A Christmas blessing.....friendship!

Some will criticize what we are doing by adopting older children, but the Lord has given us peace and even blessed us with people who share our heart for adoption, Ethiopia, and orphans. Back in the summer we just "happened" to meet Yodahe. She is a student here at the local University in town and has been in the US for 3 or 4 years. Her father and mother made the decision to move their family here in order to provide a good education for their children. Yodahe is a beautiful lady, inside and out. She loves the Lord and has a passion for her home country and a desire to someday open an orphanage! Only the Lord could line up this meeting! She speaks Amharic fluently and English as well. She will be a true blessing to have around when the girls arrive. I am sure she is one who they will turn to in times of homesickness or sadness and confusion. I am believing and praying that the transition and adjustment when the girls come home will be an easy and smooth one. With that said, we know there will be rough patches and feel that God has given Yodahe to all of us! We are looking forward to getting together with her to learn the ways of Ethiopian cooking, heritage and the language. Last week we were able to share a meal with her and some of her college friends and it was so nice getting to know her and ask about a million! questions about Ethiopia, food, language, hair... you name it, I asked it! Thanks Yodahe!! I pray that our relationship grows and she can feel as though she is one of ours as well!

Thank you to all that have donated thus far. Every penny counts. Truly.
We didn't meet our Monday challenge goal...but we got over half way there! Good enough for us!

8 more days to participate in your chance at a Wii and make a difference in the lives of two precious little girls.

CHALLENGE!

We are blessed! When we think there is no way, God provides it. On paper, things seem impossible. But some how, some way, He always makes it work. We have been crunching some numbers and figured out that we really only need $3000 to reach our financial goal for the girls adoption! That amount will go towards all of the US VISA costs, medicals for the girls and travel costs.

SO- here is the challenge!

We want to raise $1000 by Monday-December 22. That's only 40 people donating $25 each! 10 one hundred dollar bills. Easy peasy!

Have you always wanted to do something to make a difference, but felt too small? This is your opportunity! Twenty five dollars might not seem like a lot but it will give two girls the chance at a life they couldn't even dream of having. Mom, dad, sister, brother, dog, cat, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, education, church family, friends, home, LOVE!

If you don't feel comfortable using the Internet to donate, we will have a table set up this weekend at Crown Sports Center. We will be there from 10am to 2pm. Stop by to see us!

Wanna help? Wanna Wii?

Many months have passed since we had our "Souper Supper" and Bake Sale, Yard Sale, and received our Shaohannah's Hope grant. The Lord answered our prayers and provided so much money for us to make this adoption happen. He literally moved mountains in our eyes. The time is now near when we will FINALLY travel to bring home our precious daughters. Unexpected fees, and travel money is needed. We need to raise $6,000 to complete this adoption and bring our daughters HOME!

How can we do this?

Go into debt? Sell a car? We have had to get creative...
Everybody wants a Nintendo Wii-- right?!! (thanks Weimer family for this great idea!)

And who doesn't want a Nintendo Wii for only $25!!! Yes - that's right-- $25!!


Here are the details:

All, every penny, 100% of the monies donated will go towards finalizing the adoption our our daughters.

$25 per 1 donation. No limit on amount of donations made.

Your donation information will be entered into a giveaway for a brand spankin' new Nintendo Wii gaming system. This fancy item includes a Wii console, stand, remote, remote jacket, nunchuck, sensor bar, and the Wii sports disk with 5 fun games!

To truly understand how Wii revolutionizes gaming, you have to try it for yourself. Quite simply, Wii is for everyone. The ease of use and interactivity of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk allows for a unique social gaming experience for the whole family. You don't just play Wii, you experience it.

Retail value $249! Pretty good deal!

The giveaway will be held at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on December 31, 2008- yes folks, that's right, New Years Eve! If you are local- you could be playing your new Wii with your family and friends at your very own New Years Eve party! Cool! Tune into our blog the evening of the drawing to watch video coverage of the exciting event!

To enter- you can use our ChipIn button in the upper left hand corner of our blog. Your donation will be paid through PayPal via credit/debit or your PayPal account. We will write your info and put it in the drawing. OR you can see Chris or myself in real life - we will have entry forms and will accept checks, cash, even your old coin jar (as long as there is 25 buckaroos in it!)

If you live outside of the Eastern Shore we will ship the Wii to you for free! No worries!

Rest assured- even if your donation doesn't get the Wii, know that your money will go towards a good cause, the BEST cause. Giving two precious little girls a forever family, a forever home, a mommy, daddy, sister and brother that CAN'T WAIT to love on them! Thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts.

We're all SMILES!

WE GOT A COURT DATE!
What was starting to seem like an impossibility finally happened. We got a court date! Here is the email from our agency:

Yours, Lisa's and Susan's court dates are all January 30th! YAY! Finally!!

We have been jumping for joy and singing praises this week! We share a court date with the other families that have kids at Bethel, so it will be extra special if we all pass and get to travel together.

If we do pass court on the first try - we will most likely be traveling the last week in February. It seems so far, but so near! I really can't believe this is all finally happening.

We are praying for peace and for the details to all work out. Finances, timing, work stuff for Chris, etc. are all weighing heavy now. God has been "in the details" since the beginning and we know He hasn't stopped.

So the official countdown begins. In 49 days we will hopefully be able to introduce you to our new daughters!