We are in the waiting game again. Our court dossier was submitted last Tuesday, and we should be hearing from our judge (wow!) any day now about whether he/she needs more paperwork, whether they're ready to give us a court date, or both. My prayer is that if they do need more paperwork, it will be something we can take with us to court instead of having to delay while we get the paperwork, get it notarized, get it apostilled, and then ship it to Russia, have it translated and notarized there, and then submit it. It would be so much easier to get it ready and hand deliver it, plus that would mean we would get our court date sooner and not have to delay any longer. It has been 3.5 months since we've seen Ella, and that is a looong time for a 2-year-old. Baby girl probably doesn't even remember who we are, but rest assured, I will remind her!
On to other matters. There are two families weighing heavily on my heart, and so I am going to shamelessly beg for money right about... now.
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The first is the Bailey family.
They already have a son, Tyler, with special needs, so they know they can parent another special needs child.
They would love to bring this little boy, Khariton, home as their son from Eastern Europe, and the only thing standing in their way is money. This little boy has had to face surgery and months in a hospital... all without a mom or dad by his side to hold his hand. What's worse is that if the Baileys cannot make their first trip before this summer, he will be transferred to an adult mental institution even though the only thing wrong with Khariton is that his legs don't work.
You may ask how someone who cannot afford to adopt a child in the first place can afford to pay for that child when they are home. But be honest. How many of you who are currently paying to raise up children in your home have $35,000 just hanging out in your bank account? Most people don't, but that doesn't mean they can't afford to feed and clothe another child. Please don't let money stand in the way of this sweet boy finding a home.
I am offering a giveaway for anyone who contributes $1 to the Bailey chip-in on their blog. For every $1 donated, you will have one entry to win one of my handmade custom crib quilts that I sell in my Etsy shop for $125.
The backing is cream minky, and it is soooo soft!
You pick the colors. It can look exactly like the one in my listing, or you can pick more boyish colors (the nesting doll fabric comes in other colorways), or maybe you have some fabric already sitting around your house that you've been dying to have made into a fabulous quilt. If you're the winner, you can choose. :-)
Priscilla Morse is also giving away one of her adorable handmade bow holders with your choice of 10 bows to help the Baileys!
With your $1, you will be entered into both of these giveaways. You can also enter the giveaway for FREE by sharing this post on facebook or twitter. Post a comment on this post telling me you contributed or shared (preferrably both ;-)), and on April 5, we'll pick a winner! Priscilla and I will combine our blog comments before picking the winners. Also feel free to comment that you wish to be entered if you donated to the Baileys when I made my birthday plea late last week. :-)
Here is the where you can donate to the Baileys to help them fund their home study and get the ball rolling.
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The other family on my heart is the Greesons. You may have heard me mention a family that was at first denied the adoption of their little girl with down's syndrome and had to spend an extra week in Eastern Europe trying to get the extra paperwork the judge requested.
The great news is, their adoption was granted! Little Mila is officially a Greeson!
The not so great news is ... their adoption will cost an extra $10,000 due to the extra time in-country, having to change their plane tickets at the last minute, and the new adoption requirement (as of January 1) that adoptive families need to make 3 trips instead of 2 (unless they can spend a full month in-country). So instead of being fully funded as they thought, they are now $10,000 short and need to leave in 16 days to pick up Mila from the orphanage. That's right. 16 DAYS, and they don't have money for plane tickets! Here is where you can donate.
I really hate pestering people for money, but these two families are in desperate need, so I feel compelled that I must try to help them. All I ask is that you pray about it and act as God leads you.
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And finally, I want to say how excited I am that Caleb Lococo and his dad are coming to stay with us this weekend! Caleb blogs at speaking4thesilent advocating/praying for orphans and fundraising for families to bring them home. He will be presenting a video at our church's 24-hour prayer vigil about orphan care, and I am sooo excited for our church, and especially our teens, to meet him and see that you are never too young to impact the kingdom. Can't wait to meet you, Caleb!
