So I have officially become "stir crazy". I thought with how busy at work I've been, and how busy my Etsy shop has kept me..that surely I would just stay focused and not even think about the "wait" and then one day...BAM.... we'll be at #1 on the list and just waiting for our phone to ring. UGH..... why isn't it happening that way?
Today in my Jesus Calling book it said, "I know what you need, and I have promised to provide all of it - abundantly".
It went on to say, "Your sense of security must not rest in your possessions or in things going your way. I am training you to depend on Me alone, finding fulfillment in My Presence."
Well isn't that the truth!? God is sure training me! Amen to that!
It's the same thing over and over.... have patience, trust in God's timing, depend on the Lord through your wait..... SO MUCH EASIER to say, then to DO!
I have been praying that we see our baby's faces before Christmas. We are still at #5 on the list. It's not looking so good.
I am still believing that God can move mountains and connect us with our children. I know He can. I hate to put a time limit on it.... but at the same time I know that my God is an ALmighty God and He answers prayers!!!! So I will cling to that.
I'm going to continue to stay focused. One day at a time. One week at a time. One month at a time.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
"How to Be The Village" by Jen Hatmaker!
Jen Hatmaker, oh how I love you!!!
A few days ago, Jen wrote a blog post titled "How to Be The Village". It was so much of what I have been thinking....and more. PLEASE take the time to read it in it's entirety. If you know someone who is adopting, plans to adopt, is home with their precious kiddos.... PLEASE read!
Here is an excerpt of the post. The one that spoke to me the most (because it's where we are right now). Amazing Jen....
And thank you to my little "village" of supporters. You have NO idea how much it means to me! I love you all...and thank you for loving us!
Ok......here it is....
Supporting Families Before the Airport
Your friends are adopting. They’re in the middle of dossiers and home studies, and most of them are somewhere in the middle of Waiting Purgatory. Please let me explain something about WP: It sucks in every way. Oh sure, we try to make it sound better than it feels by using phrases like “We’re trusting in God’s plan” and “God is refining me” and “Sovereignty trumps my feelings” and crazy bidness like that. But we are crying and aching and getting angry and going bonkers when you’re not watching. It’s hard. It hurts. It feels like an eternity even though you can see that it is not. It is harder for us to see that, because many of us have pictures on our refrigerators of these beautiful darlings stuck in an orphanage somewhere while we’re bogged down in bureaucracy and delays.
How can you help? By not saying or doing these things:
1. “God’s timing is perfect!” (Could also insert: “This is all God’s plan!” “God is in charge!”) As exactly true as this may be, when you say it to a waiting parent, we want to scratch your eyebrows off and make you eat them with a spoon. Any trite answer that minimizes the struggle is as welcomed as a sack of dirty diapers. You are voicing something we probably already believe while not acknowledging that we are hurting and that somewhere a child is going to bed without a mother again. Please never say this again. Thank you.
2. “Are you going to have your own kids?” (Also in this category: “You’ll probably get pregnant the minute your adoption clears!” “Since this is so hard, why don’t you just try to have your own kids?” “Well, at least you have your own kids.”) The subtle message here is: You can always have legitimate biological kids if this thing tanks. It places adoption in the Back-up Plan Category, where it does not belong for us. When we flew to Ethiopia with our first travel group from our agency, out of 8 couples, we were the only parents with biological kids. The other 7 couples chose adoption first. Several of them were on birth control. Adoption counts as real parenting, and if you believe stuff Jesus said, it might even be closer to the heart of God than regular old procreation. (Not to mention the couples that grieved through infertility already. So when you say, “Are you going to have your own kids?” to a woman who tried for eight years, then don’t be surprised if she pulls your beating heart out like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.)
3. For those of you in Christian community, it is extremely frustrating to hear: “Don’t give up on God!” or “Don’t lose faith!” It implies that we are one nanosecond away from tossing our entire belief system in the compost pile because we are acting sad or discouraged. It’s condescending and misses the crux of our emotions. I can assure you, at no point in our story did we think about kicking Jesus to the curb, but we still get to cry tears and feel our feelings, folks. Jesus did. And I’m pretty sure he went to heaven when he died.
4. We’re happy to field your questions about becoming a transracial family or adopting a child of another race, but please don’t use this moment to trot out your bigotry. (Cluelessness is a different thing, and we try to shrug that off. Like when someone asked about our Ethiopian kids, “Will they be black?” Aw, sweet little dum-dum.) The most hurtful thing we heard during our wait was from a black pastor who said, “Whatever you do, don’t change their last name to Hatmaker, because they are NOT Hatmakers. They’ll never be Hatmakers. They are African.” What the??? I wonder if he’d launch the same grenade if we adopted white kids from Russia? If you’d like to know what we’re learning about raising children of another race or ask respectful, legitimate questions, by all means, do so. We care about this and take it seriously, and we realize we will traverse racial landmines with our family. You don’t need to point out that we are adopting black kids and we are, in fact, white. We’ve actually already thought of that.
5. Saying nothing is the opposite bad. I realize with blogs like this one, you can get skittish on how to talk to a crazed adopting Mama without getting under her paper-thin skin or inadvertently offending her. I get it. (We try hard not to act so hypersensitive. Just imagine that we are paper-pregnant with similar hormones surging through our bodies making us cry at Subaru commercials just like the 7-month preggo sitting next to us. And look at all this weight we’ve gained. See?) But acting like we’re not adopting or struggling or waiting or hoping or grieving is not helpful either. If I was pregnant with a baby in my belly, and no one ever asked how I was feeling or how much longer or is his nursery ready or can we plan a shower, I would have to audition new friend candidates immediately.
