PROVISION!!

So, has anyone noticed that our ticker made a seriously dramatic jump?! Woohoo!! We got an email yesterday from the JSC Foundation saying that they have graciously awarded us a $10,000 grant!! Is that unbelievable or what?! God has been so AMAZINGLY good to us. We are humbled and incredibly grateful for His provision so generously extended to us. How could anyone doubt that we serve a FAITHFUL and LOVING God?  Quite honestly, like alot of families that answer the call to adopt, we have struggled with uncertainty and discouragement many times during this process. Without a doubt, this experience is teaching us to rely on Him like we never have before. Folks, we started this adoption process with nothing, seriously nada. But, we KNEW that this was what we were called to do and so we stepped out in faith, trusting that the Lord wouldn't expect us to accomplish this endeavor on our own. And he has proven to us time and again that He is there, guiding us, encouraging us and PROVIDING for us every step of the way! Thank you Jesus!

I have to share a sweet experience that I shared with our two daughters Abby and Avonlea a couple of nights ago- I had struggled throughout the day with anxiety about the amount of money that we still needed to raise. As we sat on the couch enjoying some chocolate ice cream together before bed, I shared with our oldest daughter, Abby that I was feeling anxious and we agreed that we needed to stop talking and start praying! As we prayed out loud together for Archer and Abel, I was close to tears as I heard my precious daughters pouring out their hearts to the Lord- asking Him to help bring their brothers home and praising Him for all he has done so far. After our time in prayer I finally felt the peace that had eluded me all day. And it was the very next day that we received the wonderful news about our generous $10,000 grant! I will always remember my sweet little Avonlea Love joyfully twirling in circles, singing praises to God and repeating over and over "You, Lord, are a God that always sees and hears us!" Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.......

Would y'all please pray for our family as we continue to work hard to bring Archer and Abel home? We are having a fundraising garage sale in two weeks to raise money for the required orphanage donations for our sweet boys. We still need $20,000 to be fully funded and we will likely travel in November. Yep, that's 20,000 smackers in under 2 months time. While this seems completely impossible to us, it is TOTALLY possible for God! After all, he loves our boys even more than we do!

*Just a reminder that our AWESOME Xbox 360 Kinect giveaway is still going on! C'mon you know you want it! You can enter by clicking on the Chip In in the upper right-hand corner.*

In His Grip,






"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"~Matt. 7:9-12

Adoption Update and Awesome Giveaway!

We were notified by email today that our I800 has been approved and that we will be receiving a hard copy of it any day now! I800- An application to have your adopted child viewed as an immediate relative upon adoption.

So now we wait for:

NVC- National Visa Center- Where you petition for a visa. This group then cables the US Embassy in China to let them know the petition has been approved.

Article 5- The Consulate pre-approves your child for an immigrant visa.

TA- Travel Approval- You are approved to travel to China to adopt your child! :)

GOTCHA OR FOREVER FAMILY DAY!- The day that you meet your new child!

CA- Consulate Appointment- The date of your appointment at the U.S. Embassy to finalize the adoption!

We think that based on this timeline we will realistically travel in November. So that gives us approximately 6 to 8 weeks to raise the remainder of what we need for our adoption.

So, the Mr. and I are going to be completely honest and open here...we need about $25,000 to get Archer and Abel home. That's alot of zeros behind that 25! But, like we have said from the very beginning of this journey- God is bigger than our finances. We are obeying His call and we KNOW that He will provide. He is just AWESOME like that! So, we are keeping calm and carrying on, giddy with excitement to see how God will ultimately pull this whole shebang off. So, now on to the giveaway that I referred to in the title of this post:

We are excited to be giving away an XBOX 360 KINECT !

This gaming system includes:

~ Xbox 360 Console

~4GB Memory

~Kinect Sensor

~Game (Kinect Adventures!)

~Xbox 360 Wireless Controller

~Composite AV Cable

~Internal WiFi Capability

~XBOX LIVE

So how do you enter?

It's easy peasy.

A simple donation.

1 entry is $10

2 entries is $20

5 entries is $50

10 entries is $100

and so on...

So $10 is doable, right?

$10 for the chance to win an XBOX 360 KINECT ?

MORE importantly, that is $10 to help bring our boys home!

So, how do you donate?

Just click on the Chip In located

in the top right hand corner.

AND if you post about our Giveaway

on your blog or on Facebook

you get an additional entry FREE!

Just leave a comment

letting me know so I can keep track.

This Giveaway will end on October 30.

The winner will be chosen using Random.org

and announced on Monday, October 31.

So, come on and give our boys some LOVE.

Whatever Jesus lays on your heart to give,

whether it's a little or alot, please help us

bring our sweet boys HOME.

In His Grip,

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of the widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families..." ~Psalm 68:5&6

HELP!

We are praying and brainstorming about some creative ways to do so some SERIOUS fundraising. We will likely travel at the end of November and we still have a WHOLE lotta money to raise. Currently we need $800 to finish paying our agency fees. In addition, we need $10,000 for orphanage fees and about $13,000 for travel and in-country fees. We plan on having a HUGE garage sale next month. We are waiting to hear back from a few different organizations that we have applied to for grants. Any ideas about items that we could use for a giveaway?

Please pray that we would stay focused on the Lord as we work to fund the rest of the adoption. I have struggled with discouragement and fear, but know that He remains faithful and in control. God is good all the time........

In His Mighty Grip,

"I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies." ~Psalm 57:9&10