3 Less Orphans

Chip takes his new job very seriously

Yesterday Kevin and I accepted a referral for 3 children!  We are very excited!  When the agency called and asked if we would consider 3 little ones, our answer was a very enthusiastic yes!  I cannot reveal much information about them or release any pictures of them until they are officially ours, but I can tell you that they are absolutely adorable. 

We are currently updating paperwork.  It seems like we just finished the paperwork, but now our home study, medical forms, and fingerprints have to be updated.  When that is complete, we will receive our travel dates.  In a few weeks, we will be going to Poland for a few days to meet the little ones.  We get to visit with them and get to know them a little bit.  We will then come home for a few months, and go back when we have our court date.   I'm sure the time will go fast and slow all at once!

Some of you may have questions about their history and how they came to be orphans.  We appreciate the interest and concern, but we will keep the children's information private.  It is their story to tell and if they want to tell it someday, they will.   Until then, please keep them in your prayers as they deal with their changing circumstances.

Our heads are swimming as we now get to prepare our house for 3 more!  We are working on getting rid of some furniture and moving in some twin beds.  We also thinking about clothing and toys and everything that goes with 3 growing kids! All of this just got very real.  They are no longer a hope and a dream, but live little human beings.  Pray for us as we make this transition and start to prepare!

Tonight we are thanking God that there are 3 less orphans in the world.

"And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." 

                                                                    Matthew 18:5

Wesołych Świąt

Christmas in Warsaw

Wesołych Świąt is how you say "Merry Christmas" in Polish.   Well, that's how you spell it anyway... don't ask me to pronounce it for you....

I'll keep this post short and sweet since everyone is busy and there isn't much to tell.  We are just waiting for the phone call. We won't know anything until we receive a call that says we have been matched with our children.  So we are spending this Christmas season praying for them and asking God to let them know they are loved and we are coming for them soon. 

 

 

Until then, here are some Polish Christmas decorations and traditions.

 

 

 

This is a Polish Christmas star. Isn't it pretty?  They are made in all sorts of colors and hung on the tree or in windows.  I've seen instructions on how to make them, but have not been brave enough to try it yet.

 

 

Another Polish Tradition is the Star Supper on Christmas Eve:

After sunset, the youngest child is sent to watch for the first star. This is why the wigilia dinner is also known as the Star Supper. Only then are the candles on the table lit and the dinner begun. But not a morsel is eaten before the "breaking of the oplatki."

The eldest family member takes the oplatek wafer, breaks it and shares it with the next eldest with wishes for good health and prosperity, and a kiss on each cheek. Each person then exchanges oplatek with everyone else at the table. It can be a very emotional time as grudges are forgotten and deceased family members are remembered.

Some Poles share a pink-colored oplatki with the household (and barnyard) animals because they were the first to greet the Baby Jesus at midnight. The animals also receive a taste of every course of the meal mixed in with their feed.

Instead of sending Christmas cards to friends and family not present, Poles send oplatki, first tearing off a small corner to show that the donor has broken it with them as a token of affection.

The full story can be found here http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/christmaseve/a/Polishxmas.htm

 

 

 

Wesołych Świąt from the Beach Family!

 

 

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy National Adoption Month!

 

 

      In honor of National Adoption Month, I would like to thank everyone who had supported, donated, listened, and uplifted us through this process.  We couldn't do this without you.  Without your generosity, orphans wouldn't have a warm home to come to and parents wouldn't have children to love.   Thank you doesn't begin to cover the gratitude we feel, but it is all we can say, so Thank You!



 

     It seems fitting that in National Adoption Month our dossier has made it's way over to Poland! We am so happy and relieved about that.  A year's worth of work is final and ready for translating to Polish.  Which is no easy task, I'm sure...  Have you ever tried to read Polish?  I've attempted to learn a few conversational words, but I can't say I've been very successful.  It should take about two months to translate all of the various documents.  Then the agency starts looking for the right two little girls that God has already picked out for us.  We have been praying for them daily and can't wait to meet them.  

     So we are currently in the "waiting" phase.  This is better than the "paperwork" phase, but still stressful as we wait for that call to come in.   We won't hear anything until they have a match for us.  As soon as we hear something, we will let everyone know.   Thanks for being patient with us.

     While we are waiting, I am working on requesting grants and fundraising.  Our current fundraising project is this beautiful puzzle which has many generously sponsored pieces.  The only problem is that I am stuck.   I got all the edge pieces and the water pieces, but can't seem to figure out the in-between pieces. I'm determined to finish though!  I will not let it get the best of me!



 

If you would like to sponsor some pieces, please visit our puzzle fundraising site here.

 

 

 

 ^"but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

 

 

 

 

 

Next Steps and Puzzling Info!

     This is the culmination of 11 months of hard work! Doesn't it all look very official?? All of our paperwork now has pretty gold seals on it which means our dossier is complete and has been sent to our adoption agency for their review.  Please pray that I did everything correctly!  I would hate to have any more setbacks at this point!   We are grateful to everyone who helped us get all these documents together. It was truly a joint effort.

     Our agency will go through everything and make sure that all the documents are in order just the way Poland likes it.  Unless you've made a dossier like this, you cannot understand the many many details that make up this packet.  I was tempted to give up along the way, I was frustrated by the bureaucracy, I was defeated by the tediousness.  But Kevin and I knew that at the end every paper cut would be worth it.  I also felt a little sad because I knew that others along this same path had given up before they reached the goal, due to cost, or being overwhelmed, or many other factors.  There are so many orphans that need mommies and daddies to give them a home.  Kevin and I are honored, with God's help, to be able to say at the end of this process that there are two less orphans in the world.

