Fingerprints done!

Today we went to have our fingerprints done. Once we are cleared we will be given approval from INS to adopt.

This is the last document we need to send in our dossier!

A dossier is basically the required documents that we have to send to Ukraine in order for them to approve us for adoption...then we can go get Nina once we are given an appointment and travel date!

So time is ticking, we are praying we can send our dossier early next week. I am not sure how much time we will have until then, but for sure we have to get moving on the fundraising arena :)

So...anytime someone clicks on Nina's picture it will take them to a site where donations towards our adoption are tax deductible (hint, hint) :)

We are on our way Nina! We are on our way!

An Orphan's Prayer

I am waiting…somewhere far…far away
on the other side of the world.
I may not know who you are or what you look like
But some how deep in my heart I know you are out there.
That one day you will come and find me.
It’s a long journey, and it takes a lot of time…
I wish it could be easier.
But I know that the ones who come for me
will not count the cost.
They will only see the joy of finding me.
For now I abide in the fields of the fatherless.
Day by day wondering why I was born here
and not somewhere else?
Asking…why my life couldn’t have been different?
It is so lonely…Even though I am surrounded by
hundreds of other children,
I know that something is missing…
I know in my heart I need a place to call home.
My arms long to be wrapped in a father’s embrace…
I long to be saved by a mother’s love…
Gazing out the orphanage window I offer a
prayer of hope,“Oh God please help them
come quickly.”
Even as I lay in the darkness of each night
somehow I feel assured,
That no matter how lost I appear I am not alone.
Holy hands guard my steps; sacred fingers wipe
my tears, touching my lonely heart.
The one who made me,
The God that knew me before I was born
Hears me every time I call
He whispers His promises in my ear.
I listen with hope to His voice.
But what I worry about most is that no one wants to look for me.
The fields are vast and there are so many scattered all over the earth.
I wonder how one little child, so lost, can be found?
Yet He calms my heart and assures me that He will find you.
That He will make sure that you hear His voice clearly.
He has promised me that He will make a way through the fields,
That He will personally cut a path and lead you right to my orphanage door.
My prayer is…When He speaks…Please don’t forget to listen…
When He calls don’t be too afraid to go
For I am waiting…somewhere, far…far…away
On the other side of the world
To come Home

Buy Gifts 2!

Gifts 2 is finally out! I just received my copy and I am loving it!

Since I am one of the contrinutors, I am able to sell the book and this will help us with our

adoption. If you are thinking about buying the book, and want to help us bring Nina home, you can buy the book from me.

The cost of the book is $19.95

Shipping is $4.95

Total is $ 24.90

If you are interested, click on the contact me button and send me an e-mail letting me know you want the book!

Buy Gifts 2!

A few days ago I posted about the release of Gifts 2 on our home page.

I just received my copy yesterday and I absolutely love it!

AS some of you know, I am one of the contributors of Gifts 2: How People with Down Syndrome Enrich the World.

If you would like to buy the book, let me know, if you buy the book from me, it will help towards our adoption, we are doing this as a fundraiser, but you do have to buy it from me! So click on the Contact Me link if you are interested!

I want her home...

Today Andy spent some time researching Eastern Europe and their orphanages. The more we learn, the more we want to bring Nina home.

My heart breaks for all the orphans, but right now, my heart aches to hold Nina close.

I want to embrace and protect her from the world, I want her to know that she has a mommy and daddy that deeply love her and will do whatever it takes to bring her home.

I want her to know that she is special, and that her life has great meaning and great value. I want her to know that she belongs to God, that she is a daughter of the King.

I want her home.

Caribbean Dinner Party-Adoption Fundraiser

Last night, Andy and I attended a fundraiser for Nina's adoption. It was wonderful to see close friends, family, and even meet new people that were there to support us!

One of the greatest enemies of adoption is money. Many people wish they could adopt, but finances hold them back. No matter how you look at it, adoption is expensive! Where in the world will money come from?

When we decided to adopt Nina, we knew that God would have to provide, because we definitely do not have the money! We knew in our hearts that God was calling us to adopt, so we stepped out in obedience and trusting completely. We were and are prepared to get a bank loan so that we can bring Nina home. After all, how much is a life worth?

