Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Where He leads

Proverbs 24:12 - If you say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it?  And He Who guards your life, does not He know it?  And shall not He render to every man according to his works?


As I prepare to travel with my husband, Richard, in just five days across the ocean to a country I've never been, this scripture came to me.  I actually believe it is speaking to my heart.  There are times in my walk with the Lord that I feel He is speaking to me, whether it is by reading His word, that still small voice, or by circumstances. 

To go back just a few months in our journey of adoption, I filled out paperwork to get our USCIS approval.  Now I was amazed that our home study said we had approval for three children.  I had not asked for our social worker to write our home study to include up to three children.  I was comfortable in the beginning of this process to commit to adopting one child.  It was in our comfort zone.  I was told prior to filling out this form if you put one child you will only get approved for one child.  It was suggested that I put 2-3 in the blank requesting children to be approved for.  So I thought, I can put 2-3 on my form.  As I typed my form on my computer it would not allow me to put more than one character so I had to choose to put 2 or 3.  I chose to put 2 in this blank and only requested to be approved for two children.  I was comfortable with this and began to pray for God to show us His will in our adoption.  During our long wait (75 days) we felt led to commit to two children and added Kevin Michael to our adoption.  We could adopt two children.

When our approval form finally arrived I had to take note.  We were approved to adopt three children.  It was something we have had to look at and consider over these past few weeks.  What is God saying to us?  Only He could do this!  After much praying and searching our hearts this scripture can not be ignored.  We can not say with a clear conscious that we did not know this.  Doesn't He look at our hearts?  I believe this is His hand; His speaking to our hearts.  He will not give us more than we can handle.  I know myself well enough to know if I attempted to travel across the ocean and ignore what I believe God is saying I would regret it.  But worse than regret, I may miss out on what God is doing and His blessing for me and my family. 

This is the step we are taking.  We are going to travel across the ocean in five days to bring home three children.  In this particular country the children we have committed to are not guaranteed to be our children.  Anything can happen and circumstances change.  We pray that these children will become our children, but we must trust God will guide and direct us.  He knows which children are to be a part of our family.  As for our third adopted child, we have not committed to a specific child and we are trusting God on this one.  It is very difficult as we proceed into the unknown, but we trust God will be right there walking beside us.  His ways are always perfect!

Thank you for all of your support and prayers!  We are very close to having all of the funds needed to complete all three children's adoptions.  Keep our family in your prayers during this time!

reecesrainbow.org/sponsorbowling

Thursday, November 13, 2014

I am BRAVE ?!?!?!?!?!!!!

I had the honor of speaking today at our local MOPS group.  It is Adoption Awareness Month and I was chosen to speak with them about adoption.  It was quite an honor for me to be able to share our story.  We have not completed the process, but it is truly an incredible journey God has orchestrated in our lives.  I am not a public speaker, but I do have a passion to speak about my Lord and Savior and the grace and mercy He has shown to me.  I can only do these things because of Him!

The MOPS theme this year is "Be You, Bravely."  As I thought about this and what I wanted to share with the group, I have to say my desire is to be me, but I'm not sure about the bravely part of the theme.  During our adoption journey my motto has been "We Can Make a Difference."  Part of this is to be me, the me God created me to be.  My part, even if it's small, can make a difference!  Now to the brave part, well, I can say we have ventured into an unknown area of our life.  Adoption is something we have never done before.  We will be traveling to a foreign country.  I have never been outside the United States and this is the first time for me to hold a passport.  We are adopting children with special needs.  Once again, a new territory for us.  Brave, I'm not sure about that, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  I will stand and strive to be who God has called me to be.  I will be brave because I can not afford not to.  I will run my race, my journey, my life to the best I can.  I will not give up there is too much at stake!  These future children of ours and my entire family are worth the risk!

Thank you, my friend, Gina Carter, for calling me "brave" and blessing me with your key of courage!  I will make you, my family, my friends and my Lord, Jesus Christ, proud!  It is what I am striving for in this journey!!!!


Wednesday, November 12, 2014

EXCITING NEWS!!!

We have some exciting news today, but it has been a very emotional day!  I was up early praying that we would get word for our DAP appointment.  Of course, we did but I will get to that.  I also had to strip the sheets off my bed to prepare for our new mattress today.  I had no idea getting a new mattress would bring such emotions!  I mean it's over thirteen years old and it no longer provides a good nights sleep.  It just brought back such memories of the day we went to purchase it.  My husband, Richard, and I decided it was a desperate need back in 2001 because I was pregnant with our twin boys, Jacob and Josiah.  I still miss them very much and I can't believe it's been 13 years since their birth.  

