Proverbs 3:5-6

One of the biggest issues families have with adoption (domestic or international) is money. They hear or see how much it costs and quickly drop the idea. Adoption is expensive-very. Ours will cost approximately $25,000 (give or take) when it is all said and done. I have wished many times we had that sitting in the bank. Some families are blessed with that opportunity and that's amazing- others aren't. I don't feel money should stand in the way of a family opening themselves up to grow through adoption. To me, it doesn't matter if it is your first child or your sixth, if God has led you to take this journey- He will certainly provide all the means to do so. While there are many times I've complained that it would be so much easier to write the check and not have to wait a few weeks until the money came in, there have also been such a huge blessings that come as a result of the waiting.  Without the need to rely on God and Him working through others, we would have missed SO many of the amazing testimonies God has placed before us. This isn't to say that no fundraising = no blessings! It's just a different perspective and we have chosen to find joy in the journey we are in, regardless of it being frustrating sometimes. When Jesiah comes home, so many people know they personally took responsibility for helping him come home. I'm so grateful. Please know that. We have been so blessed with encouragement, physical help, emotional and spiritual support, and friendships halfway across the country that have all pitched in, selflessly to do whatever they can. I continue to be humbled and rest in the fact that God will continue to provide.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. 

                            James 1:27

  

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

He's Getting So Big!

We were blessed immensely with new pictures and an update of Jesiah a few days ago. I'm sorry it's taken me a few days to post them!  We found out Jesiah's foster brother is being adopted into the United States as well which is extremely valuable information. We are praying that God opens the doors so that we might be able to find his adoptive parents and maintain contact with them.  It is so exciting to be getting closer and closer to being able to hold him in our arms and take care of him. We are waiting on our "Article 5" which is just another approval in a long process of approvals. We should have that in a week or two and then, hopefully our travel approval will follow shortly. We are still holding out for the end of November but it may be the beginning of December before we go. Either way- we are coming shortly Jesiah!!

He definitely looks like he fits into our family well (especially those of you that know Eli and his passion for sports! :). Thank you for your continued love and support. We'd love prayers, in the upcoming weeks, specifically for:  our "homegrown" kiddos as we prepare to leave and while we are gone, Jesiah and his preparation to meet us, his loving foster family and their transition as he leaves them and travels to the orphanage before we arrive, his foster brother and his adoptive parents that they may be blessed, continued financial blessings as we near travel and still have a ways to go.

Side note: Our house situation has been resolved in part and things will be okay. Thank you for your prayers. God is good and merciful. He REALLY DOES MOVE MOUNTAINS!! 

Fundraiser Opportunity for Travel

My dear friend Jennifer Padgett, an adoptive parent herself twice from China, has decided to make "adoption Angels" in order to help us offset our travel expenses. So far, we are anticipating travel costing $7,000-9,000 and this isn't doing a lot of touring and such. We are required to travel over to pick Jesiah up and will be there approximately 15 days. Here is the description and picture from Jennifer:

I am taking orders for these angels again this year. The tag on the angel will read: "This Christmas gift was purchased so that an orphan would get his forever family." Inside the tag reads, "Lord, let this one angel remind us to pray for all of the orphans in this world. May each one find a Peaceful home full of Love and Joy." All proceeds will be going to Nathan and Michelle Sherer who need to raise funds to travel in December. Frankly, they need a Christmas miracle! Our entire family is making these;the boys are learning how to set up a business (I have to squeeze some good old homeschooling learning in-LOL!)

We are asking for a donation of $10.00 and 100% of the money will go to help us offset our travel. We are so close and are very thankful for any and all help! Please email me: michellesherer@yahoo.com if you'd like to order one or contact me on facebook. I will be very happy to ship them! 

Things are moving along!

We received our LOA (after 125 days!) on September 9th and that was a HUGE blessing! Since you last heard from me, we have gotten our I-800 provisional approval which is our immigration approval for Jesiah specifically. Our paperwork was "cabled" through the National Visa Center and will all be sent by Holt to the embassy in China for further processing. Lots and lots of processing! We should receive our "Article 5" in three weeks and then we will be waiting for our travel approval, travel dates and consulate dates. We are essentially 8-11 weeks out for travel which is incredibly close!! We are anticipating travel dates to be sometime the beginning of December. We are getting Jesiah's room together as he and Eli will be sharing a room.

I CANNOT WAIT TO GO!!!!!! Jesiah, we will be there shortly!!

We still have a need financially for travel. Please stay tuned to my next post about our fundraiser to finish things up! If you are in the area, tomorrow, October 1 from 5-8 PM we will be holding a joint fundraiser (freewill donation) Taco Salad dinner with the Sanders family (friends of ours that are adopting their son from China) at Independence Branch: 707 N. Allen Rd (off of 24 Hwy behind Tastee Freeze).

