Do you like coffee?

John and I sure do! We are excited to announce our very first adoption fundraiser. As I mentioned before, adopting is a step out in faith for us. We do not have all of the fees for adoption. We are always looking at ways to save and raise money to help us reach out goal!  We certainly can't do it alone. If you would like to help, here is one way you can!

Simply use the link below for our coffee shop with Just Love Coffee. Then click shop and support. A portion of anything purchased will be donated to our adoption fund. It's quite simple! 

https://justlovecoffee.com/about/beneficiary/great_big_love/

Adoption takes a village

A dear friend and I were talking yesterday and she said that she really believes that adoption is a community effort. I couldn't agree more. Raising kids in general is not easy, and it takes a village. Adoption is a journey; such a massive undertaking. It really does take a community. Both to bring these kids home and to raise them.

As soon as John and I made the decision to adopt, we knew we would need help. First off, the support of our family and friends. We need our family and friends behind us on the journey and we will continue to need them long after our child is home. 

The very next thing that was glaringly obvious was the expense.  We simply do not have the finances available to pay all of the adoption fees.  Adoption is incredibly expensive. We are estimating that our adoption from Uganda will cost $25,000-$30,000.  There are application fees, homestudy fees, agency fees, orphanage fees and legal fees just to name a few.

Despite the expense, we still feel that we are being called to adopt. The money couldn't be the reason we said no to a child without parents. So we made the decision to step out in faith and ask God to provide the finances. It continues to be a decision each day. It's scary. We have no idea how this will work out. It's uncomfortable. Somehow I suspect this is exactly where we are supposed to be. I believe God is teaching us how fully we can trust him and that He is the Great Provider.

Our hope through this process is that others will see that adoption is doable. It is so common to hear, "I would love to adopt, but I don't have the money." Our prayer is that through our story, other families will see that adoption is within reach. There are an estimated 163,000,000 orphans in the world. I believe especially as followers of Christ we can come together and provide these kids with loving families.

Thankfully we are already experiencing some incredibly encouraging things. Our family and friends are excited. They want to help us. Some by praying, others by offering to help us fund raise, and others by donating products. We have only just started and people want to help! Already, we are amazed at the avenues available to fund an adoption. There are companies that offer opportunities to help perspective adoptive parents raise funds. We plan to apply for as many grants as we can. After our adoption is finalized, we may qualify for a tax credit. All of this gives us so much hope that it can happen!

So, how can you help? Pray for us! Pray for our child and for the adoption process. Ask us about our adoption. We are so excited and love to talk about our adoption journey. Have any good ideas for fundraising? Let's here them! Spread the word about our adoption, tell people about this blog. Please pray and consider donating to our adoption fund. We truly appreciate any help we can get to bring our little boy or girl home!

I will also post information on the support page above. Any fundraisers we do will be posted on the support page as well. 

          

Melbourne Beach, Fl (minus one)

I decided to the name this post based on the fact that although we had a wonderful trip, someone was missing. It was so much fun and so many neat things happened on the trip. However, the void was obvious. One member of our group was missing. My Grandmother, who passed away just days before our arrival. 

She would have loved it. Sitting on the balcony enjoying the view. Laughing at everyone's antics. Marveling at the incredible bond between her first born son and her great-grandson. She was missed greatly. If we had our way, she would have been there. But God had other plans. We are so thankful that although we miss her, she is at peace in her Lord's loving arms. 

It was a terrific trip! We are truly blessed by my parents generosity. They planned the trip, rented the house, bought airline tickets and treated us to some delicious dinners! The house was gorgeous and very fancy. The weather was much better than we thought it would be. Because of tropical storm Debbie, we were expecting a lot of rain. The storm hit our area later than expected so we enjoyed plenty of sunny days. 

Since June is nesting season for sea turtles, we were really hopeful that we would see one. Melbourne/Cocoa Beach are places that usually have a large number of nesting turtles. We were absolutely thrilled when we saw one come ashore the very first night at the beach house. She came up fairly early, so Aaron was able to see her too! Every morning when we would wake up, the beach was completely covered with tracks. It was like an invasion every night! We saw quite a few Loggerhead sea turtles over the week. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. 