Here’s what we would love to hear Before the Airport:
1. Just kind, normal words of encouragement. Not the kind that assume we are one breath away from atheism. Not the kind that attempt to minimize the difficulties and tidy it all up with catchphrases. We don’t actually need for you to fix our wait. We just want you to be our friend and acknowledge that the process is hard and you care about us while we’re hurting. That is GOLD. I was once having lunch with my friend Lynde when AWAA called with more bad news about Ben’s case, and I laid my head down on the table in the middle of Galaxy Café and bawled. Having no idea what to do with such a hot mess, she just cried with me. Thank you for being perfect that day, Lynde.
2. Your questions are welcomed! We don’t mind telling you about the court system in Ethiopia or the in-country requirements in Nicaragua or the rules of the foster system. We’re glad to talk about adoption, and we’re thankful you care. I assure you we didn’t enter adoption lightly, so sharing details of this HUGE PIECE OF OUR LIVES is cathartic. Plus, we want you to know more because we’re all secretly hoping you’ll adopt later. (This is not true.) (Yes it is.)
3. When you say you’re praying for us and our waiting children, and you actually really are, not only does that soothe our troubled souls, but according to Scripture, it activates the heavens. So pray on, dear friends. Pray on. That is always the right thing to say. And please actually do it. We need people to stand in the gap for us when we are too tired and discouraged to keep praying the same words another day.
4. If you can, please become telepathic to determine which days we want to talk about adoption and which days we’d rather you just show up on our doorstep with fresh figs from the Farmer’s Market (thanks, Katie) or kidnap us away in the middle of the day to go see Bridesmaids. Sometimes we need you to make us laugh and remember what it feels like to be carefree for a few hours. If you’re not sure which day we’re having, just pre-buy movie tickets and show up with the figs, and when we answer the door, hold them all up and ask, “Would you like to talk for an hour uninterrupted about waiting for a court date?” We’ll respond to whichever one fits.
A few days ago, Jen wrote a blog post titled "How to Be The Village". It was so much of what I have been thinking....and more. PLEASE take the time to read it in it's entirety. If you know someone who is adopting, plans to adopt, is home with their precious kiddos.... PLEASE read!
Here is an excerpt of the post. The one that spoke to me the most (because it's where we are right now). Amazing Jen....
And thank you to my little "village" of supporters. You have NO idea how much it means to me! I love you all...and thank you for loving us!
Ok......here it is....
Supporting Families Before the Airport
Your friends are adopting. They’re in the middle of dossiers and home studies, and most of them are somewhere in the middle of Waiting Purgatory. Please let me explain something about WP: It sucks in every way. Oh sure, we try to make it sound better than it feels by using phrases like “We’re trusting in God’s plan” and “God is refining me” and “Sovereignty trumps my feelings” and crazy bidness like that. But we are crying and aching and getting angry and going bonkers when you’re not watching. It’s hard. It hurts. It feels like an eternity even though you can see that it is not. It is harder for us to see that, because many of us have pictures on our refrigerators of these beautiful darlings stuck in an orphanage somewhere while we’re bogged down in bureaucracy and delays.
How can you help? By not saying or doing these things:
1. “God’s timing is perfect!” (Could also insert: “This is all God’s plan!” “God is in charge!”) As exactly true as this may be, when you say it to a waiting parent, we want to scratch your eyebrows off and make you eat them with a spoon. Any trite answer that minimizes the struggle is as welcomed as a sack of dirty diapers. You are voicing something we probably already believe while not acknowledging that we are hurting and that somewhere a child is going to bed without a mother again. Please never say this again. Thank you.
2. “Are you going to have your own kids?” (Also in this category: “You’ll probably get pregnant the minute your adoption clears!” “Since this is so hard, why don’t you just try to have your own kids?” “Well, at least you have your own kids.”) The subtle message here is: You can always have legitimate biological kids if this thing tanks. It places adoption in the Back-up Plan Category, where it does not belong for us. When we flew to Ethiopia with our first travel group from our agency, out of 8 couples, we were the only parents with biological kids. The other 7 couples chose adoption first. Several of them were on birth control. Adoption counts as real parenting, and if you believe stuff Jesus said, it might even be closer to the heart of God than regular old procreation. (Not to mention the couples that grieved through infertility already. So when you say, “Are you going to have your own kids?” to a woman who tried for eight years, then don’t be surprised if she pulls your beating heart out like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.)
3. For those of you in Christian community, it is extremely frustrating to hear: “Don’t give up on God!” or “Don’t lose faith!” It implies that we are one nanosecond away from tossing our entire belief system in the compost pile because we are acting sad or discouraged. It’s condescending and misses the crux of our emotions. I can assure you, at no point in our story did we think about kicking Jesus to the curb, but we still get to cry tears and feel our feelings, folks. Jesus did. And I’m pretty sure he went to heaven when he died.
4. We’re happy to field your questions about becoming a transracial family or adopting a child of another race, but please don’t use this moment to trot out your bigotry. (Cluelessness is a different thing, and we try to shrug that off. Like when someone asked about our Ethiopian kids, “Will they be black?” Aw, sweet little dum-dum.) The most hurtful thing we heard during our wait was from a black pastor who said, “Whatever you do, don’t change their last name to Hatmaker, because they are NOT Hatmakers. They’ll never be Hatmakers. They are African.” What the??? I wonder if he’d launch the same grenade if we adopted white kids from Russia? If you’d like to know what we’re learning about raising children of another race or ask respectful, legitimate questions, by all means, do so. We care about this and take it seriously, and we realize we will traverse racial landmines with our family. You don’t need to point out that we are adopting black kids and we are, in fact, white. We’ve actually already thought of that.
