How's it going?

Besides "When do you get to bring him home?", the most often asked question is "How is the fundraising going?"  Well, then answer is not an easy one.  The more trips we have to make, the longer the process takes, the more money we will need.  We overwhelmed by the generosity expressed to us so far.

We recently had a Thanksgiving Pie fundraiser along with another adopting family, the Hinson's.  We sold over 80 pies.  Thank you to everyone who ordered a pie from us.

For those of you who do not live close enough to buy a pie, we are still having our t-shirt sale through Wild Olive tees.  They are super cute tees and would make awesome Christmas presents.  Please go check it out.  We have extended our fundraising window, but it will only be until January 16.  This is how you can be a part.  Go to the Wild Olive Tees website and shop in the fundraiser tees section.  There are 15 Women's tees and 6 children's tees to choose from.  When you are making a purchase, click on the coupon code button and enter our family code SCHLUP0910.  You must put this code in for us to get credit for your purchase.  In addition to using the code, you may choose to also put our name in the comment section of checkout.

We are also still selling quilt blocks.  We have sold 77 blocks.  Just 31 blocks to go.  If you would like to buy a block in honor of someone, I will be happy to send you a card for you to present to the person of honor.  If you would like to know how to make your donation tax-deductible, just let me know and I will give you the information.

Please consider helping us by buying a tee shirt or quilt square.  I don't know what else to say, but thank you.

I'm happy! You're happy? Right?

We are excited for our trip to Haiti, Jimmy and Richard are excited, but my poor Kyndal is not happy.  You see, Wednesday is her seventh birthday and mommy is going to miss it.  I am also missing their Christmas play at church.  My heart is broken trying to be a mom to three children in two different places that are very far apart.  Please pray for Kyndal to have an understanding heart and flexible attitude.

Feeling unconnected

For the past month or so, we have not had an internet connection at our house.  So, I haven't been able to blog.  Those issues are resolved and I am ready to get on with the updating.

Well, Cindy (who is adopting Richard) and I were supposed to heading to Port au Prince in the morning to submit our I-600 to the US Embassy in Haiti.  We had our plane tickets, a place to stay, everything was set.  However as we have to come to expect, plans change.  Due to some misinformation, security issues, and a host of other things, we decided God was telling us it wasn't time to do that.  After many prayers and discussions, we cancelled our appointment.  Our plan was to go to PaP, do our business, then head to Cap Haitian to spend some time with our boys.  So since we already had plane tickets etc., we are sticking to that part of the plan.  We will just be leaving here a couple of days later.  We will leave Tuesday and fly to Miami, spend the night and catch a flight to Cap early Wednesday morning.  We will stay until the next Monday.

As far as news of the adoption process, there is no news.  We haven't heard anything since our dossier entered IBESR.  We are hoping it will be out soon.   Here is a general timeline we received at the beginning of the process.  So far, everything as been running on the longest time allotment given.  Remember this is just an estimation.  There are NO guarantees.  Our dossier has been in IBESR for three months. 

Dossier is deposited in IBESR.	4-6 months (if no disp)
*Note: 500-1000 dossiers from various countries are in the queue at this office at any given time. Each dossier is a file of about 200 pages, which has to be carefully read and approved.	(if Presidential Dispensation is required, at least another 3-6 mos should be expected)
Family travels to Haiti to complete their I600 paperwork in person - saves time at pickup and provides auto citizenship visa for child in US. (Trip usually b/w 4-6 days in Haiti)
Dossier is approved by IBESR
Paperwork sent to C4C from legal team: Child Birth Certif, Relinquishment Paper, Adopt Decree
Dossier is sent to Parquet - courts	6-12 weeks
Birth parents must appear at court (*unless birth family is in PaP and easy to locate, this can add much time to process if bps must travel from far away to arrive for interview.)
Dossier is approved by Parquet
Courts - (sometimes referred to as Second Legalization)	5-8 weeks
a. Once the dossier is released from the Parquet, the dossier comes back to us. The court papers are typed and turned in to court for the finalization of the adoption process.
b. Attestation of the signature on the act of adoption. This is when Archives in Haiti says that the signature on the adoption decree matches the judge who signed it. Just legalizing the signature.
c. Legalization at the Minister of justice department. Papers must be legalized here for all countries, saying that the signature is the legal signature of the Judges involved on ALL papers.	4-6 weeks
d. Legalization at the Minister of Foreign affairs.
Dossier enters Minister of Interior	3-4 mos
There are 3 departments which the dossier must pass	for entire MOI process
through
Dossier is signed out of MOI
Files sent to Passport office for printing of the children's passport	1-2 weeks
	unless passport office is out of passport booklets, then it takes a few weeks longer
Passports issued - reviewed for accuracy sent to USCIS
At the same time that the passport application is in the works, the U.S. Immigration process must be complete:	1-3 weeks
a. an INS appointment is made
b. birthparents must be present for USCIS interview	2 weeks
	(sometimes more if bp cannot be located or have trouble arriving)
Visa application is filed, and appointment in Haiti
to receive the visa is scheduled.	1-2 weeks
Family travels to Haiti for transition time and visa appointment	stay in Haiti usually less than 1 week, unless we have reason to believe child(ren) will need longer transition period.

