We recently shared the awesome news of our approval for the matching grant through Promise 686, and just a few days after that we received the approval for a Both Hands Project through Lifesong! Honestly funding two adoptions has been a challenge at times, so we’re excited about this unique and refreshing fundraising opportunity. Let me explain…

If you can use a tool, clean a window, paint a wall, stuff envelopes, make phone calls, arrange food, or simply pray… then we need you! With your help, we have a chance, not only to raise the funds necessary to bring our son home, but to also serve a widow, just like it talks about in James 1:27. Here’s how it works:

Jonathan and I find a widow in our community who is in need and then assemble a team of our friends and family to complete a Both Hands Project. Then the team (including us) would send out letters to family and friends asking people to sponsor us for the day as we work on this widow’s house. All the funds raised go toward our adoption. It’s just like asking someone to sponsor you for a 5K Run for the Cure.

This idea has been done over 230 times around the country already! Below is a link to a video that might help give you a good idea of what the Both Hands Project is all about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98PD-O97N3I

Here is my request. Would you please consider being on our team? You may be jumping up and down like I was and saying “pick me, pick me” or you might have several questions. Please ask and we will do our best to answer! If we don’t have the answers, we will find out! We were fortunate enough to participate in a Both Hands Project last year for a family bringing home a sibling group (3 girls…so fun!) from Ethiopia, and we had a blast! We just fell in love with the heart behind Both Hands, and so we’re super excited to be doing it again!!! The date of the project hasn’t been finalized yet. We are still working out some of the details, but will continue to share updates here soon. Thank you for even considering!

We recently received news from our agency that our adoption has hit a delay as our case is now requiring further investigation. We are praying for a quick resolution, but we honestly have no idea how long it will take to resolve. We are also praying that the upcoming weeks reveal more information (we have very little right now). To say we are disappointed is an understatement. As most of you know, we thought we’d be boarding a plane very soon and we were literally walking around on cloud nine as we started preparing to become a family of three. Now it appears we’re up against more WAITING. So now we’re trying to refocus and prepare for the next steps in our adoption process – whatever that may be. We’re dying to our plans once again and trusting in God’s plan for our family. I know God is still at work (even if that means some suffering on our part) and only He knows where this is all headed. During our adoption journey, Matt Redman’s “Never Once” has been one of the songs that has always filled me hope and testified to all God has done and is going to do to bring our children home. I’ve shed many, many tears over this song, and even now with our future containing a few unknowns, I’m singing louder than ever…

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

I know that what Satan has clearly intended for evil here, God will use for good. A friend reminded me this week that anytime we do something so close to God’s heart, Satan throws everything he’s got at it. I think it’s safe to say our God is going to be the victorious one in this situation! Would you please join us in praying boldly for a quick resolution? Would you pray that our doubts, fears and anxiety would be replaced with a peace that surpasses all understanding? We know the emotions we’ve been feeling are not of God, and I pray they are removed from our hearts and minds as we learn to TRUST in Him more. Just every time our little family comes to mind. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It is an honor to have you all praying on our behalf.

For the good news…

We received the approval for a Promise 686 grant! We applied and went through an interview process a few weeks ago and have been waiting to hear back. They are going to match every donated dollar up to $4,000! That could potentially cover our first trip to Ethiopia! Such a HUGE blessing! I have to admit that at first I sort of cursed the timing of our approval, but the approval came in God’s timing so there is NO mistake in that. We believe our children are in Ethiopia. We feel like this approval is God’s way of giving us hope and telling us to continue with fundraising, so that we’ll be ready to take the next steps in our adoptions when the time comes. We want nothing more than to be on Ethiopian soil with T in our arms! We were watching some of his videos again a few nights ago and as my heart melted over this little boy for the thousandth time, I turned to Jonathan with the first real smile in a week and said, “He IS our son!” and we’re going to keep on believing in that!

2/12 – Home study officially approved. Dossier instructions were emailed to us and the paper chase began!

2/28 – Dossier done in record time! Scanned all the documents to the program director to review. She quickly let us know we were good to go – no changes! At this point we just needed our form from USCIS to arrive – the final document before mailing our dossier to DC for authentication.

