So Close!

My mind is full of so many things that it is hard to even begin this post.  We are so close to traveling to bring our two sweethearts home to our forever family.  SO CLOSE! 

Right now we are waiting for a piece of paperwork to be dropped off (we think tomorrow).  Then we will wait for two more steps (JUST TWO!!!):
1.  Travel approval from China
 and
2.  an appointment at the consulate.

That's it y'all!  That's it!  Then we can travel to China to meet these two precious boys!

As we wait to schedule travel we have a few prayer requests that we'd love to share with you. 

Nathanael:  Please pray for Nathanael as he will be without MomMom and Daddy for the longest he's ever been away from us.  Please pray for our plan for a family member to stay with Nathanael while we are gone.  Our plans A and B have both fallen through.  We want this transition to be as easy as possible on him!

Gideon:  He has a very difficult time with strangers.  He becomes extremely anxious.  Please pray that his orphanage staff will have shown him the photo book we sent.  Please pray that God will work supernaturally to calm Gideon when we meet him for the first time....because we will essentially be strangers to him.

Josiah:  Please pray that Josiah's transition is easy especially with sleep.  Our last update indicated that he takes a very long time to go to sleep and can be very stubborn about it.  Jet lag and all the travel we have to do within China could make this worse.  Please pray that God prepares him to sleep well and to adjust to his new family well.

Brian and I:  Please pray for safe travels.  We will be doing a LOT of it next month.  Will you pray that our connections are smooth and uneventful? (This is the MOST stressful part of traveling for me!)  Will you pray that we handle our boys' grief with grace and patience?  We've waiting so long to call them our sons, but they will likely be afraid and grieving.  They won't know who we are or that we love them dearly.

Finances:  We still have a large financial need.  We know that God can and will provide.  We are holding on to that faith.  He's such an amazing God and has provided just what we needed when we needed it.  He's used many of your prayers and gifts to accomplish this and we are so thankful.

Update, Prayer requests, and a Matching Grant

BIG NEWS!  We were approved by China to adopt our boys on January 19th!  We have sent in our 1-800 and are working through the VISA/Immigration process right now.  This is getting real, y'all!  Our agency says we will travel in 9-12 weeks!  They usually underestimate, so we think it will be closer to 9 weeks.

The adoption process is L-O-N-G, y'all.  Through this time we have filled out paperwork, built up savings and exhausted our savings, held a yard sale, held a facebook auction, filled out more paperwork, sold craft items that we made, had a necklace auction, filled out more paperwork, sold t-shirts, had a LulaRoe fundraiser, filled out grant applications, had a square fundraiser, worked small side jobs to earn extra money, and most of all prayed that God would provide.

We still have about $17,000 - $18,000 to raise to cover our orphanage fees, in-country fees, Visa fees and travel costs.  This does not include our post adoption report fees.  It seems like a lot (and it is), BUT God has provided what we need right at the time we needed it EVERY STEP OF THE WAY through this adoption.

 One blessing we have to share is that we just found out that we have been approved for a matching grant!!!
  God's Grace Adoption Ministries will match gifts given to our family up to $1,000.  So if $1,000 is given, we will receive $2,000 after our adoption is finalized.  Isn't that awesome!?!  It reminds me of how Jesus multiplied loaves and fishes to feed his people.  Donations for this matching grant must be given through their ministry (Bonus, that makes it a tax deductible gift!) and we (Brian and I) are not allowed to donate.

If you'd like to donate online,  Click on this link and choose Joseph and Heather Shubert - Washington from the drop down menu. This is located under the heading "Who would you like to help?". 

You may also give by mailing a check to:

God's Grace Adoption Ministry
Joseph and Heather Shubert Adoption
P.O. Box 4
Modesto, CA  95353

Please also write "Joseph and Heather Shubert" in the for section on your check. 