5. Saying nothing is the opposite bad. I realize with blogs like this one, you can get skittish on how to talk to a crazed adopting Mama without getting under her paper-thin skin or inadvertently offending her. I get it. (We try hard not to act so hypersensitive. Just imagine that we are paper-pregnant with similar hormones surging through our bodies making us cry at Subaru commercials just like the 7-month preggo sitting next to us. And look at all this weight we’ve gained. See?) But acting like we’re not adopting or struggling or waiting or hoping or grieving is not helpful either. If I was pregnant with a baby in my belly, and no one ever asked how I was feeling or how much longer or is his nursery ready or can we plan a shower, I would have to audition new friend candidates immediately.
Here’s what we would love to hear Before the Airport:
1. Just kind, normal words of encouragement. Not the kind that assume we are one breath away from atheism. Not the kind that attempt to minimize the difficulties and tidy it all up with catchphrases. We don’t actually need for you to fix our wait. We just want you to be our friend and acknowledge that the process is hard and you care about us while we’re hurting. That is GOLD. I was once having lunch with my friend Lynde when AWAA called with more bad news about Ben’s case, and I laid my head down on the table in the middle of Galaxy Café and bawled. Having no idea what to do with such a hot mess, she just cried with me. Thank you for being perfect that day, Lynde.
2. Your questions are welcomed! We don’t mind telling you about the court system in Ethiopia or the in-country requirements in Nicaragua or the rules of the foster system. We’re glad to talk about adoption, and we’re thankful you care. I assure you we didn’t enter adoption lightly, so sharing details of this HUGE PIECE OF OUR LIVES is cathartic. Plus, we want you to know more because we’re all secretly hoping you’ll adopt later. (This is not true.) (Yes it is.)
3. When you say you’re praying for us and our waiting children, and you actually really are, not only does that soothe our troubled souls, but according to Scripture, it activates the heavens. So pray on, dear friends. Pray on. That is always the right thing to say. And please actually do it. We need people to stand in the gap for us when we are too tired and discouraged to keep praying the same words another day.
4. If you can, please become telepathic to determine which days we want to talk about adoption and which days we’d rather you just show up on our doorstep with fresh figs from the Farmer’s Market (thanks, Katie) or kidnap us away in the middle of the day to go see Bridesmaids. Sometimes we need you to make us laugh and remember what it feels like to be carefree for a few hours. If you’re not sure which day we’re having, just pre-buy movie tickets and show up with the figs, and when we answer the door, hold them all up and ask, “Would you like to talk for an hour uninterrupted about waiting for a court date?” We’ll respond to whichever one fits.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Golf Tournament Success!
This past weekend we joined with the Linck's and the Leinen's for the 2011 Birdies For Babies golf tournament. John and Jennifer Linck did this last year and now have decided to bless other families by putting it together every year. This year we, along with the Leinen's, were able to benefit from the golf tournament and raised over $2600! That's $1300 for our family!!!! What makes it even greater is that we get to send that money in to Hand In Hand to go towards our matching grant!!!!! Praise God!
Here's the group. Julia & Jason Leinen, John & Jennifer Linck, and myself and Clint.
Nice squinty-eyed pic of me!
Julia, Jennifer and me.
We had a great time and are so appreciative to all the golfers that came out to support our families.
Here's the group. Julia & Jason Leinen, John & Jennifer Linck, and myself and Clint.
Nice squinty-eyed pic of me!
Julia, Jennifer and me.We had a great time and are so appreciative to all the golfers that came out to support our families.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Days Go By
I've been meaning to post. Really, I have.
I'm not sure what keeps me from it. Maybe I dont like to blog when nothing has happened. It's a reminder that we are still waiting for our babies. Still at #5 on the waitlist.
I think I have gotten better at waiting to ask for updates, so that's good.
Oh, but time..... time just seems to move so slow sometimes.
This clock made me think of how I see our wait at times. Distorted and blurry.... fun, huh?
I wish I was blogging more about how wonderful this wait is and how glorious everything seems. Maybe today just isn't my day for that. I do have those days though....really, I do.
I always know that God is in total control of our adoption. Maybe that's why it has become a bit easier to sit back and not obsess about the waitlist numbers, or referrals, or $$. I have given this adoption to God because I have faith in Him. He's brought us this far.....
I know that we are on the path God intended for us. There is a LOT of peace in that.
So I will just hold on to the fact that it wont be long before we see our babies faces and know their names. It wont be forever....it may feel like it, but it wont be. Thank you JESUS for that!
In the meantime we will continue to prepare (I need to post more pics of the nursery and my decorating ideas). We will continue to enjoy our family time with just the 4 of us. Continue to love sleeping in, sewing until 12am, running to the mall on a whim, etc....
Also, we will continue to fundraise to bring those babies home!
This coming Saturday is our Birdies For Babies golf tournament. We are excited to join with another One World family for this awesome event. We have golfers and hole sponsors....we are thrilled beyond words for all the support!
So if I can just stay focused on the golf tournament, Jennifer's baby shower, kids and holiday gatherings, work, sewing for my Etsy shop, and the nursery.... before you know it we will have our referral!!!! Sounds easy enough, right?
I'm not sure what keeps me from it. Maybe I dont like to blog when nothing has happened. It's a reminder that we are still waiting for our babies. Still at #5 on the waitlist.
I think I have gotten better at waiting to ask for updates, so that's good.
Oh, but time..... time just seems to move so slow sometimes.
This clock made me think of how I see our wait at times. Distorted and blurry.... fun, huh?I wish I was blogging more about how wonderful this wait is and how glorious everything seems. Maybe today just isn't my day for that. I do have those days though....really, I do.
I always know that God is in total control of our adoption. Maybe that's why it has become a bit easier to sit back and not obsess about the waitlist numbers, or referrals, or $$. I have given this adoption to God because I have faith in Him. He's brought us this far.....
I know that we are on the path God intended for us. There is a LOT of peace in that.
