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?

Puzzle Progress

We've had more donations to our puzzle fundraiser and I wanted to give you guys a "sneak peek" at how the puzzle is shaping up.  We've had 26 puzzle pieces purchased.  Thank you to each one of you!  That is $260 toward our referral fee!
A special thank you to our newest "purchasers":  Joel, Kristi, Logan, Elijah, and Emily Foudy; Rossi Whitmer (x3); My secret sister (x2); and Patricia Stewart.

If we sell all of the pieces of this puzzle, we will raise our referral fee.  Pieces sell for just $10 each.  You can choose what name you want written on the back of the puzzle piece.  We are going to hang the puzzle in our baby's room and as he or she grows up, our child will know who helped to bring him home to our forever family.  So how do you purchase pieces of the puzzle?

1.  Click here.  This is our profile on Adopt Together.  Just click the "Donate Now" button.  Be sure write what names you want on the puzzle pieces.  There is space to do that in the comment section on that page.  This allows you to pay via credit card, debit card, or check and 100% of the money comes to us.  (It's tax deductible, too!)

2.  Email me at adoptionrocks4@gmail(dot)com  and I will reply with our mailing address.  You can then mail the money and names directly to us.

Thank you again for all of you who have given, prayed, and loved on us since we started this adoption process.  We love you all!!!

Hello Friends and Family!

I wanted to say hello and let you all know what has been going on in the Shubert household.  We were in Indianapolis last week for General Assembly for The Church of the Nazarene.  We had a great time catching up with dear friends, visiting with current friends, and meeting new friends.

This week I am at my parents' house.  I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a reception for my parents at Shelbyville Wesleyan Church.  My dad and mom were honored for 12 years of ministry there.  I am also helping them pack to move.  I can't say enough about my family.  They were the constant in my life as a PK.  I always knew I could count on them.  They weren't just my parents, they, along with my siblings were my best friends.  My dad has prayed for me (and my sister and brother) everyday of my life.  As a result, we all love the Lord and each other.  Both of my parents have lived the life of servanthood in front of their children.  I am so thankful my Heavenly Father placed me in their home.

While I've been here, I have been working on scarves to sell for our adoption.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out our page here.  I have made 22 scarves in the past day and a half!  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all of you who have visited our page, "liked" our page, shared our page, or purchased a scarf!  You are such a blessing to us!  Look for new scarves soon.  I plan to take pictures and post the new scarves later today.

As far as the adoption, we continue to wait for a referral.  Would you pray for us that we would trust the Lord with our adoption process, finances, and timing?  This is easy to do when we speak in generalities, but the difficulty comes in the day by day...moment by moment decisions to trust.

Thank you for praying for us, loving us, and letting us be a part of your lives!

Puzzle and Notes from Nathanael!

We have had 15 puzzle pieces purchased up to this point.  Thank you so much for giving!  I have been having a difficult time getting the names on the back of the pieces to show in pictures, so I want to thank the following people who have given recently:  Courtney Chapman, Giselle and Terry Chapman, Matthew, Tara, and Mary Alice Fraser, Evan Offut, and Ellen Mindrup.  We appreciate each of you so much!
Here are pictures of the progress of the puzzle.

If you'd like to support our adoption by purchasing puzzle pieces for $10 each, there are two ways you can donate.
1.  You can make a tax deductible donation in any amount using the following link: http://adopttogether.org/shubertfamily/
Just type the name you want on each piece in the comments section.

2.  You can comment on here or private message me on facebook that you'd like to donate.  I will private message you our address and you can send us a check.


Nathanael wants to share some memories with you.  :)

                                                                  I see you!

                                                                         Cheese

                                        I'm so excited to ride on the boat with Papaw and Daddy!

                                                                       Boat time!

                                                I caught my first fish and I was so excited!

                                                       Then I caught 2 more all in 15 minutes!

I love to fish!

NEWS!!!

We are so happy to report progress in our adoption.  Our home study is complete!  We received it in the mail yesterday.  Our next step is to send our application to USCIS (immigration), which brings me to the next subject...fundraising.  I really dislike asking for money, but we are passionate about obeying God and following James 1:27. We have an immediate need of around $7,500 for our referral fee, USCIS fees, Nathanael's passport, etc.

View our profile on AdoptTogether. This is a crowd funding platform where our friends, family, and even strangers can donate to our adoption. And it is tax deductible!  For more information on AdoptTogether and how it works, watch the video on the right sidebar.

We have a profile at www.adopttogether.org/shubertfamily.  Please consider giving.  Any amount will help us reach our goal!  You can also help by sharing our profile on facebook or twitter.  Prayer is always a great support for our adoption.  We need it.

Thank you friends and family for your love, support and generosity!  You have purchased 15 puzzle pieces which is $150 toward our goal! Pictures of the puzzle coming soon!

Puzzle Fundraiser Update

We've had another donation to our puzzle fundraiser from sweet friends.  Thank you to everyone who is supporting our adoption through prayer and giving!

