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!

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!

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!

Adoption Discipleship

We received new pictures of Nathanael today! And we heard that everyone is on the mend at the orphanage after a bout with the stomach flu. We cannot express how grateful we are to the caregivers who are taking such good care of Nathanael and all of his friends!
Please remember to pray for the USCIS situation. The Secretary of State's office received the correction yesterday, but needs to send it on to USCIS in Metairie today. We know God is in control and we are hoping for no delays in bringing our little sweetie home! I know this sounds complicated, but this really is the "par for the course" with international adoption. We are praising the Lord for his help in bringing people into our lives who have walked this road before and have helped us on the journey. It's kind of like "adoption discipleship"--helping one another along the journey of adoption, which we all know is close to the heart of God. I want to do the same for other families.
Please pray for our court date to go well. It is March 9th at 10:15 a.m. Taiwan time..which is March 8th at 8:15 p.m. CST. We would appreciate prayers during the 10-12 day waiting period following court as well. I am meditating on the following scripture as we approach these important days:

"We prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted what we asked of Him." 1 Samuel 1:27

Progress!

We had our third meeting for the homestudy. We basically are done with the homestudy. We have a few things she needs us to get to her. And then, at the next meeting, she will be presenting us with the completed homestudy to send to The Home of God's Love in Taiwan! This is so exciting!!!
Also, we are working on a couple of fundraisers for the adoption. The first one is selling handmade soaps, shower gels, body and room spray, lotions, etc. Please comment if you are interested in purchasing these reasonably-priced items. We are also planning a fundraiser at our church on January 30th. It will consist of music, food, and a silent auction. Sounds like fun, right? We'd love to have you there.
Please continue to pray for us and Ted and Bev Skiles as they, with God's leading, choose our child and match us with him or her. God knows which child he has for us and only He can make a family. He has a plan for Baby Shubert.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set you apart. “ Jeremiah 1:5-6