Oh gosh, ya'll. It's been such a smooth sailing ride...until now!! We just can't get that stinkin' I-171-H form here (that we HAVE to have for our court date)! As much as I've humanly tried, it is still not here!! So, here is my conclusion:
I know that GOD IS GOD. I know that GOD HAS A PLAN. I know that HE LOVES CREW more than I do. I even know that there are other children, PRECIOUS CHILDREN, in that same "line" at the USCIS office wanting to go HOME to their new FOREVER FAMILY that maybe need to be ahead of us. So......I'm gonna MAKE MYSELF TRUST EVERY PART of GOD. Each delay must be for a reason. Each set back....God has a bigger plan!! And while I wait....I'm gonna pray for sweet CREW to be loved, to stay healthy, to be safe....and somehow know that he has a momma that REALLY wants to hug him and tuck him into bed at night that is PRAYING FOR HIM!
So, while I wait.....will you PRAY WITH ME?
"I will serve you while I'm waiting, I will worship while I'm waiting!"
xoxo!! Debbi
P.S. Click on this link....this is something that a friend shared with me!! It brings me PEACE and makes me cry at the same time!! But it's all GOOD because GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWI-iZsIKIk&feature=share
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
BUY BUY BUY!!! And help an orphan at the same time!
Okay friends....it's the last night for us to receive donations toward ANY purchase from ORDINARY HERO STORE. You have to buy gifts anyway, right? Graduation! Mother's Day! Birthdays!! Maybe a sheep or 2 for orphans? YES!! SHEEP!! Go to www.ordinaryherostore.org and check out what they have!! For EVERY purchase they will donate 40% to Crew's adoption AND because of awesome people like you, we are in the top 3 for the $500 GRANT. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Now, please go SHOP! It's now or never!! :) THANK YOU!!!!!
P.S. When you purchase something and CHECK OUT, please remember to click on AFFILIATE and put my name, Debbi Coder, so we get the 40% donation for Crew's adoption!! xoxo!!!
www.ordinaryherostore.org
P.S. When you purchase something and CHECK OUT, please remember to click on AFFILIATE and put my name, Debbi Coder, so we get the 40% donation for Crew's adoption!! xoxo!!!
www.ordinaryherostore.org
Sunday, May 1, 2011
A gift with a purpose!!
www.ordinaryherostore.org
Hey friends!! So, it's that time of year! GRADUATION...MOTHER'S DAY....and if you are like us, MAY has soo many birthdays!!!! Here is an awesome opportunity for you all, our friends, to buy gifts that will not only make that person SMILE, but will also have a greater purpose!!!
When you go to www.ORDINARYHEROSTORE.org (click on the link above) and buy any item, they will donate 40% to our adoption of Crew!!! AND to top that off, we are in the top 5 sellers (THANK YOU!!!!!) which means we could win the $500 GRANT!!! THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!!! The deadline is tomorrow night (Monday).
So if you have gifts you need to buy, would you please go to www.ordinaryherostore.org and shop!! I know you will find great gifts for those special people (and probably an item or two for yourself....cute stuff, girls!!). Please don't forget an important step when you "checkout" your purchases....please look for MY NAME, Debbi Coder, where it says AFFILIATE and click on it so we get the credit!! It's super easy!! You will be making a huge difference in the life of an orphan!!! AND, the items really are awesome!!!
THANK YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN for BEING A PART OF OUR CREW!!!!
xoxo!! Debbi
Remember, by tomorrow (Monday) night!! :)
Hey friends!! So, it's that time of year! GRADUATION...MOTHER'S DAY....and if you are like us, MAY has soo many birthdays!!!! Here is an awesome opportunity for you all, our friends, to buy gifts that will not only make that person SMILE, but will also have a greater purpose!!!
When you go to www.ORDINARYHEROSTORE.org (click on the link above) and buy any item, they will donate 40% to our adoption of Crew!!! AND to top that off, we are in the top 5 sellers (THANK YOU!!!!!) which means we could win the $500 GRANT!!! THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!!! The deadline is tomorrow night (Monday).
So if you have gifts you need to buy, would you please go to www.ordinaryherostore.org and shop!! I know you will find great gifts for those special people (and probably an item or two for yourself....cute stuff, girls!!). Please don't forget an important step when you "checkout" your purchases....please look for MY NAME, Debbi Coder, where it says AFFILIATE and click on it so we get the credit!! It's super easy!! You will be making a huge difference in the life of an orphan!!! AND, the items really are awesome!!!
THANK YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN for BEING A PART OF OUR CREW!!!!
xoxo!! Debbi
Remember, by tomorrow (Monday) night!! :)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Just waiting......and waiting!
So this is what they were talking about! There is nothing for me to do to make the process go faster!!! We are just waiting! And waiting!!! Good thing for me I still have 4 other kids and a household to manage or I could go kinda crazy during this part!! I'm really not anxious....just excited!! I simply cannot wait to finally get to hold little Crew!! Even more, I cannot wait to see him with his siblings, Cassi, Makenzi, Kason and his buddy for life, Kyler! I just feel like seeing my kids love on their new little brother will be.....well, I'm speechless just thinking about it!!!