Now back to some good news!  We will be leaving on Monday, November 24th to head to our children's country.  We have our DAP appointment on Wednesday, November 26th.  We are so excited!!!!  Our God is so good and so faithful!!!!
Also, it was great news for 5 families today who received their DAP appointment dates.  We will all be having our appointments before Thanksgiving.  Our team will be very busy helping all of these families bring home these children to their forever families!

READY, SET, GO!!!!

Please keep praying for our family as we make preparations to travel.  We still need funds to complete our adoption and would appreciate any help you can provide!

Thank you so much!!!

reecesrainbow.org/sponsorbowling

Friday, November 7, 2014

Yes, we can make a difference

We have been praying for wisdom and what God wants our family to do.  I was talking to someone about the hopelessness and abuse orphans face.  They are just innocent children.  I was also sharing with them that we are praying about adding a third child to our adoption and they said to me: "the tragedies that orphans face happens all over the world and this is not something new.  Are you sure you should add another?"  Yes, this does happen all over the world, unfortunately, but my response to them was:  "this is true but our helping just one more child can make a difference!"  We know this is not an easy decision.  It is a decision that will affect our lives and the lives of our children.  We will be a little more cramped for space, but no one said adoption was easy.  Let's face it raising children is not easy, life is not easy,  but the rewards are great!  

We must all remember that our little, no matter how small, can make a difference!  Our family is in this position by the grace of God and His help.  We can not ignore that we have been approved for adopting up to three children.   After filling out the paperwork and requesting approval for two children our paperwork came back with approval for three children.   I was told if you put two on your form you will only be approved for two.  Honestly, I meant to type 2-3 on the form, but when I rechecked the paperwork it said 2.   So, in our position, we must take note and listen for God to speak to our hearts.  We are approved to adopt three children!  Our hearts are to take this step and bring home three children to be a part of our family.  We are trusting God to work out all the details!

Please pray for us, as we are seeking wisdom and clear direction from God.  We will be traveling to bring our children home in the next 3-5 weeks.  We are still needing funds to complete this adoption process and additional funds to add child number three.  God is faithful!!!!

Thank you for all of your support!  Yes, we can all make a difference!

Saturday, November 1, 2014

READY, SET, GO - Angel Tree Starts Today!!!

Ok everyone it is time to start giving!!!  Let's get Emmalyn's grant fund increased and help her find her forever family!!!  We can do this if we all work together.  She deserves our help!!!


What a beautiful girl!!!  Just look at those big brown eyes!!!  Please consider donating towards her grant.  For any donation of $35 or more by December 1st you will receive a beautiful photo ornament of her to hang on your tree.  What a great way to celebrate Christmas and to bless a child in need!!!  

Use the donation button located on the right side of this page to give toward's Emmalyn today!!!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

2014 Angel Tree - DON'T MISS OUT!!!!


As a family we have decided to participate in Reece's Rainbow 2014 Angel Tree.  We will be sponsoring a child between November 1st and December 31st in an effort to not only raise funds for her, but to also raise awareness for special needs children in an effort to help them find their forever families.  The child we have chosen is EMMALYN.  She is a beautiful girl, born in May 2001 with Down Syndrome.  She is such a beautiful child yearning to have a family to call her own!


Please consider donating towards her grant.  For any donation of $35 or more by December 1st you will receive a beautiful photo ornament of her to hang on your tree.  What a great way to celebrate Christmas and to bless this beautiful girl!!!  

I know everyone is now ready to donate today, but please hold on and wait until November 1st!  I have placed a donate button for EMMALYN here on this blog.  If you need further assistance in donating towards this years Angel Tree please contact me at lisabowling@me.com.  THANKS!!!

Thanks for everyone's support and prayers during our adoption!  We hope to be announcing our travel date soon, so stay tuned!!!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

My Greatest Treasure

     As I reflect on all that I have, the one thing I treasure the most is my ever growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  My God is my strength and my stability!  I can say that personally my relationship with God, my prayer life, and my faith has increased tremendously over these past months.  The more you are stretched the more you realize what's important in life.  
     The path of adoption is difficult!  It has its ups and downs; its highs and lows.  Yes, it requires an enormous financial commitment.  It's an amount that most families can only dream of having someday.  The amount required can be very difficult to come up with, at one time, in only a few short months.  Then there is the intimidating paperwork.  The home study, just one part of the paperwork, is a large report on you and your families entire life.  You feel like your life is being placed under a microscope.  You are being judged on your parenting skills and your ability to provide a stable home for a child.  You must rely on someone else's opinion of you and your family.  It can be very stressful!  Once you get all of the paperwork done and redone over and over again then you must wait on further approval.  You wait and wait and wait and wait!!!
     You have time to think back on how you got to this point in the first place.  That tug on your heart and that still small voice inside that said, "this is the way, walk in it and trust me!"  You remember the first time you saw the pictures of the two children God placed on your heart to be a part of your family.  The  tears you've shed for these two children you have yet to meet.  Every step God has been at our side!  We have seen His hand on this entire process!  How do we know this is God?  Because these are things we could not have done on our own!   Our God is faithful and His love is never-ending!!!
     We are traveling very soon and we will be receiving our exact travel date within the next four weeks.  We are still in need of funds to complete this process, but most of all we need everyones continued prayers!  We are not at the end of this journey yet and there are still some small details that need to be worked out.  We will need God's wisdom, guidance and favor!!!  Our God is faithful!!!
     Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers and support!!! 

