Chosen & Loved

Don't give another Christmas sweater!

Don't give another Christmas sweater to those you love this year...

Instead, consider giving an adoption t-shirt. We are planning to place another order within the next couple days so if you'd like to help (and check off another name from your Christmas list)...visit the t-shirt page. If we place the order now, shirts will be ready in time to ship before Christmas. 

We also want to say a quick word of thanks to all those who participated in the recent Scentsy fundraiser. Many of you are friends, and many are strangers, but all of you are dear to our hearts. We look forward to providing a final tally of the support we received, so stay tuned... :)

Praise the Lord for His goodness to us, for "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17

1 MORE DAY—Scentsy Fundraiser!!!

There's only 1 more day left to support our adoption through a special Scentsy fundraiser. 

Our most recent adoption fundraiser lasts through 11:00 pm on Thanksgiving, November 28th. Please visit the Scentsy Independent Consultant Shop of Laura Godwin to celebrate November as National Adoption Month and to help support us in our journey to adopt our first baby. 

Laura contacted us through Facebook a little over a month ago. We have never met Laura, but a friend of ours from out of state mentioned to her that we were in the process of raising funds for our adoption. Laura had decided to use her resources as a Scentsy Independent Consultant to bless families in the process of adopting by donating all of the proceeds of a particular sale held on their behalf. Out of the kindness of her heart, she pursued us and offered us this opportunity. We praise the Lord for opening this incredibly unexpected door! And we thank Laura for being such a sweet, generous spirit.

If you'd like to keep track up last minute updates to the sale, you can follow the event on Facebook. You can also read more about the sale on Laura's blog or on her Scentsy website.  

Again, you have until Thursday evening to place an order. Get the word out by sharing the event! Why wait until Black Friday to get some fantastic Christmas presents :)

Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalms 106:1

Thanks be to God!

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—Ephesians 5:20

It's been a while since we've posted to our blog, but it's not due to a lack of God's blessings on us as we continue on in our adoption journey. 

Since last time, we were thrilled to have the support of our sweet friend Charity who held a Premier Jewelry fundraiser party on our behalf. Through her generosity, and the kindness of many ladies who participated, we received a gift of $550. We praise the Lord for such wonderful friends and unexpected blessings!

We are also thrilled to report that since our last post we have completed our profile book! This is used by our adoption agency to show our information and photos to prospective birthparents. It was much more difficult for us to put together than we had anticipated. The biggest obstacle was finding pictures that were descriptive of our interests and lifestyle...in just the right way. We have to admit that even though it was not easy to sort through so many pictures, it was encouraging to look back and see all that God has done in our married lives. It blessed out hearts to be reminded of all the incredible times we've shared with our wonderful friends and families. God has been so good to us! We thank God for the reminder of His goodness, and for allowing us to finish another step towards our adoption!

We were able to place another t-shirt order in the first week of November. Our goal was to get another 25 shirts in order to keep the cost down. Once again, God blessed above what we were expecting and we ended up with an order of 50 shirts!!! We plan to place another order next month, so if you'd like to get any shirts as Christmas gifts, there's still time. We thank the Lord for continuing to use a simple little t-shirt idea to provide for our needs!

Speaking of provision, we are amazed to be able to report that we are now more than half way to our financial goal. We currently have over $12,000 towards our adoption!!! To God be the glory!

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.—Psalm 34:8. 

God sure is good. Thanks be to Him!!!

Premier Fundraiser Through Friday!!!

Last Thursday's Premier Designs Jewelry fundraiser, held locally, was a success. We were blessed by the thoughtfulness and support of all the ladies who attended. We are incredibly thankful to our friend, Charity who generously donated her time and sales to help us with our adoption.

There's still time...

For anyone who wasn't able to attend, either because you were busy or because you don't live close enough, there is great news! Our friend has agreed to keep the party open until Friday, October 18th. All you need to do is visit charitydunn.mypremierdesigns.com to access the catalog (enter code "love") and browse through all of the beautiful jewelry. Write down what you'd like and email us with your order (you can't order online). And in case you've been too busy to consider it, Christmas is coming up very soon :)

Don't forget the SPECIALS!!! 

• There are seven remaining HALF PRICE SPECIALS where you can order one full price item and receive another at half price (while supplies last). 
• If you spend $75 you can purchase another item for ONLY $10 (worth up to $50).  