3/6 – Had our referral call to go over all the legal documents. Signed, notarized and mailed them off to make the referral of “T” OFFICIAL!

3/8 – Form from USCIS came in the mail! No longer need to stalk the mailman everyday! Yay!

3/11 – Drove to FOUR counties prior to making the trek to ATL in order to have all dossier documents county and state certified. That was an interesting experience for sure. Couldn’t have done it without my momma joining me for the adventure!

3/13 – Mailed dossier to DC for authentication

3/21 – Got the call that authentication was done and dossier was being mailed to our agency

3/22 – Got email from our agency that she had received and everything was ready to head to ET! Praise God!

Next steps:

Dossier gets to ET and is translated. This takes a few weeks, and then we are submitted for court. Praying we are making our way to Ethiopia very soon!

The past week or so I’ve started to put together T’s room. Mostly to keep myself sane in this new kind of waiting, and because I don’t want to rush it all together last minute! So far I have the bedroom furniture painted and set up in his room.

I’ve also made a wish list of items from Etsy that I would LOVE to see hanging on his walls! My mom added wheels and rope handles to this cart for his books and toys. Precious!

I’m anxious to see the final product, but I’m taking my time and making it extra special for our little guy! It’s weird, but I feel so close to him while I’m working on his room and preparing our home for him. With all the excitement over T, I haven’t talked much about where we are with #2. We are #100 for a baby girl 0-12 months. Still a LONG wait ahead. Praying for a rush of referrals and that we hit double digits this month!!!

Here are just a few things that have happened since our last update:

Home study update approved
Mailed our request for an updated FDL to USCIS
Mailed off two grant applications – praying they will help fund some of the travel fees
Took our family to Desta, our favorite Ethiopian restaurant, for my birthday. Everyone loved the food and enjoyed the experience. Mommy cried the moment she walked in because all the Ethiopian people reminded her of YOU! Mommy has actually found herself crying (mostly) happy tears a lot lately, which is very unusual for her. I guess that’s just one of the many side effects of having a piece of your heart in Ethiopia.

Began the paper chase – requested documents and letters, medical exams, background clearances, lots of signatures and notaries and copy making.  So much fun…
We ordered your bedding and bought the paint that will be used for the furniture in your room. Mommy has been nesting – cleaning out closets and rooms and preparing more space for you!
Made photo books as part of the dossier – it’s exciting that one will be given to you and will be your first glimpse into your new home and forever family!
We received an updated development report for this month. You are healthy and happy! You have no idea how comforting that is for us to hear. The description of your personality has changed from shy and serious to sociable and happy and recent pictures show that to be true! We are SO thankful to know you are being loved on and cared for. We do not take that for granted!

And so much more. We’ve been busy, but it’s all so worth it! Every single day of this journey is worth it because they are all a part of our journey to you, little one. We love you so, so much! We hope in some way you can feel our love all the way from your little corner in Ethiopia.

See you soon – but never soon enough!!!

Mommy

Our home visit went so well. I remember last year being so nervous anytime we had a homestudy visit coming up, but no nerves this time. Our social worker is awesome, and we feel very comfortable with her. We’re so thankful she is supportive of our recent changes and plans of bringing home a sweet Ethiopian cutie this year!

Next steps will be waiting on our homestudy to be updated and then we can begin working on our dossier aka compiling our paperwork. This all will take a few months to complete. Each step requires another payment of some sort, so we’ll be working on fundraising as well!

We have a few fundraising projects in the works, but if you missed it before – we are selling adoption t-shirts again in the meantime. I really love the new design! They are $25 each, and we recommend ordering a size up for the ladies v-necks. We’re running the pre-sale through January, so please place your order by month end if interested.

We received some pretty amazingly sweet gifts this week. Thought I’d share here!

Coloring book for T-Man. I think it’s so perfect for the plane ride home.

Thank you Brynn + Jeremy!

A glorious haus canvas about adoption. Can’t wait to find the perfect place to hang this beauty!

Thank you Nick + Mallory!

