I have not posted in a while for a few reasons. The first is the family I work for opened a new restaurant. It has been crazy and exciting. It also takes a lot of time. The second reason is we are waiting.
Somedays waiting is easy. I am busy. I am distracted. It isn't as hard. However, lets be honest. Most days...most days, waiting sucks. There are two sweet little ones hundreds of miles away. Their little fingers are wrapped around my heart. I want to be there. To hold them. To care for them.
The good news is we are getting closer. Our dossier was approved! That means Colombia has approved us to adopt children from their country. Our next step will be receiving our full official referral. This will include pretty much all information we are expected to get on the twins, their background, their birth family, etc. I am also hoping for more pictures and more videos!
This is expected to arrive by the end of the month. It will then be translated. After that we will officially accept our referral and begin preparing for travel.
Preparing for travel includes, you guessed it...more paperwork. Most of the paperwork at this point will be on the US side. That isn't always faster, but it is a little more structured and predictable. So for now, I'm off to fill out more papers and jump through a few more hoops.
But don't worry...it won't be too much longer and we will be able to share the names and faces of our sweet little S & J!
Pray with us that the process goes quickly and smoothly and that mommy and daddy don't go too crazy. Thanks for walking this journey with us!
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Dossier, Birthdays, and Matching Grants
So...at this point in our journey, I get asked at least 2 or 3 times a day, "How is the adoption going?" I always wish I had easier answers. I realize what most people are really asking is, "How much longer?" Believe me, I yearn for an answer to that question more than anyone.
Unfortunately, I still don't have that answer. However, let's celebrate the steps that are getting us closer to being there! Our dossier has been completed! A dossier is a legal paper representation of us, and our adoption to the Colombian government. It was shipped to Colombia at the end of last week. It is our hope that ICBF (Children's Services for Colombia) will have an available appointment this week to begin the process of reviewing. Our in country representative will meet with them to start this process. They then have up to 40 days to review our dossier. They can then either approve or request more information from us. (Our big prayers are a speedy review and approval without extra information). After approval, we wait for an "Official Referral." This will include full files on our sweet twins! Clothing sizes, education, medical information, behavior analysis, birth family information, etc. We will then (of course) accept the official referral. At that time, ICBF will give us travel dates! WooHoo!
Each one of these steps also is accompanied by fees. Some fees go to the US government. Some fees go to the Colombian government. Other fees go to our adoption agency. Finally, we will also need to pay for our full travel costs. Sounds overwhelming, right?! However God has blessed our family immensly! We are $2000 from being fully funded! That is incredible! We started this process with no idea how we would come up with $40000, but God had big plans to show how BIG and GREAT He is!
So now that you have a better idea of how the adoption is going, let me tell you about the other exciting part of our week. Our incredible babies will turn 3 this week! Now I'd be lying if I said the only emotion connected with that day is excitement. This momma wants to be with them! Like now! So, will you bless us and our babies on their birthday? Below are 2 birthday boards. One for S and one for J. For their birthday, will you sponsor a present? You choose a square and make a donation of that amount (aka - square #3 is a $3 donation). Your donation will be doubled by an awesome matching grant we have through Brittany's Hope! So that sponsorship of square #3 actually gets us $6 closer to full funding! In fact, all donations made from now until we are fully funded will be doubled!
Thank yall for following our journey, supporting our dreams, and praying big prayers with us!
Unfortunately, I still don't have that answer. However, let's celebrate the steps that are getting us closer to being there! Our dossier has been completed! A dossier is a legal paper representation of us, and our adoption to the Colombian government. It was shipped to Colombia at the end of last week. It is our hope that ICBF (Children's Services for Colombia) will have an available appointment this week to begin the process of reviewing. Our in country representative will meet with them to start this process. They then have up to 40 days to review our dossier. They can then either approve or request more information from us. (Our big prayers are a speedy review and approval without extra information). After approval, we wait for an "Official Referral." This will include full files on our sweet twins! Clothing sizes, education, medical information, behavior analysis, birth family information, etc. We will then (of course) accept the official referral. At that time, ICBF will give us travel dates! WooHoo!
