It's addictive!! Maybe even contagious!!

I tell ya what....I was talking to a friend the other day (through fb) and she made a comment about adoption that hasn't left my mind.  "It's addictive!"  I have thought and thought some more about that small statement.....and it touches my heart to the core!!

You see, she is a mom that has adopted THREE children, already having 3 biological children.  She and her husband know what it does to your heart to bring a child into your family.  To show that child LOVE like they've never known before!  Once you do it, you want to do it again...and again!!!  There is nothing like changing a child's world!

This friend of mine, Angel (the name fits perfectly, by the way!), is a person I have only known for a short time; almost 2 years now.  But I've watched this lady LOVE all 6 of her children and it has amazed me....and possibly inspired me when I didn't even know it!

Her comment about adoption, "It's addictive", is true!!  We have watched the adoption process of my sister's family, adopting 3 Ethiopian children, and now we are on our own adoption journey with Crew, and since then we know of other families who have decided they, too, will be adopting.  PTL!!!  AND, we know a few families who are praying about whether they will adopt. Not only is it addictive, it just may be contagious!!  When you see how it changes lives, not only for the adopted child, but the life of the family adopting, you can only see the love of God pouring out!  

Once you begin the journey, you never look at things the same again!  You never think you need more!  You just don't!  You never think, "is this the right thing or not?"  It is!  Can you even begin to imagine YOUR OWN CHILD alone.  Without food.  Without clean clothes.  Sharing a single bed with one or two other abandoned children.  Dirty.  In need of so much.  Not being loved the way a child needs to be loved!!  Can you imagine that being your child?  That is how God looks at these children.  They are His.  Who will love them if we don't?

I know for a fact it's addictive!!  Now I pray it's contagious!!

If you have a heart to adopt, but the only thing stopping you is the funding, please email me.  We have partnered with World Wide Compassion (WWC) and we want to help others give these children the family they so long for!

And if you have a desire to be a part of WWC, please donate.  It is tax deductible.

John 14:18 "I will not leave you as orphans!  I will come for you!!"

Love,

Debbi

A HOME of HOPE for MANY

Here we are....just waiting for our homestudy report so we can send off our dossier (papers to Ethiopia).  This is definitely a learning experience in patience!!  But we know God's timing is the best timing.  FAITH!

As we wait, we have made our "Crew" t-shirts to help with our expenses AND to let some of you be a part of our journey that have wanted to share it with us!  THANK YOU!!  As I've been talking to people (as I've taken shirt orders and/or delivering t-shirts), I have had many conversations with friends that have totally surprised me.  Generally, it goes like this:  "We are so excited for you all and little Crew!  How much is it to adopt?"  I reply, "Our adoption is costing around $20,000."  Their reply, "We would love to adopt, but we just don't have that 'upfront' money!'"

You know, Steve and I had just been talking to a very good friend of ours about our adoption journey a few weeks ago and we all agreed, it is very expensive!!  So, what do people do that can't "come up with" that kind of money to pay for the fees and expenses?  I'll tell you what they do!  They don't adopt!  Even though their heart says "YES!", they can't!  If the money isn't there, they can't!  That's it!  That makes me sad!!  And we want to change that!!

So, we have partnered with that long-time friend we were talking to.  He is a wonderful man named Lonnie Rex.  Lonnie has been involved with ministry and mission work for many many years!  Not only is he the founder of the David Livingston Foundation, but also his ministry World Wide Compassion (a non-profit organization).  WWC has helped with orphanages, disaster relief and clinics in several Third World countries.

Steve and I want to bring little Crew home to us!!  We want to help others bring home their "little Crew", too!  We do not want to see money get in the way of giving a child a home, a family and a future, who otherwise would not have a chance for those things!!

We are asking anyone who reads this, to please consider donating to World Wide Compassion.  If you are a business/corporation that needs to make a contribution for tax benefits, please consider WWC.  If you know someone who you think would consider this opportunity, please pass this on to them!  God has opened our hearts to help people bring home a child from poverty into a home of hope!  "It is more blessed to give, than to receive."  Acts 20:35

Please, BE A PART OF OUR CREW!!!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

In His Love,

Debbi

Why Ethiopia?

Please turn off my music (below) and watch this video.  This is why!!

A mother's HUG

I got a box in the mail today from the adoption agency!  It's full of books and reading materials on adoption and a DVD to watch.  Stuff to answer the many questions I'm sure we will have or have already had.  There is also a little t-shirt for Crew, and a stuffed animal for him.  As I was pulling out each item from the box, thoughts were just pouring out of my head!! Wow!  What a big change is getting ready to take place in this little boy's life!!  I mean, he's an orphan!! Can you imagine not having a mom?  When I say that, I instantly think of my own kids.  I can't imagine not being here for them.  Who would do their laundry?  Who would cook dinner for them and make their school lunches?  Who would run them back and forth to games and school?  Who would tuck them in and pray with them?  Who would HUG THEM....the real hug!!  A mother's hug!!  Even the littlest of those things....if I'm not doing it, who is?