So I will just hold on to the fact that it wont be long before we see our babies faces and know their names. It wont be forever....it may feel like it, but it wont be. Thank you JESUS for that!
In the meantime we will continue to prepare (I need to post more pics of the nursery and my decorating ideas). We will continue to enjoy our family time with just the 4 of us. Continue to love sleeping in, sewing until 12am, running to the mall on a whim, etc....
Also, we will continue to fundraise to bring those babies home!
This coming Saturday is our Birdies For Babies golf tournament. We are excited to join with another One World family for this awesome event. We have golfers and hole sponsors....we are thrilled beyond words for all the support!
So if I can just stay focused on the golf tournament, Jennifer's baby shower, kids and holiday gatherings, work, sewing for my Etsy shop, and the nursery.... before you know it we will have our referral!!!! Sounds easy enough, right?
Monday, October 17, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
4 months
So we have been on the DRC waitlist for 4 months today. In 4 months we have gone from #18 to #5 and we are SUPER excited about that!Over the past month or so referrals have slowed down. Booooo. We were on such a roll, but I know that it's ok and it's going to keep moving. It just takes TIME.
So we will remain patient and secure in knowing that God is working out the perfect timing for our family. We stay focused on the lives we are living right now, and dont worry about the future. Easier said then done!
I feel like when I just take it one day at a time, or one week at a time, that it really helps my mind and heart from focusing so much on our adoption wait! Looking forward to small things in our family helps SO much.
It doesn't hurt that I have very active step-children who are 11 and 15...and are involved in sports and clubs, etc.... so that keeps everyone busy.
Sure, there are days when I get down about the wait. Wondering if we will see our babies sweet faces before Christmas (which is my prayer) or wondering if we will travel in the Spring or will it be Summer or Fall? Wondering when the call will come. When the list will move. When? When? When?
I try not to go down that path. It just leads to anxiousness, sadness and discouragement.
So I stay focused on our blessings...every day, runOthemill, exciting or not....BLESSINGS. There are so many of them that God has poured down on our family! Keeping our eyes on the Lord. That's what it takes to ride this roller coaster!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Random Pics
I thought I would post some pics from the past few weeks. I don't seem to post enough pics....not that there is a whole lot of excitement in the Ellis household lately.
Here's Laynie. Last weekend we decided to go to this "junk show" at a barn in the middle of nowhere (aka, Stillwater, Oklahoma). On our way back we found ourselves on the LONGEST dirt road ever....so we decided we would make the best of us going 15mph in my car...and pull over and take some pics with these large bails of hay! It was raining too. Man am I a city girl! :)
"BOO" Halloween decor I made for an order from my Etsy shop. It's a board that you can sit on a plate stand.
Here's my stepson Blake and his cul-de-sac BFF, Grace. They were out playing in the rain. Notice Blake's rain boots...those are MINE! Right now we wear the same size shoe. ;)
My BFF's birthday was this past week. I LOVE cake bunting....so I had to try it out on her cake. Turned out pretty cute. Had to explain to all the men in the group what cake "bunting" was. One guy said that he wasn't sure he would want a "Finish Line" on his birthday cake. smarty pants.
Here's Laynie. Last weekend we decided to go to this "junk show" at a barn in the middle of nowhere (aka, Stillwater, Oklahoma). On our way back we found ourselves on the LONGEST dirt road ever....so we decided we would make the best of us going 15mph in my car...and pull over and take some pics with these large bails of hay! It was raining too. Man am I a city girl! :)
"BOO" Halloween decor I made for an order from my Etsy shop. It's a board that you can sit on a plate stand.
Here's my stepson Blake and his cul-de-sac BFF, Grace. They were out playing in the rain. Notice Blake's rain boots...those are MINE! Right now we wear the same size shoe. ;)
My BFF's birthday was this past week. I LOVE cake bunting....so I had to try it out on her cake. Turned out pretty cute. Had to explain to all the men in the group what cake "bunting" was. One guy said that he wasn't sure he would want a "Finish Line" on his birthday cake. smarty pants.
365 Days Ago
I'm about 5 days late on writing this post....
One year ago we started this adoption journey. We decided to stop pursuing infertility treatments, drugs, tests, etc... and decided to go with what God had laid on our hears a year prior. We decided to adopt!!!! It was such a great time. Finally getting to move forward, finally getting some "yes" answers instead of the constant "no" we were used to. Finally saying to God, "Ok God...if this is really what I heard you say a year ago...here we go.... use us.... use this...we're ALL in".
Here's a few posts where I talk about starting this journey...back on our "family" blog (pre-adoption blog).
Ending & Beginning
Why?
We have come a LONG way in 1 year.
I can see how much I have grown and changed. I know that's what God had in mind!
So here's to one year down and HOPEFULLY only one more to go (or less, please!).
One year ago we started this adoption journey. We decided to stop pursuing infertility treatments, drugs, tests, etc... and decided to go with what God had laid on our hears a year prior. We decided to adopt!!!! It was such a great time. Finally getting to move forward, finally getting some "yes" answers instead of the constant "no" we were used to. Finally saying to God, "Ok God...if this is really what I heard you say a year ago...here we go.... use us.... use this...we're ALL in".
Here's a few posts where I talk about starting this journey...back on our "family" blog (pre-adoption blog).
Ending & Beginning
Why?
We have come a LONG way in 1 year.
I can see how much I have grown and changed. I know that's what God had in mind!
So here's to one year down and HOPEFULLY only one more to go (or less, please!).
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Five!
We have moved up to the #5 spot on the wait list! I'm just filled with joy to see things moving like they are! My prayer is to see my children's faces before Christmas. AMEN!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Hand In Hand
We are so excited to be accepted for the Hand in Hand Grant!! After mailing out many grant applications, it was SO wonderful to see a "yes" in my inbox!