If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you again for all of your support. We will let everyone know how much was raised through this event soon. 

Approved...and "Officially" Waiting!!!

Praise the Lord! Our home study has been approved and we are now officially a "waiting family". That means that we are now ready to put together our profile book (basically a Shutterfly book with photos and information about us) and our online profile. This will be used to introduce us to expectant parents for consideration. When we were first presented with the idea of a profile, it was a little discomforting as we thought about showing personal photos of us to complete strangers. We also felt a little pressured by the concern that we may not show the "right" pictures, or that we may not "sell" ourselves well. But we were reminded that God, who created the universe (and who was able to bring the two of us together from opposite ends of the country), is in control and can certainly orchestrate in this situation to unite us with the baby He wants us to love. Please continue to pray with us for patience and faith as we wait upon Him.

Premier Design Jewelry Fundraiser

Something else VERY EXCITING is coming up that we are thrilled to tell you about!!! In a couple weeks, a wonderful friend of ours is very graciously hosting a Premier Jewelry party in which proceeds will be donated to our adoption. We are so thankful! We would love it if you would be interested in participating. You can browse the catalog at charitydunn.mypremierdesigns.com and then email the host at the email address listed on her home page. There is even a special going on where you can get one item up for $10 that is worth up to $50, if you spend $75. If you'd like more information, feel free to visit the Facebook event page. The show will take place on October 10th, so start shopping! And hey, remember Christmas is right around the corner :)

Thank you again for all your support through prayer and through your donations!!! And thank you for taking time to read our little blog.

Update TWO...

The last order of shirts have been shipped! Those of you who purchased a shirt should get it sometime this week.

Just for fun, we would love to have a picture of you in your shirts so that we could post them and let everyone see who is supporting us. If you're interested, please email us your pictures when you can.

Also, since Amanda loves Skittles, and some of you (again, you know who you are) were still not happy with the choices of shirts available, we have included yet a few more options. You can see them above and you can go to the T-Shirt page to place an order. We are trying to get orders together to place by October 1st, so let everyone know.

Thanks again!

Update...(and a little something NEW)

It's been a little while since we updated our blog. We've been very busy, which is normal for this time of year. Well, I suppose it's normal any time of year :) We thought we should take a minute to update you on a few things.

For all of you who ordered shirts and are wondering where they are, we received the shipment yesterday and are trying to sort them now so we can send them out sometime this week. Thank you for your patience! If you'd like to see your shirts, here they are...

Also, for those who have been asking for some different colors because you're intimidated by the bright neons (you know who you are), we've been able to arrange for NEW muted colors in brown, black, gray, lake blue, and moss green.

If you would like to order any shirts or would like to let others know about them, we plan to place another order on October 1st, so get the word out!

As far as the adoption process is concerned, we are still waiting to hear back about the results of our home study. We have completed all of the necessary meetings and visits so it shouldn't be long. When we receive word that we are home study approved, we can begin showing our profile to birth moms. So for now, and as always, we continue to trust in the Lord and wait patiently for His guidance and blessing.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support. We will definitely let you know as soon as we have news to share.

How much does adoption cost?

Image courtesy of bplanet/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Many people have asked us how much our adoption is going to cost, and many of you have thought about asking, but are a little nervous about doing so. We figured it would be helpful to write briefly about our financial goals so that those who have given towards our adoption know where their donations are going.

For us, the overall cost is going to be a little over $21,000. The price of completing a domestic infant adoption does vary between states and between agencies, but this is going to be the amount we will end up paying, plus some additional finalization fees. One thing we like about working with our agency is that instead of paying all of this up front, we make smaller payments as we reach various points in the process like application, training, home study, placement, etc.

To date, we have payed approximately $2,300 towards application, training, and our home study. We have raised a little over $5,000 between our recent yard sale and the donations received towards t-shirts and through this blog. So, we're about a third of the way there and confident the Lord will continue to provide.

The price of adoption was one of our biggest obstacles. We can say was, even though we haven't paid for it all yet, because we believe the obstacle was mostly mental in overcoming so that we could take the step of faith to start the process. We know that God will supply all of our needs, because He's promised it in His Word (Phil. 4:19). It just took us a little while to claim the promise.

We hope this helps. Thank you again for your prayers and support.

It's not too late!

