Check Out That Thermometer >>>>>>>>>

In less than four short weeks, we are over WELL over half way to hitting our first goal of $2916.67!  WOOHOO!!  I constantly tell myself to only look at the financial commitment of international adoption ONE SMALL STEP AT A TIME.  In other words, just look at the piece of the elephant that is on our plate right now...not the next $2916 piece to come or the $14000 (or $19000 depending on how many children are in the sibling group) piece due when we see the "ultrasound" (accept our referral)!  **Just focus on what's in front of us right now and thank God for providing it.**  And if you happen to hear doubt and fear filled words coming out of my mouth at any point, please, feel free to remind me of what I have just said.
Y'all have heard that saying, right?  "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!"

Chris and I have been putting money in the "Expansion account" every week, and people have been buying Mississippi towels and Cake Pops like cuh-raaazy and signing up for sewing and cake pop classes left and right and donating money out of the blue!  I really shouldn't be so surprised at how God is orchestrating all of this into His great plan for these children because this IS the Creator of the universe we're talking about here, and those sweet babies were knit together BY Him in their mother's womb (and subsequently our hearts). So seriously, what's $35-$40k for Him?  Yet I am absolutely overwhelmed!  I guess nearly every post I write for this blog will have some sort of repetitive "Thank You" in it for all those taking part in this journey with us, and I truly hope you won't get sick of reading those thank you's over and over and again.  Those two little words seem terribly inefficient in portraying the gratitude that permeates my heart for our family and friends who have stepped up in many different ways to this command written about in James..."take care of orphans and widows in their need"...

Where Your Treasure Is

"Tell them to use their money to do good.  They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them.  By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life. " 1 Timothy 6:18-19

Although they are not yet here, our Ethiopian children have been blessed by so many who have given generously and financially partnered with Chris and me in the quest of bringing them home.  Friends, family, neighbors, and strangers have bought over $400 worth of MS/Africa hand towels, donated money through our blog Paypal button, purchased cake pops (many many dozens and the orders keep coming in!), taken part in our coffee fundraiser and even sent those bags of coffee to family as gifts, signed up for sewing and cake pop classes, etc etc etc.  And again on this Christmas morning, we are blessed to receive yet another financial gift from a couple who made it in a very unique way.  They are storing up treasure for the future and bringing along their nieces and nephews as they do it!  In lieu of giving their nieces and nephews gifts this Christmas, they gave them an Adoption Flip Book with pictures and stories of our family.  They are donating the money that would have been spent on gifts directly into our adoption fund.  They told them that as they flip through the picture book, to pray for us and for our children who are thousands of miles away.

This couple is using their money to do good--they opened a future generation's heart to the plight of orphans.

This couple is rich in good works and is giving generously to those in need--those Ethiopian children need a momma and a daddy and a forever and ever home filled with security, love, and laughter.

This couple is ready to share with others what God has given them--God gave them a job and a paycheck to go along with it, and they are sharing the financial burden with us of the costly process of adoption.

This couple is not just storing up treasure under a Christmas tree, but they are also storing up treasure in Heaven and taking hold of real life--those Ethiopian children are real, and have names, and have faces, and have hearts that are hurting from whatever loss or tragedy that has made them become "adoptable".

Real life is messy and hard and it hurts and is often filled with suffering, but this life we live in America is a blessed one indeed!  We celebrate Jesus' birthday today as we bestow gifts on our loved ones and often times in scandalous excess, we celebrate today in homes that probably do not leak as the rain pours down and do not topple over as the winds rage outside, we celebrate today with tables filled with Christmas feasts of plenty and do not worry that we won't have enough food at that table to fill our children's tummies, and we celebrate with freedom today a King that was born to give us a way to become blameless and faultless in His Father's sight.

I pray that you find yourself this morning examining where you are storing up your treasure.  I am not praising this couple for their good deed, or exalting them above anyone else who has shared with us by means of money or prayers or time, nor am I trying to make anyone feel bad about giving gifts to their family.  But I am challenging you to be rich in good works and to give generously to those around you in need, and I am praising my God who is working in this couple's life through the power of His Word and who is working in the lives of those three little hearts that this couple touched with their unique gift. Their nieces and nephews will start at a young age praying for the needs of abandoned orphans, and who knows what eternal impact they will make as they get older having been given a good foundation for the future so they make take hold of real life!  I pray that you take hold of real life today because of the life of that sweet Baby born in Bethlehem!


photo credit: dolanh via photopin cc

Let's Get This Party Started

Lifeline called yesterday afternoon to say that everything on our application looked great and that we should hear from a social worker in the next 3-5 business days.  I guess this means that we are approved?  If so, then WooHoo!  Let's "officially" get this party started!

I believe that the next step is to get our homestudy done pay the first agency fee which has part of the home study fee interspersed into it, and that will cost about $1500 $2916.67.  God has already started to provide for this through our own money being set aside and also through the sales of Applique towels and Christmas outfits from my side gig, Sister Sister.

$19 each or $35 for a pair of towels
(can be customized to your state and hometown)

$45 (you choose gift box, ornament or one letter)

THANK YOU to those friends who have made purchases!  THANK YOU for telling your friends about the towels and outfits and our blog! We still have $224 left in the Expansion account after paying the application fee of $250!  Of course, I'm a little scared and apprehensive about the upcoming $1500 $2916.67 fee...it's not like I have an extra thousand or so dollars lying around waiting to be used.  A few years ago that would have been a drop in the bucket for us, but that is definitely not the case today.  But I do trust that my God will provide every step of the way in this process.  I do trust that in His time He will provide for every single fee whether it is through the money we save up (and goodness knows I can squeeze a quarter out of dime!), generous friends and family giving of their financial resources (some have already pledged to do this!), anonymous givers who have a big heart for orphans, or through the fundraisers we will be doing (by the way, if you are good at organizing that kind of thing, please raise your hand).

One of the on-going fundraisers we have is from Just Love Coffee, and Chris and I definitely love us some good coffee!  I would dare say that I have become a bit of a coffee snob since January.  That's when I started drinking it black...yep, cold turkey cut out the sugar and cream (mm hmm, I loved cream in my coffee...the pure, fattening, good stuff...you know flavor comes from fat, right? And I'm all about flavor).  This company has an amazing heart for helping orphans.  Watch this vimeo to see what I'm talking about and then go check out our STOREFRONT on their website.  Click on the *Shop and Support* button and buy a bag (or three)!  We just bought a couple of bags of the whole bean Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.  Can't wait to grind it up, brew a pot, and sit outside on the front porch swing with my hubby and coffee in hand for one of our "Porch Dates"!  If you are not a coffee addict like we are, please pass the link along to your coffee-loving friends!  Just Love Coffee sends $5 to us for EACH bag sold!!  Isn't that awesome?!

Ok, so here's the vimeo.  

Just Love Coffee Roasters-Mission-Fast Load from Just Love Coffee Roasters on Vimeo.