A Moment of No Words

                WOW!!!! What a week. As we are nearing the end of our adoption I'm thinking back to the fear and uncertainty we had to saying yes to this big step. International Adoption is not cheap as you can see from our goal and the fear that slipped in often as to how in the world we are going to raise that much, took over my heart quite a few times over the year. But time and time again, My God showed up over and over again proving He is bigger than the number, bigger than my fears and bigger than life! Through family, through friends and even through complete strangers!!! As of last Wednesday we were still $7000 short of our goal. To see that we had come that far was amazing in of itself. We were not too stressed as we had just found out the day before that we received approval an interest free loan to pay off the rest. So we had all but laid the fundraising mindset down to continue getting ready for our children, when we got some shocking and exciting news on Wednesday afternoon. A family friend on my husbands side donated $5000 to our adoption!!! My husband walked in that day with a huge grin on his face but neither of us had much time to rejoice together in it as we had church and dinner and bedtime. Finally as Josh was finishing up the kids bedtime routine and I sat to catch up on Facebook before heading to bed I got a friend request from someone I didn't know but had mutual friends so I accepted not thinking much of it. Then my new friend sent me a message...

• "Four years ago, my husband Andy could barely run one mile without being totally out of breath. Since then he's ran multiple 5K's, 10K's, 15K's, 50K's, half marathons, the Chicago marathon, Bourbon Chase Relay, the Peace, Love and 50 miles trail marathon in Hell, Michigan, as well as his first 100 mile trail marathon at the Indiana Trail 100 in Albion, Indiana. When Andy first started talking about wanting to run 100 mile trail marathons, he had a strong desire to simply finish the race in the 30 hour time limit. He ran the Indiana Trail 100 in 27 hours and 30 minutes under some of the absolute worst weather conditions for Indiana in April. When he talked of wanting to run more 100 mile races, he discovered a passion to start running for a cause. We talked and prayed about it and decided his next race in Leadville, Colorado on August 17 would be a great opportunity to accomplish that goal and help bring a sweet two year old boy named Tucker home to Ryan and Amy Abell; however, God clearly wanted us to do more, so we set a goal to raise twice the amount of money that they still needed to fully fund their adoption in hopes of helping other families, as well.
• On August 17th and 18th, Andy completed 100 miles in 28 hours and 44 minutes. Our friend Matt Limeberry ran 50 miles with Andy and I ran the last 5 with him. We were even able to talk with Amy on speaker phone the last half mile while we crossed the finish line. Andy wouldn’t have finished the race without the help of family, friends, many prayers, but mostly the motivation to help bring these sweet ones home to their forever families. God rocked our world when we found out we had raised all $10,000 of our goal almost right after crossing the finish line.

  Read Andy’s race report for a more detailed description of the race:

  http://bauies-run.blogspot.com/

  
  

  Since then, we have raised a total of over $11,300 for the Abell family and five other families who are choosing to be obedient to God’s desire for their families to adopt a child. We have prayed over this money, as well as the families we feel God is leading us to bless with these funds. So many people were involved in getting us past our $10,000 goal! Over 100 #runningtuckerhome t-shirts were sold, a 12 year old girl held a China themed babysitting night for our community, doctors, nurses, children, Andy’s patients, family and friends donated to help bring Tucker and other sweet ones home to their forever families.

  God put a desire in so many individuals to donate to #runningtuckerhome. Most of them have never met and will never meet the Abell family or yours. We know that adoption, whether international or domestic, is incredibly expensive, but we are so excited to help and be able to pass along these donations to your family and continue seeing your adoption process. We have written and will be mailing you a check for $1,000."

  
  

                         How amazing is our God that He would allow a family all the way from Indiana take up a wonderful cause to help another sweet and great family, and in the process help other families bring their families together!!! That is what it is all about! God's family is a body! A complete body of fingers and toes and heads and feet and legs and arms...EACH one of us playing a roll to do HIS will. We not all called to adopt-SHOOT we're not all called to run 100 miles! I like to run but I don't ever see 100 miles in my future! But it was in Andrew's! And he and his wife said yes to the cause of helping the orphans! And they are going above and beyond, simply because they said yes! As my friend Amy Abell said in her BLOG :
  

  
  

   "We are not special. We do not have super human powers. We are just a husband and a wife, living in Indiana with our two of our sons, and we said YES to God's plan for our lives. Initially, we didn't feel joy...just submissive obedience, but within days the JOY of our decision covered any sadness we previously felt about the change in our life's plan. Now that we're living God's plan, I am so grateful that we said YES! This life is better than anything I've ever imagined. ".