Do you know anybody that doesn't have their mom around?  Do you ever just stop and think about how they feel?  Do you ever wonder if the reason they act a certain way is because she wasn't there to show them the way?  When I think of kids without a mom, it breaks my heart and I just want to be their mom for them!  I just want to hug them, the way a mother hugs!!  I don't want them to think I'm weird, or a creeper, but I want to show them THEY ARE LOVED!  What must God be feeling?  That's got to hurt Him to see His child hurting and lonely! Just aching for that mother's touch!

Being a part of this adoption to bring little Crew to our family has done things to my heart that I didn't know could happen.  We've fed the homeless before.  We've given clothing to the poor before.  We've donated and supported helping others.  But this time we are giving a child a HOME.  A MOM.  A DAD.  SIBLINGS.  If it was your child, wouldn't you want someone to do that for him or her?  I know I would!

Adopting doesn't change the world....but it will change the world for one child!

I have another favorite!

You know...sometimes I joke around and say, "I'm God's favorite!"  Well, maybe it's not a joke.  Sometimes I really do feel like that!!  But I've heard Beth Moore say that, too, so I'm in good company! haha!!  It's nice to think sometimes you're the favorite!!!  And really, we are ALL God's favorite!  He chose us!!

I have said to my kids from time to time, "she's my favorite", or "you know he's my favorite!"  My kids know I love them all the same, (yet differently), so when I say that, we just laugh!  There's not any reason for them to feel "less loved" than another; they all know they are loved as much as I can possibly love them.  They feel it!  When I gave birth to my first child, Cassidi, it was hard to imagine loving another child as much!  But then along came Makenzi.  I love her as much!  Then came Kason.  Same love!  Then Kyler.  Boom!  LOVE!  It's hard to imagine, but it happens!!  Hello Crew!!  You are loved!!  I have 5 favorites!!  :)

I have butterflies today!!

I don't know why I have these silly butterflies in my tummy today, but I do.  I'm really excited, not at all nervous, about my individual homestudy meeting.  It will be my last one.  Steve goes on Monday for his.  I guess because we are getting so close to the end of our homestudy...which means I will be able to mail the dossier...which means, we will get a court date soon after...I'm just kinda giddy!!  That will be a great day!!  My family is so excited to get this little boy to our home; we feel like he is already in our family....like, the family portrait over the mantle isn't even right anymore...someone is missing!!  Little Crew Dawit Coder.

Some of you have asked me questions lately that I guess I haven't shared with everyone.  I just feel like I have since I talk about him so much to anyone who will listen!! haha!!  So here is a little bit about Crew.  First, he is absolutely adorable!  He was abandoned as a baby, so we are not sure of his exact age, but probably between 18 months and 2 years old.  He is completely healthy. The agency director named him Dawit, which means David (after her husband. How sweet is that?!!).  We have decided to keep his Ethiopian name for his middle name. We feel blessed to have received baby pictures of him from the agency (a lot of adoptive parents don't get baby pictures, so we feel this is really cool!).  Several people that my sister knows (from her adoption journey) have met Crew in person (and even held him!! Awww!!!) and say he is just precious!!  I feel like he is just a miracle gift to us!  He was supposed to be adopted by another wonderful family, but that wasn't meant to be.  I feel like God was keeping him for us!!  And now that other family has adopted the children God had in store for them.  Amazing!!  God has a plan!!

Well, now it's time for me to head to my meeting....EEEkkkkk!!!  I feel like I just got asked on a first date or something!!! LOL!!!  I guess that's what LOVE does to you!!!  God's love!!!  :)

That's a lot of t-shirts!

Well, today I am feeling really blessed that 130 of you have purchased shirts to help support our adoption!  It makes me smile to think about seeing these t-shirts being worn by all of you, just out and about.  I picture myself running into one of you at Target and you having on the shirt that says, "Be a part of our Crew".  How cool is that?!!  :)

I feel like I'm not doing very much at this point to help get little Crew home....all the paperwork is done that I can do, and now we just wait for the homestudy to be complete so I can mail off the dossier.  Little Crew is sitting in an orphanage right now....and I find myself thinking about that a lot.  It's been really neat to be able to pray for him already.  He doesn't even know who we are, but yet he is being prayed for by name!  I have always prayed with each of my kids at bedtime (until they got to a certain age; then they started going to bed after me!!), but Kyler and I still pray together each night.  It's so sweet to pray for Crew.  Kyler always shows so much concern for his little brother already!!  It's priceless!!!

Thank you again SO MUCH for the support!!  Adoption is so expensive and each little bit helps so much!!  These 130 shirts sold just about cover the homestudy cost!!  GOD BLESS YOU!!!  xoxo!!