One Less...a great song with a great message!

One Less by Matthew West (The Story Behind The Song) from emicmg on Vimeo.

Parade, Puzzle Pieces, Books and a Birthday!

The kids and I had fun at our town's homecoming parade this afternoon! Here they are waiting for the parade to start...

While we were there, I was introduced to my friend's neighbor, Sarah. Sarah looked familiar to me and we soon realized that I taught her son at VBS in July. As we were getting acquainted, she asked me how many children I have. I answered, "Three and we're in the process of adopting our fourth". Sarah went on to share that her oldest son is adopted. It was hot and humid outside this afternoon. Sweat was running down my back, but I got chills as I listened to this beautiful story of adoption!  It was so sweet to hear how God formed their family!

When we got home, I walked out to the mailbox and found a check for $100! I immediately came inside and wrote the sponsors' names on the back of 10 puzzle pieces. There they are below...all 69 sponsored pieces. I believe the back of this puzzle will be prettier than the front!

And we also got these in the mail...three of the books on the required reading list for our home study. There are six more books that need to be ordered (three for me and three for Kyle). It's a good thing I've pretty much given up TV because I have a lot of reading to do!

Finally...my sweet mother-in-law celebrated her birthday today. This woman is so dear to me. She is a wonderful mother, grandmother and friend. I just couldn't blog today without saying...
Happy Birthday, Carolyn! I love you!!

This week...

I've had such an amazing week!

First of all...I'm THRILLED to report that 57 puzzle pieces have been sponsored! Kyle and I are so grateful for the generosity of our friends and loved ones. It has been such a blessing to write names on the back of each sponsored piece!

Here's some more wonderful news...this week family members that we love dearly gave us a check to cover our most recent adoption expenses. That's $2000 for the home study, $1125 for post-placement visits, $700 for our USCIS I-1600 application and $130 for fingerprinting. How amazing is that?! This means that everything we save, raise and earn can go toward our next group of expenses which will total $7700 and be due at the end of the year.

Then...yesterday I decided to sell some old gold jewelry and put the money toward some of our upcoming adoption expenses. Two little rings that had been collecting dust brought in $280! The cash was great but my conversation with the jeweler was even better. When I explained what the money would be used for, the jeweler asked where we are adopting from and how we chose Ethiopia. When I started to explain, he interrupted and said, "It sounds like you got a call from the Lord." He was a believer and he went on to give me great words of encouragement for our journey. I was so blessed by my visit to that jewelry store. I know it was once again precious confirmation from the Lord.

Wait a minute...I'm not done yet! After my visit to the jeweler, I got a much needed haircut. When it was time to pay, my stylist refused my payment and asked me to put it toward our adoption expenses instead. So kind and such a blessing!

God continues to amaze us with His provision! He also continues to teach us through this process. Please pray that we would remain faithful and totally dependent on Him!

Today...

There was so much I had planned for today. My "To Do" list was long. But instead I've been...

taking care of...

a little boy who is too sick for school, but well enough to play video games with his brother

 and labeling...

tiny puzzle pieces with the names of precious friends and family

and imagining...

how cute our Ethiopian princess will look in Ya Ya's summer hand-me-downs

and visiting...

with my Grandma by phone.

Happy Friday, y'all! Have a blessed weekend!

Our First Adoption Fundraiser!

Last weekend Kyle and I spent some time planning our first adoption fundraiser. Well...God changed our plans a little bit. (He's been doing that a lot lately!) After hearing about the adoption journey of another family in our church, the Lord has impressed upon our hearts that we are to use our fundraiser to also help them.
This family has been waiting to bring their little girl home from China for five years! They expect to get their referral with a picture of their daughter this week.

We're so grateful that God led us in this direction and now we're even more excited about this fundraiser!

Here's how it works...

The beautiful image above is actually a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle.

For just $10.00, you can sponsor a piece of this puzzle. You can sponsor as many pieces as you wish.  

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Just click on the PayPal "Donate" button on the right and follow the simple instructions. 

I will write the name of each sponsor on the back of a puzzle piece. When the puzzle is complete, Kyle and I will have it mounted in a double-sided glass frame to hang in our daughter's room. Can you imagine how loved she will feel when she sees the names of all the people who helped bring her home?

When all of the pieces have been sponsored, Kyle and I will give half of the money collected to the other adoptive family. Ohhh...how I look forward to that day!

Would you prayerfully consider sponsoring a piece of our adoption puzzle? There are 147 million orphans in this world. With your help, there will soon be two less. 

God bless you!

Fun Firsts...

We had a fun weekend...full of firsts!

On Friday, we had our first round of medical exams for our adoption. The kids were feeling silly while waiting for the pediatrician. They looked so cute in their Africa t-shirts!

On Saturday, Joshua had his first flag football game which included his first touchdown! Woohoo!

YaYa had lots of fun cheering for her big brother in her very own Cowboys jersey!

After Joshua's game, Evan played in his first soccer game! Go Panthers!

And finally...Kyle and I planned our first adoption fundraiser. Here's a sneak peak!!