If you'd like to join in with others who have supported our adoption by purchasing a t-shirt, it's not too late. We are planning to send out another order on Wednesday, September 4th, so visit the adoption t-shirt page or email us with your order. And since so many of you have asked, we've also added kids sizes to the menu of options.

Our plan is to continue making orders as long as there is interest, so feel free to spread the word.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support!

God is so good!

Every good and every perfect gift is from above... (James 1:17)

It's hard to put into words how undeserving we feel and how grateful we are for all of the support we have received.We aren't sure if it's because we're tired or if it's because we are overwhelmed by how greatly God blessed our fundraiser yesterday, but we are a just a little emotional today. In fact, while we were singing in church this morning for the choir number about God's amazing blessings in our lives, we couldn't help but shed a few tears thinking upon what He's done for us.

By the end of the day we had received over $4,300 towards our adoption through sales and donations.

The morning started off very early. VERY early! After getting only a couple hours of sleep after loading the truck, we drove out to set up for the yard sale at 4:00am. We had a team of helpers that continued to grow as the morning went on and we were able to have everything set up by around 6:00am; a miracle in itself. We received a special treat as the sun came up and there was a beautiful rainbow just above us in the sky.

It was amazing to see how much had been donated throughout the past few months. It was little by little, but the Lord supplied abundantly. Seeing everything come out of boxes, much of it for the very first time, and being placed on tables was overwhelming.

The Lord held off the rain for the entire morning and crowds kept filing in. We were able to meet many wonderful people who have shared in the adoption miracle themselves. Friends from all around came out to support us through giving and through serving alongside us throughout the day.

It became obvious that the sale should come to an end around noon as storm clouds started to move in, but it was at just the right time. We managed to sell a lot of additional things in the last minutes of the day, and everyone pitched in to pack up what was left. We were able to take what was remaining to a mission around the corner and they also received a blessing.

We wish we could express how incredibly thankful we are to everyone who gave of themselves to help us. We had friends who gave over and abundantly of their resources, time, and energy. Some drove miles to support us. Some stayed late in the night, through the night, and came again early the next morning to lend a hand. Others worked with us throughout the day and helped pack and move the remaining items, giving every last bit of energy they had to see us through to the end. Still others baked sweets, drove trucks, hung signs, worked with customers, allowed us to use their property, set up tents, bagged items, boxed items, carried items, and all with a smile. It's not possible to mention by name each person who helped or who blessed us with their giving, but know that we are immensely thankful.

It's been an amazing weekend. God is so good!

Oh give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good. (Psalm 118:1)

Ready or not...

The truck is loaded up and we are ready for the big day. We were amazed to see the ENTIRE truck filled and other goodies still sitting in the yard. The rest has been loaded into a couple pickups and we're putting the last few things together. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all who came and helped!

Please keep praying for dry weather and a good turnout.

Matthew 19:26 reminds us that with men many things are impossible, but with God all things are possible. We are trusting in God's ability to make this sale a success.

If you live in the area, here's a link to the facebook event with times and location.

Count your many blessings, name them one by one...if you can

God is so good! We can't begin to describe the overwhelming gratefulness we feel to Him as we experience the kindness and generosity of friends and complete strangers as they have donated to our upcoming yard sale. And items keep coming in! Just last night we unloaded 2 truck loads and 2 car loads and we have other pickups scheduled throughout the next few days. Wow!

We've learned a few things while preparing for the big day (which is this Saturday, if you forgot).

First is that God hears and answers prayers (1 John 5:14-15). We took a step of faith when we started the adoption process, knowing that we didn't have all of the money we would need to make it happen. But we knew that if God was in it, He would provide. As that's been our prayer, God has proven Himself able and willing to give us what we need, item by item.

Second is that God exceeds our expectations (Ephesians 3:20). We just wanted to do the best we could to ask around for donations, but God has shown us that He wants to do more than "our" best. He has filled our garage(s), our spare room, our den, and our hearts with far beyond what we imagined. Now we are praying He will help us in the same way to sell all of this, because it is becoming a little crowded around here :)

Lastly is that we need to be willing to give back, selflessly, what others have given to us. Being the recipient of such an outpouring of generosity is humbling and we've had to ask ourselves many times if we are as willing to give of ourselves as others are. The moment that was the most striking was when a complete stranger called us in response to a flyer we had posted in a local shop. When we showed up, we found that she had more than a few boxes. She had a garage full of things that she wanted to give us which barely fit in our truck, and to top it all off she met us with a small bag containing a new baby blanket that she had just recently crocheted us. We didn't know her, but we'll never forget her.