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Submission Day!!!


We have now passed another marker in our adoption process.  We officially submitted our dossier in our children’s country today.  We will now anxiously wait for our invitation to travel.  We are very excited!  This invitation could come within the next 4-5 weeks and we should be able to travel within the next 8 weeks.  Currently, we are still in need of additional funds to complete our adoption.  Please make this a matter of prayer.  This has been a long journey, but we are almost there!!!

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers as we make preparations to travel to another country.   We will need to work out all of the details concerning our children's well being while we are out of country.  Please continue to pray that all of the paperwork for our children will be in order when we are ready to travel and that we will find favor during this entire process.   We need His wisdom and insight as we continue to proceed.  We know our God is faithful, His timing is always perfect and His plans will prevail in our lives!!!


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!

For the month of October until November 5th we have been invited to participate in the 5/5/5 on the Reece's Rainbow site.  We are still in need of finances to be fully funded for our travel and adoption.  This is an opportunity to bless not only our family but other families as well.  All of these families featured in the 5/5/5 are not fully funded and will be traveling very soon.

Helping is easy!  Donors are asked to donate $5, $25 or any other amount monthly for a period of five months or longer.  If you are unable to make the monthly commitment you can also make a one-time gift.  These donations really add up when they are added together with other monthly donors.  All of the selected families are very close to traveling and in need of your support!

When you commit to making a monthly donation for up to 5 months to the 5/5/5 for families on the Reece's Rainbow site you are helping as many as 25 orphans become a part of a forever family.  These orphans are from all over the world!!!  Your donation, whatever the amount, CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the life of many children!!!

I encourage you to participate because we can ALL make a difference.  Please click the 5/5/5 button on this page or use the link below!!!!

Once again, thanks for all of your prayers and support!!!

Friday, September 26, 2014

Patiently endure as you await HIS promise!!!!

Today has been a difficult day, but I must always remember "everything is God's timing, not my own, and there are things that I can not always understand."  As I sit here typing and dwelling on today I know that God is greater than I am and He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.  I must place my trust in Him and I know, at times like these when I do not understand, when I am discouraged, and heartbroken He is in charge of my life and is always faithful.  I know what He has promised and where He is leading us!!!  This is not a setback that He did not foresee!!!

Our paperwork will not be submitted until October 16th.  There are things beyond my control and I trust that God has something great in store for this family.  I know He does and these children, these new members of our family, are in God's hands.  Yes, this seems like a delay, but my God is greater and knows the future.  This is something I can not see and that is the future and why things happen the way they do.  If I continue to put my trust in Him, He will see this through to the end like He has promised!

Hebrews 6:15 - And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

Please continue to pray for us during this time of waiting.  Please pray that there will be no more changes to any of the paperwork that is completed and ready to be submitted.  Please continue to pray that we raise the remainder of the funds needed to complete this adoption.

Thanks to everyone for your continue prayers and support!!!!

Monday, September 22, 2014

God is Faithful - One Step Closer (keep praying)

I am so excited to report that our last form is here!!!!  We will drive this form to Santa Fe tomorrow morning to get apostilled and then send over to our children's country immediately.  We are so overwhelmed with emotions right now.  This is one step closer to traveling.
Please keep praying for the safe arrival of our last document to their country this week.  We need our dossier to be submitted prior to September 30th so we can get our invitation to travel.  
Thank you for your prayers and continued support!!!

Sunday, September 21, 2014

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY

We are ever closer to our goal of having our dossier submitted.  Please be in agreement with us that we will get our last piece of our paperwork finished and over to our children's country this week.  We will be driving to Santa Fe, NM, this week to get the last stamp of approval and then sending this doc overseas.  This is a deadline we desire to make to keep this process moving and not to face anymore delays.  We must meet this deadline this week or face a 2 1/2 week delay.

We are also getting closer to be fully funded when we leave within the next few months.  Check out our current amount received.  We had an amazing night last night at our Benefit Dinner and Auction.  Everyone has been so generous!!!  Our God is so faithful and we can not wait to meet our children face to face.  

Thank you so much for your prayers and continued support!!!