Each one of these steps also is accompanied by fees. Some fees go to the US government. Some fees go to the Colombian government. Other fees go to our adoption agency. Finally, we will also need to pay for our full travel costs. Sounds overwhelming, right?! However God has blessed our family immensly! We are $2000 from being fully funded! That is incredible! We started this process with no idea how we would come up with $40000, but God had big plans to show how BIG and GREAT He is!
So now that you have a better idea of how the adoption is going, let me tell you about the other exciting part of our week. Our incredible babies will turn 3 this week! Now I'd be lying if I said the only emotion connected with that day is excitement. This momma wants to be with them! Like now! So, will you bless us and our babies on their birthday? Below are 2 birthday boards. One for S and one for J. For their birthday, will you sponsor a present? You choose a square and make a donation of that amount (aka - square #3 is a $3 donation). Your donation will be doubled by an awesome matching grant we have through Brittany's Hope! So that sponsorship of square #3 actually gets us $6 closer to full funding! In fact, all donations made from now until we are fully funded will be doubled!
Thank yall for following our journey, supporting our dreams, and praying big prayers with us!
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Leap of Faith
You know, it really is amazing what God can do when you step back and let Him do it. In every day life, I am really bad about getting in His way. (see my last post...I really like being in control). However, I have had less opportunity to do this in our adoption. So much of this process is completely out of my hands so it has been a whole new world of surrendering control.
This has been especially true when it has come to finances. Tyler and I jumped into adoption with no set idea of how we were going to afford it. When everything is said and done, our total cost will be about $40,000. Needless to say, that was not something we had saved up. However, we felt strongly that adoption was how God was calling us to grow our family. So we took the leap of faith.
I am excited to say we found out this morning we will be receiving another grant. This one is a little different than the others we have been given. It is called a matching grant. This means any fundraising we do or donations we receive will be matched by the grant organization, Brittany's Hope.
Now here is where it really gets good! We could be eligible to have up to $5000 matched. If we are able to meet that goal and have it matched, we will be fully funded! From nothing to $40000 in under 2 years! It would mean we would not have to take out any loans in order to bring home our twins!
With that in mind, we do still have a few continuing fundraisers going on. We have tshirts. In honor of this awesome opportunity, we are reducing those to $10 each. Sizes are limited, so get them quick!
We have puzzle pieces! For $5 you can sponsor a puzzle piece. We will add your name to the back of the piece. We will put it together and it will be hung on the wall in the twins room. Throughout their lifetime, the twins will be able to see all the people who were a part of bringing them home.
We also know some of you still have our change jars. These have been a really cool project for us. All the coins that have come into our house this year, have gone to bring our children home. Others of you have partnered with us in this. We are so blessed that you have allowed your change to bring life change for our family!
Finally our PayPal account is still set up to receive donations. If you choose sending money to friends and family, we are able to accept the donation without charges.
We would be honored if you would partner with us in this leg of our journey. We are committed to do whatever it takes to bring our children home, but we would absolutely love to do so without loans.
Have you ever considered adoption and said, "I can't afford that"? Me too. But if God is calling you to it, He will provide for the journey. It may not look the same as it has for us, but I'd love to tell you more about what has worked for us.
This has been especially true when it has come to finances. Tyler and I jumped into adoption with no set idea of how we were going to afford it. When everything is said and done, our total cost will be about $40,000. Needless to say, that was not something we had saved up. However, we felt strongly that adoption was how God was calling us to grow our family. So we took the leap of faith.
I am excited to say we found out this morning we will be receiving another grant. This one is a little different than the others we have been given. It is called a matching grant. This means any fundraising we do or donations we receive will be matched by the grant organization, Brittany's Hope.