Thank you all for praying that God provides.  Thank you for praying that our boys get home safely.  Will you also pray that they are being prepared to be adopted?  I have connected with families who have adopted from the orphanage where our older son is located.  It seems that it is not common for them to be prepared to be adopted.  I can only imagine how frightening it would be to be taken to strangers and left with them.  God is bigger than what "usually" happens and we are praying that our sweet boys are prepared to meet our family.

We can't wait for China!!!

A dear friend of mine arrived home from China this week with her precious son!  How exciting!  I loved following her journey via Facebook and seeing her son become a part of her forever family!

We have had some movement on our adoption since I last updated here.  We were DTC (dossier to China) on November 23rd.  We were LID on November 28th.  This means our file has been logged in to China and our dossier is in translation!!!!  This is a big step!  We cannot wait until we are visiting the Great Wall pictured above and bringing our boys home!

We do most of our adoption updates in a secret Facebook group.  If we are friends and you'd like to join it, feel free to comment below or message me on Facebook.

Good News!

So if you've adopted you know that the process is full of a lot of "hurry up and wait".  We've been working to get our dossier documents to our agency.  I am happy to report that they have all of the documents they need from us.  Now we wait for the sealed documents to be sent from the Chinese Consulate to our agency via a courier.  These documents are currently being processed.  At that point, our agency will review our documents and prepare and send our dossier to China!!!  I can't wait until I can share these initials DTC!  That means Dossier to China.  So we've been hurrying and hurrying and now we are in a waiting season.  

During this time, we also held an adoption auction, a LulaRoe fundraiser, and a necklace auction which MANY of you supported!  Through these, God provided the rest of the funds we needed to be able to submit our dossier.  Thank you all for praying for and supporting us! 

We also received word this week from Show Hope that we were approved for a grant from to help with some of our adoption expenses!!!  What a blessing!  I have to share a bit of our story here.  In 2001 while getting ready for work, I was listening to a Focus on the family broadcast featuring Steven Curtis Chapman.  He was discussing his family's first adoption from China.  I listened intently with tears running down my cheeks to their family's precious story!  God made it clear to me in that moment that international adoption would be a part of our family's story.  At the time we were too young to adopt from China.  We began a years long journey of researching adoption, praying about our options, being discouraged by the costs, and asking God what his plan for our family was.  As most of you know, we adopted our son from Taiwan in 2010.  Yet, China has always been in our hearts.  God worked out the details and in March we were matched with Josiah and later in June we were matched with Gideon.  I am humbled when I look back and see how God used this radio broadcast to speak to my heart and is using Steven Curtis Chapman's organization (Show Hope) to help bring our two precious boys home!  He knows how to perfectly weave the tapestry of our lives together.  Today I am standing back in amazement as I look at this beautiful piece of artwork he has created!

The heart of our story: Why we adopt internationally

I have debated about writing this post over and over again.  I want to begin by saying, I LOVE ADOPTION...domestic adoption, foster care adoption and international adoption.  One is not better than the others.  They are all needed and they are ALL God's heart.  Our pastor preached from James on Sunday and there the verse was again...staring me in the face....

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

I can't read that and walk away.  We are asked some variation of this question A LOT..."Why do you adopt from other countries when there are so many kids in America who need families?"

It's a complex question and a personal one, honestly.  The short answer is that we felt God specifically speak to our hearts about international adoption in 2001.  I believe God can specifically lead you where he wants you.    The US has a foster care system.  It's broken, it's not perfect, but kiddos with be with a family at least until they turn 18.   We are adopting from China.  In China, when a child is 14, they are no longer eligible for adoption.  They.Have.No.Options.  I don't know about you, but when I was 14 I was naive an immature and in NO WAY capable of caring for myself on my own.

My friend Judy Wheeler used the same agency we are adopting through.  She just arrived home from adopting a sweet kiddo right before he aged out and shared the following post, which I am sharing with her permission.