We still have a few items available from our auction if anyone is interested in making us an offer.  Remember all proceeds help to bring these children home.

silentauctionitems.blogspot.com



Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Patience . . . waiting . . . waiting . . . waiting . . . UPDATE

This is just an update on where we are in this process.  Patience is hard during this time of waiting.  We are waiting for one more form.  We have been waiting on this form for more than 70 days now.  This is difficult time of waiting since we are now done with all the other paperwork necessary to complete our dossier. 
Please be in prayer with us to get this form quickly.  We need to be submitted, with all paperwork, prior to September 30th.  If we are not submitted by this date we will be delayed at least 2 weeks.  This is a problem only God can handle.  Please be in agreement with us that we will get this form this week and be submitted prior to September 30th.  

Also, please pray for favor and blessing as we will be holding our BIG fundraiser this Saturday at 5 pm.  We are having a benefit dinner and silent auction.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!  Our God is faithful!!!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Spaghetti BENEFIT Dinner Sept 20th 5 pm

We have been blessed by some amazing ladies helping to put this whole benefit together.  They are organizing, donating themselves and will be helping to serve that night as well.  We have been blessed with many great donations for our auction and several ladies making some fabulous desserts to be auctioned off that night.  This will be a night for everyone to enjoy!
As I sit here giving thanks to God for the many blessings He has given us I want everyone to know what their donations will be used for.   There are two precious children waiting in Eastern Europe for us to travel over and rescue them from an orphanage.  These two children have no idea who we are and at this point, they have no idea how hard we are working to get there.  We have fallen in love with them and pray daily for them.  They do not know that people, like you, are giving to help them have a forever family.  Our daughter, who turns five this month, lives her everyday life without the love of a mother and father.  She, most likely, does not know it's her birthday.  Please know, we are committed to see this through and committed to the children forever.  This is not about the money; this is a lifetime commitment.  Yes, it takes a great deal of money to complete their adoption process, but it is quite small compared to the price of these precious lives.
It takes more than just one person to raise and love a child.  We, as their soon to be parents, promise to love them unconditionally and to provide a stable home for them to grow up in, but there are so many things you can do to participate in their story.  You can pray for us and our family throughout this entire process and if you can donate to help us reach our goal.  We appreciate all that you do!!!

Checkout our page that lists all our current auction items:

silentauctionitems.blogspot.com



Hope to see everyone there!!!!

Monday, September 8, 2014

GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE ULTIMATE GOAL

We are getting closer and closer to finishing this paperwork.  It has been a difficult process but in the end it will be worth the effort.  We sent our FBI clearances to Washington DC for authentication today.  It should be back in our hands no later than Monday.  After numerous calls and waiting 59 days we have an officer on our case.  We are believing we are a week or less from getting our LONG awaited approval form from USCIS.  Please pray we can send ALL of our paperwork next week and can be submitted very soon!  We have a deadline we intend to meet of being submitted prior to September 30th.  Please be in agreement with us!!!!  God orders our steps and gives favor!  Thanks so much for all of your prayers and continued support!!!!

Please consider supporting our upcoming benefit dinner and silent auction.  We have some great items being auctioned off that can NOW be bid on.  Some of the items are eligible to be shipped.  Please place your bids and help us bring home our children.  Bidding ends September 20th at noon (mountain time).  We are so close to reaching our ultimate goal!

Check out and make your bids at: 


silentauctionitems.blogspot.com


If you can attend our spaghetti dinner being held on Saturday, September 20th at 5 pm in the FBC Bloomfield Gym, we are asking for a minimum $5 donation per ticket.  If you would like to attend please email me at lisabowling@me.com to reserve your ticket prior to September 17th.


Thursday, September 4, 2014

WAIT let's change the rules!!!!

It's been a long week!!!  We've had to redo paperwork and still wait on USCIS approval and now add FBI clearance.    The rules changed right in the middle of us waiting for our USCIS approval.  All you can do, after you have a moment of stress, is put a smile on your face and keep moving forward.  We are believing everything will come together quickly!  Please pray for a smooth process here on out and for great favor with this last bit of paperwork.  We need everything to be completed and over in our kids country within the next 2 weeks.  MY GOD is a miracle working GOD!
We are in the middle of preparing for our BIG fundraiser.  It will take place Saturday, September 20th at 5 pm at FBC Bloomfield Gym.  If you can join us we will be having a Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction.  All auction items are online and ready to be bid on - PLEASE check them out at:

silentauctionitems.blogspot.com

Place your bids today and help us bring our children home!!!  THANKS!!!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

HOPE

Hope!  What is it?  Well, by definition it is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  For me this is real!  My hope is to be called the mother of two beautiful children who currently do not know who I am.  It is my expectation!  It's a burning desire deep in my heart!  Some people do not understand my hope.  All I know currently about these two children is what little I've been told by other people.  I cherish the pictures I have received, but it is just a small glimpse into the lives of these children.  Some people say, "you are taking such a risk.  Are you sure you know what you are doing?"  Of course I do!   I will say my hope, my expectation, and my desire come from the Lord!  He has placed this hope in my heart and one thing I know for sure is this hope will become reality very soon.

