moving mountains

This is what I keep telling myself, God will move those mountains to help us travel as soon as we can.  I know God will provide, but my human nature takes over and I worry and I feel He has left us. 

My name is Heather, and I am a stupid human.

This month is my birthday month, and guess what, you get free stuff from stores you have member cards to...very cool.  I made my trek to the mall, which I never go to unless I have to (last time I was at the mall.....2 months ago).  So, here I am making it back to the card, the girls dropped there cards off at Macy's and I get this call.  A call from an unknown number, so I almost did not answer.  They asked if they could speak to me, I said that was fine..as long as they did not mind me trying to coral my kids into the car because we were on our way to church. He was fine with that :)  So, he proceeds to tell me who he was and why the call.  He said he was from Christian Orphan Fund and that he was blessed to tell me we where granted the last grant of the year.  Then he told me the amount....I started to cry in Macy's.  My daughter kept asking me what was wrong.

I am beyond humbled by this entire adoption process.  I have had people who I thought would stand behind us, leave us in the dust or ignore us.  People who are in the middle of their own adoption, who I know do not have the funds to help us, have helped in so many ways (and I dont mean just financially...I mean sharing our fundraiser on facebook and blogs..sharing our story with anyone they could...and donating items in our auctions). Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to help. 

Please, PLEASE put this on your list of giving each month....

Christian Orphan Fund http://www.christianorphanfund.org  

This is a new grant organization, the only way they can continue is by other donating.  

I know their web site is not all fancy, but they are legitimate.

Final Auction

We have our final auction before we leave.  The funds raised are going to purchase a plane ticket.  There are tons of things to pick from.....something for boys and girls.....young and old.  You seriously need to go check it out, and bid on a few things.  Get some Christmas gifts. 

Here are a few of the items in the auction.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT ALL SOME GREAT ITEMS AND START THE BIDING FUN!!

Puzzle Fundraiser

 We are getting so close to travel, it is giving me butterflies in my tummy.  I am so ready to go and get our girl. On Monday our Article 5 will be picked up.  What this means, we are 4 weeks from travel....4 weeks....seriously, crazy.

Want to give an update to everyone who has supported us in so many ways.  We only need $12,564 more to be fully funded.  When you think of the big picture, this is nothing.  This is needed for us to travel. We were blessed this past week to receive a matching grant that help lower this amount.  

I would like to remind everyone that we have a puzzle fundraiser currently going on.  With each piece we put your name on the back of the piece.  This picture will hang in our door way, a picture that will remind us of our journey to our daughter.  Please take the time to share this post and help us reach this goal.  Once we have sold all the pieces, we will have enough to pay for one plane ticket.  Help us get names on the back of every piece.

75 piece remain

_______________________________________

Be piece in our adoption journey and help bring Johanna home.

For every $20 donated, 

we will write your name on the back of one puzzle piece.  

This picture will hang in our entry way to show testament that while we can only see one piece at a time, God is always in control.

DONATE to our tax-deductible AdoptTogether fund:

https://www.adopttogether.org/dismuke

____________________________________

Share Our Story

On Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RedbeartoRedthread

Update

We received our FINAL update before we travel.  I love saying that....FINAL update....FINAL.  Seriously, never thought this would come.  We should have the next step completed by next Monday and should have our visas this week. I am still trying to grasp this....we will have our daughter home with in the next month.....the next month!  Here is one of the picture we received, she is going to fit in well with this family.

Gifts of Purpose‏

Gifts of Purpose Catalog

The Christmas season is just around the corner! As you make and exchange Christmas lists, we invite you to rethink Christmas.

To give a gift that doesn't fit under the Christmas tree.

To give a gift that gives joy & purpose to a vulnerable child.

With Lifesong's 2013 Gifts of Purpose Catalog, you can do just that! The catalog is full of a variety of creative gifts that can match any calling or price range. Gifts that impact ONE child. A child like... 

Andrei, an orphan graduate who is developing agriculture and business skills through Lifesong Farms-Ukraine (Give Employment) or

 

Isaac, who was brought home from Uganda into a permanent, loving family (Give Forever Families).

This year, join Lifesong for Orphans in giving a Gift of Purpose. Until December 31st, your gift will be MATCHED up to $300,000! A gift that will show Jesus, the reason of the season, to a child in need.

To give a Gift of Purpose, please visit www.lifesongfororphans.org/gifts.

What are you going to do now?

We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes…” 

– David Platt, “Radical”

This is a powerful statement.  I believe this is how we should look at many aspect of what God has asked us to do.  One is not born knowing the right thing to do. God does not expect us to make the right choices if we do not know what that is.  However, we are held accountable for our actions once the truth has been shared. This is how I see orphan care, if you dont know they are there (out of sight, out of mind) then it is easy to ignore; but once you have seen the face of an orphan, things change. If you choose to ignore orphan care once you know there is a need, then you choose to not do what God has asked you to do.  

I have said before, and I will say it again...not everyone is called to adopt.  God did not tell everyone to adopt, He only asked us to take care of orphans. How you choose to take care of them is your choice.  You can adopt, if that is what you feel God is telling you to do.  You can financially help a family adopt. You can donate to the many adoption grants out there (like ShowHope and Lifesong). You can choose to open your home to foster care or maybe even host a child from another country just so they have a chance to found by their family.  There are so MANY options. 

So, what option are you going to choose?

Foster Care

Ways you can help with orphan care here in Kentucky.


Please contact your local cabinet to see what you can do. If foster care is not something you could do, donating time for respite care and other items could be a way to help those who do.

Orphan Care

This is the month of orphan care.  Many celebrate adoption but I look at the bigger picture.  I see orphan care. This could be adoption, foster care, orphan care, (un)adopt, every aspect of working with orphans here in America and all over the world.  What is the church doing to follow James 1:27 (Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.)  He did not say, only take care of the widows in your community.  He has told us to take care of widows AND orphans.  This does not mean only help those in your community..it does not say only help those far away.  It means, step out of your comfort zone and help.  God does not want us to sit back and hope that one day an orphan will come to us and ask for help, He wants us to GO and DO.  He wants us to help by donating our time/money/items.  I truly believe that God did not intend ALL Christians to adopt.  Adoption is a hard journey and many just are not able to make that journey.  But EVERY Christian can help.  

I am tired of churches only helping those they feel 'worthy' to receive the help.  I am tired of hearing churches say, if we help you, we would have to help everyone.  Or my favorite, we cant help you as an individual, because we would have to help other individuals.  Which then makes me go...so, if a family needed clothing or food, would you not provide that one family what they needed?  Why is helping a family adopt a child such a hard concept?  Why is helping fix a house up for a widow expectable but helping a family fix up their home to bring home a child through adoption not? Why is it expectable to take a 'love' offering for a missionary going to a far off country but it is not ok to do the same for a family bringing a child from that same country? I just dont understand the reasoning behind how churches think.  Why is it a bad idea to do what God has asked us to do?  

This Sunday is Orphan Sunday.  I realize there will be many churches who do nothing. They will approach this Sunday like any other..they will continue with whatever series they are in the middle of. Many churches have a problem with being 'in your face' about some issues.  Many 'skirt' around them to avoid conflict.  So, challenge your church to do something..challenge them to do what God has asked ALL Christians to do...challenge them to step out of the comfort zone and live life to the extreme. 

In the middle of those updates on our adoption, I am going to post different ways to do orphan care this month. If this helps one orphan, then they will all be worth it.