Blessings,

Brittney

]]> http://ourmissingpeace.com/making-progress/feed/ 0 http://ourmissingpeace.com/it-takes-a-village-tshirt-fundraiser-part-two/ http://ourmissingpeace.com/it-takes-a-village-tshirt-fundraiser-part-two/#comments Tue, 08 Jan 2013 01:21:32 +0000 BrittneyMaloney http://ourmissingpeace.com/?p=726 Let’s play catch up:

At the end of October, we fell in love with a 3 year old cutie in Ethiopia! We’re calling him “T” until we can officially share his name online.

So, YES, for those of you who may have missed it…we’re in the process of adopting not one, but TWO kiddos from Ethiopia! Eeeek!

#2 will come a year after T is home and will be younger than T to maintain birth order. Because the two adoptions are through different agencies, we have to start from scratch with T’s adoption in regards to paperwork and adoption fees. Of course I start feeling overwhelmed when I begin to imagine how in the world it’s all going to come together, but at the end of the day I know it will. I know this because it’s not about what Jonathan or I can do. It’s about what God can do and our God can move mountains!

My Jesus Calling devotional said this yesterday and I thought the timing was spot on…

“Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are unanswered. Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark. The more extreme your circumstances, the more likely you are to see My Power and Glory at work in the situation. Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious intervention.”

WOW. I hear you, Jesus. Loud and clear!

So the first fundraiser of 2013 is starting now…another adoption t-shirt!

We still have several people expressing interest in purchasing a Do for One t-shirt, so originally I thought we’d just place another order BUT since T’s daddy happens to be a graphic designer, I thought why not mix it up and use a completely new design? And of course, Jonathan agreed and was more than happy to entertain the idea!

(You can click the image to view closer)

The meaning behind the new design came to me pretty quickly. When I think about the adoption process, I think about people (a village) coming together out of love for a common purpose. It may be possible for some families to go it alone, but for us personally that just wasn’t an option. Instead we decided we would share our hearts and our story with anyone willing to listen and out of that became our village – our group of supporters that have loved us so well during the first year of our adoption process. We have honestly never felt so much love! Our village also consists of agency staff, both in the US and Ethiopia, working alongside us to move our adoption towards completion. It even consists of an incredible adoption community that we truly cherish. Our village refers to all the hands that have touched our adoption story in some way! It extends far beyond Jonathan or myself, and I feel like many adoptive families would agree that adoption truly does take a village…even long after your kiddos are FINALLY home! The verse on the shirt is from Isaiah 1:17. I love that verse because it speaks to our hearts and to a lot of what inspires us, breaks us and has changed us over the last few years.

Well there you have it!

Each shirt is $25 and for the ladies v-neck, I would encourage you to order a size up! They are very form fitting. This is a pre-sale, so the order will be placed in a few weeks.  Please message me on Facebook or email me at brittney.maloney@gmail.com to place an order. If you see us regularly, feel free to pay with cash or check. Otherwise paypal via the link on our blog works too! A t-shirt will not be ordered until payment is received just to keep things easy on my scattered little brain.

If you don’t need another shirt, we completely understand. Sharing would be helpful too! Thanks in advance!!!

One of my favorite verses because it truly speaks to the wait that comes with adoption and gives hope for the days when our kiddos are home. Those days WILL surely take place. Sometime in the future, right on schedule and not a moment late. Until then, we’ll continue to be patient, experience growth and be stretched in ways we never imagined. My prayer for 2013 is that we see many our visions and plans fulfilled. We were abundantly blessed in 2012, and we’re so excited to see where our adoption journey takes us in 2013…Lord willing, it will lead us to the journey of parenthood!!!

Some of my favorite memories from our adoption journey in 2012:

sharing with friends and family our plans to adopt from Ethiopia

being welcomed into AGCI’s Ethiopia program

completing our paper chase!

being added to the wait list in June

experiencing huge movement on the waitlist in August

our niece and nephew donating their hard earned dollars to our adoption fund

the many friends, family, church family and even strangers who stepped out to support us in 2012- we’ve never felt so loved!

having the opportunity to share and educate so many people on adoption and orphan care

attending adoption conferences and meeting many new friends in the adoption community

receiving a life changing donation in August

seeing T’s face for the first time and hearing that we were the family chosen to move forward with him!

receiving lots of pictures of our boy and discovering little tid bits of his personality and story

sharing T’s video with family over Christmas, as well as the joy and excitement of “expecting” with family during the holidays

daydreaming with Jonathan about what life will look like once our kiddos are home

…and so many more moments that I’ll cherish forever. The first year of our adoption journey had its share of ups and down, but I’m so thankful for every moment and every day because they make our story our very own.