My daughter, who turns five in September, sits in an orphanage without hope.  She is not alone.  There are so many children who live without this hope.  Year after year they sit without a family and without knowing unconditional love.  They deserve it!  This will be the last year my daughter, my child, will sit without celebrating her birthday.  She is a child who will know what unconditional love from a family is.  My children will always be loved unconditionally by their forever family.  They will learn what HOPE is!

As we get closer to being able to travel we appreciate everyone's prayers and support!!!  Thank you so much for giving hope, not only to us, but also to these two children!!!!  THANK YOU!!!

Friday, August 22, 2014

MATCHING GRANT - PLEASE HELP!!!

We have received a matching grant - PLEASE HELP by donating funds!!!


We have been offered a $2500 matching grant from Hand in Hand Christian Adoption. If you would like to give towards this please follow the instructions below.  We have until OCTOBER 1ST:

Please send all donations made payable to “Hand in Hand Christian Adoption” postmarked by October 1, 2014  to: (for tax purposes please include our name on the outside of the envelope only…do not put our name on the check itself)

Envelope made out as follows: (no name on check)

Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.
Richard & Delise Bowling
18318 Mimosa Court
Gardner, KS  66030

Any further questions:  You may also contact Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.  They can be reached at 913-248-5015 or by e-mail at handinhandadopt@gmail.com.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

What's in a name???

We can not wait to meet our two newest additions to our family.  It has been a long wait so far!  We are anxious to bring them home.  
After much prayer and advice we decided on names for our two children.  We considered the meanings of their names to be very important in this decision process.  
It was difficult to decide if giving our daughter a new name was the right decision.  We know she does have a name and will be five years old when we bring her home.  It is also possible and very likely that she does not know her first name and goes by a nickname.  We do not want to confuse her and cause her any heartache, but after praying and seeking advice and wisdom from other adoptive families we feel we have made the right decision.  I do know one thing for sure, she will be loved and cherished forever by this family.
We have chosen the name Eliyanah Hope for her.  Eliyanah means "my God has answered".  This is true when we see her picture.  We believe Our God has heard our prayers and answered us!  He continues to grant us favor and provision to bring her home.
Our little boy is special as well.  His name is Kevin Michael.  When we began praying about proceeding with an adoption we confided in a few people and asked them to pray with us.  One of those faithful prayer warriors and a cherished friend was Pastor Kevin Kinchen.  He suggested if we adopt a little boy maybe we could name him Kevin.  It was a thought!  When we committed to adopting our son I decided to look up the meaning of Kevin.  Kevin means "kind, gentle, handsome."  Perfect!!!  Michael means "Who is like God?"  This describes our son!!!
We phoned Pastor Kevin and his wife, Margie to tell them the news.  Pastor Kevin was touched and said "I am 53 years old and no one has named their son after me."  We feel privileged to name him after such a faithful servant of God.  I know our little boy and girl will be faithfully prayed for by Pastor Kevin and Margie.  They are an amazing couple!!!
Please continue to pray for our USCIS approval to be completed and provision to complete this adoption process.  Thank you for all your support!!!

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Guess His Name Fundraiser

We have chosen our son's name.  We would like to have fun with the announcement and have decided to have people guess what we have chosen.  We ask that everyone donate $5 towards our FSP page at Reece's Rainbow to participate.  We will be giving clues through out the fundraising event and the winner will receive one of our adoption tshirts.  

Clue one:  It is an Irish name
Clue #2:  In popularity it reached America's Top 1000 list in 1920 and reached it's highest averaging #14 in the 1960's
LAST CLUE:  We have named him after someone VERY special

More clues to come!!!!


See the Reece's Rainbow button on the right for donations

Guess Her Name Fundraiser

We have chosen our daughter's name.  We would like to have fun with the announcement and have decided to have people guess what we have chosen.  We ask that everyone donate $5 towards our FSP page at Reece's Rainbow to participate.  We will be giving clues through out the fundraising event and the winner will receive one of our adoption tshirts.  

Clue one:  It is a Hebrew name

More clues to come!!!!


See the Reece's Rainbow button on the right for donations

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

BIG announcement

God does answer prayer and provides direction!!!  We are excited to announce that we have now committed to child number two.  He is a beautiful baby boy born in 2014.  He is a special needs child with down syndrome.  We are anxious to travel and pick up our son and daughter. 

Please keep praying for us since we are still in need of one more form and funds to complete our adoption.  We appreciate everyone's prayers and support!!!