"Tears and Heartbreak from Children Who Have "AGED OUT " told to Amy E. of LWB

Tears from Jenny, who broke down on her 14th birthday when she realized that she had aged out of the adoption system without being chosen. The final realization that she would never know what it meant to have a mom or dad of her own caused her to fall into a deep depression. Tears from Lily, a 17-year-old girl whom I had given my jacket after she admired it. When she refused to accept it initially, I put my hand on her shoulder and said, “But of course you have to take it because you are like family to me.” And it was at that one word, “family,” that this normally stoic young lady broke down and sobbed uncontrollably, as it is the one thing that she longed for.

By far, however, the most emotional moment of my time in China came one night when I was able to meet with a group of older orphaned teens I had watched grow up over a five year period. Every time I would visit their orphanage, I would enjoy getting to know them more. They all seemed so close, such good friends, and they always had smiles for me when I arrived. That night, however, was a night when the kids finally let their guard down. It was a night of real conversation and sharing what it means to grow up as an orphan. Toward the end of the evening we were all in tears. Afterwards, one of the older boys stayed to talk with me privately. I am hesitant to even write of it now as it was such a deeply personal and emotionally raw conversation.I will share, however, that he told me that growing up without a mother or father “hurts more than death.”

 Again, I LOVE my friends and family who have adopted from the foster care system.  They are Jesus to precious kiddos who need a family! And so are we and my friend Judy and my many friends who have adopted internationally.  God leads us each where he needs us.  My heart is with these precious kiddos who if they continue in an orphanage will never know the love of a family.  I hope this helps to give you some insight into our hearts and our decision.

Much love from the Shuberts!

Loving Our Boys Home

You are the missing piece!  Help us bring Josiah and Gideon home!  We need to raise funds for our adoption and we wanted something meaningful for our boys' room so that they will be able to see who helped to "love them home."

.  

We have purchased an Asian-themed puzzle.  For each $10 donation you make to our adoption fund, we will write your name or the name of your choosing (your mom, dad, child or grandchild’s name) on the back of the puzzle piece. You can buy as many puzzle pieces as you like!  When our boys come home, they will be able to look at the back of the puzzle and see all of the people who gave so they could become a member of our forever family.  I love this so much!  I love that our boys will be able to know that each of you shared a part in bringing them home!

We have $5830 in fees coming up when we file for our visa and submit our dossier.  This puzzle coupled with the t-shirt fundraiser we completed will help us raise those fees.

So, how do you buy a puzzle piece?  Email me at adoptionrocks4@gmail.com or private message me on facebook (Heather Bishop Shubert).  I will reply with our home address, where you can send a check and the name(s) you want written on the back of the puzzle piece(s).  You can also donate through our tax deductible giving site, www.adopttogether.org/shubertfamily Just make sure to let me know what name(s) you want on your pieces.

You can follow our adoption and the progress of this fundraiser here or in our private facebook group. If you wanted added to our facebook group, comment below.

P.S. For those of you who gave in 2013 toward our puzzle fundraiser, this is the same puzzle and you will finally get to see it completed.  (We were planning to adopt from Taiwan and stopped promoting the fundraiser when our agency wasn't able to process adoptions anymore.)

I will update with puzzle progress and you guys can see if you can figure out what the image is!

Love y'all!

Timeline

Many of you have asked questions like "When you you be able to bring your boys home?"  I thought I'd give you a timeline of this adoption to help you know how to pray for us.

We are adopting through a medical needs program from China.

January 19, 2015--Medical checklist received by our agency
March 23, 2016---Referral accepted for Josiah
April 1, 2016------Adoption application accepted
April 2, 2016------Home study began
April 5, 2016------LOI to China for Josiah
May 18, 2016-----Referral accepted for Gideon
June 6, 2016-------LOI to China for Gideon

Currently we have one document we are waiting for our home study provider to receive to complete the home study.  Brian also has to complete some financial info.  I requested the document a second time this week hoping to get things moving.  At the same time, I am assembling our dossier documents so that when our home study is completed, we can move forward ASAP.  Will you pray that we can get this completed in a timely manner?  Thank you all for your support of our adoption!  Here are some pictures of the boys just because that's what you're here to see, ha ha!

