Sweet Girl Needs a Forever Family!

Please pray for this sweet girl. She has been in an orphanage (group home for girls) almost all her life. She is described as bright, determined, sensitive and full of spunk. She has repaired spina bifida and scoliosis. The agency she is listed with will return her file to China if there is no interest in her by June 30.

I should have posted this prayer request sooner, but please pray that a family will be called to express interest in this little girl. Raleigh reminded me that God makes families in lots of ways, and He still has a plan for this sweet girl even if she is not placed in a family in the traditional way we think of. However, my heart breaks to think that she might never have a mom and dad tuck her in bed or encourage her when she is sad. Luckily, there is one Father to the fatherless and He will never leave his children!

Home Visit

Today was our home visit with our social worker. We really did not know exactly what to expect, but I was excited and nervous at the same time. Raleigh and I spent a lot of time cleaning before her arrival.

Prior to our meeting, the doorbell rang. We were not expecting anyone so I was surprised. It was a flower delivery! My parents sent us a beautiful vase of flowers since today was our home visit. It was so sweet and definitely unexpected!

Our social worker arrived at 3:30 and stayed for about an hour and a half. We chatted for the first part of the visit and then she had a home visit questionnaire to complete. She asked us questions such as the distance to the fire department, police department, and local hospital and the names of the local schools. We talked about local parks and the ethnic diversity in our neighborhood. I also had several questions that I asked during this time. After the questionnaire was complete, we toured our home. She looked in closets and the garage for hidden dangers we might not think about. She only had one suggestion. We have two small doors in our bedroom that lead to storage areas. The doors are only half the height of normal doors (I'm sure there is a technical name for them...), so a toddler might be able to reach the doorknob. She suggested changing the doorknobs so that they can be locked to prevent a child from crawling into the storage area. This seems like an easy fix.

I think the meeting went well. Each step definitely makes the process seem more real. She did mention that her prediction for the timeline is now 12-16 months instead of 18-24months that we were originally told. However, the time frames change frequently so I am still anticipating 18-24 months.

Here are the next steps:
1.)Wait for our social worker to complete our homestudy. Her goal is to complete it in the next 30 days.
2.)She will send our homestudy to the corporate office for approval.
3.)We will receive an approval letter with our homestudy to Korea (HSTK) date.
4.)Corporate will mail our homestudy to Korea.
5.)We are officially waiting once we have our HSTK date.

Once our homestudy is complete, Raleigh and I will begin completing the I-600a form and be fingerprinted at the USCIS office. After this form is submitted and we are fingerprinted, we do not have any more "paperwork" to complete until we receive our referral.

We are one step closer to seeing our sweet child's beautiful face!

What Does It Mean to Be Productive?

This summer has really made me think about how I spend my time. During the school day, it is amazing how much I can get accomplished in five minutes. Here is an example. If we have 5 minutes until lunch I can finish teaching my small group, get the rest of the class to clean up their work centers and free centers (such as puzzles and blocks), oh no…someone just had an accident- must clean that up because the janitor is not here, get the kiddos lined up according to their lunch choice, hand sanitizer for all 19 little ones, arrive at the lunchroom with a minute to spare.

This summer, I am not nearly as productive. I can spend five minutes just deciding if I want Cheerios or Raisin Bran for breakfast. I am really enjoying the slower pace of summer. I want to spend the summer refueling my spirit so that I will be ready to roll in August with a new bunch of kiddos!

As I was thinking about how I spend my time, I started thinking about what "productive" really means. Although I feel most productive when I am doing things- teaching, doing laundry, cleaning, organizing, etc, this is not always being productive. You see, my purpose in life is to glorify God and further His kingdom. The days when I am truly most productive, are the days that I spend focusing on my relationship with Christ. Sometimes I treasure a clean house, an empty laundry basket, an organized closet. But God calls us to store up treasures in Heaven.

Angela Thomas puts it this way. "What do you think would be considered treasure in heaven? How about large accounts of forgiveness given? Drawers full of grace extended. A mattress stuffed with sacrifice and service and goodness. A cookie jar brimming with memories made and hugs given and tender looks across crowded rooms. A safe-deposit box packed with the secret life you have devoted to God. Maybe there is an old moving box stuffed with contentment. A scrapbook full of joy you accumulated on the journey. And love- wouldn't it be great to need a garage just to hold all of the love?"

Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6: 19-21

Now this does not mean that the daily routines of life are not important, but do them with a spirit of love, so that your attitude will be glorifying to God.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" Philippians 2:5

Help Orphans and Enjoy a Sweet Treat!

This weekend, you have a chance to enjoy a sweet treat and help orphans. I'm calling your attention to Wendy's 3rd Annual "Father's Day Frosty Weekend" to raise money for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. For every one frosty sold in the U.S. during the weekend, Wendy's will donate 50 cents to the Foundation that is dedicated to increasing the adoptions of more than 150,000 children in North America's foster care systems. Last year raised $1.7 million for the charity!

And new this year, Wendy's is introducing the "Father's Day Frosty e-card" where you're able to go online to send e-cards. For each card created or sent, Wendy's will donate 25 cents to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

So...this weekend, get out and enjoy a frosty!

Home Visit

I delivered all of our paperwork to our social worker today. We also scheduled our home visit. Woo Hoo! Our social worker will be visiting our home Thursday, June 25.
This visit will be one more step towards becoming a family of three. Even though Raleigh and I are totally excited about welcoming our child home, we are also enjoying our life as a family of two. I want to enjoy and embrace each day.

Adoption Update

Raleigh and I have finally completed all of our homestudy paperwork. (Raleigh took the picture on his phone. Sorry it is so grainy.) I will be taking the paperwork to Bethany Christian Services tomorrow. Our social worker also contacted us today and she is ready to schedule our home visit. This is a time when she will come to our house and make sure our home is fit for a child. She will also get to know us better during this time. After this meeting, she will write our official homestudy which will be mailed to Korea. The date that Korea accepts our paperwork is our HSTK (HomeStudy To Korea)date.

After the home visit with our social worker, the next step is filing the I-600a form. This form is the Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition. Once we are HSTK and our I-600a has been approved, we will be officially waiting. According to our adoption agency the wait for our referral will be approximately 18 to 24 months. Of course, there are no guarantees about the timing. It is totally in God's hands and He already knows who our child is. It could be less than 18 months or more than 24 months. If the 18 month prediction is somewhat accurate, we could expect our referral around December 2010 or early 2011. Once we receive our referral, we will file the I-600. This is the Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative. There are several other things that have to take place once we receive our referral. The wait between referral and travel is usually between 3 months and 5 months. I think that these will be the hardest months of waiting because we will already know and love the sweet face of our child.

Raleigh and I are really excited and feel humbled that God is trusting us to be parents of a beautiful boy or girl.

The Farmers Market

When Raleigh and I lived in Buckhead, we made a tradition of attending the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Each week we enjoyed Dancing Goats coffee and something sweet from a local bakery. Our neighbors had a booth each week and sold fresh pesto. If you love pesto, check out their website for some great recipes using pesto at Hopes Garden. It was a fun tradition and we looked forward to our Saturday morning outing.

Since moving to Alpharetta last July, we have not attended a local farmers market...until now. I discovered that there is a farmers market each Saturday from 8am to noon. Raleigh and I had lots of fun walking around and enjoying the summer air. We bought a basil plant and 4 ears of corn. I also had a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade and Raleigh had a cup of coffee. Although I didn't purchase any this week, there were beautiful fresh flowers that would brighten any home.

We are excited about continuing our tradition supporting local vendors.