While I'm Waiting

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I've been too frustrated, honestly. We are blessed and I know that. Our home situation, although far from resolved, has been very blessed and I know God has it in His hands. Our journey to bring Jesiah home has blessed and I know it is continuing to be. We've just been waiting so long for our LOA (letter of acceptance/approval) from China. We have far surpassed "normal" wait times. I stopped counting after day 120 so I'm not sure where we are :). China had given us, three weeks ago, the answer that it would be in the "review" department another one to three weeks. I only loosely expected to get something in the time frame quoted.  I hate to be a downer but I have struggled lately. I know God's timing is perfect and there's something brewing. I just don't know what yet. If anything has been taught to me over the past two years, it is God's perfect timing IS just that.. perfect. If I can't rest in that then I have a long, worrisome life ahead of me. God's teaching me patience so if you could pray that I learn that lesson quickly and we can move on, that'd be great :). (Just joking... but prayers would be fantastic!)

If you would, please pray for Jesiah. More than anything, we just yearn to have him home. Please pray for his physical well being and safely, his foster family and foster brothers and sisters, his upcoming transition back to the orphanage before we arrive, his transition into our family and our preparation here as well. It's hard to have a family of five with one child that is so far away.

I read a devotional the other day from Proverbs 31 Ministries and it discussed the story of Abraham and his son Isaac. He was asked by God to make the sacrifice of his only son Isaac on an alter. As he climbed the mountain and made preparations, I believe he did so in obedience but maybe not in joy (in my opinion). I have to believe his heart was troubled, yet he chose to follow those things that God asked him to do, regardless of the cost. At that same time, God was sending a ram up the mountain, out of sight of Abraham and Isaac. God was providing even when they didn't see it. So, today and in the future, I'm going to remember that as I trust the Lord and obey His call, He will send a ram. How? I don't know. I suppose that's not up to me to decide. God knows better.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Praise Be to God!

We have had another fantastic and very blessed week! Although we are still waiting very eagerly for our LOA (and experiencing some of the longest wait times seen out of China this far) I know God has a plan and purpose. Don't get me wrong, we are anxious and itching to go. God has blessed us with a peace knowing He has it all worked out. Blessings have been flowing so abundantly! Through the coin drive on facebook, God has blessed us with $1,050 in seven days! SEVEN DAYS! I believe that's God moving mountains! We have $950 to go and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, there is more to come. It's not just about finances. God has been working "behind the scenes" with our house situation. Another mountain, I'm sure, is being moved. If you are in a tough spot right now, remember God can help. Really- this whole journey, at times, has seemed so impossible. Nothing has been impossible with God nor will it be! 

Thank you to the many people that have so willingly given of themselves to help- financially, prayerfully and physically. We won't ever be able to thank you all enough. Please, continue to pray Jesiah home. 

As a side note, but VERY important! We were blessed with a beautiful niece named Madison a few weeks ago. Thank you for your prayers, as I'd asked for them months ago as they went through the long and trying process of adopting domestically. The Lord has truly blessed all of us and we are thrilled she is here!!! :) 

It has been a jaw dropping week!

I am simply in awe. I'm in awe of how amazing God is. How He works all things towards God for those that love Him. He not only knows how many hairs on on Jesiah's head (ours too!), but He knows exactly how many pennies we need to bring him home! Our friends, the Padgetts (they live in Maine), were crafty enough to come up with a coin drive to help us raise the last $2,000 we need to officially accept Jesiah's referral and move into travel mode. GOD IS MOVING MOUNTAINS! So far, we have been blessed with $610.00 dollars and my prayer is that with each penny, God blesses those that were willing to give up earthly riches in order to bring Jesiah home. Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support! Feel free to look for "Coin Drive for Jesiah" on our facebook page if you are interested in joining!

Update: We are still awaiting our final approval from China in the form of our Letter of Approval (LOA). Until this arrives, we can't move forward. God's perfect timing will prevail. We don't have quite all of our money needed to accept his referral and I know, once we do, our LOA will arrive :). We are all extremely eager to have him home with us, however I know God is making it happen. I need to rest in His timing- knowing we can't go wrong that way.

House Update: Please continue to pray for our home situation. If you don't know details and would like to be able to pray about things more specifically, feel free to contact me privately.

I am truly humbled and I know I keep saying this... God is so good. We have been faced with trials that have definitely tested my faith in the last several months, yet I know He is working to bring Jesiah home and working out all of the "other trials" too. We have heard from people I've never met that are willing to help us bring him home. I have heard time and time again that God has laid it on people's hearts to help us. Wow... I guess at this point (although I've written quite a bit already) I'm speechless....

"Trust in the Lord with ALL you heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths" - Proverbs 3:5-6