Sunday, August 10, 2014

Through the eyes of a child

Our daughter, Amber, who just turned six, loves to sit and look at pictures of her new sister.  The other day she stared into my eyes and said, "Mommy your eyes are brown and so are mine."  I said, "why yes they are!  Everyone in our family has brown eyes except your brothers, Matthew and Judah, who have green/hazel eyes."  Amber waited a few minutes and said, "well that's not true my new sister has blue eyes."  Amber wants to know all about her new sister and how she is doing.  I love how she is so excited and ready to welcome her home.  We are all ready to bring her home and we pray daily for God to look over her until we arrive to pick her up!
Currently we are still waiting for that golden ticket!!!  This is the last form needed to complete our paperwork and file in our daughter's country so we can get our invite to go get her.  It's hard to wait but we believe God orders our steps and I know He is faithful to work out all the details.
We appreciate everyone's prayers and support!  We are still in need of financial support to complete this adoption, but we know that will not be an obstacle.  Our God is faithful!

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

HE surprises me!!!

Waiting seems to be the hardest part of this adoption.  We sit and wait for the USCIS approval form before we can proceed and the necessary funds to complete this adoption.   We continue to pray that this form comes in very soon.  Why is it at these times doubt seems to set in?  Maybe it's because you know deep down God is leading you, but in these moments of waiting you begin to question yourself.  I am so thankful God is patient with us!  As I began to pray today and ask God to bless, lead and guide me I am so thankful that He is on my side.  He could see my doubt but He loves me so very much!  Yes, He surprised me at lunch time today as we received a very generous donation in the mail towards our adoption.
All I can say is GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

One More Form

Today was our last time to get our finger prints done and now to wait the arrival of our last form from USCIS.  We just need ONE form to send to our daughter's country.  Please agree with us in prayer that this last form will be received in our mailbox by the end of August.  This is our desire and we know nothing is impossible with God.  
August and September we will be making available for everyone ways to participate in our fundraising.  We have a group of ladies working on some great ideas and we can't wait to participate.  God is our provider!!!!
Thanks again for everyone's prayers, support and encouragement!!!

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Anxiously WAITING

Our documents are traveling today!!!!  It is so hard to have to sit and wait for paperwork to be finished but this is part of the process.  Our thoughts are with our daughter and we are anxiously waiting for the day we get on the airplane to go see her beautiful eyes and that amazing smile.  Please pray our last document will get here in a timely manner and we will find favor.
It is time for fundraising and donations to start coming in.  Time is short and needs are great but OUR GOD IS GREATER!!!  AMEN!!!
We are also talking about adding another child and who that possibly could be.  We know God is going to lead us in the right direction just like He did when we found our daughter.  He has done so much already and continues to guide and direct our steps.  HE IS FAITHFUL!!!!
Please continue to pray for us during this time.  We appreciate all our your prayers, support and encouragement.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Our God is AWESOME!!!

Paperwork is coming to an end, at least until we travel to pickup our daughter.  We received a large amount of paperwork today in the mail and immediately sent it to a family who will travel over to our daughter's country on Saturday.  We are so anxious and so excited to see God's hand on this situation.  God is proving that He is mighty and faithful.  
We prayed that our paperwork would be here by the end of this week.  On Tuesday I received a phone call saying we had done some of the papers incorrectly for the third time and they would need to be redone again.  At first, they did not want to hold my papers as I told them I would ship the redone papers overnight to them within the hour.  They said we are overwhelmed with paperwork daily and did not want to hold my papers.  Also, in the same conversation the person on the phone told me that they could not mail the papers back to me because I sent the wrong kind of envelope that would require them to have to go to the post office to drop off and they would not do that.  (Really?)   I assured them I would send another return envelope for all the papers and if she would please ask her supervisor to hold my papers til the next day.  As she put me on hold I prayed "Lord we just need favor here and still need these papers by the end of the week."  When she came back to the phone she said she would hold them and wait for my redone papers.  Now this all happened on Tuesday and today is Thursday when ALL my papers came in the mail to me.  I was able to ship them overnight today for a family traveling Saturday.  God is soooooo good!!!!  His timing is perfect!  PERFECT!!!!!
Please continue to pray for great favor and financial blessing for us!  We have one additional form we need to complete our dossier and send over.  This form has proven to be difficult to get in a timely manner for many families lately.  It would be awesome to get this form before the end of August and mail over.  We do not wish to see any delay and know our God is greater!!!  Can we prove to be the exception here?  Yes, we can because God is mightier and faithful!!!  All the glory goes to our God!!!
We want to thank everyone for their prayers, encouragement and support!!!  We are getting ever closer to holding our daughter in our arms!!!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Piles of Paperwork

So many papers to fill out, sign, notarize, mail and mail again.  The adoption process can be intimidating to say the least.  We are getting closer and closer to our final destination.  Our daughter in our arms is our ultimate goal!  
We have finally received our appointment to get our fingerprints done for USCIS.  This is another step closer to our final destination.  By the end of July our fingerprints will be done and all our paperwork except for one form should be back and ready to send over to her country to begin compiling our dossier.   It would be awesome if all the forms were ready including the last one we need.
We are so anxious and ready to travel.  Please pray for us during this process that we will continue to receive favor.  We are also in need of a financial blessing to complete this process.  Adoption is an expensive undertaking but we strongly believe where God leads He provides!  
Thank you for all of your prayers and support!

