Can you help? We received a matching grant!

We received some awesome news yesterday from Lifesong! We have been awarded a $2000 matching grant. This is a HUGE answer to prayer!!
 

We know that we have been doing so much fundraising, and honestly, it is incredibly difficult to ask for your help again. We have been given an amazing opportunity. Lifesong for Orphans has graciously awarded us a $2000 matching grant to help us pay our adoption expenses (they will match every dollar that is donated/raised up to $2000).

 

Our biggest challenge is not loving another child or even opening our hearts and home, but is finding the finances to make this happen. The estimated cost for our adoption is $30,000. That's certainly more than we have. We know God is a faithful God and is guiding us as we trust in Him to provide. By God's grace we have been able to pay the initial $15,000.

 

Your love, support and friendship means the world to us. We would like you to pray and consider helping us in these practical ways.

 

    * My mom and I will be having an adoption benefit garage sale in early August and we are in need of items for our sale. Consider donating any items that you no longer need. We will pick up if you are local. (Every dollar we make up to $2000 will be matched by Lifesong)

 

    * Please pray for "Hope's" health as we wait to bring her home. The care she is currently receiving is sub-optimal. You can read about "Hope" and her health condition and our decision to adopt her here. 

 

    * Please pray that God will prepare our family for the upcoming changes to our family, and that God will give Joel and I the strength, wisdom and discernment we need.

  

    * Will you please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us meet this matching grant and help cover the remaining $15,000 needed to bring "Hope" home? Our goal date is August 29, 2013.There is a slim possibility that we may travel before August 29th, if that happens, we will accept donations until our travel date.

 

Please make checks payable to Lifesong for Orphans. In the memo line please write Wachter # 3752 to insure it goes into the right account. Please mail to: Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744. Lifesong  has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners).  That means 100% of your donation will go directly to our adoption!

 

Another option is to go online. Go to www.lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate. Select "Give to an Adoptive Family." Complete the online form and fill in the "Family Account Number" and "Family Name"  (family account #- 3752 family name- Wachter).

 

If you would like to donate but not by either of these options, or if you have donations for our garage sale, please email me here

 
Thank you for being an answer to our prayers. Your prayers and/or giving not only blesses us, but is also an investment in God's Kingdom. We will continue to keep you all updated on our process and "Hope's" health as much as we can. Please pray that God will be glorified through this whole process and that His purposes will be fulfilled.

*In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use. Individual donations of $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will gladly be sent upon request. Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.

 

 

 

 

1 year ago today...

1 year ago today we boarded a plane and stated making our way to Ch*na to bring Aliyah home.

We also took our last family photo as a family of 6.

What an amazing year it has been!

 

What's next? Paperwork, prayer & fund raisers

* I just want to quick update this. We have decided to end our t-shirt fundraiser early. So, we are no longer selling t-shirts.*

So, we are still waiting for our LOA - day 31. We received our RFE  (request for evidence) and a phone call today from the USCIS (United States Citizen & Immigration Services) stating that our I800 paperwork is ready to be approved, they just need our LOA to process it. Please join us in prayer that we get our LOA *this week*. I know God is very capable of doing that.

Matthew 21:22

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

We also received word that our application for LIFESONG will be reviewed this week. Please join us in prayer that we received the matching grant (meaning they will match what we raise up to a certain $ amount) we applied for. This grant would be a huge blessing for us!! Once we receive word from them we will be starting our fund raisers again.

Coming up -
We are going to *try* to have a garage sale. Since we just moved we do not have much to sell. So we will be asking our local friends for any garage sale donations- we are willing to pick up too. The ability to have this garage sale and the success of  it will depend on the donations we receive. We are collecting those donations now. You can email me here if you have any donations or questions.
 
We will be doing another giveaway as well. We have some pretty great 31 products. And for my local friends, Stacey Clack Photography, has donated an awesome photo package! I will post more about those in the next couple weeks.

Our kids will be getting in on the fund raising as well. They will be setting up a lemonade stand at their Papa & Nana's house. They are hoping to sell lots of lemonade! 

We are still selling our t-shirts and will be through July at least, maybe August. You can find out more about those here or click the fundraising t-shirt link on the side of my blog. Just order the t-shirt(s) of your choice and Adoption Bug will handle the rest. It is simple and quick! *We have ended our t-shirt fundraiser*

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your love, support, and prayers.

Any news??

"So, any news??"

Yes, we have news, but not the kind we were hoping for, at least most of it anyways. We did receive word that our dossier paperwork was logged in on 5/24 :) We are now waiting for our LOA (next paperwork step) and I suspect we will be waiting much longer than we initially thought or hoped. Our agency does not expect our LOA to be issued anytime soon. We started this process hoping to do a medical expedite. We had good intentions, but from the very start we have hit delays. Unfortunately the delays are not over.

 I am honestly just heartbroken over all of this.

A couple weeks ago Ch*na implemented a new system for their adoption paperwork. Unfortunately, the system is not quite working as we all hoped, and Ch*na has not been able to accept or process a majority of the adoption paperwork for 2 1/2 weeks now. It has delayed many families and caused a lot of heartache. We also received word that the US Embassy in Ch*na is moving in July. They will be closing for a couple weeks to do so and will not be processing any paperwork either. Since Ch*na is not processing paperwork and the Embassy is slowing down due to the move, there is a big backlog.

 There has also been a lot of sad news in the adoption community lately...lots of sweet babies that never had a chance to meet their moms or dads, or children that only experienced the love of a family for just a short time. My heart breaks for these families and just makes my heart hurt even more for our  waiting daughter. We know "Hope's" health is fragile and all this sad news just makes me panic even more.  I have done a lot of praying and way too much thinking. I am taking a break from FB and all other adoption sites. As much as I love and cherish all of my adoptive friends, and as much as I love cheering them on in their process, my heart is just too heavy right now. I have selfishly decided that I really just need to focus on my family and enjoy the summer with my beautiful kids. Trusting in God's perfect timing is incredibly tough sometimes.

I know that these delays mean nothing to my God.... I am trusting that He will bring our sweet girl home when it is time. Sometimes, I can feel His peace, sometimes not so much.... I am so thankful for those moments when I do. I am so thankful that His presence can still be felt. I am so thankful that He is continually working in my heart and guiding me with His grace. He loves our "Hope" more than I can imagine... and what a blessing that is.

         

Isaiah 40:31                 

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.