  
                    While I was sitting there in shock my husband must have told the girls that someone donated $5000  to us because one by one each girl came running out saying, "mommy mommy, is it true someone gave us a lot of money to go get nina and Isac?!?!" I looked up at them and couldn't speak at first, I just stared at them while the reality was still sinking in that God has single handedly lifted the rest of our adoption goal! I just said yeah and looked up at my husband, who was grinning, and said, "and someone else just gave us $1000 more!!!!" The girls were so excited and were jumping all around. The love these kids have and the way their little hearts have grown by this journey still blows me away. 
                         I just pray all of us will step out and say YES! There is far too much work left on this earth for all of us to take a back seat! The joy, the blessing and the chance to see God do AMAZING work is something I will ALWAYS ALLLWAYS be grateful for!! To see Him raise $40,000 in a year for two children that HE cares for so deeply, to have the chance to meet other amazing families going all out to bring their babies home, to meet friend after friend who understood what we were facing and was a listening ear and a crazy laugh away, to watch others give so sacraficially and love us enough to give, to see a life story of  beauty from pain, and most of all to watch a beautiful story unfold from a Creator who knew every beautiful step before we saw it happen. Truly walking with Him, and growing with Him and SEEING Him, has been a beautiful journey. And I just can't wait to see what else He is planned for us!
  
                                  For all those wondering our next steps we are scheduled to have Article 5 drop off 10/8, which means our documents are being sent to Bejing. After that we WAIT FOR TA (Travel Approval)!!! So our thinking is probably around November 1st! Fitting since that will mark a year from China officially granting us Pre-Approval! :)
  
                              Well all I hope you have a wonderful Saturday  Pray we have a quick TA! I don't know how much longer can handle my brain and heart being half way around the world! :)
  

  XOXOX

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Where We Are Today

Hello! It's been awhile since we have chatted. So here is a little recap on all that is going on. We are moving on in our process and are nearing the finish line!!! WOOO HOOO!!!!  We just got our approval for the kiddos through Immigration and right now we are waiting to get the process of their Visas done and sent to us. Once we get that checked off all will be sent to China where our Article 5 will be dropped in Guangzhou, China where it will be processed for two weeks and then picked up and sent to  Beijing where we will wait for our Travel Approval!!!!! (See I told ya we were getting there!! :)) China has some pretty big holidays in October where they close every thing down completely so while it seems like we should be traveling in October that is going to hold us up.  

Other news, we are still selling our necklaces to raise money.  

Our first necklace was Our Connected Hearts or the Connected Red Thread

      

Next is our China LOVE

One of  our necklaces can be customized by country and colors. It has the verse Isaiah 1:17 over the country. We have a bronze pendant with ball chain or silver pendant with black leather necklace.

And last but not least is the FOREVER and FAMILY necklace. 

  

All of these can be seen on facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=405206946256946&set=pb.397732770337697.-2207520000.1378673875.&type=3&theater

Or you can email or message me on here! They are $15 plus free shipping.

My feelings at this point...

I am soooo excited to be this far. I look at how far we have come and I am AMAZED at how God could allow me to be apart of all of this! I have always said I wanted to adopt, but to actually step out on faith and do it? I am in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM patting myself on the back, I still can't believe it, but God makes us stronger than we think some times to do bigger things for Him, if we are only willing. To know how far we have come, spiritually, financially and emotionally. I have seen God in ways I never dreamed possible. We have talked, cried, wrestled and laughed with God. He has stretched me soooo much. And shown me more and more how to take Him out of the small box we have Him in. He can do things people, BIG things that we think are beyond what should or can happen. We started with NOTHING financially, to start this process, but through working and the hearts of family, friends and strangers we are so so much closer to being fully funded. And my love for God's children all over the world, has grown in ways that I never thought would happen. My heart for adoption has forever been touched. I have met friends who I truly believe will be lifelong sisters because of the laughter, tears and prayers we have shared along this journey. People have made comments about how amazing we are and I am so truly touched by them, but honestly, it is not me, it is the God that touched our hearts and allowed us the front row seat to His amazing Big picture.
But though we are soooo excited and learning and growing, I am honestly nervous too. I wonder what life will be like with 6 kids. I wonder how Nina and Isac will adapt to our family. I wonder how all of us will adapt to them. Will I be able to handle the special needs, I have friends who have children with special needs and I have always seen a special super woman quality in them that I am not very sure I posses.
 I am a true worrier at heart and as a very sweet friend of mine says very frequently, you think too much, but I am still trying daily to lean on Him and let Him lead us day by day.
 I can not WAIT for the day that my heart and mind aren't half here half there! (Although I am sure it will be again some day ;).) Until then....BRING IT ON I'm ready to go get my babies!!!!

