The Great Ethiopian Adventure (Day 1)

Oh my word, this is gonna be a hard one to write for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that my brain is a little fried.  I am tired and my body feels like it’s floating just a bit from being on a plane for the past 18 hours (and right now I'm sitting in the Chicago airport waiting on our delayed flight to get us home).  I hope I remember everything, but I’ll just start at the beginning and see how I do.  It’s probably gonna be a long one – so much to tell.

We left our house at 3:30 on Christmas Eve.  We flew from Nashville to Washington, Dulles and then to London.  I have to say that those were two ridiculously bumpy flights and I was praying and asking God to smooth it out for us – and when He didn’t, I began to remind Him that I was going to Ethiopia to adopt ORPHANS.  Apparently He knew that already and I was supposed to just deal with the turbulence.   LOL  Turbulence is one of my least favorite things in all of life.   GGGGRRRRRR.  On a side note, the last time I flew to London was four years ago and I had the privilege of flying first class – yep, that is better than coach.  Sigh.  

We arrived in London on Christmas morning at 10:00am.   We left the airport there because we had a 10-hour layover and decided it would be more fun to see a bit of the city than it would be just to sit in the airport.   Because it was Christmas many of the transportation options weren’t operating so the only choice we had was to get a cab into the city, and even those were few and far between.   It was about $100 for the cab fare one way – ouch!!   We were dropped off near a hotel where we had lined up a three-hour bus tour to see the sites.  We found a little restaurant that was open (most weren’t) and ate some fish-n-chips for our Christmas lunch.  They were good, but we had hoped that we’d be able to find an “Olde English Pub” and have that experience, but it was not to be.

After lunch we walked a couple blocks  (so cold, but actually really nice to be out walking) to the hotel and waited for our tour to start.  We got on that bus and did everything we could to keep our eyes open and enjoy learning about London.  Gatlin and I gave into a nap somewhere between Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.  Brian and Cooper managed to stay awake and they would wake us up when it was time to get off the bus for photo opps.   This would have been good had I ever gotten out my camera.  I never did.   Isn’t that crazy?  We were just so cold and so crazy tired and pretty darn loopy, so somewhere in that mindset I decided we’d just go with the memories.  LOL    After the tour, we headed back to the airport and went to the terminal for BMI airlines to catch our flight to Ethiopia.

OH – wait, we weren’t on BMI airlines even though that’s what our itinerary said.  So, we tried to figure out what airline we are on and there was NOBODY in Terminal 1 who could give us that answer…they told us to go to Terminal 4…so we headed to Terminal 4.  Now, that may sound easy but it was Christmas Day and the train between terminals was only running every 30 minutes.  We were there 2 1/2 hours early so this should have been fine EXCEPT that when we got to Terminal 4 we were told that there was no flight out of that terminal to Addis Ababa.  Ok – at that point we were frantically trying to figure out why our itinerary said BMI and yet, that wasn’t the correct airline, and why in the world weren’t there postings of flight cities, only airlines.  It was SO FRUSTRATING. 

We finally found an agent who knew that the flight was actually Ethiopian Airlines and it was in Terminal 2.  We RAN to the train, only to wait 30 minutes for the train to pull up.  We jumped onto the train and then the train man came by and said everyone needed to exit the train for a routine security check.  Not kidding.  We got off the train, waited five minutes for that (felt like forever) and rode the train to Terminal 2.  We RAN to the ticket counters and literally couldn’t find Ethiopian Air – and finally saw it back in the very back corner of all the others, and then noticed that it said CLOSED.  Yep.   Thankfully, there was still a gate agent there and she immediately asked if we were the Green family – we said, “yes”.   She then said that they had canceled our seats when we didn’t show up (but at this point, it was 7:30 and our flight was at 8:15 – I was TICKED that they canceled us that early in the process).  Upon her words, Gatlin started BAWLING.  She was so afraid that we weren’t going to get to our kiddos in Ethiopia.   The agent went ahead and took our passports and started checking us on to the flight, but informed us that we were going to be on standby.  Did I mention Gatlin was bawling? 