For those of you that don't know about Hand In Hand.....
For those of you that don't know about Hand In Hand.....
HANDinHAND Christian Adoption, Inc. is dedicated to helping children become part of "forever" families by partnering with Christian couples to help carry the burden of the cost of adoption through matching grants and the raising of support. We believe we can accomplish this goal by working together with private donors, churches and the family and friends of adoptive couples. We are not an adoption agency and we do not place children with families. We do work with families that have already begun the process of adoption to help make that process more affordable.
So our family was awarded a matching grant for up to $3500. So if we can raise $3500, Hand In Hand will match that amount dollar-for-dollar.
We are excited to get this opportunity and we are grateful to God for blessing our finances with this grant.
If you feel led to give (any amount is SO greatly appreciated) you can make your check out to:
Hand In Hand Christian Adoption Inc.
And mail it to:
Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.
James & Kathleen Ellis
18524 Juniper Street
Gardner, KS 66030-9147
They said don't make the check out to us.... just reference us on your envelope. :)
My prayer is this: That God will lay our family on someones heart. That they will feel led to help us move toward our $3500 goal with any amount...small or large. That God will allow this grant to really bless our saving toward our adoption and toward making our family whole.
Asking for donations is HARD! I'm not one to ask for much of anything...especially money. I moved out of my parents house when I was 16. They moved to a really small boarder town in TX and I was crushed to have to leave my friends behind. I basically made life really crappy for them and decided to move back to San Antonio on my own my Jr. year of high school.
I worked at the horse race track there in San Antonio at night to make money to live off off and then I went to school during the day. It was SO hard. My stubbornness didn't allow me to ask for help and I was so embarrassed when someone would help without me asking.... It made me feel like a failure. Oh dear sweet PRIDE!!! ugh.
I always did things on my own.
So this is hard.
VERY hard.
Asking for others to help me become a Mom is so humbling, so pride-swallowing....
My faith has grown by leaps and bounds throughout this process. That was God's intentions, I know. He knows how to draw us closer to him. So now I give it to Him. This grant, this adoption, my infertility, my health, our family.... all of it. to. Him.
Thank you to everyone that "get's it". That gets how it feels to have to ask for money for something you feel called by God to do. That gets not having the ability to run out and "do" with your own checkbook. That gets what it means to be "called" by God to do something. That gets what a "Sun Stand Still" prayer means....and how much faith that really takes. Thank you to those who pray for God to lead them to give or to really "get it", or to simply pray for families like ours to become whole.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
What a way to start the week!!
I'm so excited for our friends, Ben and Rebecca.... Yesterday was THE day! They got the CALL! This sweet family has been waiting almost 17 months for a referral for their second babe from Ethiopia, and yesterday their prayers were answered.A sweet, 14month old girl is an orphan no more!
I am beyond excited for Ben, Rebecca and SWEET Eli.
Rebecca has been a real inspiration to me. She is so real and honest and I admire that about her.
I am just praising God for such an answered prayer as this!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
We're on the move!
Got confirmation yesterday that we are now officially number........
on the waitlist!
We are so excited to be moving up. For a few weeks things were slow. No new referrals were coming in. That was not fun.
Praise God that things are moving a little again. It's so crazy how just a simple number can lift your spirits!
I have been reading the devotional,"Jesus Calling". It's such a great book. Today the first sentence was all I needed to hear......
"Trust Me and refuse to worry, for I am your Strength and Song."
on the waitlist!We are so excited to be moving up. For a few weeks things were slow. No new referrals were coming in. That was not fun.
Praise God that things are moving a little again. It's so crazy how just a simple number can lift your spirits!
I have been reading the devotional,"Jesus Calling". It's such a great book. Today the first sentence was all I needed to hear......
"Trust Me and refuse to worry, for I am your Strength and Song."
Monday, September 19, 2011
Give1Save1 is featuring the Ellis Family!!
I'm so excited! This week is "our" week over at Give1Save1!
Beth Cupitt is such a sweet, giving, wonderful person to have created such an idea as this. Here's a tid-bit from the website explaining what Give1Save1 is all about!
GIVE 1
every Monday i’m going to ask you for a dollar. i’m going to tell you who it’s going to and what it’s being used for. we’re mostly funding African adoption for the people, by the people. we’re just going to rain down a crazy blessing on a family, organization, orphanage, or project and we’re going to do it every week. we’re going to get huge. and the world will be changed for lots of people because of your generosity. that sounds exciting, doesn’t it?! let’s do it.
i’ll tell you who we’re sponsoring and where to send your dollar. you’ll need a paypal account to play. if you don’t have a paypal account, you just need one. it’s time. so go ahead and set one up and meet me back here. i’ll link a button to the paypal account that we’ll be blasting. then once you’ve donated your dollar spread the word to get some more dollars in here. if you have a voice, an email account, a blog, a facebook page, a twitter account or a pinboard USE IT! the only way we can make a big difference is to make it viral!
SAVE 1
and your dollar will be saving and restoring lives in all kinds of ways. in Ethiopia one in six children don’t live to be five years old. there is a desperate need for basic food, clean water, and medicine. removing a child from an orphanage gives that child a family and a future, something everyone needs. it also frees up a bed in an orphanage for a street child. your dollar will change lives and save lives in ways you may never know.
How awesome is that? She features a new adoptive family every week. She doesn't know these families personally, she just knows the NEED.... and has found a way to make a difference in the lives of many!
So this week is our family. So every dollar you donate goes directly to us! Praise God!
Thank you to everyone that is going to make this the best week ever!!!! We are so grateful to be featured and can't wait to see the wonderful things God has planned for our family!!!!