I hope your weekend was just as fun! May the week ahead be full of God's greatest blessings!

Dollars and Cents...

I've been working on this post for a couple of days. I start and stop...start and stop. It has been hard for me to say something that simply must be said. Here goes...

Our adoption will cost somewhere between $25,000 and $38,000.

I don't know many families that have that much extra cash on hand.

We certainly do not.

God has been so good to us and provided thus far...He turned a jar of forgotten coins into an application fee. He provided two months without a mortgage payment so we could pay the first portion of our agency fee. Just last week, we unexpectedly found a refund of $634 in our mailbox!

We have absolute faith that He will continue to provide; however, we know God is also calling us to sacrifice. I am working part-time at our church's mother's day out program to bring in some extra income. We now make purchases based on what we need rather than what we want. For the first time ever, I have a weekly meal plan and a grocery list that I stick to. The kids are hearing the word "no" more than ever before. And you know what? It feels good. Because I want to bring that baby girl home far more than I want pedicured toes and $4 coffees.

Even with all the saving, we're going to have to get creative and work hard. Most adoptive families fund raise and we've learned a lot from reading their blogs! We have some fun ideas and great products that will help fund our adoption and also advocate for the 147 million orphans in the world.

In the next few days, we'll unveil our first adoption fundraiser. We do so with humble, grateful hearts. In this...and all things...to God be the glory!

Tuning in...

The TV. I love it. And I hate it.

Why do I love it?

Because with just a click of a button I can sit in the kitchen with Paula Deen as she whips up a buttery southern creation...or tag along with Lenny Briscoe as he solves a murder in New York City...or zig zag across the globe in a race to win one million dollars.

Why do I hate it?

Because the enemy uses it to deceive me...us. Too often the very things we learn to guard ourselves against on Sunday mornings become entertainment in prime time.

I've been bothered by this for years...starting with "Friends". After years of watching the show, I thought to myself, "What if Rachel really was my friend? Would I be so entertained by her?". Absolutely not.

Then there's Charlie Harper...the main character in "Two and a Half Men". He was a liar, a cheater, an alcoholic. He made crude jokes and often referenced visiting prostitutes. What if he was my brother? Or my neighbor? Would I consider his antics entertainment? Of course not.

Most recently I have been tuning in to "Hoarders" on A&E...stories about real people who compulsively hoard things, including garbage. They are broken, lost and desperate. What if this was my mother or my husband? Would I sit back, watch their lives unravel and be entertained by it all? No.

If these "characters" were my friends, brother, neighbor, mother or husband, I would be concerned and saddened by their choices. I would grieve their situations. And I would pray for them fervently. But sitting on my couch at the end of the day, I click that button and laugh, gasp, shake my head and sometimes push the rewind button to watch it again. Such a hypocrite I am with my TV.

Not every show is bad...some are good. I haven't unplugged the TV. But it's time for me to really look at what I'm watching and hold it up to the scriptures. I don't think I'm alone.

Let's use Philippians 4:8 as our "TV Guide"...

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about (and be entertained by) such things.

The words in italics are mine. I don't think Paul would mind.

Baby Bump

See that image over on the right? That's my fourth baby bump! Oh, I know...it just looks like a hot pink filing system sitting on my dining room table. Don't let your eyes deceive you...it's a baby bump!

This pink, twenty-six pocket filing system will hold everything needed to grow our family of five into a family of six. Right now it contains copies of adoption agency agreements, lists of adoption expenses and fundraising ideas, a certificate of completion for an online training course and requests for birth certificates, marriage certificates and passports. Over the next several months, our family will watch with excitement as the contents grow and change. This phase of adoption is called the "paper pregnancy", so naturally this is my baby bump.

In many ways, this baby bump is quite different from my first three. First and most obvious, it's not physically a part of me. It will never expand my waist. I'll never stand in front of the mirror, fascinated by it and inspecting it for changes. I will never rest my hand on it to feel the child inside kick.

Another difference...this baby bump started with different motivation on our part. My first baby bump came about because we were ready to start a family...I wanted a baby. The second because we wanted to grow our family and it was time for Joshua to have a brother or sister. The third because two kiddos just didn't seem like enough...we wanted one more. But this one, the fourth one, wasn't initially about a baby at all. It started with our hearts broken and longing to be used by God.

I guess I could go on and on about the differences. But I won't. I want to tell you one thing that is just the same...

I love the child that this baby bump represents as much as I loved my first three children while they were growing inside my womb. When I think about her and pray for her, I am filled with joy, excitement and nervous anticipation just like I was with Joshua, Evan and Olivia. I loved them with every ounce of my being long before I ever saw, touched or held them. The same is true for this precious child.

So if you feel God calling you to adopt, but you wonder...Could I truly love an adopted child as much as I love my biological children? Stop, my friend. Because that orphan tugging at your heart is not just a child without a home. It is your child...one that God has chosen for you...waiting to be brought home, waiting to be loved.

A great "Gotcha Day" video...