We began the adoption at the beginning of February.  That was (give or take) 300 days ago.  With no end in sight, I can find myself feeling a little weary of the process.  When those times come and seem to take over my every thought, I remember that God's timing is perfect.  Perfect!  Not just okay or good, but perfect.  I put my faith in his timing and will wait because it WILL be worth the wait.

On Hold.

You know when you are on the phone and the person/company on the other end puts you on hold.  You can't really do anything else.  You just have to wait.  Sure you can piddle around, watch TV, whatever, but you can't really do anything very well.  So you wait and listen for the other person to come back on.  Well, that is kind of the way I feel about our life right now.  We are just on hold, tied to the metaphorical phone, waiting to hear something on the other end.  We are piddling around with the everyday things but can't seem to get much accomplished because we are on hold.

Our house is on hold.  It has been on the market since April because we need more room for Jimmy.  It has shown only a handful of times.  So, until we get a bigger house we cannot set up Jimmy's room or even show him where he will live when he comes home. 

Our finances are on hold.  We have been working the Dave Ramsey plan trying to get out of debt, save money, etc.  We have done really well, but again because we are on hold, we feel unsure of how much money we have/can use for different things because of the many adoption costs that pop up. 

Even little things like family pictures are on hold.  A picture of our family is not complete without Jimmy in it.  So, again we wait and hold off.

In my head, I know that God's timing is perfect and He has it all under control.  My human heart feels so heavy and frozen in time.  I am so ready for the waiting to be over.  I am ready for Jimmy to be here, to have him with us, to continue our lives together.  I am ready for all the paperwork and bureaucratic nonsense to be over. 

Please pray that I will find the peace we all need to endure this waiting.  Please pray for us to gather the funds we need for the adoption expenses.  Please pray for Jimmy to come home!

Looking back

When I think about the past year, I can think of times where I thought my heart would burst from the pain of  disappointment, aggravation, and uncertainty.  However looking back, I can see how God was molding my heart.  He wasn't gentling pricking my heart; He was forcefully molding it into what He wants it to be.  And that is painful.  One year ago, we listened to God's calling and made our first trip to Haiti.  It has been a year full of highs and lows.  With every tug and pull on my heart God has stretched me to love more, pulled me closer to Him, and pushed me out of my comfort zone. 

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

I booked my flight for a trip to Port au Prince in December.  It will be myself and my friend, Cindy, going.  She and her husband are adopting too.  We will be filing our I-600 then flying up to Cap Haitien to spend time with Jimmy and Richard as well as work at CHCH and Tabitha's orphanage nearby.

Please pray for our travels, our dossier in IBESR, and our fundraising.  The December trip will cost approximately $2000.  Please consider buying a puzzle quilt piece, a tee shirt at www.WildOliveTees.com (remember to put in our coupon code SCHLUP0910), or order a delicious pie ($15 each.)  Every dollar counts.  Thank you for your support.

Updates and Progress

First I wanted to update you all on our fundraisers.  To date, we have sold 60 of the 108 quilt blocks.  Amazing!  We are so overwhelmed and blessed by your support.  You still have 48 more opportunities to buy a block and get into the drawing.  You are also still able to purchase tee shirts from Wild Olive Tees.  We get a big portion of the profits from these tee shirts.  They are super cute and would be a great gift for someone else or just an addition to your wardrobe.  Go to www.WildOliveTees.com or click on their button at the left side of this page, go to the fundraiser section, make your selections, then put our code SCHLUP0910 in the coupon code.  You must put in the code for us to get credit for your purchase.  If you feel led, please consider one of these opportunities to change our family tree.

