Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Adoption Update- God is Providing!

Just wanted to share a bit more about a few aspects where we have seen Gods hand of provision through this journey.
Initially when considering moms to present to we were concerned about travel distance, cost of flights having to stay at a hotel for 2 weeks etc. Early on we met a man who ministers to adoptive families by providing greatly reduced cost airline tickets for last minute flights. Once we had been matched with this expecting mom in Fl. We found out we had a place to stay. About 8 years ago we moved to California from Maine. I lived in Maine for 10 years and Troy had lived there his whole life. The church I we attended while there was AMAZING. There were two co-pastors at the church who both have since moved away. But we found out that one of these Godly men and his wife live about an hour away from the hospital where the baby is to be born. Also the wonderful couple who sang at our wedding lives very close to the area as well, and another family we knew well at the church in Maine is planning an unrelated visit to the area the first week of November so we may be able to see them as well. A Maine Church family reunion in Florida. So the pastor and his wife have graciously offered to let baby and I stay there while we wait out the ICPC paperwork to clear, which could be about 2 weeks.
We sent out a request for help with funding our adoption a couple weeks ago. At that time with our own savings, we sold our tent trailer, etc we had raised about $10k. The total amount, not including travel expenses will be about $27k. So we had about $17k left to go. In that short amount of time we have received donations totaling $12,000!!!!!! We are just $5000 away from our goal!
If you would like to partner with us to help cover this last bit details are here.

Making a Donation
We are using Lifesong for Orphans, which is a 501c3 tax exempt organization to receive donations on our behalf. Lifesong retains full discretion over your donation, but intends to honor your suggested use, which is for our adoption fund. Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-raising costs; TMG Foundation and others, which means 100% of your donation goes to the adoption.
When donating by check, make checks payable to “Lifesong for Orphans. In the memo, note “family account number: #3765” and “family name: FOSTER” to assure it goes to the correct account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744.
Another option is to give online CLICK HERE by selecting Give to an Adoptive Family and then complete the online form using 3765 as the Family Account Number and Foster as Family Name. *Please note that your donation is decreased by 2.9% + $.30 USD when using PayPal.*

*Individual donations of $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will gladly be sent upon request.* In order to have your contribution be tax deductible, do not use the paypal link on this page- go to the Lifesong site as directed above. If you do not care about that aspect feel free to use this link.
**As 2013 draws to a close, you may have wish to give before yearend in order to report on 2013 taxes. In order to do so, please be sure to have your check postmarked by December 31.

We did just hear from our attorney that so far our expectant mom is not having contractions and the doctor feels like it will still be another week or so even though her due date was 10-28.
We so appreciate your prayers.
Please join us in praying for her, for her heart and mind these last days, for her unborn baby, for a safe labor and delivery.

Please join us in praying for the timing, at this point we are waiting for a call that she is in labor and then we will leave. Most likely if this happens we will not be there for the birth with travel time, she and her foster mom would really like us to be there as soon as possible, ideally for the birth. Please pray for Gods hand in the timing. If we are not able to be there right away that He would be there giving her peace in the waiting.

We also have a few of the rice neck warmers/heat/cold packs still available. They were made lightly scented with 2 different natural oil scents Lavender and Lemon Eucalyptus. We also have smaller boo boo bags for kids or smaller areas. These rice bags are great for the freezer for a cold pack when you have a sore spot or for a forehead when you have a fever. They are also microwavable for heatpacks. We are asking for a suggested donation amount of $7 each or 2 for $10, or the kids small size are 3 for $10. They are handmade by our friends and family. If you are local you can pick them up or contact me about possibly delivery in Redding if you buy multiple packs. There are a variety of prints available you can choose from if you pick up locally. These make great Christmas gifts and Christmas will be here before you know it. Scroll down to a previous post for pictures.
Thanks and hopefully my next post will be a baby update!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Grace-

Grace- Defined as "the free and unmerited favor of God"
At our wedding we all sang the Hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness" That has been a constant theme running through our lives and our adoption journey.
We sent out some letters last week asking for help funding our adoption. We have saved up a bit and still have a good amount left to raise. When we have a tight budget already, thinking about these amounts seem daunting and unachievable. Then yesterday I got a text from a friend saying she had some good news for us. Then she called to say that she had shared our letter with a friend who was willing to help us with the funding. The amount he is willing to donate FAR surpassed anything we could imagined or expected, and he doesn't even know our family! Totally in shock and awe of Gods Grace and Faithfulness to us. Feeling overwhelmed and blessed. Humbled and unworthy.