 

We just received the above updated picture of Josiah last week.

Zoom in on this picture of Gideon.  He is adorable and this picture is very telling of his personality.  He was uneasy around strangers with cameras, so they had to take this picture from far away.

In other news, we sent care packages to our sweet boys today.  They should receive them in 7-10 business days. I'm so excited!!!!

So where are you in the process?

We've had lots of people ask this question, "So where are you in the process?"  So I thought I'd take a moment to answer that.  :)  Because we were matched with two waiting children, we are completing a couple of steps at the same time.  Our home study is nearly finished and we are beginning to work on our dossier.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the China adoption process, our dossier is a huge binder of documents that we have to submit to China before they will begin on our adoption process from their stand point.  As of now, they have preapproved us to adopt Jing and Guang, but they require the dossier to officially approve us.

If you'd like you can pray for us as we complete this mound of paperwork.  Brian has some training to complete and another document that he has to complete in order for our home study to be signed off on by our home study agency.  Then, it has to be examined and approved by our adoption agency. After that, we can begin our application with USCIS.  We are already working on our dossier and compiling documents.  Please pray for understanding on my part as this is a bit overwhelming.  It is much more complicated than Nathanael's adoption was.

We also have some big fees coming up, so please pray that God provides.  If you feel led to help, there are a couple of ways you can do so.  We have a site where you can give and it's tax deductible.  www.adopttogether.org/shubertfamily  We love this ministry's heart for adoptive families.

We have t-shirts for sale until June 30th.  The story behind them is that God is calling us to be brave in stepping out to adopt our precious boys.  2 Timothy 1:7 is one of my favorite verses for putting my eyes on Jesus and not the situation.  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind."  2 Timothy 1:7  You can find our shirts here if you're interested,  https://teespring.com/stores/shubert-adoption

Thank you so much for your support and your prayers!  We appreciate you all so much!

Adoption Surprises

I am sitting here reflecting on our journey with infertility and adoption.  We were married almost 10 years before we brought Nathanael home.  We started the process to adopt again in 2012 only to wait for 3 years to be matched.  Unfortunately, the program we were hoping to adopt from in Taiwan has never opened again.  We really hope it does someday soon.  But in January 2015, we filled out a medical checklist to adopt through the China special needs program. This was the first of many surprises for our family.  We had not been open to special needs adoption in the past, but God was opening our hearts and widening our horizons.  In April 2016, we got a call and received the file of the sweetest little 18 month old.  We accepted his referral and began our paper chase, home study and the whole journey.

We had selected that we were open to adopting two kiddos at the same time.  However, we were told that it rarely works out to be matched to two kiddos that can come home at the same time.  God was about to surprise us again.  In May 2016, we received a second call to be matched with a precious 3 1/2 year old.  They live in separate cities in the same province.  We were able to be matched with them before submitting our dossier, which means we will be able to bring them home on the same trip.  God is so good to us!  All this waiting...all my impatience..but GOD knew what he was doing.

We are so blessed and so thankful!  If you'd like to help us bring these sweet boys home, we have t-shirts we are selling right now.  You can order here...  Currently our shirts will be available through June 30th.  I'd love to tell you the story behind them.  2 Timothy 1:7 is one of my all-time favorite verses.  Agreeing to bring home two precious boys at once was definitely a step of faith.  God is reminding me to be brave and trust HIM to help bring these boys home.

We love you all and thank you for following our journey!  And just because these boys are precious, here's our version of a family photo ;)

Big News!

Our family has an announcement!!!  After 3 years of waiting to adopt from Taiwan and 1 year of waiting to adopt from China, we are matched with a precious boy in China!  We are so excited to introduce Jing Tian to you our friends and family.

So we have been asked several questions by you, our sweet friends and family, and I thought I'd resurrect our blog and address them here....

