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.