Hey all. I’ve been feeling really heavy over a couple pending adoption decisions and realized I have not been praying about them as much as I should, and I haven’t been asking others to pray with us as well.
Would you please join us in prayer? It truly is the best way that you can support an adoptive family!
We are still trying to get “pre-approved”. I've mentioned this need once before but the update is that our paperwork is in Ethiopia waiting. This is not the normal progression to adopt but the ET government denied a family in August because the husband is a cancer survivor. The family appealed and the decision was overturned (YAY!) but our agency is still trying to be proactive with our case, hence the “pre-aproval” process, which we are thankful for. This is the rainy season and the courts are closed but as soon as someone is there, our ET agency employee will make sure they take a look at our paperwork. It could be any day or it could be weeks. Please pray that someone would be working this week and we would receive pre-approval.
Secondly, we have an application in with Lifesong for Orphans for a "Both Hands" fundraiser. (A full post on Lifesong and Both Hands coming later this week.) We are really hoping to receive approval for this funding. In the past, anywhere between $10 – $50,000 has been raised via a Both Hands project. That would be a HUGE blessing as we are still about $21,000 away from our goal.
I checked in with them last week and our application is the next one to be reviewed. Please pray that we would be approved and hear back from them this week as well.
Thank you!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
the sin of our generation?
"I believe that this could very well be looked back on as the sin of our generation. I look at my parents and ask, where were they during the civil rights movement? I look at my grandparents and ask, what were they doing when the holocaust in Europe was occurring with regard to the Jews, and why didn't they speak up? And when we think of our great, great, great-grandparents, we think how could they have sat by and allowed slavery to exist? And I believe that our children and their children, 40 or 50 years from now, are going to ask me, what did you do while 40 million children became orphans in Africa?"
--Rich Stearns, President of World Vision
--Rich Stearns, President of World Vision
I first read this quote awhile ago but came across it again recently and it hit me in a much different way. I don’t want to make light of what Mr. Stearns is saying. I believe that the orphan crisis in Africa and around the world could very well be called the “sin of our generation”. (Second maybe to evangelism, or lack-there-of) And he is obviously very intelligent and wise. It’s pretty clear he also loves Jesus.
But, my fear is not that my children or grandchildren will question my response to this crisis. My fear is that my Creator, the Creator of those precious orphans, will ask me and a host of self-proclaiming Christians one day “What did you do while 156 million children became orphans around the world?”
I’m not as worried about what people will say or think; most people will have no idea that I even existed in 75 years. My mist will be long gone.
If there are 225 million of us (adult Christ followers) in the US and upwards of half a million of them (orphans) in the US as well, shouldn’t simple math tell you that something is very wrong? Even if you look at the global statistics, the believers in the US alone could (I’m not at ALL suggesting that we should, in fact, BAD idea) care for all of the orphans in the entire world.
I understand that something IS very wrong. We live in a fallen world where there exists sin and hatred and brokenness and heartbreak and cancer and orphans. But God knew this did he not? He knew that the fallen world would look and feel very… fallen.
But God calls us to be the light, the salt, to go and tell about his Son, to care for the poor, the oppressed, the widow, the orphan… He commands us to these things knowing how difficult it would be and the hardship it would bring. But he promises us eternal rewards, not temporary ease and comfort. He lived here himself. He felt it for himself. No one knows the depth and magnitude of our fallen world more than the One who was slain for it.
There are plenty of people who will tell you what you want to hear. Thank God there are also people who will tell you the truth. The truth is, that caring for orphans and vulnerable children is hard and exhausting and messy and will bring suffering and fiery darts.
I know some of these things first hand, but not all of them. Someone loved me enough to share their story, to be real with me and to prepare me for what lies ahead. It’s also all over the Bible. (Just sayin’.) Suffering should be expected, even more so when we are obeying His commands.
As Matt Chandler so aptly puts it, I would much rather, on that day when I meet my Maker, say to him that I took him for his word, that I thought he meant what he said and ask forgiveness for maybe being a bit too bold or harsh. (I know some of you are thinking right now "Amen sister, you'll be asking!") I would rather say that, than to say that I thought he was kidding. Or didn’t really mean it. Or that I ignored his commands.
It could be today that I meet Him. It could be today that you meet Him. And Jesus will cover our laziness and He will cover our arrogance and He will cover our apathy. But the tension is what it looks like when we live in obedience now. We are here now to make disciples.
156 million orphans turned disciples adopted into His Kingdom would be a powerful army for Christ, wouldn’t they?
Saturday, September 17, 2011
cash money
Thank you so much to everyone who supported our booth at the Affordable Art Show today!
A lot of work went into it and we are so thankful to be blessed by amazing community family who donated their time, money and skills to help bring home our little man from Ethiopia. We raised over $950 today! Woot woot!
It was great to hug old friends, put faces to names, and meet new folks interested in orphan care.
It was great to hug old friends, put faces to names, and meet new folks interested in orphan care.
If you know of any other art shows that would be a good fit for our fundraising stuff please let me know! We've still got about $21,000 more to go :-)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Adoption Update September 2011
Time for an adoption update!
On August 2nd we had the Third Annual Wallace Home Study. Like I said in the August Martini, it's never comfortable when someone you barely know comes into your home, asks you a bunch of questions and evaluates your ability to parent, especially when you have two living breathing specimens on display. However, by the third time you're almost use to it. Almost. Also, we love our case worker and she's super easy to talk to. That helps. Our house was not nearly as clean as it was the first or second time that she came. It was clean enough.