Our friend (that was able to meet Crew recently) came home from his trip with video footage from the orphanage of their time together!! It was precious!!! He took pictures of Crew's sweet little hands and feet for me (at my request....I love hands and feet!!) and I couldn't wait to get home and put them in a frame! Just priceless!!
This same friend and his wife are adopting a few boys from Ethiopia!! Yep, you read that right! A FEW! They started out thinking 2....but God quickly turned that number into 3. And can you believe after his trip over there, the number may possibly be turning to 4. YEP!! 4 boys from Ethiopia ranging in ages from 10-14. HOW COOL IS THAT? One of the boys on the video says, "Don't forget me!! Please remember me!!" Don't you know, all those children want a home!! They don't care what kind of house they will live in, or what college they will go to....they just want a HOME!!! Once you see that in their eyes, you don't forget it!!!
Another friend of mine is now in the adoption process.....and they are adopting a little boy that is 10 years old. AND, they may be getting a young girl, too! It's amazing what can happen when we respond to compassion rather than just feel compassion!!
Don't forget.....you can still order CREW t-shirts!! THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR CREW!!! It won't be long now.....and he will be HOME!!!
xoxo! Debbi
Our friend (that was able to meet Crew recently) came home from his trip with video footage from the orphanage of their time together!! It was precious!!! He took pictures of Crew's sweet little hands and feet for me (at my request....I love hands and feet!!) and I couldn't wait to get home and put them in a frame! Just priceless!!
This same friend and his wife are adopting a few boys from Ethiopia!! Yep, you read that right! A FEW! They started out thinking 2....but God quickly turned that number into 3. And can you believe after his trip over there, the number may possibly be turning to 4. YEP!! 4 boys from Ethiopia ranging in ages from 10-14. HOW COOL IS THAT? One of the boys on the video says, "Don't forget me!! Please remember me!!" Don't you know, all those children want a home!! They don't care what kind of house they will live in, or what college they will go to....they just want a HOME!!! Once you see that in their eyes, you don't forget it!!!
Another friend of mine is now in the adoption process.....and they are adopting a little boy that is 10 years old. AND, they may be getting a young girl, too! It's amazing what can happen when we respond to compassion rather than just feel compassion!!
Don't forget.....you can still order CREW t-shirts!! THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR CREW!!! It won't be long now.....and he will be HOME!!!
xoxo! Debbi
Thursday, April 7, 2011
YEP!! It's happening!!!
WE GOT OUR COURT DATE!! Oh my goodness!! AND a very special date....my mom's 70th birthday!! How sweet is that? Thank you, God!! And so funny that just this afternoon, my sister, Wendi, sent me an email and said, "I bet your court date is May 27th!". We found out at 10:30 pm that it really is!! YIPPEE!!!! So, Steve will be heading out May 23rd to go meet our little Crew!! I will stay home and hold down the fort! It won't be long until our little guy is HOME with all of us!! Very soon!! It's happening....it's really happening!! From being put in our hearts at Christmas time, to our court date on Nana's birthday, it's looking like Crew will be here for MY 45th BIRTHDAY!! I don't think I could ask for a better gift!!! THANK YOU GOD!!! To be continued.......real soon!! :)
xoxo!!
Debbi
xoxo!!
Debbi
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
My heart is full!!
And to my friend that decided to post a "CREW t-shirt fundraiser" on fb today, which totally surprised me....that blessed me....sooo much!! THANK YOU!!!
Today was the day we went to OKC for our fingerprinting!! Ahhh, it's always such a relief to be one step closer!! It worked out sooo good!! Not only did Steve and I have to get our fingerprints, but so did our girls, since they are 18 and 19.....but all of us had different appointments to get them done (the computer just spits them out, so you take what you can get!)....in Oklahoma City.....and they are both students, so the timing wasn't real good for them on the dates they were given. Thankfully, as we all arrived together on Steve's appointment day, with sweet smiles and lots of praying, they let us all use Steve's appointment and we all got our fingerprints done at the same time!! I am sooo excited!!! Now we are just waiting for our court date!! I feel like we will get it any time now!! I keep reminding myself that God's timing is perfect...so I feel very content waiting!! I know it'll be exactly as it should be!!
Btw, a friend of ours just left Ethiopia and he was able to see Crew and take pictures (which I will see when he gets back). There are no words to describe how special it is to me to know someone we know was with him to hug him, even if just for a little while. We are able to send a gift bag to him this weekend with another friend going over. She will not be able to see him, but will send the bag to him with our picture in it. He is little, so he won't understand who we are, but I am so happy he will have a couple new toys and outfits from us!! It makes me smile....I can already see the new toys going straight in his mouth!! :)
My heart is full.....I'm thankful.....and eternal perspective is INcreDIblE!! :)
Love ya'll!! xoxo!! Debbi
Friday, March 18, 2011
I'm thankful for sure!
I just can't get over how thankful I am.