Now here is where it really gets good! We could be eligible to have up to $5000 matched. If we are able to meet that goal and have it matched, we will be fully funded! From nothing to $40000 in under 2 years! It would mean we would not have to take out any loans in order to bring home our twins!
With that in mind, we do still have a few continuing fundraisers going on. We have tshirts. In honor of this awesome opportunity, we are reducing those to $10 each. Sizes are limited, so get them quick!
We have puzzle pieces! For $5 you can sponsor a puzzle piece. We will add your name to the back of the piece. We will put it together and it will be hung on the wall in the twins room. Throughout their lifetime, the twins will be able to see all the people who were a part of bringing them home.
We also know some of you still have our change jars. These have been a really cool project for us. All the coins that have come into our house this year, have gone to bring our children home. Others of you have partnered with us in this. We are so blessed that you have allowed your change to bring life change for our family!
Finally our PayPal account is still set up to receive donations. If you choose sending money to friends and family, we are able to accept the donation without charges.
We would be honored if you would partner with us in this leg of our journey. We are committed to do whatever it takes to bring our children home, but we would absolutely love to do so without loans.
Have you ever considered adoption and said, "I can't afford that"? Me too. But if God is calling you to it, He will provide for the journey. It may not look the same as it has for us, but I'd love to tell you more about what has worked for us.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Trust and Control
I never really understood why God chose us for adoption. Some of you are confused by this statement. You are thinking, "But Kerri, you've always cared about adoption and orphans." And to some extent you are correct. God placed a passion and burden in my heart for orphans more than a decade ago. But it is almost easy to have passion. It is a completely different thing to act upon that passion.
So in the past I've taken small steps. I have promoted orphan care. I have supported organizations that care for orphans, help in foster care, and support adoption. I've stood beside and prayed for friends who brought Foster children into their home. I cheered for those who adopted.
Those are all good things right? But they weren't very hard. Those things came naturally out of passion. And they really didn't require sacrifice.
But then God said, "It is your turn." That was the natural progression of things though, right? I mean if you looked at my passion, the way I promoted orphan care, the families I supported, it just made sense to grow our family through adoption when the time came.
I totally agree, conceptually. It makes sense. But oh my goodness, adoption is BIG! It is hard. It is difficult. It is uncomfortable. It is beyond my control. So yes it makes sense, but wow it is going to turn my life upside down.
And it has already done just that. It has changed the way I view family. It has changed the way we handle our finances. It has changed how we look at racism. It has taken away my control...
See that is where I struggle. I like being in control. I like having a plan. I like knowing what is coming next. I like it even more when I have the power to change the plan to fit my desires, my timeline, my finances.
Adoption means I have no control. And I believe that is why God has led us to this place. He is saying, "I want you to trust me with EVERYTHING." Right now in my life, I have no choice but to trust. He holds my precious children in His arms. He guides our paperwork, our agency, all the hoops we have to jump through. He has written our children's story and guided us to one another.
And if I can trust God with these great, big, important things...my children, how many other things should I trust Him with. How many other areas of my life is He asking me to let Him have control?
So yes I am passionate about orphan care, but I'm also madly in love with Jesus. His plan is greater than my plan. So one piece at a time, I'm releasing control and choosing to trust.
Will you pray with us? Ask God to help us trust him. There are still some big obstacles before we bring our kids home. I'm excited to see God show off how great He is.
So in the past I've taken small steps. I have promoted orphan care. I have supported organizations that care for orphans, help in foster care, and support adoption. I've stood beside and prayed for friends who brought Foster children into their home. I cheered for those who adopted.
Those are all good things right? But they weren't very hard. Those things came naturally out of passion. And they really didn't require sacrifice.
But then God said, "It is your turn." That was the natural progression of things though, right? I mean if you looked at my passion, the way I promoted orphan care, the families I supported, it just made sense to grow our family through adoption when the time came.
I totally agree, conceptually. It makes sense. But oh my goodness, adoption is BIG! It is hard. It is difficult. It is uncomfortable. It is beyond my control. So yes it makes sense, but wow it is going to turn my life upside down.