1 Samuel 12:24 admonishes us to "fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you." Great things He has definitely done for us.

And in case we haven't said it clear enough, thank you to all of you who have donated items, money, time, and prayers to help us. We are humbled and blessed!

Home inspection...check

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. 1 Chronicles 16:8

Home Inspection

We had our home inspection today and it went very well. Truth be told, we were a little anxious about it, but the Lord was good and the process was painless. It was even a little exciting because since it's been so long since we've made progress, it felt like a step in the right direction. 

We worked all weekend (we, meaning mostly Amanda) and stayed up late last night to make sure that everything was "perfect". We checked everything off on the list provided by our agency to see that we had things covered: things like working fire alarms, an accessible fire extinguisher, safety locks on cabinets (which is a little awkward and funny since it's only the two of us right now), etc. We picked up, organized, dusted and vacuumed, and yes, we even had snacks ready to offer our agent when she came. 

Most of that was not necessary. Our agent arrived, in the pouring rain, and was very sweet. She sat down with us and reviewed the process, went over paperwork, and asked us some questions that weren't hard to answer. It was an easy conversation. Then we took her on a tour of the house and she checked on the expected things, but didn't "white glove" like we feared. She made us feel very comfortable and truly encouraged us about the process. 

We thank the Lord for a successful visit and look forward to the followup interviews later this week. 

T-Shirt Order

We also want to thank all of you who have donated and purchased t-shirts. We were really only hoping to get up to 25 orders so that we could get the price down. Well, God has blessed and in just over 24 hours we've sold more than 60 shirts! We've placed the first order and are still getting requests, so we will keep ordering shirts as long as people want them. Feel free to check the t-shirt page for more information. 

T-Shirt Update

Wow! We've gotten quite a few requests for t-shirts already and we're thrilled. You can tell that we're new to blogging because we didn't anticipate the response so quickly. That's why we didn't have any more information about the shirts than we did.

We're giving this quick update in hopes that it will answer some questions you might have as well as provide an easy way to make your donation. Below are the color options available. We hope the colors are close to what we will be getting, but we can't be 100% sure. These are what they look like on the website we are getting them from, so forgive us if they are slightly different.

We've also created a new page so that you can pay for a shirt without having to send us a check. Hopefully that will make it easier.

If you have any more questions, please let us know. THANK YOU so much for your love and kindness, and especially your prayers.

Here's our story (the start of it at least).

Hey! Welcome to our blog. We're newbies, so bare with us. The reason we're starting this blog is to share with you what God is doing in our lives through the process of adopting our first child.

We've been married for a little over 8 years, but it seems like just yesterday that we first met. The time together has been wonderful, filled with many memories. Our love for each other has only grown and we're very thankful for all that God has blessed us with.

With that said, we're blogging about adoption, and the reason we're adopting is because as our love for each other has grown, so has our desire to share that love with a growing family. We've been praying for close to 5 years that God would give us a child, but it hasn't been His will to give us that blessing in the way we had planned. It's been difficult wrestling with the emotions of that reality, but God has given comfort and direction along the way, leading us to the decision to begin the adoption process around the beginning of this year.

And we are definitely in a "process", a long process. The paperwork is in, classes have been completed, the home study is underway, and the praying (and working) is continuing. We have our next home study interviews this week, which is a bit intimidating, but mostly because of the uncertainty. But we know that God is with us in the journey, so we have no reason to worry. If nothing else, we have definitely learned patience as we wait on Him to provide.

Speaking of provision, one of the reasons we wanted to get this blog up and running now is that we are planning an adoption fundraiser yard sale in a couple weeks. And as a part of that big day we have created some cool t-shirts for the workers and for anyone else who would like to help us out on our journey. We are asking for your donation of $15 per shirt ($5 shipping if necessary). The color is your choice, if your choice is one of the 5 neon colors we have available (pink, green, yellow, orange, and blue). We will be placing our first order this Monday (August 12th) so if you're interested, just let us know by emailing us. A sample of what the shirts look like is below.

 
Most importantly, we're asking for your prayers. The Bible says in Psalm 127:3 that "children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." We know that however God blesses us with a child, it will be a miracle of His making. We need help making this happen, but we know that our "help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:2

Thanks for your prayers, thanks for your help, and thanks for reading this long-winded post.