Please pray we will be able to get the rest of the funds and that our progress keeps moving forward!

Thank you for hanging in 'till the end friends! We are soooo close!

SIDE NOTE--Those of you who come up to us at church and anywhere else for that matter and ask how much longer we want you to know how much we LOVE IT! Seeing your excitement makes us feel loved and excited to know our babies are loved so much!!! <3 <3 <3

It'ssssssssssss Contest Time!!!

So we came out with two new designs for our necklace fundraiser!!! One is not a huge change but a sweet one for those who are adopting from China. There is a Chinese Proverb that says...

"An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break."  -Ancient Chinese Proverb

So we are calling this design Our Connected Red Thread. 

We have been so blessed by friends who are willing to help us out with our designs. This one is just that!!! The design is called China LOVE. 

Well right now we have a contest started on our FB page Our Connected Hearts to win one of the necklaces of your choice! Here how to play...

Share our page to be entered into a drawing to win a free necklace of your choice.

to be entered
1- like "our conncected hearts" fb pagehttps://www.facebook.com/ourconnectedhearts?bookmark_t=page
2- share this photo on your timeline
3- come and tell me you shared


**For a chance to get a second entry-share this page on another adoption page! (Please be sure to follow the rules of the adoptions page policy of posting fundraisers.) Be sure to come back and tell me you shared!!! (One entry a day)

*drawing will take place this Friday!!!

In other news we have BOTH LOA's (letter of acceptance) forms sent out for the next step!!!! A HUGE weight has been lifted!!!

So blessed to have them as part of our family! Can't wait to have them in our arms!!!

Love you all! Have a great week!!!

AHHHHH DID YOU HEAR?!?!?!?!

So did you hear me crying and jumping for JOY!!!! Our sweet Isac's LOA is COMING!!!! It is on to our Social Worker now and be here in a few days then over nighted to us so we can sign it and send it right back! This is such a big relief to have as we can now keep moving! I can now say with more confidence that we are looking at traveling at the end of October or early November (assuming nothing get's held up)!

I actually made this picture a few weeks ago...thinking it would have come a lot sooner! All well, it is here now!

To help you all in on what is next someone made this AWESOME picture map to keep us all a little sane.

We are at number 9 now!!!!! There are many steps after this, but these steps take weeks instead of months!!! Hopefully even less than that!

I am also selling the necklaces to raise more money for adoption and tonight just put out a new design...Defend the Orphans.

Both designs are available for $15 shipping included. The Depend the Orphan one is red China but can be changed to have any country in a color of their flag or just an outline in black and we will make an example to show you before you purchase. And reads, "Seek Justice, Help the oppressed, Defend the Orphan Isaiah 1:17" Payments are through paypal. The necklace that will be with the Defend the Orphan pendant is a black chord and is on it's way from, well China actually. 

This Saturday we will we will be having our 5th and hopefully last, garage sale! PRAY we get rid of most of the stuff!!! 

Pray things run smoothly from here on so we can GET TO CHINA!!!!

Have a Great Night all!!! 

See What's NEW!!!!

Hey there my blogger followers!!! ;) Soooo, we are still waiting for our LOA, I've had some pretty big lows in this wait-but I am growing so much and I am living for the NOW.

So I thought I'd give ya some what's new around me...