And it has already done just that. It has changed the way I view family. It has changed the way we handle our finances. It has changed how we look at racism. It has taken away my control...
See that is where I struggle. I like being in control. I like having a plan. I like knowing what is coming next. I like it even more when I have the power to change the plan to fit my desires, my timeline, my finances.
Adoption means I have no control. And I believe that is why God has led us to this place. He is saying, "I want you to trust me with EVERYTHING." Right now in my life, I have no choice but to trust. He holds my precious children in His arms. He guides our paperwork, our agency, all the hoops we have to jump through. He has written our children's story and guided us to one another.
And if I can trust God with these great, big, important things...my children, how many other things should I trust Him with. How many other areas of my life is He asking me to let Him have control?
So yes I am passionate about orphan care, but I'm also madly in love with Jesus. His plan is greater than my plan. So one piece at a time, I'm releasing control and choosing to trust.
Will you pray with us? Ask God to help us trust him. There are still some big obstacles before we bring our kids home. I'm excited to see God show off how great He is.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
His plan
Checking the mail these days has gotten very exciting. Quite often the mail brings us a little bit closer to bringing home our sweet little ones. Some days this means receiving paperwork. Others it means receiving more practical items like car seats. Today it meant receiving a letter from Show Hope.
Show Hope is a Christian based organization committed to caring for orphans. They do this in a variety of ways including Adoption Aid, Care Centers, Pre & Post Adoption Support, and Student Initiatives. They help provide hope in situations that can seem hopeless. (You can learn more at www.showhope.org )
Today, they helped do just that for us. We received a letter saying that we have been awarded a grant for $5000. It is incredible to us how God is writing our story, and our children's story! Each step of the way He is present. Each financial mountain, He moves at just the right time.
When we started this process, many thought we were crazy. We couldn't afford an international adoption. (That is still true. By all normal standards we can not afford an international adoption). However, we knew that this was what God was calling us to do. So we jumped. I don't think either of us had any idea of what that would actually look like or how we would get there.
Here we are almost 3 years later. (Timing is everything...the twins are almost 3) We are adopting from a different country than we originally planned. We are adopting twins...certainly didn't plan on that. Our age group is different than expected. Our adoption is approximately 75% funded. I say this to say one thing...God's plans are greater than our plans.
What is He calling you to do today? Is He asking you to trust Him? To step out in faith to something that seems completely crazy?
Do it!
He knows what is best. He goes before you. He prepares a way for you. Whether He is asking you to do something big like adoption, or small like invite a friend to church trust Him. He's got this.
Show Hope is a Christian based organization committed to caring for orphans. They do this in a variety of ways including Adoption Aid, Care Centers, Pre & Post Adoption Support, and Student Initiatives. They help provide hope in situations that can seem hopeless. (You can learn more at www.showhope.org )
Today, they helped do just that for us. We received a letter saying that we have been awarded a grant for $5000. It is incredible to us how God is writing our story, and our children's story! Each step of the way He is present. Each financial mountain, He moves at just the right time.
When we started this process, many thought we were crazy. We couldn't afford an international adoption. (That is still true. By all normal standards we can not afford an international adoption). However, we knew that this was what God was calling us to do. So we jumped. I don't think either of us had any idea of what that would actually look like or how we would get there.
Here we are almost 3 years later. (Timing is everything...the twins are almost 3) We are adopting from a different country than we originally planned. We are adopting twins...certainly didn't plan on that. Our age group is different than expected. Our adoption is approximately 75% funded. I say this to say one thing...God's plans are greater than our plans.
What is He calling you to do today? Is He asking you to trust Him? To step out in faith to something that seems completely crazy?
Do it!