Second, I need to update you on the adoption process.  Although we are still playing the waiting game, we are able to complete another step soon.  Some time at the beginning of the December, Rob or I will be heading to Port au Prince to file our I-600.  Once this is completed, the American side of the adoption will be complete.  Unfortunately, we must continue to wait on the Haitian side; but any progress is progress and another step to check off our list.

Please continue to pray for the waiting to be as minimal as possible.  Also please pray for Jimmy.  He needs your prayers of patience, strength, and peace.  Thank you!

Jimmy at the Citadel.

We are back.

We got back from Haiti 5 days ago, and I would go back today if I could.  It was an amazing trip.  Not only were we able to see Jimmy, but we also were able to serve about 1000 people alongside the Haiti Medical Mission Team.  Neither of us are "medical" people so we serve as assistants and pharmacy techs.  Jimmy does some translating so we all get to work together. 
We were there from Friday morning until Wednesday morning.  We were able to make more connections with Jimmy and explain the lengthy adoption process more so he can understand why we have to wait.  He is very anxious to come home.  Leaving was so bittersweet, we were anxious to get back to Rylan and Kyndal; but our hearts were breaking to leave him again.   There were so many, many tears.  I cannot even begin to explain how it feels to leave him so broken and sad.  It goes against every maternal cell in my body.  Please pray for him as he endures the waiting. 
Here are a few pictures from our trip.  You will see Rob's mom, Kathie, in some of them.  It was very special for Jimmy to meet his Nana.

The morning we left.

At Tabitha's orphanage.  It is an orphanage down the road from CHCH, where Jimmy lives.  He is helping Sherry talk with the kids (patients) there.

Helping Nana.

That is Jimmy in the corner.  We were at the widows' home.

Jimmy and Alex hanging out waiting to help.  Alex goes to school with Jimmy and lives by the preaching school where we stay.

This is our ride while we are in Haiti.  Jimmy likes sitting up front.  He rarely gets to sit up there; so, he took advantage of the opportunity.

This is our "pharmacy" at the clinic we did at Blue Hill.  We saw around 300 this day. 

Rob's mom, Kathie, is in the blue. 

Jimmy was sitting by the provider to translate.

At the end of our busy day at the clinic, we were lucky to go to a nice restaurant at a hotel.  Restaurants like this are not on every corner.  It was a treat.

This was taken by the pool.

My handsome boy.

Before church.

At the clinic after church for the people in the feeding program.

Back at the preaching school, Jimmy was showing Nana how to play soccer barefooted.  She was not a fan and prefers shoes.

On Monday, we headed out to a remote clinic.  About an hour into our drive, we got a flat.  We had to wait about an hour and a half then we were on our way again.

We drove about two more hours then we had hike to the the top of the mountain to reach the church there.  It took over an hour and was quite strenuous.  It is really almost unbelievable that many hike that mountain to go to church.

At the church, we served as many as possible before we had to head back down.

Rob and Jimmy (next to Rob) helped April.

On Tuesday, we hiked up to the Citadel.  It is a fortress built on the highest point in Haiti.  If you ever have the opportunity you should go.  It was absolutely amazing.  It was so worth the exhausting hike up there.  Jimmy was of course one of the first to the top.  He greeted Rob and I as we reached the rest of the group.  He said, "Nice walk?"  Silly boy, he made both hikes in flip flops.



I didn't get anymore pictures after the Citadel.  Jimmy began to get sad this evening and didn't stop crying.  All our efforts went to comforting him.

Hanging Out

In just 10 days, I will be in Haiti "hanging" out with this awesome, great, fabulous kid.

I am soooooo excited.  Rob and I are going together this time. I love that we get to spend time with him together.  I hate leaving Rylan and Kyndal here but spending actually face to face, hand in hand time with him is so wonderful. I pray for the day we are all in the same room to come quickly. 

No news on the paperwork process.  We will only hear something when it leaves IBESR unless there is a problem.  Continue to pray for those examining our files.  Pray they move quickly and efficiently so we can move to the next step as soon as possible.  Thank you!

Wild Olive Tees

We are very excited about this new fundraiser.  Wild Olive Tees is working with us to help raise money to bring our Jimmy home.  Here is what you can do.  Go to the Wild Olive Tees website and shop in the fundraiser tees section.  There are 15 Women's tees and 6 children's tees to choose from.  When you are making a purchase, click on the coupon code button and enter our family code SCHLUP0910.  You must put this code in for us to get credit for your purchase.  In addition to using the code, you may choose to also put our name in the comment section of checkout.  So, get on to wildOlivetees.com and go shopping.  We thank you in advance!