If you'd like to donate to our puzzle fundraiser, email me at adoptionrocks4 at gmail dot com
or private message me on facebook (Heather Bishop Shubert) and I will send you our mailing address.  Then you just send us $10 per puzzle piece along with what name you'd like on each piece.

Now for something fun!  Nathanael must have thought there were too many bugs on the grill of his Little Tikes Cozy Coupe!  It's funnier in person (Brian and I literally laughed out loud!) (These are his safety goggles for his tool set.)

 Then when we asked him to pose for a picture this is what he did!  This kid makes me laugh so much!  Takes after his dad, Ha!

How can you miss someone you haven't met, yet?

"How can you miss someone so much that you haven't even met, yet?"  This is one of my favorite lines from the movie Facing the Giants.
I must admit to getting bogged down lately in the planning, and the fundraising, and the "what--if-ing" that is all a part of the adoption process.  I am overwhelmed at the amount of money we need to raise.  But do you know who isn't overwhelmed by it?  My Heavenly Father--you know the one who adopted me into HIS family--that Father...that Daddy who cares about orphans more than I do...which is a lot.  He reminded me tonight that it is time to be still and trust Him.  And when I did that, I literally felt an ache for our child.  I can't wait to hold him or her and kiss those sweet baby cheeks.  I can't wait to tell our child how much we have loved, begged God for, and prayed for him or her to grow up to love and serve our Jesus.  So how can you miss someone you haven't met yet?  I'll let my Heavenly Father explain it, because I can't...

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
    this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
⁶ God places the lonely in families;
    he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Psalm 68:5-6

Puzzle Fundraiser

Most of you know by now that we have begun the process to adopt our second child.  We are so excited to be adopting from Taiwan again.  We are starting our fundraising early in the process because this adoption will be much more costly than our last adoption.  We feel God clearly leading us to adopt again, so we are stepping out in faith to obey him.  

I wanted to share our puzzle fundraiser and our progress with it.

YOU are the missing piece!  

Help us bring our baby home from Taiwan.  We need to raise funds for our adoption and we wanted something meaningful for our new baby’s room so that he or she would 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. 

Then when our baby is a little older, he or she 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. 

We will post pictures as the puzzle begins to come together.  

So, how do you buy a puzzle piece?  Email me at adoptionrocks4 at gmail dot 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 follow our adoption and the progress of this fundraiser here or in our private facebook group.  If you look to the right, you will see thermometers.  Check those to see how our fundraisers are progressing.

We've had our first donation to our puzzle fundraiser.  Can you guess the picture, yet?

Thank you for your support of our adoption through prayer and through giving.  We appreciate you!

We are adopting again!

We have felt God tugging at our hearts to add to our little family.  We are excited to announce that we are adopting from Taiwan again.  We have been on a waiting list to adopt for quite some time and just recently received approval of our adoption application. 

Here's how you can help.

“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

YOU are the missing piece!  

Help us bring our baby home from Taiwan.  We need to raise funds for our adoption and we wanted something meaningful for our new baby’s room so that he or she would 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. 

Then when our baby is a little older, he or she 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. 

We will post pictures as the puzzle begins to come together.  

So, how do you buy a puzzle piece?  Email me at adoptionrocks4 at gmail dot com.  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 follow our adoption and the progress of this fundraiser here or in our private facebook group.

To the right you will see a fundraising thermometer.  As funds come in for this puzzle fundraiser, I will update the thermometer and you can see how things are progressing for us.

If you cannot give, please know that we understand.  Please follow our journey and pray for us!
Thank you so much!

New Year, New Happenings

My baby boy has grown into a little man!  Since I last posted, we moved north and Nathanael turned 3!  We’ve been busy with new ministry opportunities.  Brian is enjoying his new worship pastor position.  He is also helping out with teens some, too.  I am going to start counseling again. I love  being home with Nathanael, but we have the opportunity for him to attend child care at our church where Brian and I both will be working. Nathanael is loving making new friends. He LOVES kids!  He’d be such a good brother.  Which leads me to this…We are hoping to begin the adoption process again soon.  First we really need to sell our land in Vancleave, MS and either sell or rent our house in Centerville, Iowa.  Real estate purchase and ministry moves are not friends.J  These changes would put us in a better financial position to adopt.  

Would you partner with us to pray?

Here are our requests:

1. That our financial situation would change through the sale of our land and sale or rent of our house…or however God sees fit. J

2. That God would guide our decision-making about what agency to use, where to adopt from (We’d really like to adopt from Taiwan, again, but are open to other countries as well.)

3.  That God would give us wisdom in our marriage and parenting, especially with the work changes for me and in our hopes of adopting again…and well doesn’t everyone need wisdom in marriage and parenting?

Thank you for partnering to pray with us.

Here are some recent memories…

                                                 Christmas Morning

                                                Fun with the binocs

                                              On the circle in Indy

                                                Music fun with Daddy