It's been a busy few weeks. Getting ready for the fundraiser we are having this coming Friday has kept me on the move! I love that, though!! It makes me feel like I'm doing SOMETHING to help get Crew here faster!! Of course, I know, it's all God's timing, and He already knows the date Crew will arrive. But it still makes me feel like I'm doing something!! :)
As I've been marking off my "to do" list I've realized over and over again, how thankful I am. I'm actually most always a pretty optimistic person, so being thankful isn't unusual, but I am just so aware of how thankful I am right now. I think it's funny how things go complete circle. By that I mean, Steve and I are pretty giving people...both of us. It's not strange for us to help people out, whether it's making a meal for a sick friend, or helping a kid get a first car that needs help. We've been known to house a few people when in need. Steve is constantly picking up hitchhikers (only when he's by himself) and witnessing to them, and very often he gets calls from homeless guys he's trying to help "kick the habit" and when they need encouragement, they turn to Steve. That's just who we are. We like to help others. And here we are, on the receiving end. We're not really used to being on the receiving end.
When my sister first came up with the idea to contact my friends about having this dinner/silent auction fundraiser, I just wasn't so sure about it. But it has become one of the most awesome experiences for me! I have had the opportunity to talk to so many people about our adoption when I've gone to pick up donations. Out of about 70 people I contacted, only 2 people said no about donating! That tells me there are so many giving people out there!! It gave me so much to be thankful for!!
I am thankful for giving people that are willing to sacrifice and help others!! I am thankful for my family and my sweet friends who are willing to sacrifice their time (and a lot of it) to organize the food, decorations, the program for the night and all the auction items! I'm thankful for a church that opened their doors to us to host our fundraiser!! I'm thankful for the people who are taking the time to come to the fundraiser!! I'm thankful so many "well known" people have a heart for adopting and they took the time to sign stuff and mail it to me for the auction!! I'm thankful for my kids who are so excited about this new little boy coming to our family!! I'm thankful for my husband who will father this child just like the other 4 we have!! I'm thankful for a sister who took these steps before me and has walked me through every single (and I mean every single!) adoption form we had to fill out!! I'm thankful for friends and my precious family who have prayed for us on this journey!! I'm thankful that even though we recently had bad news that my mom has breast cancer, that we have had only good news since and that we can be excited that we have more time together!! I'm thankful for the precious kids my sister adopted that make me less "unsure" of the "unknown" of adopting!! I'm just so thankful for so much! I wanted you all to know I'm thankful for you!! Thank you for sharing, caring, praying and everything else!! xoxo!! Debbi
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27
It's been a busy few weeks. Getting ready for the fundraiser we are having this coming Friday has kept me on the move! I love that, though!! It makes me feel like I'm doing SOMETHING to help get Crew here faster!! Of course, I know, it's all God's timing, and He already knows the date Crew will arrive. But it still makes me feel like I'm doing something!! :)
As I've been marking off my "to do" list I've realized over and over again, how thankful I am. I'm actually most always a pretty optimistic person, so being thankful isn't unusual, but I am just so aware of how thankful I am right now. I think it's funny how things go complete circle. By that I mean, Steve and I are pretty giving people...both of us. It's not strange for us to help people out, whether it's making a meal for a sick friend, or helping a kid get a first car that needs help. We've been known to house a few people when in need. Steve is constantly picking up hitchhikers (only when he's by himself) and witnessing to them, and very often he gets calls from homeless guys he's trying to help "kick the habit" and when they need encouragement, they turn to Steve. That's just who we are. We like to help others. And here we are, on the receiving end. We're not really used to being on the receiving end.
When my sister first came up with the idea to contact my friends about having this dinner/silent auction fundraiser, I just wasn't so sure about it. But it has become one of the most awesome experiences for me! I have had the opportunity to talk to so many people about our adoption when I've gone to pick up donations. Out of about 70 people I contacted, only 2 people said no about donating! That tells me there are so many giving people out there!! It gave me so much to be thankful for!!
I am thankful for giving people that are willing to sacrifice and help others!! I am thankful for my family and my sweet friends who are willing to sacrifice their time (and a lot of it) to organize the food, decorations, the program for the night and all the auction items! I'm thankful for a church that opened their doors to us to host our fundraiser!! I'm thankful for the people who are taking the time to come to the fundraiser!! I'm thankful so many "well known" people have a heart for adopting and they took the time to sign stuff and mail it to me for the auction!! I'm thankful for my kids who are so excited about this new little boy coming to our family!! I'm thankful for my husband who will father this child just like the other 4 we have!! I'm thankful for a sister who took these steps before me and has walked me through every single (and I mean every single!) adoption form we had to fill out!! I'm thankful for friends and my precious family who have prayed for us on this journey!! I'm thankful that even though we recently had bad news that my mom has breast cancer, that we have had only good news since and that we can be excited that we have more time together!! I'm thankful for the precious kids my sister adopted that make me less "unsure" of the "unknown" of adopting!! I'm just so thankful for so much! I wanted you all to know I'm thankful for you!! Thank you for sharing, caring, praying and everything else!! xoxo!! Debbi
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27
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