We Are IN!

Yesterday, I posted about how badly we wanted for our dossier to get into IBESR.  I asked all of you to pray that it would get in quickly.  Well, little did I know it went in yesterday.  YAY!!!!  We are so happy to know it is at least in the Haitian government's hands.  Now, if it will stay on the top of the stack and travel through expediently.  Please pray for God to push our dossier (as well as our friends' the Hoovers and the Pirtles) through quick, quick, quick.  We all want our boys home with us.  Thank you for your faithfulness.

Fundraiser update:  We have now sold pieces 23-28.  Thank you Amanda and Jami.  I appreciate you guys soooooo much.  The rainbow of color is so pretty.  Let's continue to light up those blocks.

The "IN" Crowd

We are currently waiting for our dossier to enter IBESR.  IBESR stands for "Institut du BienEtre Social et de Recherches".  What is that?  It is french for the the equivalent of the department of family and children's services, and are responsible for approving each international adoption and ensuring that the adoptive family meets criteria, that the child is eligible for adoption, and that the adoption itself is legitimate, according to Haiti's adoption legislation of 1974.
We are very anxious to get "in" to the IBESR.  It would mean progress and that something is happening.  Once it enters IBESR, it does not mean we are almost done.  It is really just the beginning of the process in Haiti.  We ask that you pray for our dossier to go in as soon as possible and that EVERYTHING is exactly how it should be.  We are praying hard that the process moves with lightening speed.  God's timing is perfect...I just need to be reminded of that on occasion. 
When our dossier leaves IBESR is when our next payment is due.  We need $2500 at that point.  Please consider blessing us by buying a piece of our puzzle quilt.  When we sell all the pieces we will have the money we need for this step.  Thank you for the consideration.

Let's add some color.

Thank you to Pam Abbs for buying #18.  Now we need to add a little color to row three.  Every piece bought bring us closer to meeting our goal and bringing Jimmy home. 

Puzzle Progress

We want to say a BIG THANK YOU to those who bought the first seventeen pieces of our puzzle. Amanda Morton, Stephen Anderson, Marylyn Caraway, Cheatham Family, and Susan Caron...we are blessed by your support.

Just one more block and the first two rows are complete.  

 Wanna see #18 in color?   Just $25 and you can!

Showered with Blessings

Several people have told us how blessed Jimmy is/will be to be coming into our family.  However, we are the ones being blessed.  Not only by having Jimmy in our family but also by those who give us encouragement through this journey.  God has provided us with so many examples of selfless, generous acts.  I want to share a story of one of these blessings.  This is an email I received from Rob's sister, Laura, on Saturday.  Avynn is ten years old and Brayden is six. 

I wanted to tell you guys about the car wash my kids put on this morning. Avynn had two girls sleep over, I was on a long bike ride so I didn't see any of it. They made a sign for $1.75 car wash with free lemonade to benefit Jimmy's adoption fund. They had his picture out to show people and Brayden stood up on Rick's truck waving the sign while Avynn and the girls yelled. Unfortunately they had only one customer which was the mom of the girls who came to pick them up. As soon as I got back from my ride, Brayden delivered me the $2 they earned. Is that the sweetest thing? We're all falling in love with him before he even gets here:) I told them I'd add it to the triathlon money that's going toward Jimmy's adoption.

What an act of love!  We are so blessed and encouraged by everyone's generosity and support.

Peace by Piece Fundraiser

It is time to kick off another fundraiser.  We still need about $10,000 to cover our adoption expenses.  Please consider helping us reach our goal.

PEACE BY PIECE fundraiser

For $25 you can buy a piece of the puzzle (a block of the quilt). As each piece is purchased, I will sew them together. When the quilt is all pieced together, I will put the names of those who purchased pieces of the puzzle in a hat and draw a winner. The winner wins the completed quilt. You may buy one or two or ten pieces. It is up to you. With each piece you purchase, you gain a chance to win the quilt.

You may use the paypal button here on the blog. Or you may choose to send the money by mail. If you are interested in a tax deductible contribution, please contact me. We appreciate your help and support.

Waiting to be a servant.

So it has been a while since I have updated. However there is not much to update. We are still waiting for our dossier to go into IBESR in Haiti. It is extremely difficult to want something to happen so badly and all you can do is wait. It is definitely a test of our patience and a lesson of how little we are in control. Although we believe with all our hearts that God's timing is perfect, our little human hearts are aching for this process to go faster.

