Good News!

No, we don't have a court date yet. BUT - rumor has it that our region is not closing for the month of August this year.

There's a chance we can get a court date in AUGUST! That's so much better than September.

I'm So Ready!

Can you tell?

AND. . . . . . BREATHE!

I have been continuously more anxious over the last few weeks. Sleep was becoming increasingly allusive. Not enough sleep at night would leave me tired during the day, but napping was even harder. Every time I laid down I had visions of Wilson. I have played out our court trip in my head a bazillion times. I have thought out all the details of bringing him home. I have dreamed up all the ways we could be met at the airport or at home. Or do we just want to come home quietly and relax as we bond as a family?

The longer we had to wait for our immigration approval, the worse these symptoms became.

Well, Saturday we FINALLY got our "golden ticket". It was so anti-climatic. We were under the impression we would have our approval by the end of May. So, every day that passed after that left us more sure we would miss out on a July court date. It was too much for me to take.

Today, we notarized all the remaining court documents and sent them off to the state capital for apostilles. They will then go to our agency up north and head out to Wilson's region Wednesday afternoon. Our agency and facilitators are doing everything they can to try to get us a July court date. We just have to wait and see.

BUT - the dossier is complete. My part is done. And I can breathe again.

As soon as we dropped the dossier at the FedEx I headed home with the kiddos and put them down for a nap. I was EXHAUSTED! And you know what? I slept!

Praise God! I can rest again. I've done everything I can do, now I just wait and see what God has planned.

Thank you Jesus that Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light.

(now I'll be singing that song all night long)

Giveaway Winners!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered our giveaway for Stanislav. I hope to have another giveaway before the end of the summer. I SO want to see him adopted. Will you pray with me for his family to find him?

I entered each entry into an Excel spreadsheet and used Random.org to choose the winners.

And the blessed winners are:

1. $100 home improvement gift card - Ginger

2. $100 sporting goods gift card - Max

3. $50 entertainment gift card - Nealy

4. $50 electronics gift card - Gretchen

5. $25 Five Guys gift card - Ginger

6. $25 Starbucks gift card - Nealy

I will be contacting all the winners to see from which store you want your gift card.

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!

All About Dad . . . . . . . . All For Stanislav

UPDATE: We have extended the giveaway until FRIDAY JUNE 17th. Please continue your efforts to get the word out about Stanislav.

I recently read that when you need something, that is the very thing you need to give away. So, when you need money, be generous. When you need love, be loving. When you need to boost your spirits, help someone else! What better way to make me feel better than to help gorgeous Stanislav.

Stanislav turns 5 in June. For him, that means a transfer to the institution is imminent. So, for the next two weeks we are going to try to raise money for Stanislav's adoption grant and raise awareness of his need for a family.

And did I mention it's all about Dad?

Father's Day is the third Sunday in June.

Wouldn't you like to give him something extra special for being such an extraordinary dad?

We're here to help you do just that.

We're going to give away gift cards sure to please any man.

First, we have a $100 gift card to Lowe's or Home Depot

Second, a $100 gift card to the sporting goods store of your choice.

(Cabella's, Academy, or Bass Pro Shops)

Third, a gift card to TicketMaster worth $50. That would help him go to any sort of event. Concerts, Sports, Movies - he can decide!

Fourth, a $50 gift card to Best Buy, Radio Shack or Frye's Electronics

Fifth, a $25 gift card to Five Guys Burgers and Fries

And lastly, a $25 gift card to Starbucks

If you win one of the gifts with a choice, you can choose your favorite or whichever is closest to you.

How to Enter:

Donate to Stanislav through the donation box at the top of my blog.

Every $10 donation to Stanislav will earn you one entry in the giveaway.

Every $20 donation will double your entries.

$10 = 1 entry

$20 = 4 entries

$30 = 5 entries

$40 = 8 entries

$50 = 9 entries

And so on.

Earn additional entries by:

• posting about this giveaway on your blog
• posting about this giveaway on Facebook
• Tweeting about this giveaway
• Becoming a follower of this blog (already a follower? Just say so.)

Leave a comment to let me know you did these things. I will use Random.org to pick the winners on Monday, June 13.

Now, let's have some fun, please our men, and raise some money for Stanislav's birthday!

I Love My GOD!

Adoption is a huge leap of faith. It is a road that is paved with faith-building, character-changing adventures. It is not easy.

One thing I've learned is adoption is a sure way to see the hand of God.

Truly.

From the very day that I first laid eyes on Wilson, I have seen God move. He moved in my heart. He moved in the heart of my husband. He moved in the hearts of family members. He moved doctors appointments. He moved paperwork. He moved money. He moved mountains.

He even moved in the hearts of total strangers.

I have been brought to tears by the generosity of God's people. I've seen God raise $20,000 in two days for other orphans. That doesn't surprise me. But somehow, I didn't think I would be one of the ones. I didn't ever think of how our Family Sponsorship grant would go up a little at a time over several months because God moved others to donate to Wilson's ransom. I had no doubt that He could do it. But when the proof is right in front of you, it's awe inspiring.

A total stranger, a blog friend of my sister's, decided the moment she heard of our adoption that she wanted to raise money for Wilson. She started selling off books from her substantial library to help us bring Wilson home. And today, after giving of her time and energy for several months, she donated $500 to our grant. I am so humbled.

I am also humbled by all the prayers going up on our behalf. I have been more than a little down. Yesterday, after questioning why I had no energy, no desire to get anything accomplished, I realized I was depressed. Very low.

But then, our home study update arrived in the mail. I rushed to FedEx to send it to USCIS. When I got back in the car, I broke down. I cried and told God how much I love Wilson. I begged him to give me the strength I need to bide my time until our court date. I asked him why it had to be so hard. I am completely at the mercy of the "system" even though in my heart I have a child on the other side of the world who needs me. I would do ANYTHING to save him.

Guess what? God reminded me of the lost lamb. The shepherd will leave the flock to rescue the ONE that is missing. That's the journey we're on. We are on a mission to rescue ONE of God's little lambs.

Oh and this morning I woke up in PEACE. I knew it was the peace of God. I knew it was an answer to prayer. And I know that you have been praying for me. Thank you. I am so blessed!