1.  Have we chosen a name?

We will keep Jing Tian as his middle name and have not yet settled on a first name.  A name's meaning is really important to us and we can't quite land on one, yet.

2.  How long before we can bring him home?

9-12 months

3.  How old is he?

18 months old

4.  Will we be traveling to China?

Yes! And I can't wait to hold this sweet little love in my arms!

5.  How does Nathanael feel about us adopting again?

He is SOOOO excited!!!  He tells everyone multiple times that he is going to get a "new brudder".

6.  How can you help or support our family?

• Pray for the process, paperwork, and for us to have favor with the governments and agencies.
• 
  
• Support our fundraisers that will begin soon.
• 
  
• Give (and it's even tax deductible) here.  www.adopttogether.com/shubertfamily Adoption is expensive, y'all.  I wish it wasn't.  I'd have a houseful of little loves if I could!  Giving to an adoptive family is a great way to live out James 1:27 "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."  NLT

Thank y'all for joining our journey and keep following along.  We love you all!

So this is the post, that I don't know how to write...

I've been trying to figure out how to write this post and what to write for weeks.  We have been on the waiting list to adopt for 2 years now.  Our home study has been completed for so long that it is about to expire.  We have been waiting, waiting, and waiting some more.  A couple of weeks ago, our agency let us know that the Taiwanese government is in no hurry to grant their adoption license.  Our agency has done all they can do.  They were supposed to be able to apply this fall, but now they are being told that it will likely be another year at least.  So they let their waiting families know and suggested that we may want to look into other options for adoption.  Please pray for our family as we seek the Lord for how he wants to build our family.  We still plan to adopt, but are not sure what direction to go in at this time.  We want the child God has for our family.  In addition to this, were are currently going through a stressful time as a family in other ways as well.  Please keep us in your prayers that God will guide and direct us and that we will lean into Him during this time.  I will leave you with a song that describes where I am emotionally right now.  I need to melt in His peace and be overwhelmed by that instead of my circumstances right now. 

"The more I seek you,
The more I find you
The more I find you, the more I love you

I wanna sit at your feet
Drink from the cup in your hand.
Lay back against you and breath, feel your heart beat
This love is so deep, it's more than I can stand.
I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming"

Joy in the Journey

Joy in the Journey adoption ministry asked for adoptive families to submit posts for their blog.  I submitted a post about how God miraculously provided for Nathanael's adoption through amazing friends.  It was encouraging to write that blog post because every word I wrote was a reminder that God can provide in amazing ways for this adoption.  I'm so excited to see what he will do.  If you are interested in reading my post, here it is...http://joyinthejourneyadoption.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-fear-of-finances.html  While you are there, check out their other articles.  They are an amazing resource for families considering adoption, in the adoption process, or already home with their kiddos.  I highly recommend their ministry.  Now go check them out! :)

Mmmmmm Coffee!

If you know Brian very well, you are aware of his obsession with love of coffee. :) When you see my awesome husband, you can be certain that he will be 1. talking to someone and 2. have a cup of coffee in his hand.  So, when I found this adoption fundraiser called Just Love Coffee, I knew it was perfect for our family.

 If you enjoy good coffee, are addicted to coffee, or just love it, consider purchasing yours at our little coffee store front and support our adoption while supporting your coffee habit.  The store front has t-shirts, coffee, and much more.  Click this link to read our story.  Then just click the green Shop and Support button to start shopping!

What's happening?

Hi everyone.  I apologize for neglecting my blog.  I wanted to help you understand why I haven't posted.

1.  There really hasn't been much news to share.  Our agency is referring babies to families at a slow pace right now.  They have been fundraising to meet a new requirement in Taiwan that would enable them (Taiwan Xi En) to place children independently.  They expect referrals to increase once they have met their goal.  ***Good news:  Taiwan Xi En has reached 74% of their goal.  If you'd like to help I have a few more baby bottles where you can collect change to help them reach their goal.  Just comment on this post if you'd like one and I will be happy to get it to you.  You can fill a baby bottle, you can hand them out at work, or you can donate directly here.  God is providing and it is so exciting to see it!!