My mom's friend, Mary Jane passed away this week. She was eighty-seven years old and a true example of a faithful servant. After her husband passed away several years ago, she decided that when she was sad and missing him she would do something for someone. To follow her example and honor her memory, whenever I feel sad or down about this process I will do for others. Mary Jane was very excited about Jimmy joining our family and was very supportive of us. She remained prayerful that he would be home soon even in her last days. I saw Mary Jane less than two weeks ago. She told me how much she was looking forward to meeting Jimmy. I am sad Jimmy will never meet Mary Jane. However I hope I can be an example of faith and servanthood for him because of her. Please pray for Mary Jane's family during their time of grief and rejoice for Mary Jane because she is truly HOME.

Sign on the dotted line already.

Jimmy had his psychological evaluation done over three weeks ago and before the doctor could sign it, he let the country for a trip to the US.  Without a signature, the evaluation was not valid.  So, everyone was waiting for the doctor to return.  After three weeks of waiting, the doctor's office realized they could get another doctor on staff to sign it.  DUH!!  Altagrace (the Haitian administrator at the orphanage and overall fantastic person) went to the office the next day to get the form.  Oh, the doctor has left for the day AT 12:30 in the afternoon.  Altagrace made the trip the next day and was able to get the paper signed.  So finally all of Jimmy's paperwork is in Port au Prince with our lawyer.  Prayerfully, we hope to have all of our paperwork in IBESR very soon.  Although we have completed another step, we have no idea how much longer until he comes home.  We know we are one day closer than yesterday and that God's timing is perfect.  Please continue to pray for our file to move quickly from one step to the next and for there to be no delays. 

A little Jimmy news:  He is on summer break right now.  He did very well on his final exams and will move on to the next grade.  They do not return to school until October.  He is enjoying playing soccer in the new cleats that the ECU girls soccer team donated to CHCH.  He is also taking a conversational English class that Rodely, one of the older boys at the orphanage, is teaching.  It is pretty advanced with homework and long class sessions but Hunter says he is doing well.  We are proud of his efforts and his English is improving.

 Jimmy has been instant messaging through facebook like a pro.  He has had conversations with my mom and our friend, Mika.  I love that he is able to communicate with our family and friends.  I think it is brave that he reachs out to them.  Not sure I would be willing to strike up a conversation with people I have never met.  Proud of my son. 

Where does the money go?

Several people have asked where all the money goes and where are we in our fundraising efforts.  So, I sat down and broke it down.


EXPENSES
Compassionate Hearts (Dossier Prep Agency)     $1800
Oklahoma Christian Services (Home Study)     $1500
Psychological Evaluations     $500
Medical Evaluations and tests     $417.20
Translation of dossier     $375
Chances 4 Children (Agency working in Haiti)     $2750
Background checks and fingerprints     $104
Authentication of Dossier documents     $910
Documents needed for dossier     $198.50
Homeland Security (USCIS I-600A)     $890
Postage     $537.31
Misc.     $64.42

MONIES
Donation     $5551.05
Earned (pie sales, housekeeping)     $1000
Fundraisers (comedy show, dinner, garage sale)     $3159

Total expenses                    $-10,046.43
Total monies                       $   9,710.05

Difference                           $    -336.38



These are all the expenses we have accrued and monies we have collected up to date.  I think the thing you will see is that God has overwhelmingly provided just what we have needed when we needed it.  There are still expenses in this process and trust that God will cover those.  We are working on a couple of fundraisers to start in the next couple of weeks.  We hope that you will consider helping us through those efforts.  I am still making pies as well if anyone is interested.

Thank you to everyone who has given money or supported our fundraisers.  You have been monumental in helping us make it to this point.  Words will never be enough to express our gratitude.  Check back soon to hear more updates soon.

And just because a mom likes to show off her kids.  Here are a couple new pics of Jimmy



Where are we now?

Just a little update on where we are in the process.  The lawyer continues to look over our dossier.  It has to be "authenticated" in Haiti as well.  They are also working on Jimmy's "dossier".  He has had his medical exam and psychological exam.  We are waiting for the psychologist to return from the states to sign it.  It isn't official until he signs it.  Then the social worker from Port au Prince will interview both Jimmy and Richard.  Other than those few things, we are still in a holding pattern.  Waiting, praying, waiting, and praying some more.  We believe God can move mountains and we believe he can move our adoption through Haiti.

Reliquinshed!