We then started a mad dash to the gate and went straight to the gate agent there.  She said that she was expecting us and that there was no need to cry because we had been upgraded to business class – woo hoo – OH WAIT, she then walked over to another agent, came back and said, “Did you say you were the Reeves?”   Um, no, we are the Greens.  “Oh, sorry, this isn’t you, you’re on standby – sit over there and wait”.   So, we sat over there and waited.   Thankfully, we all got seats on the flight, but none of our seats were together.  This didn’t go over well with Gatlin and me so when we got on the flight we asked the man sitting next to me to switch with Gatlin.  He was hesitant, so I have to admit that both Gatlin and I pulled out the puppy dog eyes – and it didn’t hurt that her poor little eyes were all bloodshot from crying.  He moved.  We sat together.   The flight was smooth – thank You, Jesus.

We landed in Addis Ababa about 8 hours later.  However, our luggage did not.  Apparently luggage sitting in London 10 hours just isn’t really long enough to make the connection.  (I honestly have nothing good to say about the London airport.)  So we made our way to the baggage claim agent and spent the next hour plus there, immediately realizing that what everyone who had traveled before us had said was true – you can’t make any plans in Ethiopia – you just have to be patient and go with the flow.   The agent said our luggage would be on the flight the next day.  Eventually, we got to the guest house and got “checked in” there.  We loved the guest house and the people who worked there.  Wonderful. 

There were five families staying at the guest house and a couple of those families were out picking up their kids at the orphanage or transition house when we arrived, so we went to eat some lunch with Rick Flores (one of the other adopting dads who happens to be from Franklin) while we waited for a driver to take us to get ours.  There was a nice coffee shop within walking distance of the guest house and we grabbed lunch there and then headed back, met Alazar (he works for the adoption agency) and drove about 20 minutes to the orphanage.   Before we left, Alazar told us that we wouldn’t be able to bring the kids back with us on that trip (because their Aunt was coming to the orphanage to visit with them that afternoon) but that we’d go back after dinner and be able to bring them back with us at that point.

When we drove through the gate at the orphanage, Bennet came running out the front doors yelling, “Mommy, Daddy”!!    She threw open the van door and grabbed us before we could even get out.  She just kept saying, “I love you, I love you, I love you”.  She kissed and hugged us more times than I could count – she was just visibly so thankful that we were there.  Kali and Kaleb were quiet, but they were just as happy to see us and gave us so many hugs.   On a side note, a little guy named, Temesgen, stood beside the van crying huge alligator tears because he so badly wanted HIS family to come out of that van.  It was all I could do not to bawl.  Ya’ll, it was so sad.  He has seen so many families come for their children there – and yet, he waits.  The good news for him, though, is that a family has chosen him and will hopefully get their court date soon and he will finally get to open the van door for them!! 

Bennet, Kali and Kaleb took us inside to show us around - all the kids followed us and were so precious.  I saw many kids who I recognized from the waiting children list (and thankfully most have found their forever families and are just waiting for them to come get them – praise God!)  We took a few pictures and the kids loved that – they love seeing themselves in pictures!!  They showed us the girl’s room and the boy’s room where each child shares a bed with another child – so, ONE bunk bed is shared with FOUR children, and these were smaller sized bunk beds.  Having said that, this orphanage is so nice – I mean, as far as orphanages go, we all decided this was the Hilton.  The orphanage director is amazing and she takes such good care of the kids there.  They were about to eat lunch so after our “tour” we headed back to the van and assured the kiddos that we’d be back in a few hours to pick them up and take them back to the guest house with us. 

When we got back to the guest house we met the other families that had just gotten back with their adorable children.  I just can’t say enough about the other families that were there with us – they are amazing people and I just know we will be friends for life.  Our new friend, Nick, said that the “intensity of the adoption experience bonds you very quickly together” and he is absolutely right!  Everyone was just kind of hanging out playing with their sweet new kids, but we decided it would be smart to take a nap so we did that before heading back over to the orphanage to pick up our kiddos. 