Thank you for loving us so well in 2012!! Many blessings to you in 2013!

It’s been nearly two months since we saw your face for the first time. One glance at your sweet face and you had our hearts forever. There was never a moment of hesitation from us. We look at your pictures and talk often about how you just fit – it’s very evident that you’re our son. We knew when we started the journey of adoption that God had a special child in mind for our family and we’re so overjoyed and honored that God chose us to be your mommy and daddy! We already love you so much!

We’ve been blessed with several pictures of you that span over the last 8 months. It’s been bittersweet to watch you grow. It makes me heart ache to know that I’m missing out on so many precious months, but I’m also thankful that I get to witness this time at all. You change so much each month – growing taller and becoming even more handsome than the month before. Everyone comments on your big, beautiful eyes! Mommy spends a lot of her time memorizing and falling even more in love with your little features every day.

Recently our agency staff visited you and delivered a package from us. We sent you two outfits, a stuffed monkey, a coloring book and a cool blue truck that lights up and makes noises. We were told the truck was a big hit with you. This week we received a video in the mail of you receiving your goodies and mommy’s heart about burst at the first crack of a smile from you! You’re a very serious boy, but tickling you makes you giggle and you love to wave! We have many pictures of you waving at the camera. Some of those are your daddy’s very favorite! We love that you’re a happy boy. You have many friends – one little boy your age that I can tell you love because you’re never very far from him in pictures. Mommy prays for your little friends often. It makes my heart full to know you’re experiencing so much love and receiving excellent care while you’re waiting on us. I can’t wait to hug your caregivers’ necks and personally thank them for loving you so well. We’ve also been told that you’re all boy and love sports – especially soccer! Your grandmommy bought a soccer ball ornament for her Christmas tree this year just for you….and you may have a truck or two waiting on you for when you’re finally home! It brings me much joy to know you’re so dearly loved by family and friends.  Many are aching alongside us and highly anticipating the day when we’re all at the airport welcoming you home!

We feel your absence more than ever this Christmas.  I sat by the Christmas tree this morning and envisioned having you in the chair with me this time next year…all snuggled up, sipping on some hot chocolate and reading the Christmas story with you for the first time. I can’t wait to share new traditions with you next year – advent calendars, opening a new pair of pjs on Christmas Eve, driving around town to see all the Christmas lights and so much more!

We’re coming sweet boy ….just as fast as we can! We’re praying that mountains are moved in January. God is paving a way for us to be on that airplane soon. He’s bigger than any obstacle that stands between now and then!

We love you to the moon and back!

Mommy & Daddy

A friend and co-worker has offered to have a Thirty-One party for us with all the commission going towards our adoption fund, which we’re super excited about because raising the money for T’s adoption is just one of the many mountains standing in the way of bringing our boy home. With Christmas right around the corner, we thought this mini fundraiser would be perfect.

You can shop the online catalog by clicking here to see if there are any Christmas gifts you might want to purchase for a good cause! All orders will need to be placed by December 10^th in order to receive in time for Christmas. Be sure to check out the “monthly special” tab to ensure you don’t miss out on any great deals! New specials start tomorrow.

For any questions regarding your order, you can contact Stephanie directly at stephanie.standridge@yahoo.com. Please make sure to use the  link above when shopping to ensure we get credit for your purchase.

Every penny matters! Thank you so much!! We looooove you!

p.s. Our program director is traveling to Ethiopia to visit with the staff there and will be seeing T so she let us send him a package to take with her. We couldn’t send much, but it meant the world to us to have this opportunity. She leaves on the 30th and promised more pictures upon her return! Eeeeek!!!! Can’t wait!

****Here is the link to copy and paste into your browser – a few people were having issues.

http://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E2593693&from=DIRECTLINK