Lifesong for Orphans/ Both Hands Foundation Approved!

We were informed today that we have been approved by Lifesong for Orphans to do a Both Hands project in our community for a widow. This means a couple things. First of all, it gives us an account with this non-profit foundation for people to make tax-deductible donations to our adoption account. This can be done through the new Paypal link underneath our fundraising thermometer (can donate by credit card through that button even without a Paypal account), or by check through the mail to:

Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40 / 202 N. Ford St.
Gridley, IL 61744

In the memo line on the check, please specify our name and account # -- Abbott/#2708 adoption

Also, please be aware that Paypal has a fee of 2-3% of the amount you donate, so what Lifesong will receive for our account, will be less than you specify originally. To avoid this fee, if you want, just send the check instead. Also, I have to mention here, that the IRS requires Lifesong to mention since they're non-profit-- know that your donation officially is to the organization, Lifesong for Orphans, and technically has full discretion of use of funds, but they intend to honor your request to use all of your donation to your specified account. It's just a technicality for tax reasons. None of your donation goes to administration costs. 100% goes to our account.

Let me explain a little about the Both Hands project. It works a lot like those who run a marathon or play a game of golf for a charity/ special cause, in that the 10 volunteers from our community send out support or sponsorship letters to raise money to spend 1 day working together on a widow's house. The project is anything from landscaping, to deep cleaning, to home improvement project of some kind. Once we finalize our 10 volunteers, we will be choosing the widow from our community soon and begin working with her and finding out what she needs done around her house. We will set aside one day, probably in early May to work on her house. Between now and then, we'll be sending out the sponsorship letters, working to get needed supplies donated, and general planning for the project. All of the sponsorship money goes to our Lifesong account to help us raise money for the adoption.

We are excited about this opportunity to fundraise and be a blessing to widow in the process!

Psalm 68:5-6a-- "Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home."

James 1:27-- "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

"Kisses In the Wind" and an Update

Well, we haven't been updating you very much because there has not been very much to update you on. We have been working on getting documents together for the dossier, which also involves a lot of waiting. Just yesterday we were able to mail out our I-800A application to the U.S. Customs and Immigration, along with almost $900 for the fee and what will be our 3rd fingerprinting (which we'll have to do at one of their offices, so we'll have to fly out somewhere, probably Anchorage, to get those done). Approval from them usually takes about 2 months, from what we've been told. They basically give the United States' approval for us to adopt children from a foreign country. So it's pretty important! We also received our FBI clearances today, which now we have to mail to Washington D.C. for apostilling from the State Dept. It makes my head spin! While we're waiting for some of these that take a long time, we'll be working on some other documents that we need to fill out and get notarized then sent to Juneau for apostilling (which is basically the state's stamp of approval saying that the notary is an official, valid notary). I had to google the word when I first heard it. So that's where we are in the process. We're slowly but surely making progress. Pray that all these applications and documents being mailed across the country arrive safely and time efficiently and get processed and approved quickly with no hang-ups.

 As far as finances go, at the time that all the paperwork is ready to be turned in (the dossier), which we hope will be 2 months, we will owe the agency and Bulgaria $17K. We believe that loans are not the answer, and are committed to not going in debt. The Lord will provide completely for this adoption. Of that $17K, we still need about $7,000. Our adoption fundraising thermometer on the side of this blog tells how much has been provided up to this point, but a few thousand of that has already been spent on previous fees like our home study, application fees, fingerprinting, etc. I just wanted to explain that so you understand that thermometer and current needs. The Lord has provided amazingly so far, and we have no doubt He will continue to do so. Please prayerfully consider what part the Lord would have for you to help. There is a "donate" button on the "ways to help" page if you would feel led to do so. Otherwise, you can continue to help us by praying it in!

Finally, I'll post an adoption poem I found and love--
 

KISSES IN THE WIND (The Waiting Child's Lullabye)

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

Answered Prayer-- Completed Home Study!

