Family Camp!

Remember I said that this summer we've been doing fundraisers and Family Camp?  Well, since I've already shared enough about fundraisers, I thought I'd post some pictures of Family Camp, too.  They are more interesting than fundraising pictures!   

 Duncan, the donkey, up close and personal :)

 

 Sarah's favorite thing--swimming!

 

 Got that ball in the hole!

 

 Critter catching...

 

 Target shooting

 

 Great shots!

 

So happy because she got to go on the high ropes course!

 

 Daddy helping when she got stuck

 

 She did so great!

 

 

 And the best part--the zip line!

 

 Sailing our cardboard ship!

 

 Fishing

 

 Of course, our nurse, Sarah, would find the crutches!

 

 Getting ready to go fishing on the back lake with Dad

 

 We had a blast!

Longing...

I know...it's the middle of the day.  I should be doing any one of a million different things right now.  But instead, I am sipping a cup of coffee and writing a blog post, because today...  I just need to share my feelings!  (We girls and our feelings, right?) :)

I saw this picture of Corrie today.

 

 

Yes, I know it's really a picture of the adorable sweetie in front.  But honestly when my eyes first hit the picture, they immediately went to the little girl in the background.  That cute little pink bathing suit.  Her head tilted to the side.  In an instant this mommy's heart didn't even see the picture's true subject.  She only noticed her little girl.   And that heart just melted into a puddle inside.

 

It is hard to be in the adoption process.  The wait stretches on and on.  You see the photos.  You long for your child.  My mind wanders throughout the day.  Is she happy?  I know she is loved where she is, and for that I am thankful.   But still I wonder, is she getting enough hugs and snuggles?  Is she sick?  Does she have bad dreams?  Even if she is completely happy and secure, still I long to be there.  To scoop her up in my arms and bring her home. 

 

For now, I endure the helpless feeling of missing someone you've not yet met.  Sweet baby, I can't wait to meet you.... 



 

 



Quick update...

Just a quick update since I've been leaving you hanging for so long...

Our summer in a nutshell:

The kids swam,
we did fundraisers,
and more fundraisers,
and cleaning up after fundraisers,
and we went to Family Camp.

That's about it. 

And we had a setback in our adoption process. :(  We had to do an update to our homestudy...it's a long story.  But, I am remembering that God already knew all about it, and He is not wringing His hands.  Just trusting and resting and knowing that He loves Corrie even more than we do.  His timing is always right, even when we can't imagine that it is. 

Sometimes He does really cool things like what happened the other day while we were at Family Camp.  One of the days, a couple and their grandchildren were visiting their niece and her husband who was preaching in the chapel that week.  This couple's daughter is a facebook friend of mine who has met and loves Corrie, and she became my online friend when she found out about us and our upcoming adoption.  Well, one of the granddaughters there had been with her parents in Corrie's baby home and had met her, too.  It was such a blessing to talk to someone about Corrie who has loved on her in person!  And it was fun sharing stories with the grandparents about our visits to China, since they had been there, too.  It's just so neat how God orchestrates things and puts people in other people's paths.  It was definitely the high-lite of my week!

So, we press on and wait for the government to move us to the next step in the process, and know that someday soon the ache in my heart when I see that precious girl's face will change to joy!

If you feel led to help us with our adoption expenses, you can go to this link.  Thanks so much...

Our night at Culver's, and my Thirty-One party!

So...we have been in Fundraiser-land lately.   Sorry for the very broken record here on my blog.  Even though I wish we didn't have to be there, we have been having a lot of fun!

Krispy Kreme gift certificates came first (and there are still some left), then our garage sale, along with selling some really beautiful bracelets made in Haiti through this organization.  If you are raising money for an adoption yourself, I highly recommend this fundraiser!  They sell really well, and it feels so good to be able to help Haitian people, too!  The garage sale went great, and we still have a lot left, so we will just open up our garage and do it again another weekend.

Our next event was at our local Culver's restaurant.  We just did it last night.  A portion of the proceeds from all the orders from 4 until 9 will come to us!  (They told me to come back in a few days, so I'm not sure yet how well we did.)  But, we had a steady stream of people the whole evening, we got to see many of our friends who came in to support us, and most of all, the boys loved being the food runners!  (In case you don't have a Culver's, that's kind of like servers, but all they had to do was take people's food to their tables and out to the cars in the drive-through.)  Seriously, they loved it.  When it was time to stop at 9:00, none of them stopped!  They just kept taking people their food, and Ben especially kept going until we made him leave at 9:45. :)  It was so much fun!  Here are some pictures of our evening.  We all wore red to represent our Corrie waiting for us in China...

 

They sure look official, don't they?

 

 Such prompt, courteous service!

 

 Some of our honored guests...

 

 

 Sarah being a Chinese princess for the evening

 

 

And they did take a break to eat!