Now that the dossier has been in Haiti a while, the process is progressing there.  The lawyer went to Cap Haitien to meet Jimmy and Richard (our friends' son) and to get the ball rolling on their adoptions.  He was able to gather family members from both sides of Jimmy's family and take them to the courts.  Jimmy and his family both signed off on his relinquishment in front of the judge.  This is a very big deal and helps the adoption progress more smoothly.  Jimmy also got his medical exams and bloodwork done.  He is waiting on a pyschologist to do is psych evaluation and the social worker from Port au Prince to come and do his "home study".  We still have no idea how much longer until it is finalized but we are one day closer than we were yesterday. 

Lost in Translation

Our lawyer in Haiti decided after reviewing our dossier that some things in our home study did not translate well and would need to be changed.  WHAT!?!?!  After a few tears, we sprung into action.  We discussed the issue with the home study agency and she agreed that removing the topic would be okay.  Next, our psych evaluation needed to be consistent with every thing else.  So, after much discussions and a few documents to back it up, our psychologist agreed to change his report as well.  Then, the kids and I headed to capital to have everything authenticated.  We drove through horrible rain and they missed the last day of school, but we got there.  We authenticated the new documents, sent them on to Chicago because of course that needed to be done again too, then the consulate sent it to Oregon to our Chances for Children Representative and she forwarded to Haiti from there. Everything seems to going well now.  No news is good news right. 

For Sale

We had a garage sale in May to raise money for the adoption.  It was a great success!  Lots of people donated and we were able to raise over $900.  God is faithful.  We have been able to make every financial deadline and the money is always there when a new expense comes up.  Thank you to all those who helped:  Mika Hinson, Felicia Whitworth, Leslie Hamilton, Martin & Joann Kubier, Mike & Linda McGaha, Marcy Davis, Blake & Karla Earnhart, Beth Ballard, and my awesome parents Danny & Diane Anderson. 

The Journey of the Traveling Dossier

Our dossier has been in Haiti for 8 days.  We pray those papers are moving quickly on their journey.  Several have asked "What now?"  The answer...we wait.  We should get reports along the way and I will update as we get those.

Just some fun facts about the dossier:
8...the number of states that the part or all of the dossier has traveled.  Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, Florida Montana. 
471...the dollar amount we have paid to fedex to send it to those states.
4...the number of copies made of our dossier
92...the number of pages in the dossier
87...the number of days we worked on the dossier

Family time

On Sunday, we talked to Jimmy.  He wished me a Happy Mother's Day, which was so awesome to hear.  His extended family was coming to visit.  He told us he was going to tell them about the adoption later.  We understand that it is a difficult situation and are allowing him to decide when is the right time.  We asked Hunter to let us know how their visit went and we would talk to them on Wednesday.  We received an email later that day. 

Jimmy's cousin and her son visited with Hunter and Jillian.  He decided to tell them about his adoption and they are happy for him.  They said they loved him very much and wanted to send their greetings to us.  They asked that we let him visit after he comes to America.  They also gave him $5 Haitian.  Hunter said they were very nice people and the visit went well.

Here is a picture Hunter took on Sunday.

Although his extended family live close enough to visit, they are unable to take care of Jimmy.  We are sure he feels some apprehension leaving them behind.  We know he loves us and is excited to have a family that will love him forever.  We hope to help Jimmy reconcile his feelings about leaving Haiti and being a part of our family.  However, Please pray for his transition.

One man's trash

...is another man's treasure.  That was definitely the case at our garage sale on Saturday. 

We want to thank all of you who donated items or stopped by to shop.  A HUGE thank you to my parents who came to help us set up and run the sale.  We made $955.  It is overwhelming to think how quarters and dollars add up.  We had a couple of big ticket things but the majority was made on a LOT of little things.  The leftover items went to benefit the Compassion Outreach Center here in Ada. 

Lil' Buckaroo BBQ Dinner & Silent Auction

The benefit was a huge success.  We raised over $4500 for three adopting families.  We are so grateful for all of those who came and for the generosity of those who donated to the auction.  It warms my soul to think of all the caring people who graced us with their presence.  Thank you all.

Christy, Joely, and I as well as Tyson and Jason spent an entire evening putting together all of the donations into baskets for the auction.  It was amazing all the stuff that was donated.

We set up a table to introduce our families and stories to everyone.

The auction tables

These are some stick horses my mom made for the auction.  She is willing to make some if anyone is interested in buying one.

It was so good to have my family there.  My sister came up for the occassion.

  

Please continue to pray for these ladies as we work to bring our babies home.