He knows what is best. He goes before you. He prepares a way for you. Whether He is asking you to do something big like adoption, or small like invite a friend to church trust Him. He's got this.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Dream Job
A friend of mine posted on facebook recently, "What is your dream job?" I've had a wide variety of jobs in the last decade or so. Some I absolutely loved, others not so much. Each one has had its ups and downs. I absolutely love what I am doing now. Serving is amazing! I love the family run company I work for. I feel like I am an important piece of the puzzle and I am valued. All that being said, I still couldn't call it my dream job. I mean dream jobs are big and fancy or different and quirky...they are things you rarely get to do in the real world, right?
And then it hit me! My dream job is the one things I feel like I've always wanted to do. It is as if God has designed me uniquely for it. My dream job is to be a mom. As we prepare to bring our twins home, I dove in head-first to all things parenting. Babywearing, cloth diapering, educational opportunities, etc. You name it, I've researched it. I want to do everything I can to be prepared.
You see I have waited a long time to be given this amazing opportunity. Even as a young girl and as a teenager I dreamed of being a wife and mother. With each day, it gets closer. God is giving me two little ones to raise up in this world until the day He asks for them back. What calling could be more meaningful that to shape them and mold them?
I don't have this whole adoption thing figured out. There are still some big paperwork hurdles and big financial hurdles we have to get over. But I know He's walking the journey with us. I don't have this whole parenting thing figured out (hence all the research ;) ) There are hurdles ahead that I will probably trip over in the dark before I ever see them. But I know He will walk that journey with us as well.
How cool is it, that God has uniquely designed me and is now granting the desire of my heart.
And then it hit me! My dream job is the one things I feel like I've always wanted to do. It is as if God has designed me uniquely for it. My dream job is to be a mom. As we prepare to bring our twins home, I dove in head-first to all things parenting. Babywearing, cloth diapering, educational opportunities, etc. You name it, I've researched it. I want to do everything I can to be prepared.
You see I have waited a long time to be given this amazing opportunity. Even as a young girl and as a teenager I dreamed of being a wife and mother. With each day, it gets closer. God is giving me two little ones to raise up in this world until the day He asks for them back. What calling could be more meaningful that to shape them and mold them?
I don't have this whole adoption thing figured out. There are still some big paperwork hurdles and big financial hurdles we have to get over. But I know He's walking the journey with us. I don't have this whole parenting thing figured out (hence all the research ;) ) There are hurdles ahead that I will probably trip over in the dark before I ever see them. But I know He will walk that journey with us as well.
How cool is it, that God has uniquely designed me and is now granting the desire of my heart.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
We just got a letter...
Does anyone remember that little jingle from Blues Clues? Every time the mail came it was super exciting. I remember mail being like this as a child, too. I would get the mail with my Mom after getting off the bus. Our dog had even been trained to carry the stack to the house.
As I got older, mail got a whole lot less exciting. Usually a trip to the mail box means bills, catalogs, and junk I don't care about. This was not the case yesterday. When I got home, Tyler had already gotten the mail. It was stacked in the kitchen. I started with packages because they are typically more fun, and he had sent me a text about them earlier. Package number one - cloth diapers! I ordered these about a month ago so I was happy to open them and see such great colors and quality. Package number two - the amazing video monitor system my parents ordered for us for the twins room! We debated whether this investment would be worth while, but after talking to a few moms, we decided it was worth it (and they got a great deal).
I thought this was the end of all the fun. Then Tyler said, "Oh and we got a letter from Homeland Security." In a normal situation this would probably not be good. I knew it would go one of two ways. They could be requesting more information for our file...but that wasn't the case.
WE HAVE BEEN APPROVED! (By Immigration in the US).
So the ominous question is...what's next? Well the easy answer is: our dossier. But most of you have no idea what that means. So...a dossier is a file that will contain about 50 pages give or take. It is a representation of who we are, why we want to adopt, and why we are qualified to do so. It has lots of legal forms, our completed homestudy, reference letters, and even pictures of both us and our home. This file all has to be notarized, certified, and apostilled. So if any one is wondering what I am doing with my free time, read that paragraph again.
