Sseko Designs

I have been eyeing these sandals for a while now.  They have interchangeable laces so that 1 pair can become many pairs, and each lace can be tied in a bazillion different ways.  In my first post I alluded to helping and supporting orphans, this is a great way to support the women of Uganda.  These beautiful shoes are made so that they can afford a secondary education!  I love products like these, where you know the makers are treated fairly and you're supporting a great cause.  

You can go here to buy a pair.

Here to see the women and read their stories!

One Answer at a Time

So we are going international.  It is exciting to know one more answer to all of our questions, to be one step closer.  Now that we know our son is overseas, there is a very good possibility that he is already born or at least very close to being born!  This means he will very likely be no younger than 9 months when he joins our family, as this is the earliest age we've ever heard of an overseas child being adopted.  Please pray for his health and safety, as well as the health and safety of his birth mom.

We are still gathering paperwork for our first meeting with our homestudy agency.  We sent off 2 background checks a week or so ago and hope those will be processed soon.  We've sent my and Julia's medial reports to our doctors and plan on picking those up this week.  Joe has to make a doctor appointment to have his form filled out as well.  We also need to collect 3 letters of recommendation from friends.  It is our goal to have our first meeting in August.  I think it can be done!

As for countries, there is so much research to be done.  Here's to patience.  :)

We are adopting!

Joe and I have decided to add another little one to our family of 3!  This is certainly worthy of so much praise, what better name for a blog to share our journey?  So we will talk of these things :)  People have asked us why we've chosen adoption.

We talked about adopting children when we were dating, it is something that has always been on our minds.
There are 147 million orphans in the world.  We know that our adoption of one boy will not change this crisis but we want to give one a forever family.
We truly believe that we have been adopted into the family of God.  We were once orphans without a Father, slaves to sin.  He called us out by name and made us His sons and daughters; We want our family to look like that, too.

As of now there are a lot of questions that we do not have the answers to.  We are finding that this is probably normal for the adoption process and that is okay; it is in the Lord's hands and he always has perfect timing!  Surprisingly, I have felt so much peace and ease while starting this.  Unlike a pregnancy, there isn't a defined timeline and you don't know where your baby is at the very moment.  A couple things we are certain of:

Julia will have a brother!
Whether he is in his birthmother's womb, an orphanage, or hasn't even been dreamed up yet, he is so dearly loved and has so many people praying for him.

We hope that you will pray for us during this journey.  Prayer is so important right now!  Here are a few things we hope you'll lift up for us on our behalf:

Peace, strength, love, and nutrition for our son.
Peace, strength and patience for Joe and I.
The Lord will show us how we should raise money.
We will soon see whether we should adopt domestically or internationally, his age, and what special needs we are equipped to handle.
This will be a fast, smooth process!

The following list has been hanging on our fridge for a year or so now.  It is a moving reminder that there is something every Christian can do to care for the orphan and waiting child.  Since we have truly been adopted into the family of God (can you believe it?) how fitting that we all take part in finding orphans a family.

You can find this official list at
http://www.sgtadoptionministry.org/images/user_files/tenways_inside.pdf

sorry, my insert link button is funny and can't figure it out yet!

Plead with the Father for Them

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

• Pray while waiting. Go online to find a waiting child listing (www.adoptuskids.org or www.rainbowkids.com). Print out a picture and description of a waiting child and tape it to your dashboard. Every time you find yourself waiting – in traffic, at a stop- light, in the drive-thru – pray for this child. Plead with the Father on their behalf.

• Pray as a family. Cut and paste a picture from a waiting child listing to make bookmarks for your entire family. Commit as a family to praying for this child every time you open your book. 
• Pray as a church. Organize an evening prayer vigil on behalf of the orphan and waiting child. Invite other churches to join you as well. You can pray for children all over the world or you can ask your local foster care office for pictures and names of waiting children in your city to pray for (you can also get these online).


Speak Up For Them

Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9


• Keep a picture of a waiting child in your wallet or purse. When you are visiting with other believers pull it out and ask if they, or someone they know, would give this child a home. Be their advocate. • Become a Court Appointed Special Advocate. These are people from all walks of life who volunteer their time to get to know a child in foster care and speak to the court on their behalf. Visit www.nationalcasa.org for more details and to find an office near you.


Give Them What They Need

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? James 2:15-16

• Give an orphanage a washing machine, a crib, or a package of diapers. You can designate financial gifts to be used for an item of your choice to be given to an orphanage in the country of your choice. To learn more visit www.helporphans.org and click on the “Gift from the Heart” link on the left side of the page.

• Organize a drive to collect school supplies or shoes in your church or Sunday School department. To learn more visit www.gainusa.org (click on “Projects”) or www.shoesfororphansouls.org.


Support Those Who Support Them

... and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... Hebrews 10:24

• Mow a foster parent’s yard, offer to baby sit, or organize a few days worth of meals when a new child is placed in their home. And make sure you tell them often that you appreciate what they do. 

• Throw a shower for a family adopting an older child. Often showers aren’t thought of for adoptive families especially when the adoption involves an older child. This will serve as a great encouragement to any adoptive family.

• Sponsor a local child welfare social worker. Commit to praying for them, taking them to an occasional lunch, and sending gifts or notes of encouragement.

Provide Them a Safe Place

The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked. Psalm 146:9


• Consider becoming a foster parent or emergency foster parent (for short-term placements). Attend an inquiry meeting at your local foster care office to learn more. 
• Build an orphanage—it’s not as hard as it sounds. Visit www.worldorphans.org to learn how a gift of $4,000 to $8,000 can cover the building costs of a new orphanage in one of dozens of countries. These homes are built in conjunction with a local church. Consider raising this money as a small group, Sunday school class, or youth ministry. **I've heard various sides to this one, I can point you to other valid opinions if you ever consider this.


Go Visit Them

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27


•Go on a missions trip to an orphanage. You can go on a construction trip, a medical trip or a trip to help conduct vacation bible school. Taking your family on an orphanage mission trip can be life changing. Visit the following websites for more information: 

www.gainusa.org

www.helporphans.org 

www.hopechest.org

Give Sacrificially to Them

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. II Corinthians 9:7


• Support reputable orphan care organizations on an ongoing basis. 
• Give financially to a family in the process of adoption. See www.shaohannahshope.com and www.lifeintl.org for more information about financial assistance for adoptive families.

Cheer Them On

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. I Thessalonians 5:14

• Sponsor a child. This includes both monthly financial support and a ministry of ongoing encouragement through letter writing. Visit www.hopechest.org or www.visiontrust.org for more information.

 • Over 20,000 teenagers a year “age out” of the U.S. foster care system with

no place to call home. Call your local foster care office and let them know you have the desire to be a support for a child who is aging out of foster care.


Give Them a Forever Family

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families ... Psalm 68:5-6a (NIV)


• You can give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption. To learn more about these three types of adoption call 1-800-FLTODAY to order a free booklet entitled Welcome Home: Eight Steps to Adoption. You can also download this resource, explore other information and identify key adoption agencies at www.HopeForOrphans.com.


Mobilize Your Church for Them

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you ... Matthew 28:18-20

• Churches all over the country are making the decision to launch ministries expressly dedicated to the orphan and waiting child. The impact has been remarkable. To learn more about how you can be the catalyst in your church for sustained orphans ministry, visit www.shaohannahshope.org or www.HopeForOrphans.com.