following God's command for the orphans of the world?

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." -James 1:27

"The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do." -Deuteronomy 14:29

"Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow." -Isaiah 1:17

"Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy." -Psalm 82:3

This is not an exhaustive survey of God's Word in concern to orphans, but through these verses, we can certainly see God's heart for the fatherless, and what He expects us to do. We are to DEFEND and CARE for those who have no one else to fight for them. With so many millions waiting without a family, I can't help but feel we are not doing our job. We are not obeying God, and therefore, we are not truly loving Him.

There are MANY ways to defend and care for the orphans of the world. Adoption, while a part, is not the only way you can live out your love for God in regards to the fatherless. We are all called to help orphans, but we are not all called to adopt. However, I would challenge you to let God shut this door, and not close it yourself. With so many orphans in the world, we would be fools to tell God that adoption is not how we are to care for them. And if you're thinking "There is no way I could do that because _______" then GREAT! Truth be told, you CAN'T. But we serve a God who CAN and is ABLE. When He calls, He also provides.

That said, the first and most important thing we can do is PRAY. Pray for those children all over the world without a forever home. Pray for paperwork to be processed quickly for families in the process of adoption, that they can have their child home quickly. Pray for families who are waiting to meet their little ones for the first time. Pray for those who care for so many of these children in orphanages. Pray for families who are adjusting after adoption. Pray for the Church, that we will love God by following His command to defend and care for the orphan. Pray earnestly about how God would have YOU defend and care for the orphan.

Are you called to give financially to a ministry that supports orphan care, or to a family in the process of adoption? Are you called to raise awareness through sharing what you know about the plight of the orphan? Are you called to serve through foster care? Are you called to be a prayer partner with someone adopting? Are you called to adopt? Are you called to _______?

It's time for the Church to step up. What are you going to do?