2.  We have been in full on craft show mode.  You can also purchase our items on facebook here and on etsy here. They make great Christmas gifts! Be on the look out for some deals before Christmas!  Here are some of the items we are making and selling to raise funds for our adoption.
Brian makes wire crosses...

I make several styles of scarves...

 

And Nathanael and I make yummy striped lollipops called Jollypops.  These make great party favors or stocking stuffers and you can choose from several colors...

 

 

Thank you so much for praying for us during this adoption journey.  We really need it!  Waiting is so difficult, yet we know that God is in control.  He has confirmed to us that he will provide for our adoption and we are trusting HIM. 

 

Love to all of you,

 

The Shuberts

 

 

 

 

Thank you friends and family!

My last post was about our matching grant that ended on the 18th.  You gave and we exceeded our goal!  We had a matching grant from a friend of $1,000.  If you look at the thermometer to your right you will see that you dear friends and family gave and we raised over $1200!!!  Thank you so very much!  You are bringing us closer and closer to Baby Shubert!  So thankful for all of you who pray, give, and are supportive of our adoption!

Matching Grant

We have a donor who will match all donations to our adoption fund, or sales in our crafting shop up to $1,000!  Isn't that amazing! If we can raise $1,000 and have it matched, we will be VERY close to our referral fee!  So how can you help?

1.  You can donate with a tax deductible gift here, 

2.  You can donate by mailing us a check.  If you'd like to do this comment on this post with your email address and I will send you our address. (Cash donations are also accepted.)

3.  You can purchase a puzzle piece from our puzzle fundraiser.  The pieces are $10 each.  You can buy as many as you want and the name or names of your choosing will be written on the back of the piece.  The puzzle will hang in Baby Shubert's room and he or she will know that you helped to bring them home to our forever family.

4.  You can purchase from our crafting shop here or here.  We sell t-shirt infinity scarves and take orders for jollypops and wire crosses.  They make great Christmas presents and you can request certain colors if you like for both the jollypops and the wire crosses.

5.  You can pray for God to provide the funds.  I would love to take advantage of the full $1,000 match.

I have added a thermometer to the right for you to see the progress of our match.  All donations must be received by October 18, 2013.

Thank you in advance for your prayers, shopping, and giving!

With love from The Shuberts

Todays Programming Is Brought To You By the Letter P...Preschool, Puzzle, and Packages

OK, I know it's cheesey, but hey, I'm the mother of a preschooler and Sesame Street is a part of my life!  Yes I said PRESCHOOL!  Can you believe it?  Since I last posted, Nathanael has started preschool. He goes 2 days a week for a few hours and really loves it!  It is so good for my little extrovert to get to be around other kids.

I also wanted to update you all about the adoption and our adoption fundraising.  We have had some awesome donations to our puzzle fundraiser.  The Martin Family--Ernest, Linda, Star, Nathaniel, Noah and Abigail as well as the Kirk Family--Mark, Sharon, Jake, Delaney, Heather, Ronnie, and Shiana recently purchased puzzle pieces bringing our total to 62/500 puzzle pieces purchased.  That's $620 of our $5,000 goal! If you'd like to purchase puzzle pieces with your name on them or the name of your loved ones, you can donate here and it is tax deductible.  The puzzle will hang in our child's room and they will know that you helped to love them home to our family through your giving.  Each puzzle piece is $10.  All 500 pieces sold= our referral fee.  This is the amount we need as soon as we are matched with a child, which could be any day or a few more months.  We have no idea.  Can you skip a coffee purchase or eating out 1 meal to help bring an orphan home to our forever family?  We'd be eternally grateful.  

Here is an updated picture of the puzzle.  Any guesses what it is?  Not yet?  Well, buy a few pieces or encourage your friends and family to!  