For a few weeks now we have been praying that our Washington State background checks (since we had lived there for 2 years) would be processed and mailed back to our home study agency. They either had lost the original request or were dragging their feet for some silly reason. Our home study agent had sent in the request a total of 3 times in the past 2 months and had called, etc. This was the last piece of documentation we needed for the home study to be completed. There are a couple applications to various things we need to get sent out but that require a completed home study, so those were being held up too. Ultimately, we know that God's timing is best, and He is teaching us trust, patience, and the power of prayer. So when we went to pick up all our mail today from being gone for 10 days, there was our home study! Our agent had forgotten to tell us this week that she had finally received the WA docs and was able to complete it and mail it to us. We had prayed once again very specifically last night about it, not knowing it was already sitting in our PO box waiting for us to pick it up today. We are excited! Now to mail our USCIS application! Please continue to pray for us in this process.

Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord will Provide!

In this past week, the first week of February, we have seen the Lord provide about $6000 that we have applied to our adoption fund. The only thing we can say is "Praise Him!" We are seeing Him provide in awesome ways-- many different individuals, insurance refunds, tax refunds, t-shirt sales, etc. As we have said before and keep reminding ourselves, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth in every mine. He created the entire universe and has unlimited resources. This adoption expense is not too much for Him-- He wasn't surprised by it, nor is He wringing His hands wondering how He is going to come up with $35K for the Abbotts. He's had it all planned out from the beginning. He knows where each dollar will come from. We pray for Him to provide, believing that He will and that it's as good as done in the eternal mind of God. Our responsibility is to trust and wait patiently. What comfort and peace that brings to us! He will provide-- Jehovah-Jireh!

"

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

                                                                                                        - Philippians 4:19

Hope for New Beginnings

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year with family and friends. I know we did. December and January are good months to leave Alaska for a few weeks to get some extra sunshine and a break from shoveling snow.

The new year often finds us making resolutions to change this and that. Usually it involves wishing we hadn't eaten so much over the holiday time or wishing we had kept up our work-out routine (or wishing we had one at all). We hope to change some bad habit or behavior or start some good habit. We hope to change to be a better person, whether physically or spiritually or both. That's a good thing too. This year the main thing I'm hoping to change by the end of the year is the size of our family. I kept finding myself thinking that maybe by next Christmas we'll have our 2 little ones from Bulgaria home with us. I understand this is best-case scenario with no hang-ups in the process, but we have that hope and believe God can and will do this if that is what He wants. I also kept thinking of those 2 little ones on the other side of the world and wondering what they were doing for Christmas. Did they get any presents? Do they know any Christmas carols? Have they even heard of Jesus, the best Christmas present ever? Have they ever had the Christmas story from Luke 2 read to them? Did they decorate the orphanage? I wish they could know that they already have a mom and dad on the other side of the world that are doing their best to be able to bring them home. But for now, they wait hoping one day someone will love them into a forever family, and we wait hoping one day soon we can show them we love them and tell them they're going to be a part of our family. They're in God's hands as is this whole process. And so we trust Him and hold on to this hope.

These thoughts brought II Corinthians 5:17 to mind-- "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (or creature). Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." When we put our faith and trust in Christ and His finished work on the cross for our sin, we are then "adopted" into His family. We are no longer lost children with no hope. We have been made new, given a new name and identity as a child of the King. He is our Father. We have a new hope and a future and a new beginning.  That's the best hope of all.

Fundraising T-shirts

I will be placing a large"Simply Love" t-shirt order within the next few days (about 75, not all claimed yet, and I will order more than that if I get more orders before then). If you haven't reserved one yet, place your order in the "store" tab for the design you want plus short/long sleeve, color, size. It's $20 for short sleeve and $25 for long sleeve, 3 different designs to choose from and a few color choices as well. You do not need a Paypal account to order. It takes major credit cards or bank cards as well. Close to half of all the funds go to our adoption fund (the rest pays for the shirt =) ). Shipping is also included in the price. Thank you so much for your support!