So, I promised to update my blog more often and once again, I failed. Its been December since I updated so please forgive me. Its almost April! Alot has happened in our lives since December but doesn't that happen to all of us?
Its been a very exciting year and did I expect anything less? We hosted Tanya and Liza at Christmas. They were part of 17 orphans that came to Texas from Ukraine. Out of those 17 orphans, 14 of them are going to be adopted by families in the area! Praise God! Out of those 14 are our very own, Tanya and Liza. I call them "our own" but I know that its not until God brings them here that I can call them "my daughters." Whatever God chooses to do in their lives (and ours) - I am submitting to His will. Its hard to sit here on the other side of the world while they sit in an orphanage waiting for us to come rescue them. Its hard praying for God to "place a hedge of protection around them" knowing full well that I have no control over their lives. But, I find comfort in knowing Who is in control and I rest in that promise!
We have started the adoption process of Tanya and Liza. Our social worker came for a visit on February 15th and updated our homestudy. We have been waiting on our completed homestudy to submit to USCIS. But, to be honest, we have been waiting on funds to follow through this process. It cost $830 to submit our I600A to USCIS. We raised $383 at a garage sale yesterday and two people have given us a total of $300 in the last 48 hours as part of our new Facebook Fundraiser "100 giving $100 = $10,000." So, we are less than $200 away from having the funds to send to USCIS. Then, the "real" fundraising begins! We have 7 families that have pledged to give $100 to our Adoption Fund - praise God! We have also set up an "Adoption Bug T-shirt" fundraiser on our blog as well. We know that God has called us to pursue these girls and it will be His Divine Provision that will bring them to us forever. There is nothing that we can do or say to cause these funds to be raised - its in His doing that makes it all happen. So, we find comfort in believing in His Sovereignty.
Other situations have come our way and to be honest, we are praying through this decisions. We ask that you pray for us as well. Without going into too much detail, we could possibly provide a temporary home for a newborn. His parents made some poor choices during the pregnancy and have lost the right to see him. He is a sweet little boy and needs a loving, Christian home, even if for a short time. I once spoke those words, "I will NEVER foster a child!" Hmmmm, if you know me - you know that I should have learned by now to NEVER SAY NEVER! For some reason, God brought this little guy to our attention. We have no idea what's to come of it and even if we'll be able to foster him but we are praying for God's will, His wisdom and His discernment in our lives and this child's life. We will go to court on Wednesday to hear the temporary placement order from the judge. We shall see but please join us in praying for this precious little guy and his birthparents.
On January 12th, a great earthquake hit Haiti and it was a privilege and honor to be involved in placing 54 orphans into homes in the San Antonio/New Braunfels area. I was amazed at the outpouring of love and support of God's people! My list of potential foster/adoptive couples grew to over 70! It was incredible! All but 4 of the children have been placed in loving homes and we now wait the decision of the House and Senate to pass the Hope Act. This bill would grant humanitarian aid parole to these orphans and provide them a way to get to the United States and into loving homes. We were matched with Nahomie, a 17 year old precious girl. Unfortunately, there is some concern about her availability to come on the same visa as the other children, because of her age. The only way we can get her here would be on a Student Visa. We would have to find a private school that would allow her to come on a I-20 student visa. We would also be responsible for providing private education and to be honest, we aren't able to do that at this time. So, we need to pray to find a home for Nahomie or to provide provision for our family to host her. We don't know what the future holds for this precious girl but we know Who holds the future.
Craig's job has taken off by storm. And, we know storms can be scary at times and full of torrential rains. But, with storms - there is growth when the rain ends! So, we are trusting God during this transition and can already see some amazing things taking place. He brought on a new business partner that offers so much to the firm. He has tons of experience and he brought a licensed assistant for them to share! She is awesome and provides the much needed support that Craig needed in the office! God is good!
Well, I promise to update this a couple of times a week. I need to start using this blog as a means to get some things off my chest during this adoption journey! The journey is never easy and the road comes with some bumps but there is a great reward at the end of it.
Join us in prayer as we embark on this rollercoaster of a ride called adoption.
Blessings,
Becca