Now for the packages...I have been making and selling scarves like these to sell here on our crafting page.  Nathanael and I have also been making Jollypops (really cute striped lollipops).  All of this = lots of packages to be mailed out and lots of trips to the post office.  And I love every minute of it because every package mailed brings us a little closer to Baby Shubert coming home.  Nathanael loves it to, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with opening and closing the mail drop door at least 10 times every time we go! Love my little exploring boy!

Now we have added these wire crosses that Brian makes, as well.

If you are interested in purchasing any of our crafting items, click on this link.  Then click on photos and albums.  You will see all of our items currently for sale. They make great fall purchases or Christmas gifts! 

We have 2 craft shows next week.  Please help us pray that God blesses our efforts and this adoption fundraising.  We are so happy that you have joined us on this journey.  Thank you for your prayers, love and support!

We're still here, I promise!

Sorry for being absent the past couple of weeks!  I've been working on scarves over here on our fundraising page.  Just click on pictures and then albums and check out what we have made! It's the perfect time to stock up on scarves for fall! Now let me get back to the subject at hand. :)

I wanted to update everyone on our progress with raising funds for our adoption.  You, our friends and family, have purchased 49 puzzle pieces!  That is $490 toward our adoption!  Here's the sneak peek at our puzzle, drum roll please...

Donating friends have been:  The Oliver Family; The Chism Family; David and Joyce Spence; The Simerman Family; The Walker Family; Brad, Marie, Kaitlyn, Natalie, Joanna, Kenaniah, and Elianna Angus; John and Mindy Moon and Mindy's dad James; as well as some anonymous donations.  We can't thank you enough for your donations and support of our adoption!  Also check out our overall fundraising thermometer...We've raised over $2,000 for our adoption!  Thank you again for your generosity!

Will you do me a favor?  The next two weekends I will be selling our scarves, Jollypops, and crosses (if Brian has time to make them) in craft shows to raise money for our adoption.  Will you pray that God blesses these weekends and people buy lots of our items.  If I sold out of what I have made right now, we could raise $1,500 for our adoption. And I am going to keep making items!  We need to have $5,000 for a referral fee and about $900 for our visa.  SO these two weekend sales could really help!  Thank you friends for praying with us!  We love you all!

Crafting A Family

I haven't really posted much about our crafting site.  We have set up a website here. We are making and selling infinity T-shirt scarves and JoLLyPoPs.  Click on the albums and you will see the individual items we have for sale.  Comment "Sold" on the picture of one you want to buy.  Easy.

Next week we are adding jewelry made by a friend and we will make 50% on each piece.  It's really pretty, too.  We will be adding wire crosses in the future.  My husband makes these (They are really awesome, too.I might be biased, but I love them!).  He's had a crazy summer with camps and just general ministry busy-ness, but I promise, they are coming!

So "like" our page on facebook.  "Share" it with your friends, and help us bring Baby Shubert home!

I can't end this post without thanking you, our friends and family, who have given to and prayed for our adoption.  You're awesome!

Adoption Rocks, But Right Now It's More Like a Slow 80's Rock Ballad...

This title makes me laugh with a  little sting of disappointment at the end.  It's so true.  I can just hear a slow rock ballad like "Weeeeeeeeeeeee are the Chaaaaaampions..."  playing in the back ground.  The good news is we are champions!  Adoption is an AMAZING journey.  The bad news is our process has slowed to a standstill at the moment.

So we are just trusting Our Father who cares more about orphans and our family than we do.  He is a good God.  He is trustworthy.  He has us and our child in the palm of His Hand.  He has always been faithful.  He has an amazing way of creating beauty from ashes.  He provided for us after we lost our home and cars during Hurricane Katrina.  (I don't like saying we lost everything because we had each other, our friendships deepened, our faith was stretched and God was so good to us.)  He worked out every detail of Nathanael's adoption.  The delays each had a purpose.  He gives good gifts to His children.  ***deep peaceful sigh***   Ok, I feel better now.  I needed those reminders.  How about you?