On the 12th I picked up the final report and delivered it to the USCIS. They received it with 108 hours to spare! The "average" (a term that is really obsolete in the world of adoption) turn around time is 75 days. We have been praying that we would receive approval much quicker than that - AND WE DID. 20 days - booyah! Smooth and quick. Smooth and quick has been our prayer.
The Ethiopia program, which was once one of the most appealing international adoption programs because of the short time frame, relative affordability and ease of the process, has now become one of the more tumultuous international programs still open. Last month, a couple seeking to adopt from Ethiopia was denied by the government because the husband is a cancer survivor. Ethiopia has talked about enforcing stricter guidelines for the adoption of their children but they have made no policy before or after this ruling to do so. They. Just. Did. It.
This is obviously concerning to us.
We don't know any other details about this couple or what other factors regarding their case may have been influential in this decision. Our agency suggested that we take a proactive approach and mail a copy of our home study (which states that William is healthy enough to parent), and additional notarized letters from his doctors stating the same thing, to the government to be pre-approved, which we are doing and this new packet of paper should go to Ethiopia on Tuesday. Our agency is estimating that it will take three weeks for "pre-approval".
In the meantime, with our CIS approval, our dossier is now complete. Funny thing is we don't have the money! We spent it on t-shirts. Ha! We didn't expect CIS approval to come in so quickly. We are expecting our t-shirts any day and then we should be all good on the cash flow. Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered!
We are forging ahead with fundraising. In addition to the t-shirts, we are also selling some beautiful rolled paper jewelry hand made by women in Uganda. We will be at the Sojourn Affordable Art Show so stop by and buy a t-shirt and some jewelry!
If you'd like to host a jewelry party please let me know that too - we're gonna tap out our inner circle at some point and would love to tap out yours too:-)
We have two big prayer requests this time: (I use to be a bit shy about always being the family with prayer requests but God has healed me of that. Clearly.)
1. The government official would read all of the positive things William's doctors stated, have mercy on us and grant us pre-approval. Quickly.
2. We plan to submit our dossier if we do not hear from the government by the time we have the necessary funds. Some may say this is unwise or risky - if we receive a referral and travel to Ethiopia and are denied... well let's just say that will be a whole lotta money and even more heartbreak. BUT, here's the thing, God keeps leading us down this path. Every time we pray for smooth and quick, He delivers.
I feel like getting our CIS approval in the mail on Friday, in the midst of collecting all of this extra paperwork from William's doctors, is His way of saying "Lindsy trust me. I got this. I brought you here, keep walking down this path."
So please pray that we are listening for His voice and that we would remember we are not stepping into uncertainty, we are stepping into God's plan. And that is the best path to be on.
On August 2nd we had the Third Annual Wallace Home Study. Like I said in the August Martini, it's never comfortable when someone you barely know comes into your home, asks you a bunch of questions and evaluates your ability to parent, especially when you have two living breathing specimens on display. However, by the third time you're almost use to it. Almost. Also, we love our case worker and she's super easy to talk to. That helps. Our house was not nearly as clean as it was the first or second time that she came. It was clean enough.
On the 12th I picked up the final report and delivered it to the USCIS. They received it with 108 hours to spare! The "average" (a term that is really obsolete in the world of adoption) turn around time is 75 days. We have been praying that we would receive approval much quicker than that - AND WE DID. 20 days - booyah! Smooth and quick. Smooth and quick has been our prayer.
The Ethiopia program, which was once one of the most appealing international adoption programs because of the short time frame, relative affordability and ease of the process, has now become one of the more tumultuous international programs still open. Last month, a couple seeking to adopt from Ethiopia was denied by the government because the husband is a cancer survivor. Ethiopia has talked about enforcing stricter guidelines for the adoption of their children but they have made no policy before or after this ruling to do so. They. Just. Did. It.
This is obviously concerning to us.
We don't know any other details about this couple or what other factors regarding their case may have been influential in this decision. Our agency suggested that we take a proactive approach and mail a copy of our home study (which states that William is healthy enough to parent), and additional notarized letters from his doctors stating the same thing, to the government to be pre-approved, which we are doing and this new packet of paper should go to Ethiopia on Tuesday. Our agency is estimating that it will take three weeks for "pre-approval".
In the meantime, with our CIS approval, our dossier is now complete. Funny thing is we don't have the money! We spent it on t-shirts. Ha! We didn't expect CIS approval to come in so quickly. We are expecting our t-shirts any day and then we should be all good on the cash flow. Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered!
We are forging ahead with fundraising. In addition to the t-shirts, we are also selling some beautiful rolled paper jewelry hand made by women in Uganda. We will be at the Sojourn Affordable Art Show so stop by and buy a t-shirt and some jewelry!
If you'd like to host a jewelry party please let me know that too - we're gonna tap out our inner circle at some point and would love to tap out yours too:-)
We have two big prayer requests this time: (I use to be a bit shy about always being the family with prayer requests but God has healed me of that. Clearly.)
1. The government official would read all of the positive things William's doctors stated, have mercy on us and grant us pre-approval. Quickly.
2. We plan to submit our dossier if we do not hear from the government by the time we have the necessary funds. Some may say this is unwise or risky - if we receive a referral and travel to Ethiopia and are denied... well let's just say that will be a whole lotta money and even more heartbreak. BUT, here's the thing, God keeps leading us down this path. Every time we pray for smooth and quick, He delivers.
I feel like getting our CIS approval in the mail on Friday, in the midst of collecting all of this extra paperwork from William's doctors, is His way of saying "Lindsy trust me. I got this. I brought you here, keep walking down this path."
So please pray that we are listening for His voice and that we would remember we are not stepping into uncertainty, we are stepping into God's plan. And that is the best path to be on.
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