We also had the opportunity to skype with this sweet expecting mom today. It was so hard to see her and not be able to hug her and touch her.... She is timid and hesitant, and rightfully so, there have been 2 families before us who have met with her and committed to her and her baby and then later backed out. She is afraid that we will do the same. We have said we are committed 100% to love her and her baby. But will you please join is in praying for peace for her in this time. She has way more on her mind then anyone should have to handle at once. We are trying to think of ways we can clearly show our feelings for her over the coming weeks, trying to not overwhelm her, but at the same time show we care and that we are 100% for her and baby.

Please join us in praying for her, for her heart and mind these last few weeks, for her unborn baby, for a safe labor and delivery.

Please join us in praying for the timing, at this point we are waiting for a call that she is in labor and then we will leave. Most likely if this happens we will not be there for the birth with travel time, she and her foster mom would really like us to be there as soon as possible, ideally for the birth. Please pray for Gods hand in the timing. If we are not able to be there right away that He would be there giving her peace in the waiting.

Please, if you are willing to partner with us financially details are HERE on how you can make a tax deductible gift. Or if you aren't concerned with that aspect there is a link on the top right to give also.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Our Dishwasher Broke...and more :)

So we are getting so close to being able to go and meet this precious expecting mom. We are waiting for a call any day saying she is in labor and then we will jump on a plane and head to Florida. We are super excited that we get to "meet" her for the first time this friday morning via skype. She has a doctor apointment just before that so hoping for some good updates on baby as well. It is such a strange feeling to be getting everything ready for a baby that is not even yours yet...
On to last night... The dishwasher started making a very loud noise when I started to run it. I am used to loud noises in our house...lol so I let it run. My wonderful, responsible husband though was not so inclined. He said to shut it off he was concerned about the engine blowing, a fire etc... I was concerned about having to wash all the dishes by hand... So he emailed a friend who fixes appliances. Then this morning I hadn't heard anything so I checked with a friend whose husband does repairs as well, he would call me back but she mentioned cleaning out the filter. We had done that a couple times, but it had been awhile, but it was a really loud noise. I also talked to a repair company who said it would be $69 to come out to look at it. Then parts and labor on top of that. In wanting to save money right now for the adoption we don't have a lot of extra, so I decided at nap time along with my trusty assistant John, to clean the filters.

Low and behold we found..along with some yucky yucky stuff a large drywall nail stuck in the filter. How in the world? Long story short we skillfully removed it and the dishwasher is now working fine. Yeah!- even in little insignificant things God is looking out for us.
We still would love for your help during this time. There are 3 basic ways:
1 Prayer- For this expecting mom and her baby. For the labor and delivery. For our travel and our kids with family back home. For our finances.
2, If you are local Buy a handmade neckwarmer Details here http://frogmama.blogspot.com/2013/10/look-fundraiser-homemade-neckwarmerheat.html
3. Donate :) We have partnered with Lifesong for Orphans. If you donate through them your donation is tax deductable! Details here http://frogmama.blogspot.com/2013/10/we-need-your-help.html or if you don't care about that you can donate using the link on the top right to just donate directly to us through paypal.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

LOOK!!! Fundraiser- Homemade Neckwarmer/Heat packs for sale- GREAT for Christmas gifts!!!

We selling rice neck warmers/heat/cold packs. They were made lightly scented with 2 different natural oil scents Lavender and Lemon Eucalyptus. We also have smaller boo boo bags for kids or smaller areas. These rice bags are great for the freezer for a cold pack when you have a sore spot or for a forehead when you have a fever. They are also microwavable for heatpacks. We are asking for a suggested donation amount of $7 each or 2 for $10, or the kids small size are 3 for $10. They are handmade by our friends and family. If you are local you can pick them up or contact me about possibly delivery in Redding if you buy multiple packs. There are a variety of prints available you can choose from if you pick up locally. These make great Christmas gifts and Christmas will be here before you know it. If you are local and would like to just pay us directly instead of through paypal please just call me to set up a time to come by. (530)921-8855 or email me at lorene@frogmama.com Here are some examples of some of the available fabrics:)

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

We need your help!

October 9, 2013
Dear Family and Friends,

As you may know we have been led by God to adopt a child into our family. We are adopting a baby girl sometime around the beginning of November. Troy and I will be traveling to Florida to meet the Birthmother and baby shortly after she is born. As a family, we’ve been praying for this sweet young mother and baby for the last few weeks. We are excited for the possibility that she will place her baby with our family.