On to other matters. There are two families weighing heavily on my heart, and so I am going to shamelessly beg for money right about... now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first is the Bailey family.
They already have a son, Tyler, with special needs, so they know they can parent another special needs child.
They would love to bring this little boy, Khariton, home as their son from Eastern Europe, and the only thing standing in their way is money. This little boy has had to face surgery and months in a hospital... all without a mom or dad by his side to hold his hand. What's worse is that if the Baileys cannot make their first trip before this summer, he will be transferred to an adult mental institution even though the only thing wrong with Khariton is that his legs don't work.
You may ask how someone who cannot afford to adopt a child in the first place can afford to pay for that child when they are home. But be honest. How many of you who are currently paying to raise up children in your home have $35,000 just hanging out in your bank account? Most people don't, but that doesn't mean they can't afford to feed and clothe another child. Please don't let money stand in the way of this sweet boy finding a home.
I am offering a giveaway for anyone who contributes $1 to the Bailey chip-in on their blog. For every $1 donated, you will have one entry to win one of my handmade custom crib quilts that I sell in my Etsy shop for $125.
This would also be great as a lap quilt or wheelchair quilt if you don't have any babies in the house right now.
You pick the colors. It can look exactly like the one in my listing, or you can pick more boyish colors (the nesting doll fabric comes in other colorways), or maybe you have some fabric already sitting around your house that you've been dying to have made into a fabulous quilt. If you're the winner, you can choose. :-)
Priscilla Morse is also giving away one of her adorable handmade bow holders with your choice of 10 bows to help the Baileys!
With your $1, you will be entered into both of these giveaways. You can also enter the giveaway for FREE by sharing this post on facebook or twitter. Post a comment on this post telling me you contributed or shared (preferrably both ;-)), and on April 5, we'll pick a winner! Priscilla and I will combine our blog comments before picking the winners. Also feel free to comment that you wish to be entered if you donated to the Baileys when I made my birthday plea late last week. :-)
Here is the where you can donate to the Baileys to help them fund their home study and get the ball rolling.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The other family on my heart is the Greesons. You may have heard me mention a family that was at first denied the adoption of their little girl with down's syndrome and had to spend an extra week in Eastern Europe trying to get the extra paperwork the judge requested.
The great news is, their adoption was granted! Little Mila is officially a Greeson!
The not so great news is ... their adoption will cost an extra $10,000 due to the extra time in-country, having to change their plane tickets at the last minute, and the new adoption requirement (as of January 1) that adoptive families need to make 3 trips instead of 2 (unless they can spend a full month in-country). So instead of being fully funded as they thought, they are now $10,000 short and need to leave in 16 days to pick up Mila from the orphanage. That's right. 16 DAYS, and they don't have money for plane tickets! Here is where you can donate.
I really hate pestering people for money, but these two families are in desperate need, so I feel compelled that I must try to help them. All I ask is that you pray about it and act as God leads you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally, I want to say how excited I am that Caleb Lococo and his dad are coming to stay with us this weekend! Caleb blogs at speaking4thesilent advocating/praying for orphans and fundraising for families to bring them home. He will be presenting a video at our church's 24-hour prayer vigil about orphan care, and I am sooo excited for our church, and especially our teens, to meet him and see that you are never too young to impact the kingdom. Can't wait to meet you, Caleb!
How fun that you are going to meet the Lococos this weekend! We were in Ukraine with Tom and Patty.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful for an update!!! Your family has been on my heart so much and I'll add these other families to my prayers as well! My girls are still praying for your Ella!
ReplyDeleteMarj,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for inviting Caleb to speak at your church and for hosting Tom and Caleb. This is a dream come true for Caleb. I hope you hear good news about your court date for Ella soon.
Patty Lococo
Patty,
DeleteThank you for loaning us your sweet men! They truly are a blessing to everyone they come in contact with. Our kids looove Caleb. He's pretty much been a human jungle gym over here. And the vigil is going well, praying God uses this to open eyes and hearts. We'd love to have all 8 of you visit some time. :-)