So, we finally have some news to report! I spoke with our social worker, Sarah, last week. It looks like we are going to be able to start the process VERY soon! Hopefully in the next few weeks! You have no idea how excited KC and I are. We also found out that even with all the delays that have been going on in Ethiopia, it's not nearly as long as what we had originally thought. We're praying that by the time we are ready to travel to pick up Santi, there won't be any delays at all; but, that's all in Gods hands. We have enough money saved up for the first 3 steps: the Formal Application, the Home study, and the USICS paperwork. All 3 steps will take between 2-3 months. Then, we can wait up to 6 months before preparing the 4th step which is the Dossier - the big file we send to Ethiopia so the can review and determine if we're suitable guardians/parents. That period of up to 6 months between those 2 sets of steps will give us time to save up more money. God has blessed KC and I tremendously by allowing us to stash away KC's income for the adoption. He has an amazing job working from home - and while it's not his dream job and it's something he's not used to, he's doing incredible! We're putting the entire financial aspect (well, along with everything else) in God's hands. It will all fall into place like it's supposed to. I'd hate to try to get "a step ahead of God' and screw everything up. I've been known to do that. Lol. Get impatient and think that I'll give God a hand. I've learned to be patient and trust in Him. He's never let us down and has gotten KC and I out of more difficult situations than I care to count. All I need to know is that He's got this. ;)
So, how else are we trying to raise the funds? Why, thank you for asking! (hehe) I'm working on 2 fundraisers right now. The first is with Scentsy. I know many of you know what that is, but I'm adding my link so that you can check it out. If you would like to have a party just let me know. Or, if you already know what you like, you can order it directly from my website. We will receive 20% of every order and it all goes to the fund to bring Santi home.
https://collinsadoption.scentsy.us/Home
I'm also working on a fundraiser through One Mango Tree. I will be having a party for this one, I'm just not sure when or where. But you will be the first to know. They are an amazing organization out of Uganda. If you want to know more, you'll have to come to the party. ;)
I also just wanted to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for our family as we go through this process. It's long and drawn out, and we are doing our best to be patient and positive. Even though every fiber in my body aches to hold her in my arms; to see her playing with her brothers; to protect her in every way I can. I know God already has her chosen for us. I just can't wait to see her.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Rummage Sale Results
So, I have to preface this entry by asking God's forgiveness for my lack of faith. I truly only expected to make a couple hundred dollars at our Rummage Sale. Which, I was still totally psyched about! But I put God in a box and we all know how He dislikes that. So, I believe He used this opportunity to teach both KC and I (and a lot of other people) a lesson. Our grand total yesterday came out to $3, 063.45. Yes, that's right - we made over 3,000 dollars!!! I am still in awe and my mind can't quite fathom how we came to those results. KC came up to me about 2 hours in and said "Sandra, I was just given a check for $1,000." A woman bought a cow shaped teapot, similar to this one below for $2, then gave us that check. She said she felt like God told her to give it to us! I'm telling you, I could not believe what just happened. My eyes filled with tears and I could just feel God's spirit all over me. It's like He was saying, 'See? I've got this. Because you're following MY will, I'm going to take care of it.'.
We had so many people come and buy something and then tell us to keep the change. We also had one woman buy $18 bucks worth of stuff, and she wrote us a check for $70! If anyone had any doubts before now that KC and I weren't doing the right thing, I'm sure they're thoughts are changing now! Lol. We are just $3,000 away from really diving into this whole process. We prayed about it and felt like we needed a certain amount before we started - so that we didn't run out of funds at a critical point in the process. It'd suck really bad if we got a referral for a little girl, and couldn't go through with the process to make her a part of our family because we couldn't raise the necessary funds before taking the next step. So, we are just a short amount away from hitting that number, which I'll tell you - I thought it would be a LONG time before we hit it. But with what we have saved up, plus what we received yesterday, we're SO close!!
