Team 127 Both Hands Project

Since I shared in May about the upcoming Both Hands Project , I felt I should give you an update...

Over the summer the Core Sunday School class at our church along with many other volunteers blessed 2 widows and one single mom with house repairs and sprucing up their yards. Many people and businesses donated supplies and we spent time together working on these homes! And the money raised for these projects goes toward our adoption along with 3 other adoptive couples!

I have attached the video of the projects that took place this summer! It has been a humbling experience having people we didn't know very well want to support and help us with our adoption! We have been so blessed to be involved in these projects! Once again I am amazed at how God loves us! We cannot thank this group of college and career folks at our church enough for the love of Christ they have shown us! They have given us a great example of living out James 1:27!

I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. Psalm 89 1-2

Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness

Psalm 115:1

One year ago ...

Our paperwork arrived in Rwanda a year ago this weekend!

Much has happened in the past year, we continue to live our lives, yet the wait continues to feel long. We received our approval at the end of June from the Rwanda government. While it was reason to celebrate, it was also bittersweet. A few things have changed in the adoption process from Rwanda. Most of the children from the orphanage have been placed in families. So happy for them! Because of this the government has decided to give us and most of the waiting families a regret letter. This letter states that if we do not get a referral within 6 months of our approval our file will be closed for good! So for us that means if we do not get a referral by Dec 28, 2011 our file will be closed! What a roller coaster ride! We are trusting and hoping in God to provide a referral before the end of the year! We covet your prayers as we wait and see how He will provide!

So while we wait I am comforted by these words:

Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised. ~Job 1:21

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my right hand.... For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you. Do not fear; I will help you. ~ Isaiah 41: 10, 13

I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into springs. ~ Isaiah 41: 18

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will wlak and not be faint.

~Isaiah 40:31

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God I will give you thanks forever. ~ Psalm 30:11

While this may be a roller coaster ride I will choose to trust in the One who is unchanging! Only He can bring us the children he has placed on our hearts!

surprised...

At the beginning of this process someone shared with me, "you will be surprised at how God will provide the money for your adoption and from whom it will come!" Wow, were they right!

These past few months we have been overwhelmed with God's ways of providing for our adoption!

First a sweet family in our church had a yard sale a few weeks ago. They decided to give the proceeds from their sale to us and 2 other adoptive families from our church! How generous and thoughtful!

Then The Core Sunday School class at our church decided they wanted to do a service project to support adoptive families in our church. We and 3 other families will be the recipients of their support. They will be doing Lifesong for Orphans Both Hands Project.

Both Hands is a way to care for the Orphan by raising funds for an adoptive family, but the twist on it and why it is called Both Hands is because rather than by doing a fundraiser like a bake sale or running a race and supporting someone, the activity that is performed whereby people raise funds is working on the home of a widow. Therefore in doing this fundraiser there is both care for the orphan and for the widow in keeping with James 1:27 which says that pure religion is this: to care for the orphan and the widow in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world. So people volunteer to work on a widows house and at the same time they solicit funds for their efforts and those funds are directed to adoptive families to help provide funding for their adoption.

The Core will be fundraising for us and we will all work together on a widows house. In all they are helping 2 widows and 6 orphans!

We are so surprised and overwhelmed by all the ways God is providing for us! Ways we never would have guessed! When we heard of all of these things I was brought to tears by how much He cares for us and will provide for us!

waiting...with thanksgiving!

Well I figure I should write something since its been about 2 months since our paperwork arrived in Rwanda!Things have come to a much slower pace in our process now as we wait for approval. And Im ok with some down time after all that craziness in September!

In the mean time there has been some movement in Rwanda. We have heard there have been some approvals which is great news! There haven't been any approvals since January. Also we have been given a number. We are # 148 in line! And our friends the Altlands are # 149! We have heard there are 150 total dossiers waiting in line, so we are at the end of the line! But so thankful we are in line and our paperwork is there!

Some things we have done while waiting:

In October we took part in the walk 4 water sponsered by 4-more. In one day they were able to raise over $20,000 to provide clean water for orphan villages in Rwanda! Praise God!

At the end of October I was able to be a part of a Rwanda Mama dinner. In His amazing way God has provided a small community of Rwanda adoptive families in our area! There are 7 families right in our community! So 6 of the moms plus one visiting from Georgia met for dinner at Macaroni Grill! What a great night it was to hear each other's stories and become acquainted. I have a feeling we will be getting to know each other fairly well over the years to come!

local Rwanda Mamas plus one from Georgia!

At the end of October we also helped out with a yard sale to benefit the Rwanda Project. This is a team of mulitmedia volunteers who are in Rwanda right now visiting and blessing the orphans and poor of Rwanda. They are also hoping to see how water for life and 4-more are positively affecting the orphans there! Check out their website to see what is going on right now while they are in Rwanda! therwandaproject.blogspot.com

Well, that's it for now. I should be getting back to preparing for my thanksgiving meal tomorrow! I cannot believe this is my 12th year of hosting our families! Take time this thanksgiving to thank God for the tremendous blessings he has given us! Whether its food, clothing, housing, work, children, family, and even clean water, we have much more than many in the world do. We have been blessed beyond measure!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations. ~ Psalm 100:4-5

Dossier in Rwanda

Great news!

We received word that our dossier arrived in Rwanda and was delivered to the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) on Friday Sept 17th! What a relief! We are now officially in line to get our heart-born children! Now all we can do is wait! Wait on God! I think I will like this stage, nothing more I can do but trust in Him!

This is a major milestone that I didnt think would come! I am once again reminded and humbled at all God has done over this past year! Not only did he turn our hearts toward adoption in this past year, but he orchestrated the last few wonderfully, crazy, exciting weeks in order to get us to this point! I am again in awe!

Now we wait and see what happens next. I have no idea how long the wait will be. But I do know one thing, its in His hands and in His Perfect Timing!

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

~Psalm 118:24

Dossier on the way to Rwanda!

After compiling our dossier, we drove over to the Altland's home to drop it off, since we are mailing them together. We decided to take pictures of each of the familes with their dossier, since it was such a big moment! I felt like I was giving away my baby!

Corey, Abigail and Sue

Mason, Nathan and Keri

Abigail wanted to take a picture of all the grown ups,

so here is Corey, Sue, Keri and Nathan!

and last but not least Abigail and Mason holding the dossiers!

So then this morning, Nate took both of the dossiers with him to work where he fed-exed them together to Rwanda. It will most likely take up to 6 days till they arrive in Rwanda! I'm sure I will write a post when they arrive!

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. ~ Psalm 33:20-21

finished compiling dossier!

Well, this week we spent most of our time making copies and compiling the rest of the paperwork needed for our dossier. Ive included a picture of all of the paperwork on the kitchen table. Then after that we needed to put everything in order and in page protectors, and put it all in 2 notebooks. The original notebook goes to the Rwandan Government and the copy goes to our attorney. We will be mailing it all out today! I can hardly wait!