What has prompted us to adopt?
Primarily, we’ve felt so clearly directed by God to adopt, that we want to obey Him. We also desire to give a child a permanent Christian family that she probably wouldn’t otherwise have. God desires for orphans of all nations to be loved, cared for, and adopted into Christian families—ultimately so they can become saved and adopted into His eternal family through Jesus Christ.
There are over 147 million orphans worldwide and 120,000 children currently in the U.S. foster care system. It is estimated that less than 10 percent of these children are adopted into evangelical Christian families.
The biggest challenge is not opening our hearts and home to another child, but it is finding the finances to make this happen. The estimated total cost for the adoption is $27,000. That’s certainly money we don’t have, but we know God is faithful and is leading us to trust Him. By God’s grace we’ve been able to pay the initial $10,000.
Honestly it’s a little difficult (because of our pride) to make our needs known to the body of Christ, but we realize it is biblical to do so. Your friendship and support are greatly appreciated. We would like to ask you to pray and consider helping us in one or two ways with our adoption.
1. Please pray for this sweet young expecting mom and baby’s health in these last few weeks of pregnancy and pray for a smooth and uncomplicated delivery. Please pray that her heart and soul will move closer to God as we show Gods love to her through our words and actions.
2. Will you please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help cover the remaining $17,000 adoption expenses? Our goal date is December 9, but funds will be accepted until our adoption is complete.

Making a Donation
We are using Lifesong for Orphans, which is a 501c3 tax exempt organization to receive donations on our behalf. Lifesong retains full discretion over your donation, but intends to honor your suggested use, which is for our adoption fund. Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-raising costs; TMG Foundation and others, which means 100% of your donation goes to the adoption.
When donating by check, make checks payable to “Lifesong for Orphans. In the memo, note “family account number: #3765” and “family name: FOSTER” to assure it goes to the correct account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744.
Another option is to give online CLICK HERE by selecting Give to an Adoptive Family and then complete the online form using 3765 as the Family Account Number and Foster as Family Name. *Please note that your donation is decreased by 2.9% + $.30 USD when using PayPal.*
We thank you so much for investing in the Kingdom through prayer and finances—it will be an investment with an eternal return! We’ll give you an update with a picture of Baby Faith and details as we receive them. Please pray this entire process will glorify God and fulfill His purposes.
*Individual donations of $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will gladly be sent upon request.* In order to have your contribution be tax deductible, do not use the paypal link on this page- go to the Lifesong site as directed above. If you do not care about that aspect feel free to use this link.
Sincerely,

The Fosters

Saturday, October 5, 2013

We are matched!!!

So there go my plans for keeping this blog updated often... oh well... Since my last post so much has happened. One by one we presented to 16 different expecting moms and each time after praying and waiting heard a "No". This was a HUGE emotional roller coaster ride as sometimes the baby was already born or due very soon, so if chosen it would have meant getting everything ready for baby super fast. Also with praying for each of these moms and their babies you start, on some level, to form a heart connection, even if it is only one sided. So when you then hear they select someone else it was hard.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago. We had another "situation" as they are called. a young 17 year old expecting mom in FL having a baby girl due in October. We presented and waited and prayed and then in a few days heard "No" not us, another family was chosen. We we continued on. Then a few days later we received an email saying that the couple that had been chosen had backed out for some personal reasons. Were we still interested in presenting? We Thought and Prayed about it and decided to go ahead. Then we waited...and waited... and waited... usually you hear back in a few days. This time it was over a week... Then Thursday night we got the news "Yes"! We had been chosen! We are all so excited!!

Now begins a new step of the journey. The baby still isn't "for sure" joining our family. After the expecting mom has her baby, she will then have 24-48 hours to decide if she wants to parent. If at that point she still decides to place her baby for adoption, then we will be the family. At this point our plan is for Troy and I to be at the hospital shortly after the baby is born. If she decides to parent then we would fly back home. If she decides to place her baby with us then Troy would fly back home after a couple days to be with the other kids while I wait out the time for all the paperwork to clear, usually about 2 weeks. We did find out yesterday that we have some great friends all living right in the area in Florida that we will be going to. Such an exciting time. We still really appreciate your prayers as the journey isn't over yet. We still have a lot of fundraising to do- details coming soon. Also with any childbirth there can be complications and unknown factors.

Please join us in praying for this mom and her baby for an easy and uncomplicated delivery and for health for her and her baby.

Anna made this blanket for the baby all on her own during their quiet time yesterday. The kids are really excited:)