Give A Way!!

Welcome to our first Give Away!!  

We have our first goal of $5,000 to get us started on our journey.  We will be giving away this beautiful, antique armoire to one lucky person.  It has been completely restored and refinished.  Want to take this beauty home with you?  All you have to do is make a $25 donation to our fund.  Once we reach 24 donations we will choose a winner.  You can do that by going donating to our Paypal account amyboyd@windstream.net or on our YouCaring link on the side of the page.  If sending via Paypal please send as gift/family/friends.

Plan For A Hope and A Future

Oh my at the winding roads life has taken us.  It has been so long since I have updated the Blog and so much "life" has happened.  Our journey has taken us in different directions.  Directions we didn't plan for.  Directions we didn't intend to take. But I am so glad the Lord is the one who is the author of our journey.  For His plans are always better than our plans.

Here is our update I posted on our FB page:

I always tell Josh that I plan and God laughs. I am a type A, control freak. I like to have a plan, I like to know how things are going to go. Changes in my plan make me crazy. I had this wonderful plan of how my Summer was going to go. I was working on expanding my business and opening my storefront. We have been met with one obstacle after another. Me being the stubborn person I am, I have just kept pushing through. Well we hit an obstacle I couldn't push through, God. I had a plan, be He has an even better plan. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." To give you a HOPE and a FUTURE. Those mighty and powerful words are a punch in the gut. A hope and a future. How great is God's love. I want to tell you about God's plan. Please take a moment to read this blog post:  http://grace2ukraine.blogspot.com/2015/05/wantedor-not.html. 
God has a plan for these children. A plan of Hope and a Future. Plans of redemption. Josh and I will be hosting these children for the Summer. Friends I ask that you join us in praying for these kids, in loving these kids. We need your help in raising the funds to host these children. We will be hosting several fundraisers and setting up a YouCaring account. Please share our page. But most of all please pray for us and these children.

YouCaring Account

Encouragement

As you may have noticed I have been feeling down lately.  I have been questioning if we were making the right decision, the right country, the right child.  It has just been overwhelming and I have felt so alone.  We have been really praying hard about this.  Making sure it is the Lord leading us and not just our hearts.  This weekend was confirmation that this is the path the Lord wants us to walk.

This weekend has been so uplifting and encouraging for us.  We had a yard/bake sale to try to raise the funds to complete our homestudy.  I had friends show up for support.  I was able to meet new friends and was blessed by their generosity.  I was able to minister others and educate them about Reece's Rainbow.

While we did not raise everything we need to complete our homestudy we are so much close.  And we are not alone.  The Lord is filling my life with the people he wants to walk this journey with us.

After the yard sale we were debating where to get something to eat.  We had decided on one restaurant and then at the last minute decided on another.  The service nor food was very good at the restaurant.  So we were regretting our decision.  As we were walking out a gentleman commented on our adoption t-shirts.  Josh stopped to talk with him and told him of our plans and Reece's Rainbow.  Turns out they were also an adoptive family.  And had adopted from R.  They were able to share their experiences with us and offer encouragement.

Thank you Lord.  Help me to trust in your timing and not my own.

Anchor down and hold on

Someone recently told me adoption is not for the faint of heart.  How right they are.  I feel like I am being blown ever which way the wind blows.  I am normally a level headed person.  At least I like to think so.  This process has me on a roller coaster and we are just getting started.  At times I am ready to jump off.  My brain starts saying if it is this hard now what's in going to be like later on?  Are you sure this is your calling?  You know you really don't need another child.  You were completely happy before.

But then my heart thinks of my son all alone in an orphange facing being transferred to an insitution and how could I not.  It is so much easier to ignore the plight of orphans when you haven't seen their faces. But I have seen, I do know.  I can't turn away.  So no matter how rough this ride may become I am going to anchor down and hold on.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and not lean on thine own understanding

Psalm 91:2 “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”

Hard day. . .

Today I feel all alone and defeated.  It has been one thing after another and we haven't even completed a homestudy.  Lord are you sure this is what we are suppose to be doing?  Today I am questioning that calling.  I feel like a fish floundering on dry land.  We have no family support system.  We have no encouragement, no help.  It is us and the Lord.  He is faithful and he has blessed the fundraisers we have held.  But everytime we have enough money for the next step something happens.

The truck messed up, my car brakes went out, the printer broke, and now I need to have a tooth pulled.  On and on and on it goes.  There are more things that I can't even recall.  I had being such a downer, I hate feeling this way.  Today I am asking for prayers, for words of encouragement, for support.

Spreading Awareness

Here are some links to other blogs having give aways and such.  Please take a moment to go and look.  Even the smallest donations add up. <3

Lost No More

According to His Glory

Still trucking

Things are going sooo slowly.  It is beyond frustrating.  Everytime I think we are going to move forward we get pushed two steps backwards. 

Our first online auction went very well.  We raised enough to cover our placing agency application fee and our donation to RR.  I was praying we would make enough this weekend at the craft show to cover our homestudy fees.  It didn't happen.  I went in the hole.  :(  Not a fun experience.

I am clinging to the Lord this week.  Trusting that he called us to do this so he will provide our needs.  It is so easy for me to focus on the bad and negative.  So easy for me to want to say I give up this is too hard.  I REFUSE to give up, I REFUSE to give in!!  This is my child, he is worth fighting for.

I ask for your prayers and support.  I ask for your help to keep me focused on the positives.

We are starting our Puzzle Fundraiser.  We have purchased a beautiful puzzle of all things Russian.  We are selling each piece for $10.  I will write your name on the back of the piece you purchase.  Once the puzzle is complete we are going to have it professionaly framed so both sides are visible.  This way our child will be able to see everyone who helped to bring him home.  If you are interested in purchasing a piece please let me know.