I love when God teaches you a lesson. It always reassures me that He loves me and cares for me. (Kinda like when you get in trouble by your parents for something.) God loves the idea of adoption even more than we realize. We were all, in a sense, adopted by Christ. We've been grafted into His family by believing and having a deep relationship with Him. What makes us think He'd feel any different about the children in the world? He cares about them all - no matter if they're in America or Russia, China or Timbuktu. He doesn't care if you adopt domestically or internationally. He just wants us to love and stand up for those who can't do it themselves. We've had a lot of people tell us that we are "such great people for adopting a little orphan girl from Africa", and I can't help but shake my head. We have already been blessed by this little girl, and we don't even know who she is yet. God has changed our idea of the world, of family - all because He's taken us out of our "comfort zone". Yes, I'm admitting it, I was a little terrified at first. I'm the kind of person that doesn't really like attention; and now here we are adopting a little girl who's skin tone is darker than mine. What will people do when we are in a restaurant or grocery store? They'll almost instantaneously know that we adopted - will that bring up a slew of questions? of uneducated remarks? But throughout this entire journey, God has been changing mine and KC's outlook on practically everything. I notice things that I never noticed before - like in 2 aisles of dolls in Target, only 2 had darker skin. Almost all were fair skinned with blond hair and blue eyes. That rules out the possibility of African, Latin and Asian little girls from finding dolls that look like themselves. (or even Caucasian girls with dark hair, like myself). It brought the verse to my mind that God looks not at the outward appearance but at the heart of man. If only we could do that. We may not have the "traditional" family, but I pray we have more love than most. I want her to know that she is so loved, that we literally searched the world for her. And I praise God that He has begun to change our outlook. I know how hard it was for my siblings and I when we were younger. We were called names and mistreated because we weren't Mexican and we weren't American. We were "half-bakes". I know there are a lot of things that we as a family will encounter that we never would have, had we been asked to take the "traditional route". Racism is something that we will come across and will have to handle. And I pray every day that we are able to teach the boys and her how to stand and how to handle it when it comes up. Because unfortunately, it will. We live in a broken world. One full of sin and wickedness. As much as the world is "decent", there are still those dark spots. I pray that we will be able to handle any situation with tact and with grace. That God gives us the words to say....
Sorry, I know that this was a big turn from talking about the results of our sale, but sometimes, I get to thinking and typing and everything just spills out! Lol. I'm just writing what's on my mind - and if any of you know me, my mind isn't something that stays constant. It tends to jump around at the drop of a hat. Hahaha. Anyway, so many thank yous to everyone who has helped make this all possible. You are all amazing. I pray that God blesses you as He has blessed us. Love you guys!
We had so many people come and buy something and then tell us to keep the change. We also had one woman buy $18 bucks worth of stuff, and she wrote us a check for $70! If anyone had any doubts before now that KC and I weren't doing the right thing, I'm sure they're thoughts are changing now! Lol. We are just $3,000 away from really diving into this whole process. We prayed about it and felt like we needed a certain amount before we started - so that we didn't run out of funds at a critical point in the process. It'd suck really bad if we got a referral for a little girl, and couldn't go through with the process to make her a part of our family because we couldn't raise the necessary funds before taking the next step. So, we are just a short amount away from hitting that number, which I'll tell you - I thought it would be a LONG time before we hit it. But with what we have saved up, plus what we received yesterday, we're SO close!!
I love when God teaches you a lesson. It always reassures me that He loves me and cares for me. (Kinda like when you get in trouble by your parents for something.) God loves the idea of adoption even more than we realize. We were all, in a sense, adopted by Christ. We've been grafted into His family by believing and having a deep relationship with Him. What makes us think He'd feel any different about the children in the world? He cares about them all - no matter if they're in America or Russia, China or Timbuktu. He doesn't care if you adopt domestically or internationally. He just wants us to love and stand up for those who can't do it themselves. We've had a lot of people tell us that we are "such great people for adopting a little orphan girl from Africa", and I can't help but shake my head. We have already been blessed by this little girl, and we don't even know who she is yet. God has changed our idea of the world, of family - all because He's taken us out of our "comfort zone". Yes, I'm admitting it, I was a little terrified at first. I'm the kind of person that doesn't really like attention; and now here we are adopting a little girl who's skin tone is darker than mine. What will people do when we are in a restaurant or grocery store? They'll almost instantaneously know that we adopted - will that bring up a slew of questions? of uneducated remarks? But throughout this entire journey, God has been changing mine and KC's outlook on practically everything. I notice things that I never noticed before - like in 2 aisles of dolls in Target, only 2 had darker skin. Almost all were fair skinned with blond hair and blue eyes. That rules out the possibility of African, Latin and Asian little girls from finding dolls that look like themselves. (or even Caucasian girls with dark hair, like myself). It brought the verse to my mind that God looks not at the outward appearance but at the heart of man. If only we could do that. We may not have the "traditional" family, but I pray we have more love than most. I want her to know that she is so loved, that we literally searched the world for her. And I praise God that He has begun to change our outlook. I know how hard it was for my siblings and I when we were younger. We were called names and mistreated because we weren't Mexican and we weren't American. We were "half-bakes". I know there are a lot of things that we as a family will encounter that we never would have, had we been asked to take the "traditional route". Racism is something that we will come across and will have to handle. And I pray every day that we are able to teach the boys and her how to stand and how to handle it when it comes up. Because unfortunately, it will. We live in a broken world. One full of sin and wickedness. As much as the world is "decent", there are still those dark spots. I pray that we will be able to handle any situation with tact and with grace. That God gives us the words to say....