   Will you help us reach that goal? I have purchased a 1000 piece puzzle of a beautiful lake in Poland.  It looks like this:

 

This is Morskie Oko Lake, in Tatras, Poland.  The name "Morskie Oko" translates to "Eye of the Sea". According to an old legend, the lake was connected to the sea via an underground passage.  The puzzle itself is made by Castorland Puzzles which is located in Cracow Poland.   

    We are giving you an opportunity to join us and help an orphan by buying a puzzle piece for $5.00!  We will then write your name on the back of the puzzle. When all the pieces are sold we will assemble the puzzle, frame it, and hang it in our daughters' room.  You may buy as many pieces as you like.   We are using a site called youcaring.com to run the fundraiser.  This is the link here.  Thanks for your support!

 

 

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:15

 

 

 



 

Fingerprints and more

     This week's part of our adventure involved going to Indianapolis to visit the Department of Immigration and have our Biometric Fingerprints taken.  It sounds very James Bond-ish but in fact was pretty unspectacular.  You may be wondering why we haven't had this done yet, but in the world of adoption, there are certain steps that have to be followed in order.  The biometric fingerprints are part of getting an Immigration clearance document.  We can't apply for that document until our Home Study is done.  We had to send them a copy and then they send us an appointment to get our fingerprints taken.  The immigration office in Indy was smaller than I expected, but the process didn't take very long once we got there.  They put your fingers on a piece of glass, kind of like a copier, and then scan them.   Very simple, no ink involved! The Department of Homeland Security then decides that we are okay to adopt and in a few weeks we should get the final form for our dossier.

Our dossier is almost done now!  This is very exciting because this is what we have been working on all year.  Collecting documents and documents and more documents.  Then getting all of these documents notarized, and then all authenticated in Indy.  I have most of our documents authenticated and I am just waiting on a few more to finish it up.  The immigration document that comes in a few weeks will be the last piece.   We will then send our completed dossier to our adoption agency and from there it goes to Poland.

A few tips for anyone who is thinking of adopting internationally:  
1.  Get your passport now.  You will need it right away.  You will need your passport number and a copy of your passport for the paperwork.
2.  Get about 4 copies of your State issued birth certificate.  It must be state issued, not from the county (at least in Indiana).
3. Get at lease 5 copies of your marriage license.

You will use these documents in a lot of places.  It seemed like every time I turned around someone was asking for these documents!

A lot of people have been asking how long it takes once our information is in Poland.  I'm really not sure how long it will be.  It takes a few months to translate our dossier and then find a match for us.  It could take a few months or longer.  We have been praying that the right children are available to us in God's timing.  Please join us in praying that our daughters will come home soon!

In the meantime, Kevin and I have had a great summer!  We were very busy and it flew by fast!  We visited the Indy Zoo, Mounds State Park, and spent some time with my family on the west coast of Michigan.  It was great to have a break from the normal routine!

Home Study Approved!

     It has been awhile since I have updated you on our progress!  We have had a busy summer and it's not over yet!  Kevin and I have been enjoying the warm weather and doing some traveling.  We have been visiting with Kevin's family,  we spent a getaway weekend in Indy around our anniversary, and we are spending some time in Michigan with my family in a few weeks. The summer flies by too fast and it will be football season before we know it.
   First an update on the rummage sale.  It went really well!  Everyone was so generous and we even received donated items from people that we didn't know.  By the time we got to the actual sale days our garage was so full that I could barely get in it and at one point I wasn't sure if I would be able to close the garage door. We spent two hot summer days wheeling and dealing and sold almost everything.  I was exhausted by the time it was over and happy to see the garage floor again.  Our friends and family really helped us make it a success! It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. But I don't think I want to do it again any time soon.  Maybe by this time next year, I will have forgotten how much my feet hurt.
   Secondly, I received our approved home study today!  After a lot of back and forth revisions from our home study agency and our placement agency, we finally have the official copies.   This means that we can really move forward in this process.  One copy goes off to the government for immigration forms and other copies go to the state government for authentication with some of our other documents.  When we receive this back from the state, our dossier will be complete and will go off to Poland.  One step closer to bringing our girls home!
   At this point we have been actively pursuing adoption for almost 9 months.  We have relied on the support of our family and friends so much and will continue to do so.  Thanks for being there for us.  We couldn't do this without you. 

We're having a Rummage Sale!

Come one, come all! 

Thanks to the generous donations of our friends and family,

 we have lots of quality items to sell!

     Our garage is almost full!  We have been collecting items for the last few weeks to raise money to help defray the enormous adoption costs.  I have been vigorously selling shippable items on eBay and other larger items on Craigslist.   But there are lots of things that will sell better in person, so we are now to the point that we are ready to have a super rummage sale.  We have clothes, furniture, baby items, toys, bikes, golf clubs, and much, much, more.  We will have all of these items for sale at our house on Friday June 14th and Saturday June 15th.  ALL of the proceeds will go to our adoption fund.  We will also have a representative selling 31 Bags at our sale and she is donating half of her profits to our fund! If you are in the Muncie area, please stop out and visit!
      If you would like to donate items, we are still taking anything you are willing to give.  Thanks to everyone who has already donated so selflessly.  We are blessed to know so many wonderful people!  It just confirms what I have known all along about the big hearted people of Indiana!
    On the paperwork front, we are still waiting for our Home Study to be finalized.  Our report is currently at our placing agency receiving approval. We should be hearing something from them in the next few days.   After that, we send a bunch of documents off to Indianapolis to be authenticated and we apply for an immigration document.  After that, our paperwork goes off to Poland where we are eventually matched with a waiting child or two!
    Thanks for your prayers as we continue through this process. Please pray that the Rummage Sale goes well and that I keep my sanity in the next few weeks!