When that is done, we will get our official referral file. That will include more information regarding their background, current foster home, medical files, and sizes. We are patiently (or impatiently depending on the day) awaiting this information. After this we will be given our travel dates. Please pray that we can travel in February. We very much want to celebrate the twins birthday with them. We are on track for that to be a possibility.
On a practical level, we also have had a great week! I found some incredible black friday deals on car seats! We saved a few hundred dollars. Additionally we got a good deal on a luggage set. I have also connected with a mom who has out grown the sizes we need. Being able to purchase gently used clothing in great condition has been a huge blessing! We believe all our major physical needs for the kids have been met. I am sure things will come up once they are home, but we feel physically ready to bring them home.
This also means all our extra funds can be spent paying off debt and paying adoption related costs. We are one-third of the way to being fully funded. We feel incredibly blessed to be part of this journey and see the ways God is providing. Please pray along with us that he will continue to provide in whatever ways He sees fit. I have filled out many grant applications and would love to see some of those to provide for the next part of our journey.
Please also pray that God continues to prepare hearts. You never reach adoption without loss. Pray for the hearts of our children's birth family. Pray for their foster family and community. Pray for our family. Pray for Tyler and I as we prepare for big changes. Pray for our community as they wrap around us during this transition. Pray for our twins. Hope is coming, even if they don't know it yet.
As I got older, mail got a whole lot less exciting. Usually a trip to the mail box means bills, catalogs, and junk I don't care about. This was not the case yesterday. When I got home, Tyler had already gotten the mail. It was stacked in the kitchen. I started with packages because they are typically more fun, and he had sent me a text about them earlier. Package number one - cloth diapers! I ordered these about a month ago so I was happy to open them and see such great colors and quality. Package number two - the amazing video monitor system my parents ordered for us for the twins room! We debated whether this investment would be worth while, but after talking to a few moms, we decided it was worth it (and they got a great deal).
I thought this was the end of all the fun. Then Tyler said, "Oh and we got a letter from Homeland Security." In a normal situation this would probably not be good. I knew it would go one of two ways. They could be requesting more information for our file...but that wasn't the case.
WE HAVE BEEN APPROVED! (By Immigration in the US).
So the ominous question is...what's next? Well the easy answer is: our dossier. But most of you have no idea what that means. So...a dossier is a file that will contain about 50 pages give or take. It is a representation of who we are, why we want to adopt, and why we are qualified to do so. It has lots of legal forms, our completed homestudy, reference letters, and even pictures of both us and our home. This file all has to be notarized, certified, and apostilled. So if any one is wondering what I am doing with my free time, read that paragraph again.
When that is done, we will get our official referral file. That will include more information regarding their background, current foster home, medical files, and sizes. We are patiently (or impatiently depending on the day) awaiting this information. After this we will be given our travel dates. Please pray that we can travel in February. We very much want to celebrate the twins birthday with them. We are on track for that to be a possibility.
On a practical level, we also have had a great week! I found some incredible black friday deals on car seats! We saved a few hundred dollars. Additionally we got a good deal on a luggage set. I have also connected with a mom who has out grown the sizes we need. Being able to purchase gently used clothing in great condition has been a huge blessing! We believe all our major physical needs for the kids have been met. I am sure things will come up once they are home, but we feel physically ready to bring them home.
This also means all our extra funds can be spent paying off debt and paying adoption related costs. We are one-third of the way to being fully funded. We feel incredibly blessed to be part of this journey and see the ways God is providing. Please pray along with us that he will continue to provide in whatever ways He sees fit. I have filled out many grant applications and would love to see some of those to provide for the next part of our journey.
Please also pray that God continues to prepare hearts. You never reach adoption without loss. Pray for the hearts of our children's birth family. Pray for their foster family and community. Pray for our family. Pray for Tyler and I as we prepare for big changes. Pray for our community as they wrap around us during this transition. Pray for our twins. Hope is coming, even if they don't know it yet.
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