Sorry, I know that this was a big turn from talking about the results of our sale, but sometimes, I get to thinking and typing and everything just spills out! Lol. I'm just writing what's on my mind - and if any of you know me, my mind isn't something that stays constant. It tends to jump around at the drop of a hat. Hahaha. Anyway, so many thank yous to everyone who has helped make this all possible. You are all amazing. I pray that God blesses you as He has blessed us. Love you guys!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Rummage Sale!
Okay, so, needless to say I'm uuber excited about everything God is doing for us! This entire process leading up to the garage sale (which, by the way, is on June 11th and coming up fast!) has been pretty seamless. We've had many awesome people donate TONS of stuff - all we've had to do was get the word out and pick stuff up. God has amazingly done the rest! I'm seriously in awe of God's faithfulness. It's one thing to hear about the thing's that God's doing in other people's lives, and even another to see it as a third party; but to see it first hand?!?! It's incredible to say the least. We have just been bombarded with people's generosity. Seriously.... I CAN'T GUSH ENOUGH!! OR THANK THOSE WHO HAVE DONATED ENOUGH. Thank you for following God's leading. I know He will bless you for blessing us. I pray He blesses you double! I've posted some pictures of our dining room.
And for those of you coming to Caed's birthday party this Saturday - I completely forgot that we had all of
these donations in here. Lol. If I'd thought about it, I would have had it somewhere else. But if the weather is warm (like I'm hoping) it'll be outside anyway.
We're still accepting donations and even baked goods for the bake sale we're having at the same time as the Rummage Sale. I'm going to try to bake some stuff, but I know I'll be super busy keeping everything organized. We could also use extra people to help that Saturday if anyone is available. We even have awesome aprons for you to wear. Don't worry, they're not girly or anything. ;-)
We have hardly any room left in our dining room, but that's a problem that I LOVE. AND we still have a few more loads to pick up! Big stuff too! We're so excited... seriously - I'm sure you can tell. Haha. I am giving God all the glory for this. Including KC's pay that he's received from this job. God is providing for this adoption in a way I never thought possible. HE IS SO GOOD!
And for those of you coming to Caed's birthday party this Saturday - I completely forgot that we had all of
these donations in here. Lol. If I'd thought about it, I would have had it somewhere else. But if the weather is warm (like I'm hoping) it'll be outside anyway.
We're still accepting donations and even baked goods for the bake sale we're having at the same time as the Rummage Sale. I'm going to try to bake some stuff, but I know I'll be super busy keeping everything organized. We could also use extra people to help that Saturday if anyone is available. We even have awesome aprons for you to wear. Don't worry, they're not girly or anything. ;-)
We have hardly any room left in our dining room, but that's a problem that I LOVE. AND we still have a few more loads to pick up! Big stuff too! We're so excited... seriously - I'm sure you can tell. Haha. I am giving God all the glory for this. Including KC's pay that he's received from this job. God is providing for this adoption in a way I never thought possible. HE IS SO GOOD!
Friday, May 13, 2011
UPDATES!!!! Woooo-hooooo!
Hello everyone!! It's been awhile since I've updated, but boy do I have a lot to share! On Thursday, May 5th, KC and I met with Sara at Bethany Christian Services. We went over fees, time-lines, details, requirements, the whole she-bang about the adoption process. After 2 hours there, we felt even more confident that Bethany was the agency for us. *cue cheering* We talked about the fees associated with the adoption and the time-line of when those will be due. We were a bit surprised when we found out that about a big portion of those fees would be due in about the first 6 months of the process. But God has called us to do this and we are more than confident that He will provide. God has even opened our eyes and shown us more of the picture - He has revealed to us how He will provide for us to take care of those fees. :) We have decided to wait a few weeks to "officially" fill out the the paperwork. We want to more funds saved before we start this. We'd hate to jump in, and have to stop or wait because we don't have enough saved up to move to the next step. But this is all in God's hands; it will all work out at the right time.
