Clarks Fundraiser

Robert and Kim Clark

Lauren, she is the one I thank for helping me put this whole thing togetherI had to take a picture of Lauren after the fact because I forgot about pictures during the party!

Liberty and Morgan

Meredith made these yummy bunt cakes!

These two stood at the hot BBQ in 100 degree weather and cooked Carne Asada. Thanks Chad and Jim!

It is just a picture, you don't have to marry him!

Matt played piano

What a blast we had at the Clarks fundraiser last night. We had a nice turn out and people gave sacrificially! We were able to raise well over $2,000 for them. Everyone was such a blessing, and helped in making this event a success. How many people do you know that would pay to come to the event and then help in service??? It was a great testimony of the Lord's love in each of these individuals. Thank you everyone who contributed in cooking, music, serving, clean-up, financial giving, silent auction donations, balloons, Kalieo BBQ, tables, chairs, helping to get supporters and prayers. One picture I regret not getting is my friend Lauren, who is 9 months pregnant. She did a lot of the shopping and cooking. She made awesome homemade salsa and mexican rice. Without her help I would have been lost! It was hard to host and take pictures at the same time. Thanks Lauren!!!!! Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Fulfill the law of Christ

Tomorrow, we are having a big party at our house. We will be trying to help raise money for our friends the Clark family. (Their blog is on the side bar of of our site, Clark Connection) They have become great friends. They are a missionary family in the midst of trying to raise support for their mission, as well as trying to come up with money for their adoption of two kids. They are adopting from Ukraine too. It is our hope we can have at least 50-60 people come and support the cause.

The Clark Family have been a wonderful example of faith to Kevin and me. They have so faithfully trusted the Lord to provide for them and He has and is. If you feel led, you can go to their site and give a gift too! We are honored the Lord is allowing us to be used in this way. Besides, I am always looking for a reason to have a party! I will post some pictures sometime this weekend of how it all went.

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

Preparing for a Good Word

After reading some other blogs and seeing short notice for travel, I have decided I should start some preparations. If Ukraine gives only a couple of days to travel I want to be prepared. The last thing I would want, is to say we can't get ready that fast. After praying for several months about what to do with my kids, God has made it clear. Some homeschooling friends are in between homes right now and have been gracious enough to agree to watch the kids and house sit. This is an ideal situation for us. The kids can stay in their own home, our pets can be cared for and the house doesn't have to be empty. They homeschool so that dilemma is solved. I have another family who is willing to take the kids on weekends to give some relief to my friend Mary's family. This is really a relief to me to know that my kids will be loved and well cared for. I have begun my lists of emergency numbers, bought luggage, started gathering various items other people who have traveled recommended. We ordered new kids bunk beds which should arrive in the next couple of weeks. We checked into getting new bills (Used bills are unacceptable) from the bank and were told they have to be ordered from the Federal Reserve and that they won't be available until December! Tomorrow, Kevin will check further into that. There has to be a way to get them sooner than December. We have even checked into flights! In order to get an adoption discount, there are some preliminary things to get together. It will be nice to have some of this done ahead of time. I know when we get word, my mind is just going to go blank. I am finally excited again, knowing our dossier has been resubmitted.

Trying to get myself organized with some of the packing and long list of "To dos" helps me keep my mind off the frustration of the process. I can look at this two ways, I will be prepared to go or I could be crushed if we don't get to go. I am choosing to believe God has a plan and I am part of it. I really think we will get notice very soon. I am praying that way anyway.

Colossians 3:23, 24 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Hurry Up & Wait (Again)

I reached the end of my endurance last week after the midnight call that "V" was being interviewed by an Italian family and our paperwork was rejected over one phrase on one document. I took Friday off to rest and regroup and we had our adoption support group over that night. One of our church elders came with his wife to offer counsel and prayer for us. We all told them the stories of the last fourteen months and they were genuinely amazed that we had perservered this long.

Well, now we know that the Italians didn't take "V" and that our revised paperwork is being resubmitted this week. No one can tell us whether or not we are still in line, how long it will take to review, blah, blah, blah. Same old story, different day. Pam and I are doers by nature, not waiters, but we are learning the fine art of hurry up and wait.

We seem to valley and plateau in opposite times so when one of us is up, the other is down, which actually works well to pull the other up. We would probably give up if we both hit bottom together. We have decided not to worry about when it happens, we are starting to prepare for the trip, so that if necessary, we can be on the next plane to Kiev. And when we get there, I am sure that we will hurry up and wait some more.

James 5:7 & 8 "Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near."

"V" isn't going to be Italian!

"V" isn't going to be Italian! That was great news to us. God protected him for now. This was some confirmation that we needed to see. We wanted to make sure God's hand was still in this process and that we should continue to pursue this adoption.

There is more drama for today though. I glanced at the paperwork we did yesterday and found another error UGH!! It said my passport expired in August, 2007. It should be 2017. This is sooooo frustrating. We already had it notarized and sent it to be appostilled, yesterday. Our agency caught it in Sacramento before it was done and she will hold it until the new document gets there tomorrow. Glad we caught it before it was in Ukraine. Bottom line is if SDA is looking for an error, they will find one. No matter how hard we try not to make a mistake it seems there is always something. There are so many documents to be done. God has to be in this or it is just going to be futile.

Kevin is completely drained and physically feeling it. Please uplift him in your prayers.