For ONE! I have a friend who is having an AMAZING auction fundraiser. She is leaving very soon for travel and is short on funds, but I have no doubt with this awesome auction that she will see God move mountains! For every $5 you bid you get entered into a drawing to win an American Girl doll AND a cute dress for your little girl and her doll!!!! Go check it out, I promise you will NOT be disappointed!!! http://www.gracelikerainauction.blogspot.com/

In other news-I have 3 girlfriends and we chat EVERY DAY! We are all AP(Adoptive Parent) mamma's and they have been a blessing, an encouragement, a shoulder to cry on, cheerleader, and much needed prayer warriors! They truly have been a Godsend through this journey. One of my mamma friends, (our Fashionista southern bell) is now home with her sweet and incredibly cute cute boy!!! If you want to follow her journey her blog is http://mylifesongkb.blogspot.com/2013/07/4-weeks-since-gotcha-day.html.This awesome mamma is also apart of many organizations that help orphans and one of them is the Asher Foundation which helps raise medical expenses for orphans who need it! They sell all kinds of things to raise money for this! You can look them up at:

http://asherbracelets.blogspot.com http://theasherfoundation.org

 Another one of the mamma's is leaving in 15 days!!!!! This sweet friend has a heart of gold! While getting ready to head to China she signed up to for a program called Safe House, where families can take in children while their parents are trying to find a place to stay or get themselves together. She is now gearing up to go get her boy and I just can't wait to see him in her arms!!! This is her blog www.lacockfam.blogspot.com!!!

And last but certainly not least is my sweet friend who is our fighter and our Abraham :)! She  JUST found out yesterday God blessed her families socks off by FULLY funding their adoption to bring their sweet boy home!!! Read her blog, you will see and hear the wisdom in her words! :) http://babyabell.blogspot.com/2013/07/thank-you.html

ANNNNND I told you all I was working on a project to raise more money for our own adoption...well we are ready to kick it off!!!
                                          Our Connected Hearts Project

This design was done by my sweet friend Steph that I was talking about earlier. We are selling them for $15 (shipping included) and all money is going towards bringing home Isac and Nina. If you would like to help show your China love for our babies Email me at joshnsara51504@yahoo.com or leave a comment below! I also have a silver charm that the design can go in but waiting to get a chain for that, so if your interested in silver let me know! We are also working to get other designs together! I would REALLY like to continue to sell these both for other families adopting and for other organizations that helped us out by giving us grants! But first things first...WHO WANTS ONE!!!

And I want to give a BIG thank you to all of you who have bought one of the Adoption Bug shirts! Those are still for sale as well!!! The link to those is on the side! 

Please PLEASE feel free to share the necklace sale with family and friends!!! Let's get these babies HOME! <3 <3!!!

Things to pray for--still waiting for LOA (letter of Approval), and we are having a BIG kids sale this weekend with A LOT of our kids items! We are praying we sell a lot and we are also putting out donation jars there.

That's all for now folks have a Great Week peeps!!

"GOD! Are We There Yet?!"

WELL...still no news.

I remember one Christmas when we got in the car to start another VERRRRY long trip to Michigan, we decided to leave Christmas Eve night after service and drive through the night. We had been in the car for about 5 minutes when we stopped at a gas station to top off our gas when I heard Elli call from the back seat, "mommy are we there yet?! How much longer?! I'm getting tired of driving." HA! Tired already? Was she for real! Some of you are probably laughing because you can relate to how funny it is that little kids have no real grasp on time or distance.

But one day as I heard Elli say that from the back seat (yes a different time, she says it often) I thought to myself, "is that what God thinks of me?" When hears me PLEADING with Him, "God, my children are in an orphanage, in a place of no hope and no future and no love, possibly fighting for all that they have or need. Lord, don't you hear me?! Why aren't you moving the computer systems quicker? Why am I not getting the call I need to move forward?!"

In the Bible it says:

2 Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

So in the grand scheme of things, I haven't been waiting that long. It seems like it. Right now I am the child in the backseat screaming for the drive to be over because I have been here for so long. Because my life is uncomfortable. I long to be back to the semi normal of life, doing life the way I feel I have more control. Yes my children are far away, they are missing out on every kiss and moment of love with a family that is fighting hard to get them. But God knows that. He sees them with His own eyes. He cares more about the children HE created than I do. He created them for a purpose. He brought us to this with a PROMISE.