So go, now....to Give1Save1 and donate your dollar....and remember to go back every week and read the awesome stories of families adopting from Africa and give 1 then too!!!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Shirts are IN!
So excited that our new shirts are here. They turned out SO good!
If you ordered one and need to pay for it, please do so by either clicking on the "Donate" button and paying through PayPal, or you can send me a check. Whichever works for you!
They are $20 each.
Please let me know if you are sending a check so that I can make sure and watch for it.
Again, thank you to everyone that purchased a shirt. If you didn't get a chance to, but would still like to order one, you can! I have a few extras and will be doing another order in a few months. They are Gildan Ultra Cotton brand and come in either pink or dark heather grey. They fit true and are a unisex cut.
YAY for shirts!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Nursery Construction
Clint has been working on the construction in the nursery. It is coming along SO GREAT! He's such a hard worker and I am grateful he's SUPER handy!!!
The added space now has 2 can lights and power! Yippee!This past weekend I experimented with a few colors. This pic was taken with my phone, so hard to tell what looks good. I'm still not sure. We pulled the colors from the fabric for the crib bedding. We'll see. Who knows, I may put 4 more samples up there before it's all said and done!!
Birthdays!
This past Sunday, the 11th, I celebrated my 32nd birthday. Many mixed emotions about that, but none I will bore you with for now.
My sweet step-daughter turned 15 the day before me and so we celebrated together Sunday night.
We had sweet friends over for cake.
Laynie and her new iphone 3Gs.
Me with a fun gift card!We both had a great birthday.
I sure hope to have 2 more to celebrate with next year!!!
3 months down....? to go
So it's been 3 months since we were added to the DRC waitlist with One World Adoptions. A lot of movement in the past 3 months. We went from #18 to #7. We were loving the movement we were seeing.Until now.
It has slowed down and they don't have any new referrals at this time. I think I got used to moving up on the wait list weekly, so this quiet time has been a bit hard.
I know God is preparing our children and us.
I've been in a blog funk. Not really sure what to write. Not really full of positive things to say.
I HATE when I feel that way.
I cling to knowing that God has a PERFECT plan for us. He has everything worked out in such awesome timing and I need to trust more in that!
It's a daily struggle.
I pray every day for my children. That they are healthy, safe, loved. That they are not hungry or hurt or sad.
It's hard.
So for today I will celebrate the past 3 months. Happy waitlistaversary.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Give1Save1
So last week sometime while I was GIVE 1
every Monday I’m going to ask you for a dollar. i’m going to tell you who it’s going to and what it’s being used for. We’re mostly funding African adoption for the people, by the people. we’re just going to rain down a crazy blessing on a family, organization, orphanage, or project and we’re going to do it every week. we’re going to get huge. and the world will be changed for lots of people because of your generosity. that sounds exciting, doesn’t it?! let’s do it.
i’ll tell you who we’re sponsoring and where to send your dollar. you’ll need a paypal account to play. if you don’t have a paypal account, you just need one. it’s time. so go ahead and set one up and meet me back here. i’ll link a button to the paypal account that we’ll be blasting. then once you’ve donated your dollar spread the word to get some more dollars in here. if you have a voice, an email account, a blog, a facebook page, a twitter account or a pinboard USE IT! the only way we can make a big difference is to make it viral!
SAVE 1
and your dollar will be saving and restoring lives in all kinds of ways. In Ethiopia one in six children don’t live to be five years old. there is a desperate need for basic food, clean water, and medicine. removing a child from an orphanage gives that child a family and a future, something everyone needs. it also frees up a bed in an orphanage for a street child. your dollar will change lives and save lives in ways you may never know.
So cool, right? It's one of those, "Man, why didn't I think of that" kind of ideas. What a great way to support adoptive families and show support for adoption from Africa.
The financial aspect of this adoption has had our stomachs in knots over the past few weeks. Maybe it was hitting #7 on the waitlist or our BOLD prayers that we know God will answer. It's just knowing that our referral of two precious littles is right around the corner....and so is the referral fee that comes with it.
We know God will provide...we do. But we also can't just sit back on our tooshies and do nothing. I've been filling out grant applications left and right...but of course Satan puts that doubt in my head that we wont get any of them. There wasn't really a box that you could check that said, "Had 3 surgeries in one year and the bills to go with them? Check YES here" YUCK! So we'll see. I prayed over each of them as I mailed them. :)
So after reading about the idea behind Give1Save1...I thought I would email and see if our family could be featured. The answer was a quick "YES"! Yippee! I'm very excited. Our family will be featured the week of September 12th. So all week, every $1 donated goes to our family adoption! WOO HOO!!!! I'm so grateful for people like Beth (give1save1) that come up with these amazing ideas to help total strangers reach their goal! What a great example of the "hands and feet of Jesus"!
So mark your calendar and head over to give1save1.com the week of Sept. 12th and donate $1 (or more of course, lol) to help our family bring home two beautiful children from Africa.
Thank you Beth for allowing our family to be featured on your site. :)
Monday, August 22, 2011
Profound Words
Last night in our Life Group (couples Bible study group that meets every Sunday night) we were talking about BOLD speaking.
I am more of a BOLD prayer or a BOLD thinker then a BOLD speaker for sure!
Anyway. One of our questions was, "What is something profound that someone has said to you".
I gave my answer....
but today, while reading "Camp Hoffman" the Hoffman Family's blog.... I read this:
"When invited in and given the freedom to work - it's amazing how fast God can move mountains."
Profound. Indeed.
I am more of a BOLD prayer or a BOLD thinker then a BOLD speaker for sure!
Anyway. One of our questions was, "What is something profound that someone has said to you".
I gave my answer....
but today, while reading "Camp Hoffman" the Hoffman Family's blog.... I read this:
"When invited in and given the freedom to work - it's amazing how fast God can move mountains."