When we went back, a couple of the other adopting parents wanted to go with us so that they could not only see the orphanage but also a couple of the kids who are there whose parents they know, in particular our sweet friends, the Krehbiel’s, precious twin three year old girls.   I also got to see my new friend, Jill’s, little adorable son and daughter.  I recognized so many of the kids but am having a little trouble remembering who belongs to who since I’ve met so many wonderful adopting families since we started this process.   It was so fun to be able to have the orphanage workers tell the kids that we know their families and that they will be there for them soon.  Loved that!!   It was a quick in and out and we loaded up our three kiddos and were just about to head back to the guest house, but then the orphanage director said that the kid’s Aunt was there and that she wanted to meet us.  I had no idea that she was still there and got a little nervous at the thought of meeting her.  Brian asked the director if the Aunt was happy that we were adopting the kids, and the director said that she was “very happy” so we were grateful to know that.

We walked back to the front of the orphanage and she walked out onto the porch and I hugged her.  She didn’t speak any English and so the director was translating.  I told her how happy we were to become the parents of the kids and she did a traditional bow to thank me.  I was able to ask her how the kid’s mother died, and like I had suspected, she died in childbirth with the twins.  The Aunt said that the father died of high blood pressure.  I don’t know exactly what that means or how accurate it is, but that’s what the translation was.  I had hoped that she might have some pictures of the parents, but she didn’t.  We were told that she would be at the courthouse the next day.  Bennet shook her hand goodbye, which I thought was interesting. 

We got back to the guest house and all the dads went to get dinner “take away” and brought it back.  We had spaghetti and meatballs and everyone liked it (and I have another son who can throw down on some chow - wow!!).   We were all so tired, so after dinner we went up to our room and got everyone ready for bed.   Oh – have I mentioned that NONE of our luggage arrived?  Yeah, so, after we left the orphanage the first time we made a stop at a little store and bought pajamas for everyone (except me cause I was wearing sweats that were comfy enough to sleep in - but little did I know I would be wearing them 24/7 for SIX DAYS).   Thankfully, I did pack toiletries in our carry-on bag so we did have a few necessities.  Gatlin and Bennet slept in a double bed together.  Kali was on a cot next to them.  Cooper slept on a double mattress on the floor and Kaleb was on a cot next to him.  And Brian and I had a double bed as well.  Our room was perfect for us – we were stuffed in as one BIG family – just the way it was meant for us to be. 

The kids were so giggly that it took a few minutes to get them to settle in – they were just SO excited about everything.  SO stinkin’ sweet.  We said our prayers and gave our kisses and everyone fell fast asleep.

To be continued…

And We're Off...

In just a few hours we'll board the plane and head to ETHIOPIA to meet our kiddos face to face for the first time.  I'm actually very calm about that part of it - the only part that makes me nervous is the flying, I just don't love it.  You'd think I'd be ok with it since I have spent so much of my life flying around the country, but alas, it is NOT one of my favorite things.  So as you're praying for us, will you please throw in a smooth flight - thank you.

We will fly to London tonight (so thankful that the weather is cooperating there now) and spend the day there tomorrow - just gonna do a little bus tour of the city and find somewhere to have some Christmas lunch.  I'm sure this will make for a good story later as we have no real plan and many places will likely be closed for Christmas.  Adventure awaits us - woo hoo!!

After our few hours in London we'll hop back on the plane and fly overnight to Addis Ababa and arrive there at 7:00am.  We'll head to the guest house, freshen up and then hopefully head right over to the orphanage to see our kiddos.   The "plan" is to hang out there for a while and play with all the kids at the orphanage and pass out some of the goodies that we have for them - just some candy and a few little toys.  All the stuffed suitcases actually go to the Transition House for the agency workers to go through and divide amongst all the orphanages that our agency works with - that way each orphanage gets what they need.

Having said that we have a plan, I will say that I understand you MUST hold your plans VERY loosely while you're there.  Apparently there is no real concept of time and things just kind of happen when they happen.  There are going to be THIRTEEN families from our agency there at the same time and we will all be dependent on the same driver to get us where we need to be.   Thankfully, there is a large van, but still, it might take some patience to sit and wait for our turn to get to the orphanage, to court, or wherever.  So, we shall be flexible and just go with the flow.