Making a difference in the life of a child! 
Matt 18:5


Sunday, July 13, 2014

Home Study Complete

Our home study was completed on Friday, July 11th.  It was completed in 25 days!  This is amazing to me since we were originally told it would take between 60-120 days.  This also puts the completion prior to July 14th.  This was a deadline we needed to meet to avoid new guidelines that take effect.  This whole process is being orchestrated by God!
It is now time to complete paperwork for our dossier and gather funds to complete the adoption.  An international adoption can be expensive and these funds are needed in a short amount of time.  We believe where God leads He provides!
We have been approved to adopt up to three children in our home study and at this time, we are considering adding an additional child when we travel to pick up our daughter.  When God provides for our daughter's adoption if there are additional funds to allow us to include another child we believe this is what we should do.  These are children that need a family to call their own and we are able to provide this.  Thanks to everyone for your support!

Tax Deductible donations can be made at:

reecesrainbow.org/sponsorbowling

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Where It All Began

Our story began many years ago when Richard took a missions trip to Eastern Europe.  I was pregnant with our first child, Aria, at the time.  He went on and on about how he fell in love with the children.  It was an image he would never forget.  
We've been asked many times over the years if we planned to have more children.  Every time my answer would be we do not plan to, but we would love to adopt some day.  God had His own plans and we have been blessed to have eleven biological children.  Our twin boys, Jacob and Josiah, went to be with our Lord in 2001 and our six youngest still live at home.
Our adoption process officially began on May 29, 2014, when I was online checking emails and viewing my facebook page.  I ran across a website called Reece's Rainbow (reecesrainbow.org).  I did not know anything about the site but it intrigued me because of the way they spelled Reece.  Our youngest son's name is spelled the exact same way.
I clicked on the site and to my surprise it was an adoption site.  I viewed the site for many days and prayed God would give wisdom and direction.  In my heart, I believed I was led directly to this site.  There were so many children listed that needed a family to call their own.  
After speaking with Richard about how I felt God was leading he said we should move forward and see where God leads us.  Our prayers have been focused on God's leading and His wisdom and favor.  Where He leads He always provides.
Our next step was to chose a child from the website.  I did not think I was going to be able to do this.  Honestly, every child on that website is a gift from God and deserves to have a family of their own.  Children are so precious!  God had a way of showing me exactly the child for us by waking me one night and I knew which child was to be ours.  It turns out she is also from the same region of Eastern Europe that Richard visited on a mission trip.
We were blessed to receive an email inviting us to commit to our daughter on Father's Day, June 16th.  What an amazing journey it has been so far and we can not wait until we can hold our daughter in our arms.  This is an amazing story that is being orchestrated by God that we will get to share with her in the future.
Thanks for everyone who is praying and supporting us!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Taking a Deep Breath!

We are definitely taking a deep breath today and are able to relax!!!  Our in home visit is complete and everything went well.  It is difficult having someone, you do not know, come into your home and judge your parenting skills.  We believe we have parented well and we provide a stable environment for our children, but would they agree and approve us to parent another child?  
It did cause me to lose some sleep.  I also cleaned and organized the house several times.  My children assisted in cleaning their rooms, installing smoke/carbon monoxide alarms in every room, and had great attitudes.  We all pulled together and worked as a team.
The social worker who came to our house was amazing!  She was easy to work with and very encouraging.  When the visit was complete and she was satisfied we were more than fit to adopt another child she approved us to adopt up to 3 children.  We are relieved and excited at the same time!  We are now taking the rest of this holiday weekend to relax and enjoy each other.  Our God is faithful!
Please keep us in your prayers this week.  We need for all of our paperwork associated with the home study to be completed by Friday.  This is critical for the home study to be approved and finished because of new rules taking effect on July 14th.
Thanks!!! 

Friday, July 4, 2014

Home Study Day

We are all sitting here anxiously awaiting the arrival of the social worker to arrive to conduct our in home visit.  I would say we are all very nervous!  I don't think it's easy for anyone to have someone come into their home and judge if you are fit to be a parent.  I understand there must be a process to this and rules to follow but this is my least favorite part so far.  I can't wait til this part is done and we can move past the home study.  
Please pray that the home study and all the paperwork associated with this home study will be complete and turned in to the USCIS before July 14th.  This is a crucial date because of the new rules that will take effect on this date.
In all things, MY GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Keeping My Sanity

It has been a short week of traveling to Albuquerque, lots of paperwork to fill in, getting notarized, fingerprinting, background checks, and deep breathing to maintain my sanity.  It's only Wednesday!!!  We have our home visit this weekend and I won't lie I'm a little nervous about it.  I know God is present in our situation and loves our daughter more than we do.  Continue to pray for favor as we continue moving forward in this adoption process.  There are so many rules and regulations to follow, but our God is faithful!!!