Another verse from my friend and fellow blogger "Beautiful Journey" Stephanie:
Galatians 4:4. It starts off, "but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son...so that we might receive adoptions as sons." 'Fullness of time' means at just he right time...at the exact moment when God knew it was right. Let this encourage you that in the 'fullness of time' God will let this adoption come through. It might be crazy and the timing may look like anything but right, but I'm praying that God will give you such calm assurance that you will continue to see His might hand showing strong on your behalf.

Thanks Stephanie, you have been a big encouragement to us.

Twists and Turns at Every Corner!

Romans 4:17-20 (as it is written, "A father of many nations have I made you") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "So shall, your descendants be." Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

My friend Stephanie sent me this verse in due time! This verse has given me strength. I believe in the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist! He can do all things. What God promises, He is able to perform! This does not say He promises I can have what I want but does say He can do what He wants. He gives me hope when there is no hope.

It has been a few days of what I believe spiritual warfare. I have had to decide if I am willing to trust or be frazzled. I have to admit, I have been both. A couple of nights ago we got a call at 11:00pm that an Italian couple was going to look at "V". This means that if he chooses, he can go with them and they can adopt him. There is a preselection law in Ukraine. There is no guarantee the children you want will still be availiable. We have always known this. The couple were suppose to meet him sometime this week. We do not know what has happened yet. We hadn't spoken with "V" or "D" in three months. The kids have been away at camp. We have been waiting to find out how to handle the situation with "D" so we hadn't called them yet. Our translator told us we should call "V" first thing and say hi. Kevin and I talked about it, we would tell him we loved him but not talk about him coming back with us. Things are very volatile in Ukraine right now and I am afraid for all the kids over there. If he has a chance with a family maybe this is how God will do it. We had to let go. We did make the call, it was good to hear his voice. He had not received the letters we sent or the package. He was somewhat distant, thinking we may have forgotten him. He came alive when Kevin spoke to him.

Yesterday, we were waiting for the news for a travel date. Instead we got the news our dossier was rejected! We fixed the problem and sent it back as quickly as we could. We do not know what this will do to our status at the SDA. We are being told that if it is back at the SDA within the week we won't lose our place in line.

As you can see we have gone from 2 kids to 3 kids to 1 kid to possibly 0 kids. You can't help but ask yourself God what are you doing? We may never know. One thing I do believe is that He has brought us this far and even though I don't get it, He does have a plan. I do have peace, a peace I can't explain. I know God is in control and this is a spiritual battle that belongs to Him. I have that song "A Mighty Fortress" running through my head!

This is a time we could really use your prayers. Pray God will firstly do what is best for "V" and "D", pray our faith will continue to strengthen through this, pray God's will, will be done. Thank you in advance for praying. Pam

Rejected!

Pam called me at work today to tell me that our dossier along with our two friends were rejected by SDA. One document, the promise to send post-adoption follow-up reports, was incorrect. A small, stupid technicality.

I'm sorry to report that I handled it badly. Mr. Type AAA personality snapped. All that work and waiting for a REJECTION?? In between fits, I managed to ask our facilitator what we needed to do to fix the mistake. She e-mailed us the corrected forms, all three families met at the notary and we got the new forms FedExed to the apostille and faxed to our facilitator.

We pray that if the paperwork is turned around quickly that we won't lose our place in line. I am also praying that God will give me the grace to hold my temper and not act like a fool the next time, and there will be a next time, that I am placed in a stressful situation.

1 Peter 2:12-14a "Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, the may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution whether to a king as the one in authority or to governors as sent by him..."

Adoption Roller Coaster Ride, An "E" ticket!

I wish I had good things to say today but I really don't. I must admit, I am really struggling with trying not to go out of my mind right now. The waiting on this whole adoption process really takes a toll on the rest of your life. I have very little tolerance left in me to deal with the pressures of day to day life! The emotional roller coaster ride just keeps going.

Our agency said they have been checking daily to see if our date has been posted. She also mentioned we have to get permission from "V" to see if he wants a non-biological sister! I am not the kind of a parent who thinks a child should make adult decisions. She said this was a law? I don't believe he will object (our other two kids will not be biological) but I am having a hard time with all the crazy laws! At least if we had a date, we would know how to plan. I like things cut and dry, planned out and business taken care of! I know this is probably just preparation for how unsure everything will be when we get to Ukraine. I guess it is that whole character, patience thing again...

For those of you who are praying for our family, please pray God will help me learn to be content even when things aren't going my way. Kevin and I will both need prayer not to go crazy with all the bureaucracy. Thanks in advance for your prayers.

Pam

Perfect and Complete, Lacking Nothing!

Well, this was a challenging weekend to say the least. Garrett, Morgan and I went down to stay with my sister's two boys, while she had surgery. I left the kids with her when I first got there, to go buy some groceries. On my way to the store, I got into a car accident. I am so grateful that nobody was hurt. I am also grateful, nobody was in the passenger seat where I got hit! My car doesn't look very good. I am hoping it can be fixed at all. I also hope it will be done before we leave for Ukraine. My faith is being strengthened by the trials that come. GOD IS SO GOOD!

We have been waiting patiently to hear back from Ukraine with a date. I thought for sure we would have heard by now. In the meantime, we have been taking advantage of the time getting our home ready. "D" is still on my mind and I am really hoping to experience a miracle. If God wills her to be in our family, not even the Ukraine government can keep her there!

Thanks to those who have commented about adopting as an individual. I know we could do that but the problem is more complex than that. As badly as I want "D" I still don't see this as the way to go for various reasons.

We are still praying about what to do with Garrett and Morgan when we go to Ukraine. I have been surprised to see people I hardly know willing to step forward and help us out. I know God will provide.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Pam