 



Now, we are working toward one more fundraiser, but I think this will be the last one, and then I can blog about more interesting things.  I found out about a lady who adopted a child herself, and found that her most successful fundraiser was when a lady she knew did a Thirty-One party for her, and donated all the proceeds to her.  She decided she could be a blessing to adoptive families like that, too, and started her own Thirty-One consultant business with the express purpose of helping adoptive families with fundraising!  So,  she sent me the things I need in the mail, I'm having a party here at my house next week, and all the money she would have made as the consultant, she will donate to us.  Also, everyone can order to help us--even you!--from this website.  There is a great sale going on in July, too.  You get 31% off of any item in the catalog when you spend $31.  Awesome!  Also... if any of you out in bloggy land would be interested in helping us, YOU could host a party through me, and all the proceeds from your party would come to us, also!  (And YOU would get the hostess benefits--FREE PRODUCTS!)  Please leave me a comment if you would be interested in that.  I would be so excited if somebody would! :) 

Soooo...that's what's happening in Fundraiser-land.  I know we are getting much closer to meeting our goal--just several thousand left.  Which is much better than tens of thousands!  :) 

I'll end with this sad little story.  Corrie's caregivers posted on facebook the other day, asking everyone to please pray for her.  She has watched so many of her little "brothers and sisters" leave to go home with their new families over the years--and three of them in just the last few months.  That particular morning, one of them had left, and she was just having a hard time with it.  Always saying good-bye to the only siblings she has known, and always being left there herself.  I don't know how much she understands, or if she knows yet that she has a family coming.  But they posted that she cried all morning that day while the only daddy she has known held her.  It broke our hearts.  We love you, sweet girl! 

This was taken at Christmas-time with one of the directors at Morning Star.  I love this picture!



STUFF!

So excited, so excited!

Just a little sample of the stuff...

Our garage is full of stuff.  Our living room is full of stuff.  Our family room is.....full of stuff.  And we have MORE STUFF COMING!  :)  And it is because friends have been donating this stuff to sell in our garage sale this weekend to help bring our Corrie home!  Would you pray with us that it won't rain, because our garage won't hold all the stuff that we are selling.  It will be covering our driveway too,  and spilling over into the yard.  And, I am really excited because it is really nice stuff!!  The kids are going to be keeping the lemonade flowing and the cookies going, too.  When we had a lemonade stand at our garage sale to bring Sarah home, I think they did better than we did.  That cuteness factor does have a way with tugging at people's heartstrings... :) 

I love garage sales.  Honestly, what feels better than getting a good deal?  When I come home with bags of clothes and things that we really need (and fun things too) for only a fraction of the cost it would have been in the store, it's one of my greatest joys in life.  Humongous blessing!  AND, what's better than having a sale, (okay, the work is not so fun--but meeting people is fun!) and seeing their happy faces as they walk away with THEIR treasures they are getting for a song?  So fun.  SO FUN!!  AND...what could be better than getting great deals, giving people deals, and helping a family bring their daughter home so that there will be ONE LESS ORPHAN???  Oh, there is nothing better. :)  Blessings, blessings, blessings!

So, that's what we are doing this weekend.  I hope you have a great one, too! 

(And if you are sad that you can't come and shop at our garage sale, you can still buy some Krispy Kremes with the gift certificates you can get from our friend.  Here's that LINK.  Or, check out the Once Was Lost button at the top of my page and shop for some great STUFF, and it will help Corrie, too!)

More fundraising fun!

Hi, everyone!  I'm sorry I don't have much news to share.  One of these days I will spend some time catching you up on what the rest of our family has been doing over the past year or so.  But for now, I must tell you about the newest fundraisers we've been doing for Corrie. 

So, you all know about the Krispy Kremes.  Check out THIS POST if you don't.  Our friend who is graciously doing this fundraiser for us still has some gift cards left that she can mail anywhere in the country and they never expire.  So, if you like donuts and would like to have a part in the blessing of bringing Corrie home, you have come to the right place.  :) 

Next, I found this wonderful company called "Once Was Lost."  (Look on the right side of my blog at the top for the button.)  They have a store with fair trade items, and half the proceeds of purchases go to help adoptive families!  Proceeds also go to feed hungry children!  Our family is registered with them, so if you would like to make a purchase (and there is some cute stuff over there), don't forget to put our names in the "notes to seller" box when you are checking out.  We are listed in their "affiliates" section--Scott and Holly. :) 

AND...we are getting ready to have a garage sale.  I love garage sales.  Going and shopping at them, that is.  Having them?  Not as much.  But, I am willing to do my best to make it a great one, and friends are already donating stuff for it, so we are praying it will be a success! 

And, last but not least, we have an account set up with Project Hopeful if anyone would like to just make a tax deductible donation to help us.  Thank you!  (Soon we will have our bio and picture on the site.  For now, scroll down until you see Corrie's picture.)  Every little bit helps!

Now, a little note about fundraising... 

I know that not everyone thinks fundraising is a great idea.  I mentioned in a previous post that I really really wish we had no need to do it.  I do believe that God could just provide all the money without doing all these fundraisers.  However, I also know that God loves to use His people to do His work.  It is a blessing to give, and that's something I've learned first hand.   Please don't think we are begging, because we are definitely not.  I know that God has got this covered in one way or another, and we only want you to consider helping us if you feel like He is placing it on your heart.  If not, please just pray with us that  the whole adoption process will go smoothly, including the financial part.  Please pray that Corrie's transition into our family would be smooth and seamless, and that God would be getting things set up behind the scenes for the special care she will need when she gets here.  Thank you for visiting our blog!

And now I'll leave you with a summer treat...  How precious is this water baby??  She and Sarah (my other little fish) will have so much fun together!

(And yes, little Timothy there with her is absolutely adorable, too!)

Video of Corrie!

Look what I found... a video of the baby home where Corrie is--and Corrie is in it!  (Only for a second.  I wish she were in it longer!)  She is near the beginning in blue.  She is so precious, I just cannot wait to have her home!  (Did you read my previous post about the fundraiser a kind friend is doing for us?  And did you know it involves Krispy Kreme donuts??  AND, today was National Donut Day?  If you know of someone who might like some donuts, even if that someone just might be you, go check it out!)  And enjoy the video!  Those babies are so adorable, too. :)