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Fundraiser TShirts are here

Our fundraiser tshirts that Richard and I designed are here.  I'm excited at getting started fundraising for our daughter's adoption.  We are giving the tshirts out for a minimum $15 donation.  We have a long way to go before we have our paperwork completed and all of the funds necessary to travel and pick up our daughter.  I am expecting that our paperwork and funds will be completed at the same time.  God is faithful and where He leads He always provides.  Thanks to everyone for all their support.


Thursday, June 26, 2014

When You Know It's God

     This has been an amazing journey so far!!!  Yes, it is tedious, a lot of paperwork and a big financial commitment, but as we move forward we can see God's hand, His faithful hand, on this process.  For example,  I had to make a list of all the places we have lived since we were 18 years old.  That is a lot of addresses!  I needed to list more than just city and state.  As I sat down to begin I knew I did not have a clue to the full address of every place we had lived.  Over the past 26 years we had probably changed addresses at least 10 to 15 times.
    I was very stressed as I sat down to search my brain for somewhere to begin.  I started back at year one of our marriage and progressed to our current address.  There were many holes in my information and I did not know what to do.  The phone rings and it's my mom calling to see what I was doing.  My mom usually does not call me; I am the one who initiates conversation and I usually call her.  So, I told her exactly what I was doing.  She pulled out an old phone book and filled in all the information I was missing.  I knew this was God's touch!
    When we needed Richard's passport I believe God led us right to it.  We still have many unpacked boxes and I had no idea if we even had it.  Not only did we find it slipped between two books, but it turns out without his old passport we would have been unable to get his passport.  We would have needed to wait until his new driver's license arrived to request his passport.  This would have been quite a delay because we are still waiting on his new driver's license.
     I am grateful for the favor God is giving us.  These markers along the way are showing us God is at work in our lives and in the life of our new daughter.  It is a part of our story and encourages us to keep moving forward.  God is so faithful!!!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Keep Moving Forward!!!

Keep Moving Forward this is my motto for the day.  It's a process and all I can do is what's in front of me.  At the end of this long road there is a beautiful little girl waiting for her parents to bring her home.  It's what keeps me going each day with a smile on my face.  It's just paperwork!  Please be praying for the safety of our daughter and all of the children in countries where there is so much political unrest.  Please pray for favor for us with everyone we come in contact with.  Again, thank you for all your support!

Friday, June 20, 2014

Another Busy Day

It's been a very busy day!  We finally got our passports ordered.  I am praying the rush we put on them get's them here in less than 2 weeks.  God has showed great favor so far.  My driver's license came in the mail today.  It was perfect timing because they would not take my temporary license for my passport.  Richard has not received his license in the mail, but we found his old passport so he didn't need his license.  He just renewed his old passport.  God led us right to it as well, because it was packed in a box and we weren't even sure if we had it.  At each turn, our God has been so faithful.  Last night we were also contacted by someone who met our daughter about 9 months ago and she had some pictures of her she sent to us as well.  She is so beautiful and her smile keeps us focused in the overwhelming pile of paperwork.  I don't know how many times I have answered the same question just a different way.  These forms are long and tedious.  Thank you to everyone who is praying for us and supporting us!!!  God is so good!!!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Adoption Announcement

We are so excited!!!  Our news is now able to go public.  We are adding a new daughter to our family. Please pray this process goes smoothly and quickly.  We are very anxious to bring her home!  We also need prayer for strength and endurance because this is a difficult process.  Thank you for all your support!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Another day full of paperwork, making copies, ordering needed documents and physical exams.  It is tiring and tedious.  I know this is just the beginning of a long process, but the outcome will bring our new daughter home where she belongs.  I am hoping today will be the day that all the paperwork is in order so that we can reveal her picture.  It would be awesome since today is our 26th wedding anniversary!  I have an amazing husband and a wonderful family.  God has blessed us abundantly and continues to bless us!  

Monday, June 16, 2014

DAY 1

June 16, 2014

We are so excited to be starting this process.  Today has been a day of filling out paperwork, getting it notarized and faxing it in.  We have turned in the beginning of our paperwork for our home study and sent in our commitment paperwork to Reece's Rainbow.  As soon as this paperwork is looked over and approved we can put up a picture of our new daughter.  I know this is just the beginning and our journey has just begun!