This morning in church my pastor hit me right where I needed it most. He said. "God has placed you in a unique time in history." 

Esther 4:14b And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

And "God has given you EVERYTHING that you need to accomplish what he has called you too do TODAY."

2 Peter 1:3  His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

I need to live life TODAY! Right where I am. I need to stop living for August or September. It doesn't mean I will stop thinking about it, or planning for it. BUT I need to stop living for those days. I need to keep my mind here and now. Who knows how many opportunities I will, or have missed telling people about adoption because I was sulking the day away because I missed getting something I was hoping for. Or how many days i missed enjoying my kids because I had a bad day adoption related. I will always and forever be grateful for this journey. It has been HARD and had many ups and downs, but I have grown so much, learned a LOT and I have had my eyes made WIDE OPEN to another world, but I want to soak as much up of this moment as I can. Because we were made for "such a moment as THIS"! 

Moral of the story: next time you hear YOUR 'Elli' in the back seat yell "ARE WE THERE YET? Remember Not one of us has refrained from complaining when we are stuck in an uncomfortable situation. Live where you are to the best that you can! 

Thank you friends! Please pray for the computer systems in China. There are rumors that this week could be a big one for those of us who have been waiting for a while...we shall see ;)

A Promise of Soon and a Big Boy Birthday Wish

When I was pregnant, well I'll be honest, I was a HOT MESS!!! I wasn't the picture of motherly bliss that I had always hoped and thought I would be. I was HOT, and tired because though I really didn't have to get up for the bathroom much I NEVER slept, I was insanely emotional (poor hubby),  and had pre-eclampsia each time so I was a balloon! And being the ever impatient one I strongly disliked hearing someone say, she will be hear soon. Not because i didn't believe them, I knew they weren't going to stay in there forever-but because I was ready to get to the good part. Don't get me wrong I LOVED feeling them kick and move inside me but I wanted to see who they looked like, what personality traits they got from Josh or me, or watching them play and trying to guess what their future might hold.
Why do I tell you all of this (if you haven't guessed yet), I LOVE seeing the blessings during this adoption. I have LOVED meeting some of the people I've met who have AMAZING hearts, around the WORLD, that I would have missed out on, I love getting pictures of our children from far away to see a little into the life they are living now, and I love getting to see God MOVE mountains so we can get these children home. BUT I want to see their faces. I want to know when Isac wakes up in the morning he will be greeted with a kiss and a hug and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY little man!! I want to know Nina is being told how beautiful she is and how much she is loved! I so want them to feel safe and not have to fight for a pair of shoes or food for their bellies. I want them to laugh and play and not have to manipulate one more day to survive. I know these things WILL happen SOON-but I'm ready for soon to be TODAY!
BUT I know that I know that I KNOW, that this plan was not mine from the beginning-so I KNOW that my God had a plan from the beginning to bring them both into our lives at just the time HE wants them here.
SOOOO in the mean time I shall continue to plan a million play dates. This will be the most productive summer EVER!

Join me in wishing this sweet boy a happy birthday!!!  I look at Levi daily and wonder what my other sweet 2 year old is doing on the other side of the world. Not too much longer and these two will be running me ragged no doubt!

We sent Isac a birthday package with an outfit, a doll some more pictures of his family a birthday cake, a flash drive, some fruit and veggies for his family and balanced it out with some candies for the other children if there are any) and for his parents. A lady who delivers packages for families will send our package to the orphanage where Isac's foster parents will pick it up hopefully Isac will get to enjoy them all. And we hope to get pictures of him eating the cake (we are still waiting on Nina's pictures.) We aren't sure where when or if they will celebrate it but we hope it is soon!

Happy Birthday little man! This WILL BE your last birthday with out a mommy and daddy! I hope your day is filled with celebration of you! 

I pray for your parents, where ever they are, will get a chance to know God and one day they can see your sweet face again. I pray if their hearts are aching around this time of year they get a chance to know you are loved and will be loved for the rest of your life.  Know sweet boy we pray for you daily. We pray your are happy and healthy and that God is preparing your young heart for the change that is about to come.  I can not wait for you to meet  your little brother and 4 sisters! Oh how they pray for you and talk about you daily!  We love you Isac!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Have a great Week everyone!!!