I've been so blessed to become friends with many of the other families going to court with us and they are just awesome people.  We've been sending notes of encouragement back and forth and talking through the details of everything - it's been a huge blessing.  I'm really looking forward to spending the next few days with them and forming friendships that I pray will last a lifetime!

So, Bennet, Kaleb and Kali - here we come!!!   AAAAAAHHHHH.    Oh, I've said this to a couple people....there's a ride at Disneyland (I think it's Peter Pan) and right when you start it says, "Hold on everybody, here we GOoooooo"....that keeps playing in my head.    Like, I hear it all day.  LOL    I am very excited about this ride!!   People will sometimes look at us like we're crazy when we say we're adopting three kids, but when you know it's the right thing to do, you need to do it.  I know that we are obeying God in this call on our lives - to disobey Him and walk away from it would be a much different ride, and I don't want to get on that one.  When doubts creep into my mind (and they've actually been few and far between), I just remind myself that we must keep an eternal perspective.  Not trying to over-spiritualize here, but this is what I believe...this life is NOT about ME.  It just isn't.  I want to be about doing the things that please God - and it is very obvious to me when I read His Word that HE LOVES ORPHANS and wants us to love them, too.

As you celebrate Christmas, will you just commit to praying about your role in adoption.  Look around at all you are blessed with and really ask yourself if you could share with one more (or two, or three).  As Christians, we are ADOPTED into God's family - can you imagine your life without it?  I can't.   Jumping in and taking that first step is the hardest, but I promise you, God will be with you every step of the way.  He promises!!   This past week my sister's family made the decision to adopt and I just can't tell you how excited I am.  The verse that has been resonating with them is, "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you".  James 14:18.   What is stopping you?  Is it your own comfort level?   Your fear?  Your "lack of finances"?   There are approximately 160 million orphans - could you save just one?

Ok, I have a plane to catch and I'm sitting here in my jammies so I better get ready!!

Merry Christmas - Amen and Hallelujah!!

And the winner is...

Jim and Connie Taylor!!   Jim and Connie are from Brentwood, Tennessee and they are the proud parents of two awesome boys who have both been a part of my summer acting camp.  This is a great family and I'm thrilled that they won.  Woo hoo.

I just can't say a big enough thank you to all of you who donated to our travel fund - we raised $1900 towards our expenses.  One ticket this trip was $1600 so we paid for one ticket, plus.  Yay.   Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow.

Ok - here is even bigger news.  We got a call at 6:50 this morning from our friend, Shane Putty.  He said that his wife, Kelly (who's over in Ethiopia right now) was with our kids at that very moment and they wanted to Skype with us!  Oh my word - I jumped out of bed SO fast (have I mentioned that we home school so this was a tad early for us - ha!!).   We looked a mess as we gathered around my computer to talk to our sweet kiddos.  It was amazing.  Kelly said that she was about to leave the orphanage but that they were asking her so many questions about us and she realized she had her computer and the internet thingy majig in the van - so she ran and got it.  They sang, "Jesus Loves Me" to us.  Bennet said, "May I please see my bedroom".  AAAHHHH   I explained that it wasn't quite ready yet and there was stuff all over the place cause we are preparing to paint it - but we carried the computer upstairs and showed her the bunk bed and her closet!!   I had just recently bought some clothes for her on eBay so I washed them yesterday and had a stack of clothes ready to put away today - so I held those up and said, "These clothes are going in the closet for you".   She was so excited.  It was precious.

We showed Kaleb and Kali their bunk beds, too, and when we showed Kaleb his comforter he started giggling.  Priceless.  Then we took a minute to make sure that they were ok with us changing their names just a little bit - cause we were calling them by their new names and all of a sudden I thought, "what if they are thinking, 'who the heck are you talking to?'".  LOL    We first asked Bennet (whose African name is Bemnet) if she liked the name Bennet and if she was ok with it, and she said she does like Bennet.  One down.  Whew.   Then we told Kaleb (whose name is Kalab - so basically just pronounced a little differently) that the way you pronounce his name here is, Kaleb.  We asked if he was ok with that and he shook his head yes.  Two down.   Then we asked Kali (her African name is Kalkidan) if we could call her Kali - she shook her head very dramatically and said, "YES!".  It was adorable.   She and Bennet are very talkative and very animated.  Kaleb appears to be the quiet one, but we shall see.  (:

Then they wanted to sing us another song and they sang a song (in English) of the days of the week and the months of the year.  It was so cute.   They have good pitch.  Whew.  LOL

Oh, at the very beginning of the conversation all they kept saying was, "We love you".  Oh my gosh, ya'll.  It was just unreal.  Honestly, my daughter got off the Skype and said, "Mom, I love them to death....and I mean it".  It's just crazy amazing to see how God has orchestrated this.  I mean, come on!

So, what a way to start the day!!  And then a friend emailed to tell me that they said, "yes", to a referral today and it's a child I've been praying for off the Waiting Children list.   I was going crazy.  It's amazing the bond you develop with other adoptive families.  The friendships are formed fast and strong because of such like-mindedness.  It really is a God thing.  I'm grateful.  Very!

I thank each one of you for supporting us - whether financially or through prayer, or both - or acts of service, like our AMAZING Uncle Jim.  Can I just tell you about him real quick?  This guy is one of the best people I've ever known.  He would do anything for our family.  I wish that everyone had an "Uncle Jim" in their lives.  He has been helping with all the projects at our house.  We can never repay him for the work he has done for us -- all we can do is love him and call him family.  It's an honor.

So, it was a pretty darn amazing day - but just so you don't think I've got it made in the shade (ha!), I did have to get a mammogram today!   Ouch!   LOL    But even that can't bring me down from these clouds.

HOLLA!!!  

The Great iPad Giveaway...

We really want to do a fundraiser that is FUN - thus, we are giving away an iPad.  iPads are FUN.  Not that I personally know this, cause I don't own one, but this is what I hear.  And yes, I've told my children that they can't donate to win.  They are not happy about this.  LOL  

So, if you'd like a chance to win the "thank you iPad" then just donate $10 for one chance and $25 for three chances (or feel free to donate more and have more chances).  All the money goes towards our travel expenses.  We are getting close to having it covered and are praying that this FUNdraiser gets us over the finish line.

And please post it on your Facebook and your blog even though that means you'll have less of a chance to win.  ha!!!  Remember, you're doing this for a good cause.

God and Garage Sales...

Once again the Lord has proven Himself faithful to us.  Not surprised....so grateful.

Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook know that we had a garage sale this weekend.  It's probably not an ideal time for a garage sale, mainly because it's cold.  We had no idea what the weather was going to be but both days turned out to be really nice - chilly, but nice, and no rain (thank you, Lord).

My sweet sister, Jenni, let us have the sale at her house because our driveway is a bit steep and we live right on a busy road so it's just not an ideal spot for it.  She lives in a wonderful neighborhood only five minutes away so it was perfect.

My friend, Gina, had had a garage sale a couple months ago at her home in Brentwood and she ended up with three garages full of donations - it was awesome.  They made a great amount of money for their adoption and then she generously gave me all that was left to sell at our sale.  There was a lot of really good stuff left and we were very thankful.  Some other friends donated, too, and we ended up with a lot of good stuff.  Didn't have any idea what yesterday would look like - just not really up on garage sales and didn't know how Fridays fare - but it turned out to be a great day of sales and we made $850.

When we woke up this morning it had just started to sprinkle, but that quickly passed and we were so happy when it didn't rain on our garage sale parade.  BUT, we were so surprised at how few people came out today.  I thought Saturday would be really busy - but it just wasn't.  A friend later told me that you should advertise the two days separately because if you do a two-day sale, people think all the good stuff is gone on the first day and they don't show up the second day.  So, if I ever do another sale, I will heed that word of wisdom and see if it helps.  Anyway, we only sold about $250 today.  I hadn't told very many people this, but my goal was to get the Visas paid for.  Each kiddo needs a Visa and they are $400 each.  Then our family of four each need an $80 Visa.  So the total for that is $1520.  The total for the sale was $1100.   However, my sister (the above mentioned, Jenni, who was already being so sweet to let us use her house - AND she made cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for us) said that she and her husband had decided to give us a little donation -- but it wasn't little.  It was $300.  Ok, so what you need to know here is that they are missionaries.  I know they don't have extra, so for them to give so generously to us is just mind-blowing and SO greatly appreciated.  With that gift our total jumped to $1400.  Woo hoo -- the kiddos Visas are completely covered and ours are so close.  I have three items listed on Craigslist that I know are going to sell -- and that will be that.  WOO HOO!!  God was so sweet to show up in such an awesome way!!