So, our first step (before starting all the other steps) is to raise some more funds. We are having a garage sale on June 11th at the Tyson 412 West building in Springdale right across the street from Hastings. It will start at 7am and last until, well, whenever!! We already have some donations (thanks guys!) but are always willing to take more. If anyone has anything that they would like to get rid of, you could donate it to us and know that it's going to a great cause. ;) We are also hoping to sell some t-shirts. We have a design that we've come up with, now, we're just looking for the right person to help us create the shirts without charging too much. We'd love to have these ready so we can sell them at the garage sale too! We're also thinking about having a bake sale there too. If anyone can help out in any way, even just coming to help set up, organize, or just hang out and give moral support, we would greatly appreciate it.
God has been so amazing throughout this entire journey that started with a prayer last October. At first, it just seemed like we were looking through a small hole in a fence, then, every couple of months, God would reveal something else to us and that hole would get a little bigger each time. Now, it seems like we are just about to see the whole picture. You have no idea how much that excites me. We have had people support us so much on this entire journey - physically and spiritually. We have had two people, who, when they heard about our garage sale through a mutual friend/acquaintance, got in touch with me and said they had a trunk load of stuff that they would love to donate to us for our adoption. These are people I've never met, but because of our amazing family, friends and church, they have heard about what we are doing and are wanting to help in any way they can.
God is providing for us in unimaginable ways! I am SO blessed that he has called me to be a mother of two amazing little boys and that He saw me fit to be the mother of an amazing little girl across the ocean. People sometimes get confused when I talk about her; they want to know why they didn't know that we already got our referral. I can't help but laugh. We may not know anything about her physical attributes or characteristics, but we know that Christ has called us to all be her family. We pray for her every chance we get. I know all I need to know right now; there is a little girl somewhere out there that is ours. There is a piece of my heart out there somewhere and pray my hardest that she is safe and that she knows that there is someone out there who loves her tremendously. When I was pregnant, I prayed for my boys every single day. I didn't know anything about what they looked like, or who's temperament they would have, mine or KC's. But that never stopped me from praying for them every chance I got. Why would it be any different for our daughter? I am putting everything in God's hands - the timing, the funds, everything. I know that He will make a way. All I have to do now is pray for patience! Hahaha! I get too over zealous sometimes!
So, our first step (before starting all the other steps) is to raise some more funds. We are having a garage sale on June 11th at the Tyson 412 West building in Springdale right across the street from Hastings. It will start at 7am and last until, well, whenever!! We already have some donations (thanks guys!) but are always willing to take more. If anyone has anything that they would like to get rid of, you could donate it to us and know that it's going to a great cause. ;) We are also hoping to sell some t-shirts. We have a design that we've come up with, now, we're just looking for the right person to help us create the shirts without charging too much. We'd love to have these ready so we can sell them at the garage sale too! We're also thinking about having a bake sale there too. If anyone can help out in any way, even just coming to help set up, organize, or just hang out and give moral support, we would greatly appreciate it.
God has been so amazing throughout this entire journey that started with a prayer last October. At first, it just seemed like we were looking through a small hole in a fence, then, every couple of months, God would reveal something else to us and that hole would get a little bigger each time. Now, it seems like we are just about to see the whole picture. You have no idea how much that excites me. We have had people support us so much on this entire journey - physically and spiritually. We have had two people, who, when they heard about our garage sale through a mutual friend/acquaintance, got in touch with me and said they had a trunk load of stuff that they would love to donate to us for our adoption. These are people I've never met, but because of our amazing family, friends and church, they have heard about what we are doing and are wanting to help in any way they can.
God is providing for us in unimaginable ways! I am SO blessed that he has called me to be a mother of two amazing little boys and that He saw me fit to be the mother of an amazing little girl across the ocean. People sometimes get confused when I talk about her; they want to know why they didn't know that we already got our referral. I can't help but laugh. We may not know anything about her physical attributes or characteristics, but we know that Christ has called us to all be her family. We pray for her every chance we get. I know all I need to know right now; there is a little girl somewhere out there that is ours. There is a piece of my heart out there somewhere and pray my hardest that she is safe and that she knows that there is someone out there who loves her tremendously. When I was pregnant, I prayed for my boys every single day. I didn't know anything about what they looked like, or who's temperament they would have, mine or KC's. But that never stopped me from praying for them every chance I got. Why would it be any different for our daughter? I am putting everything in God's hands - the timing, the funds, everything. I know that He will make a way. All I have to do now is pray for patience! Hahaha! I get too over zealous sometimes!
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