Profound. Indeed.
New Congo Shirts
Shirt Back
We are so excited to have finished our new Congo shirt design! We are working toward raising $9000 in the next 3 months in order to have the money ready when we receive our referral!
BOLD, right?!
They will be printed on Gildan Ultra Cotton t-shirts (normal t-shirt fit. No special fit for men/women).
The girls will be a hot pink and the guys will be a dark heather gray. The artwork will be all white.
They are $20 each and we pray boldly that we can sell at least 50. I am working on getting the "Get Your Shirt" section on my blog linked up to the new design, so in the meantime, if you want a shirt...please comment and I'll put you down and when the paypal is up and running I'll email you.
We thank you in advance for your support and love. My blog community has really been such a great source of encouragement and support and I am so thankful for that!
$9000...... We can Do THIS!
:)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Number UPdate!!!
Because I am not a patient person, I went against my "once a month" rule when it came to emailing our agency about the waitlist. It becomes an obsession of sorts. The DRC adoption community is SO much smaller then Ethiopia that when referrals are given out, it's not like you know who or when or how many. Not everyone has a blog (come on everyone...get with it!haha)
So when you want to know if something has changed, you have to email to find out. So I broke down, after only waiting two weeks, and emailed Terri. She let me know that they were reconfiguring the wait list to make it a little more functional and user friendly for them. She said it would change our numbers, but not by much.
So after she said that, I waited a few days for that to take affect. Yesterday I emailed again to see what the word was on the new list numbers. She said that they are now only using one list...not two (before there was a sibling list and an infant list). We are officially number 7 on the list. I was SUPER excited. #7!
That means there are only 6 families ahead of us. Some I know of, some I don't.... and I will be praying for all 6 of them and their children.
#7.... just can't believe we are only 6 referrals away from seeing our babies...our sweet angels that will be the loves of our lives! It's hard to comprehend.
So now for BOLD praying.....
We are members at Life Church.tv (lifechurch.tv) and we have been talking about BOLDNESS over the past few weeks.
A few things that have stood out to me is this:
"What you PRAY reflects what you BELIEVE about God" (WOW, if that's not saying "oh ye of little faith", I don't know what is!)
"Pray for BOLDNESS and pray for MIRACLES" (I'm usually not one to pray this way. I feel that with everything that has happened over the past year and a half, that praying for a miracle or praying boldly is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Not true. Having faith in God and His Will means being able to accept "NO". Infertility was my big "NO"... and I think I prayed BOLDLY for a miracle in that area. But look at us now. We would not be growing in our faith like we are now...drawing closer to God every day. If God said "YES" all the time, when would we ever need to have faith, or patience, or trust in His Will?)
I haven't been praying BIG enough. I haven't been giving fully to the fact that GOD can do AMAZing things! He can change lives, move mountains, heal the wounded, and can bring my family together forever! HE CAN.
So my BOLD prayer is this: that God will provide the finances we need to accept a referral and that He will bless us with our referral in the next MONTH!
HUGE, right?
I like to call it my "Sun Stand Still" prayer. My faith in God to do huge, amazing things.
So that we can then tell everyone what God has done for us. (Acts 4:16-20)
(read "Sun Stand Still" by Steven Furtick if you haven't..it's amazing)
So that's it.... my BOLD prayer for this adoption.
What is yours? Pray BOLDLY and TRUST in God to show up and do AMAZING things....then share your miracles with everyone!
"For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" Acts 4:16-20
So when you want to know if something has changed, you have to email to find out. So I broke down, after only waiting two weeks, and emailed Terri. She let me know that they were reconfiguring the wait list to make it a little more functional and user friendly for them. She said it would change our numbers, but not by much.
So after she said that, I waited a few days for that to take affect. Yesterday I emailed again to see what the word was on the new list numbers. She said that they are now only using one list...not two (before there was a sibling list and an infant list). We are officially number 7 on the list. I was SUPER excited. #7!
That means there are only 6 families ahead of us. Some I know of, some I don't.... and I will be praying for all 6 of them and their children.
#7.... just can't believe we are only 6 referrals away from seeing our babies...our sweet angels that will be the loves of our lives! It's hard to comprehend.
So now for BOLD praying.....
We are members at Life Church.tv (lifechurch.tv) and we have been talking about BOLDNESS over the past few weeks.
A few things that have stood out to me is this:
"What you PRAY reflects what you BELIEVE about God" (WOW, if that's not saying "oh ye of little faith", I don't know what is!)
"Pray for BOLDNESS and pray for MIRACLES" (I'm usually not one to pray this way. I feel that with everything that has happened over the past year and a half, that praying for a miracle or praying boldly is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Not true. Having faith in God and His Will means being able to accept "NO". Infertility was my big "NO"... and I think I prayed BOLDLY for a miracle in that area. But look at us now. We would not be growing in our faith like we are now...drawing closer to God every day. If God said "YES" all the time, when would we ever need to have faith, or patience, or trust in His Will?)
I haven't been praying BIG enough. I haven't been giving fully to the fact that GOD can do AMAZing things! He can change lives, move mountains, heal the wounded, and can bring my family together forever! HE CAN.
So my BOLD prayer is this: that God will provide the finances we need to accept a referral and that He will bless us with our referral in the next MONTH!
HUGE, right?
I like to call it my "Sun Stand Still" prayer. My faith in God to do huge, amazing things.
So that we can then tell everyone what God has done for us. (Acts 4:16-20)
(read "Sun Stand Still" by Steven Furtick if you haven't..it's amazing)
So that's it.... my BOLD prayer for this adoption.
What is yours? Pray BOLDLY and TRUST in God to show up and do AMAZING things....then share your miracles with everyone!