Sea turtles weren't the only animals we saw. There are a number of birds in the area including: Osprey (they were all over the place!), Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures, White Ibis, Least Terns, Black Skimmers, Wood Storks and White Egrets. One of the days we went to a little lagoon. There were two Manatee just hanging out in the shallow water! We also saw dolphins near the lagoon and out in the Atlantic. Being an animal lover, seeing so many critters was a real treat! 

Aaron had a good time. He was a good little traveler especially for an almost three year old. He enjoyed swimming in the pool, playing in the ocean, building sand castles and digging holes. On the last day, we took him to Gatorland. He really enjoying seeming all the alligators, crocodiles, snakes and birds. 

John spent 90% of the trip fishing. I am exaggerating, kind of... he did fish a lot! He caught a couple of Blue fish, a couple of Whiteys (which were very tasty!) and had a shark on the line! Even though he didn't land the shark, he was still excited to have hooked one. Also, he had no idea what he would have done if he had gotten the shark on land so maybe it was a good thing it got away!

Friday we had a lovely memorial service for Grandma Sarah. It was simple, just a small gathering of family to remember her and say goodbye. Although it was sad, it was also beautiful because it brought family together. We don't see these family members very often so in a way it was a blessing that Grandma Sarah brought us all together. It was really great to spend time with aunts and uncles and cousins, some of whom I haven't seen in over 25 years!

Although it wasn't the vacation we had planned, it was still a wonderful time together. None of us wanted the trip to end. We made a lot of memories and had a lot of fun!

A homecoming

This week we received news that my grandmother (my dad's mom) passed away. Given her health over the years it wasn't unexpected. It is the timing that really shocked us. Next week we will be in Florida. This trip has been planned for months and the main purpose of the trip was to see Grandma Sarah. She would have met her great-grandson for the first time.

However, God isn't surprised. It's tough to understand the timing, but I know that it's in God's hands. There is a reason for the timing, even if we don't understand. And there is hope. My grandmother had professed faith in Christ. I believe she is being welcomed into heaven. She is in the presence of God. It is with that knowledge that we praise God. We know that a day will come when we can see her again.

Grandma Sarah, we love you and we miss you! Selfishly we want you here with us, but we know you are at peace in the Lord's loving arms. We thank God for the hope and peace that His loves brings.

 

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?

 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

  If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,” 

 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  

 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 

  Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.  

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

    How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand —
    when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalms 139 7-18

Progress update

We are still at the beginning of our adoption journey. Currently, we are working to complete our home study. This involves gathering a lot of documents (birth certificates, tax returns, proof of insurance), getting physical exams, completing classes and meeting with a social worker. The home study is to prepare us for adoption and it's challenges, and to ensure that we are prepared to adopt a child.

Most of our documents are turned in. Our fingerprints have been taken (the first ones we'll need anyway) and our child abuse clearance. All three of us have had our physical exams. John and I attended our CORE adoption class and now we only need a few more hours of education. We have a social worker and have been meeting with her the last two weeks. Our last home study meeting should be this week! 

In case it wasn't clear from my last post, we have chosen a country! After much prayer and consideration we have decided on Uganda! We are very excited and would appreciate lots of prayer!

:)

Paint mines

I mentioned in the previous post that I went on a hike with my parents, aunts and cousin. We hiked at an area called the Paint Mines. The area is quite interesting, it is located just outside Calhan, Co. The Paint Mines are somewhat of a hidden gem amidst the short-grass prairie. 

There were some very interesting features, hoodoos, spires, chasms and other various formations. It is an interpretive hike, so there were a number of signs along the way with geological and historical  information about the area. The Paint Mines were used by Native Americans for pottery as well as ceremonial paint. It's easy to understand why, the colors were vivid and very beautiful.

 

Although the rock features are not as impressive as what I've seen in Utah, it is a really neat area. It is clearly a unique place. It doesn't quite seem to belong. Almost an alien world out on the prairie. I am glad that I was able to see it and would certainly recommend checking it out!