As soon as we committed to adopt Nina, God smiled and began to work, showing us that He indeed does provide, and that along the way, He would bless us and cover us with love...through other people.

My friend Marian asked if her and her husband could do a fundraiser for us...a Caribbean Dinner Party. She took care of it all, invited people, made a delicious meal, and had wonderful entertainment. All Andy and I had to do was show up.

Andy and I got to share our journey and our hearts, towards adoption and towards children with special needs. This was a very meaningful time for us, as we felt that just sharing our story, is part of our obedience to God. It was sweet to be able to tell people about where God has been taking us in the last few years.

Being a holiday weekend, not very many people were able to attend, however, their hearts of love and support towards our family were big, and we know that God continues to open the doors for us and continues to provide. Marian shared with me this morning that she had set a goal based on 60 people, and only 30 were able to come. Her goal was not only reached, it went above and beyond!

All the praise goes to God! He is walking with us every step of the way. I sometimes question if we will ever be able to make it, yet, He is God, and everything belongs to Him...money too. So He chooses to provide for us through other people...because He knows that along the way, many will be touched, many hearts will be open, maybe to Him, maybe towards adoption, or maybe towards people with special needs. We just trust and obey, and He takes care of the rest.

Thank you Lord!

The Beginning of Our Adoption Journey

When Nichole was a baby, I found a forum for parents of children with Down syndrome (downsyn.) It was a wonderful place for me to ask questions, be honest about my feelings, and also to receive support during the hard days of dealing with a new diagnosis.

What caught my attention was that several of these parents were in the process of adopting…another child with Down syndrome or with special needs. At the time, it blew my mind that these people were willingly choosing another child with a disability, it made no sense.

It did not take long for me to understand what these parents already knew. Having a child with Down syndrome had turned out to be better than good. Our lives had been transformed in such profound and positive ways that the thought of another child with Down syndrome was received with open arms. That, and the fact that many children with Down syndrome are not wanted and live their lives in Institutions until they die. They have no mommy or daddy to love them, to comfort them, or to cry for them when they die. It is heartbreaking. When you have been touched by someone with special needs, you cannot help but want to do something about this, to love on these children and bring them home.

For a long time I wondered when it would be us. I found myself looking at the little faces of precious children on Reece’s Rainbowand couldn’t help but fall in love with some of these kids. I would choose a child and pray and pray that they would find a family. Both kids I have prayed for have found a forever family.

If anything, I would encourage you to do the same. Visit Reece’s Rainbow and pray for one of these children!

On November 13, 2008 I wrote in my journal

“Lord, my heart aches. It aches for all the children in the world that do not have families to call their own. I look at all the little faces on Reece’s Rainbow and I cannot help but cry. These babies were not wanted because they are “less than perfect.”…I think about Nichole…you entrusted her to us, and I am thankful. I love her so much, you knitted her together in my womb and you do not make mistakes…Lord I pray that someday we are blessed by adopting one of these children…I am excited by what is to come. Our family will be richly blessed simply because we know you. If everything was stripped away, we still have you…Do in me as you please…I am fully and completely yours.”

Well…that day has come.

We are adopting!!!

Our daughter’s sweet face is on the right column of this blog, and we want to bring her home!

A few weeks ago Andy and I were looking at the orphans from Reece’s Rainbow. We always assumed that we would adopt another child with Down syndrome, but her face stole our hearts. She just looks like a Stumbo! Our sweet daughter has Cerebral Palsy, and she needs a loving family that will work with her and provide her with the help that she needs J Isn’t she sweet!

So here we are… we find ourselves allowing God to guide us and take us through this journey. We are trusting Him completely because by this world’s standards it makes no sense at all! We surely do not have the money, but we are trusting that God will provide, any way He chooses to do so, even if it is through a loan (people do this all the time to buy cars---was Andy’s cousin comment, so true!)

Pray for us as we embark on this new adventure. Pray for Nina. Pray for our family as well.

Life sure is exciting!