"For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" Acts 4:16-20
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Weekend Happenings
This weekend the kids were with their mom, so that meant we did a lot of household chores. I, of course, logged many hours on my sewing machine...while Clint worked on the nursery installing the second window.
My BFF's daughter turned 13 and requested a large tote bag....so I made her this one.
She gave out headbands as part of her "favor bags"... so i spent Friday night rolling flowers and making headbands.
On Sunday I talked Clint into taking me to pick up this AWESOME tv stand from Craigslist. I have BIG plans for it!! Can you guess??
While "relaxing" on the couch and watching "The Lincoln Lawyer" (which was a great movie)... I made this cute hoop art to hang in the nursery.... I'm going to put these in my Etsy store too!
Here's Clint (and a shot of my hand trying to keep the sun out) putting in the window. This wasn't long before he totally sliced his knuckle on some metal and had to quit for the day. It was BAD! Why wont men let you take them to the ER? He needed stitches but insisted on NOT going....so I had to just bandage the heck out of it instead.
Speaking of nursery, I changed my mind on some of the fabric. So now we are going with the flowers, pink beads and then the zig-zag. No green beads. Maybe for Oliver's bedding..we'll see.
And here was Laynie this morning...... officially an Edmond North softball player! I can't believe she's in HIGH SCHOOL this year!!!!!!
My BFF's daughter turned 13 and requested a large tote bag....so I made her this one.
She gave out headbands as part of her "favor bags"... so i spent Friday night rolling flowers and making headbands.
On Sunday I talked Clint into taking me to pick up this AWESOME tv stand from Craigslist. I have BIG plans for it!! Can you guess??
While "relaxing" on the couch and watching "The Lincoln Lawyer" (which was a great movie)... I made this cute hoop art to hang in the nursery.... I'm going to put these in my Etsy store too!
Here's Clint (and a shot of my hand trying to keep the sun out) putting in the window. This wasn't long before he totally sliced his knuckle on some metal and had to quit for the day. It was BAD! Why wont men let you take them to the ER? He needed stitches but insisted on NOT going....so I had to just bandage the heck out of it instead.
Speaking of nursery, I changed my mind on some of the fabric. So now we are going with the flowers, pink beads and then the zig-zag. No green beads. Maybe for Oliver's bedding..we'll see.
And here was Laynie this morning...... officially an Edmond North softball player! I can't believe she's in HIGH SCHOOL this year!!!!!!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Construction Pics and Numbers update!
With the heat outside climbing up into the 100+ this week, our nursery has been on pause. Clint is thankfully done with the outside of the addition, but even just working inside is exhausting when it's this hot! We have cut off the air to that room so it's a bit of a sauna in there. Next up is working on putting up sheetrock and the getting the additional window put in. Here are a few pics I took today...
Here is the additional window. Before the room only had one very small window. Now we have these two nice bigger windows!
Here's how the outside looks. My hubby did such an amazing job. It looks like it has always been there..not like an add-on at all!
I had to take a pic of the dresser that I bought to redo. I'm sure I have posted about it before, but I LOVE it. For $50 it was a great find! Can't wait to paint it!
On the adoption numbers: I was reading some other blogs that were talking about their numbers with our agency. They had an infant list number and a sibling list number. I never really thought to ask about our sibling wait list number before...so I emailed our amazing caseworker and asked.
Good thing I did because we are officially number....
On the sibling list.
and number....
On the infant list.
These are as of August 1st. :)
We are really excited and just can't wait for our referral!!!! All in Gods timing.
Here is the additional window. Before the room only had one very small window. Now we have these two nice bigger windows!
Here's how the outside looks. My hubby did such an amazing job. It looks like it has always been there..not like an add-on at all!
I had to take a pic of the dresser that I bought to redo. I'm sure I have posted about it before, but I LOVE it. For $50 it was a great find! Can't wait to paint it!
On the adoption numbers: I was reading some other blogs that were talking about their numbers with our agency. They had an infant list number and a sibling list number. I never really thought to ask about our sibling wait list number before...so I emailed our amazing caseworker and asked.Good thing I did because we are officially number....
On the sibling list.and number....
On the infant list.These are as of August 1st. :)
We are really excited and just can't wait for our referral!!!! All in Gods timing.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
How Many??
I'm not sure if I have blogged about this so I wanted to make sure and do so.
We are currently #14 on the DRC waitlist for a
GIRL under 12 months
AND
BOY 3yrs or younger.
We have started construction on the "nursery" to accommodate both of them....we'll see if that plan sticks. So designing/decorating a space for both genders should be interesting. I'll do my best to make it as girly and as not-so-girly as possible. Should be a great test of my decorating abilities!!
So.... we are very excited about welcoming TWO precious gifts from God into our hearts and into our family!!!!
We are currently #14 on the DRC waitlist for a
GIRL under 12 months
AND
BOY 3yrs or younger.
We have started construction on the "nursery" to accommodate both of them....we'll see if that plan sticks. So designing/decorating a space for both genders should be interesting. I'll do my best to make it as girly and as not-so-girly as possible. Should be a great test of my decorating abilities!!
So.... we are very excited about welcoming TWO precious gifts from God into our hearts and into our family!!!!
Nursery Bedding love
I found "Lottie Da" on Etsy. She does amazing crib bedding sets. I couldn't resist picking out my fabric and emailing her about making my bedding. It may be a few months (like 9) premature, but when I do things like this is helps with the wait and makes this seem more real.
Im so excited!
This will be the bumper..
This will be the sheet...
And this will be the accent fabric for the ruffle crib skirt and ruffle on the bumper!
So in LOVE with Heather Bailey fabric!
Im so excited!
This will be the bumper..
This will be the sheet...
And this will be the accent fabric for the ruffle crib skirt and ruffle on the bumper!
So in LOVE with Heather Bailey fabric!
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