The sad news is that my sister's family is only here on furlough and will be moving back to Thailand in just a few weeks.  They won't be here when our kiddos get here (and my eyes are welling up with tears even typing that).  It has been amazing having them just down the street.  In the 19 years that we've lived here we've never had family near us.  I wish they could stay.

At the end of the sale we had enough children's clothes left over to pack up five suitcases to take to the orphanage.  Yipee!!!   We also had a couple riding toys and some formula that we added to the bags and they are in the basement ready to go in just TWENTY DAYS!!

I have gotten two very sweet emails from another adopting mom who was in Ethiopia a few weeks ago and got to meet our kiddos.  She has emailed to tell me how sweet they are, especially Bennet.  She spent a good amount of time with her and Bennet asked her to tell me that she loves me.  PRECIOUS!  This gal also got their handprints and sent them to us.  How sweet is that!!  I love nice people.

So, next week I have a cool fundraiser that I'm gonna start.  Well, it's not actually anything super exciting, but somebody will win an iPad.  And I'll round up a couple other gifts to give away, too.

One last note - I just can't express my gratitude enough to those of you who have made donations to us of any kind.  Whether monetary or service or prayer - we appreciate all of it more than words can ever say.  Blessings on you!!  

OH wait -- one last word -- if you ever have a garage sale, do NOT let my brother-in-law, Tim, negotiate the sales.  It's a long story, but trust me on this.  LOL

Such a Loving Family...

Just want to take a minute to say how grateful I am for my amazing family.  There have been about 25 of us here - divided into two houses - this holiday week.  We have had a great time but sadly it comes to an end tomorrow after brunch.

I got to show off the new kiddos via pictures and videos and the videos were especially touching...brought most of us to tears.  Right now they are in an orphanage in Ethiopia...amazing to think that in just a couple months Bennet, Kaleb and Kali will be here at our house, sitting at our BIG new kitchen table, eating American food, sleeping on comfy mattresses and being hugged, kissed, prayed with and tucked in at night by their daddy and momma and new brother and sister.   I am getting SO EXCITED.

I'm so thankful that my family is not only supportive, but just as excited as we are -- well, maybe not quite that much, but VERY excited.  What a huge blessing to have the love and support of family.  I realize not everyone has that.  Thank you, God!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  There is SO much to be thankful for.   I read this paragraph in my Greg Laurie devotional this week and think it is worth passing along.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won’t survive the week.  If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world.  If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world.  If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75 percent of this world.  If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8 percent of the worlds wealthy.  

There is a lot to give thanks for.  And the primary reason we were put on this earth as human beings is to glorify God and to give Him thanks. 

The Taste of Humble Pie

Ok, I like pie.  But just to be honest, it is a "humble pie eating" experience to fundraise for an adoption.  I am positive that there are those who are tired of my talking about it and "advertising" it, and we've only been in this process for 2 1/2 months - only had one fundraising event.  But, when you're talking about anywhere from $25,000 - $60,000 for an adoption, there are just very few people who have that kind of money sitting around.  Maybe some do, but I would venture a guess that it's rare.  Sometimes I feel like I need to tell everyone all about our finances -- like, put it all out there for public consumption -- just so people can see that we are using the funds that we have available.  I want everyone to know that we are trying to cut corners and save our pennies, we don't make as much as you might think we do, I'm shopping for furniture on Craigslist, blah blah blah.  It just feels like there's a need to defend.  Maybe there's not.  I can't be sure, but it does certainly feel like that sometimes.

And then there's the crazy stuff like just having bought a car that plays around in my head.  Are people judging me because it's a Lexus?  Should I put a bumper sticker on it that says, "I'm used"?   The timing of the purchase is pretty funny since I decided to downsize from my bigger, also used, Lexus SUV that had over 150,000 miles on it.  Three weeks after making the purchase I saw the kiddo's pictures and we decided to adopt.  Irony.  Thankfully, this car still seats eight.  Whew!!   And I'll drive this one til it has over 150,000 miles.  But I can't feel badly about it.  I really do need a reliable car and I saved up to be able to buy this one.

So, we humbly sent out donation letters a little over a week ago.  We explained that we are adopting a sibling set of three and that it will run around $55,000-$60,000, etc... we just put ourselves out there and humbly asked for others to help us on this journey if they could.  We typed in BOLD letters that helping us is TAX DEDUCTIBLE so that at least it feels like we might be helping our friends out, too.  Kind of?  I mean, it is the end of the year and people do need a write-off.  So, we're here for you!!  Win-win.  Haven't heard from very many people yet, but trying not to think that we offended anyone by asking.  Praying that we haven't.

We had the aforementioned fundraiser event and it was a really great night.  There was a really good turn out and about $6500 hundred was made after expenses.  So, the three families that hosted the event were all blessed and get to divide up that amount.  The guys from Tenth Avenue North (Mike and Brendon) were amazing.  I mean, the dude can sing!  And they were just super kind to be there and donate their time to our families.  And then another group named, Joel & Luke, was also there.  They were fantastic too.  Such sweet, sweet people.   Blew us away with their talents.  I love that.  I prayed for them all as they sang.  That God would be working in their hearts to develop a love for adoption.  Who knows how God will use the fundraiser to impact them and their futures.  It was cool.

So, to fully disclose...here are the upcoming things I will be begging, I mean, asking for help with.  We are going to have a big garage sale on December 3 & 4.  We are asking for people to donate anything they don't want that's in decent "garage sale" shape.  All the proceeds from the sale will go towards our adoption expenses.  Then we are going to do a big sale of CDs that we are hoping people will purchase for stocking stuffers.  Brian was asked to make this CD for a women's conference so that they could sell them there, but then it didn't happen and we have 500 in our basement.  It is an EXCELLENT instrumental praise and worship CD...so beautiful.  We are going to pray hard to sell 500 of those to raise money specifically for our travel expenses.  We'll be hitting Facebook hard on that one.

In January we are going to do a Spirit Night at Chic-Fil-A.  This will be super fun and we'll do a blast out on FB and through email and try to get a ton of people out there to eat chicken for dinner.  Should be easy to get people out for it since it's such yummy food.  We get 20% of all receipts turned back in from purchases.  And after that event I think we will be done.  So, I've given everyone the head's up on what is happening and when it's happening.  And you can avoid me until after these if you would like. (;

This entire process will only be about six months from start to finish.  That is really miraculous.  It is also a short time to raise money.  We are so very thankful for friends who have already given so generously.  We had one friend in particular give a large sum and we will forever be grateful.  As of today we have about $12,000 left to raise.  I am trusting God completely for it.

Here's the thing...I believe that everyone is called by God to walk the adoption journey.  Now, I don't believe that everyone is called to adopt, but I do believe that everyone is called to help in some way.  For some, like us, it will be the actual act of bringing orphans into your home.  For others, it will be coming along side and helping financially so that another family can bring the orphan home.  For others it will be serving and helping a family organize their fundraising activities, or prepare their home for the new arrivals.  And for ALL, it should be a prayer priority.   God makes it a priority.   The Bible commands us to care for the poor and the needy -- it mentions it over 300 times.   James 1:27 says that true and undefiled religion is to care for the orphan and  the widow.  God cares about the orphan.  Adoption is a picture of what God did for us.  He ADOPTED us into His family through His son, Jesus.  It matters.

And so, I will humbly continue the fundraising efforts to bring these three amazing kids home.  I'm going to pray that my friends who read this blog and those who received the donation letters will actually rejoice for an opportunity to be a part of the adoption journey with us, whether through giving or through prayer - or both.   It's not about us, it's about the kids, and I can't wait to tell Bennet, Kali and Kaleb how the awesome body of Christ stepped up and helped bring them home.