Text to Donate Day to Bring Home Our Girl

The weekend of Nov. 8th we will be celebrating Alivia Grace's 3rd Birthday.  We really thought we would have her in our Arms by now.  But we are still patiently waiting as God prepares us and we know he has a plan.

In honor of Our Girls Birthday we were given the opportunity to raise funds via a "Text to Donate Day" on Sunday, Nov. 10th all day.  Mark your calendar for this event.  We will be trying to raise the Orphanage Fee of $5,000.   This is the Best Birthday Gift we could give this little girl at this time. This money is given to the Orphanage to pay for what our daughter has used in their care up to this point as well as to help provide for those left behind with care, food, shelter, some medical care etc.

Here's how it works...

On OUR Text-to-Donate day (November 10th), tell all your friends and family to text "WISH" to 80077 to donate $5 to Bring Home Our Girl (see example below). The more people you tell and share this with the more we can raise.  If a little over 300 people donate $15 (Text "Wish" 3 times - follow the rules and process below three times), We would meet our Goal.  What a Blessing!

 

 

Technical Information....

            • Mobile donors will have a $5 charge from mGive, the provider of the service on their phone bill.

            • A mobile donation will NOT be processed if the mobile user does not confirm "YES" to the agreed $5 charge. A majority of the donors do not do this.

            • If a mobile user has block extra usage charges, the text response will return as "FAIL". Many parents block their kids phones to stop unwanted charges.

            • A maximum of 5 mobile donations can be made per month.

            • Pay-as-you-go mobile phones and international phones will not work on the system.

            • Donation period runs from 12am (MST) to 11:59pm (MST). 24 hours are required for the donation system to calculate the totals.

            • Disclaimer:   Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Must be 18 years of age or have parental permission to participate. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 80077 to STOP. Text HELP to 80077 for HELP.  Full Terms: mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy

 

MARK YOUR CALENDER FOR NOVEMBER 10TH

This is a Sample - Make sure you follow up with "Yes" to confirm

 

Thank you very much in advance.  You do not know how much this means to us and to our Girl.

 

Love,

Traci, Brian, Brennan and Carson

XOXO

 

LID

Yippy - Big Accomplishment -

LID

Wooohoooo

On to the Next Thing.......

We are to download our next assignment this evening........... (small celebration and moving on)


Thank you so much for all the prayers.... We greatly appreciate it!

Love,
Traci
and
Family
XOXO

Bring Home Our Girl

Good news!  Our Dossier is complete and will be off to China to become Logged in.  Another big step about complete - Yeah - Seeing light......

On another note:

We are so excited that we have been given the opportunity to raise funds for our girl through Wish Upon a Hero.  Our goal is to raise funds specifically for her orphanage fee.  The orphanage fee is seperate from the adoption agency and travel expences as it is $5000 that goes towards her care in orphanage/foster care and for those left behind to continue running facilities, to provide food and shelter, clothing etc. as well as what she has used in the almost three years she has been in their care.

We need your help.  We need 200 likes on our adoption fan page to be eligible for this fundraising opportunity through "Wish Upon A Hero" text to wish program. Please help us gain "Likes".

Giving us a "like" would be great and very helpful.

Like the page  Bring Home Our Girl to help us get to our goal of 200 likes. Here is the link:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Home-Our-Girl/414679215311708

We thank you so very much.

On another note -----
I am so proud of my husband:

Earlier this week Brian was in a business meeting getting to know colleagues.  Someone asked Brian how many children he had and he replied two boys and their ages and we are adopting our little girl from China.  The colleague replied wow, do you know the statistics about adoption.  You should read XYZ book and learn about those statistics.  Brian replied to the gentleman that his father (Brian's Father) was adopted as an eight year old boy and if someone did not step up and show him love and a family - I might not be here today.  The gentleman colleague stumbled to find words and continuely apologized to Brian for what he said.  Just goes to show you how unknowledgeable people are about adoption and they only want to hear or see the bad in it.  Really??

The statements and reaction that we get about our adoption process are all different from very supportive to why China?  With which we reply there are children all over the world that need adopting.  This was God's calling for us.  Or the why not just have one of your own or why now? With which I reply there is no good or perfect time to adopt or have a child and we can not wait till we are perfect parents with a perfect life ---  it would never ever happen if that was the case.  We are to be obedient to God's calling even when it might not be convenient for us. This is a difficult concept for many who do not understand the biblical teachings.  As it comes from sacrifice to do for the good of God and Not just what's good for Yourself. 

Many can not fathom How much I would fight for a child that is very much mine - that I have never met though or know.  It is something I can not explain........

Please continue to pray over this process.

We thank you so very much -

Love and Hugs

Yippy!!!

I800a approval came Saturday.  Yeah!  Mailed the Last 2 documents off  to be certified and authenticated this week. Progress!!  We are moving along again!:))

It's Been Awhile............

I know......  It has been awhile since my last update post.  Like they say - "no news is good news".  I keep thinking I will post when the 800a paper comes and we are moving again through the process.  However that has taken much longer than I expected. 

Finally getting a bit impatient I contacted our adoption agency to make sure everything was OK with this 800a document.  She reassured me that the process was taking longer now and that I was welcome to call the immigration office to find out the status. 

So that I did!  I called - and was put through right away to a lady who was very friendly and familiar with the process.  She let me know that they had just recently become very busy and  were running a little behind. The process has been taking less than 60 days and now was running between 60 and 75 days. She was so kind to reassure us that it would not be much longer and that once we get through this process that the items we had to complete from here on out would move much more quickly.  Her last note was to call her back on Monday or Tuesday and she would have an update for me.  Praise God!

In this lul/wait time - I have filled my time well with Communities in Motion Classes starting and kicking off a new season of classes(the dance business in Ohio that I oversee).   So much fun and so exciting.  I am always amazed at the paths God takes me through and the people that he puts in my life. 

The boys started school and soccer so we have kept very busy with that as well.  I really enjoy watching the boys play soccer. 

It has been almost like the adoption process has been put on a backburner through this longest of paper work processes. 

We will wait and see what this next week brings! :)  All in God's timing!

Join Our New Facebook page - Bring Home Our Girl - Follow our Journey.  I have heard from others that it is sometimes difficult to blog with the internet connections in China - but facebook works well. 

Thank you so very much for your continued words of support and prayers.  We greatly appreciate it so much.  We love it when loving friends ask about our girl!  Love, Traci XO

Reality strikes - Video link

I received some very good advice yesterday.  I am so glad.  I tend to try and be so positive yet adoption can bring much heartache and I need to remember not to get my hopes up.

This difficult reminder that I know but somehow forget is that our little girl is coming from rural China. She may or may not be getting the packages I send, she gets 3 small meals per day, she may or may not sleep in a bed, she may or may not know love, ............Back to the packages - Even if she does receive the packages they may never put the clothes on her or let her play with the toys.  We just don't know as many families have adopted and each have had different experiences.

Again - it is wise to Realize (as difficult as it is) that this is a difficult place.  I don't think any of us can even begin to comprehend.

This video tells the truth of the mother that must give up her child and the gift of adoption.  This is the reality:

I will keep my eyes focused on God who has brought us to this place of adoption.  I will not forget the difficult place she came from.  I will keep the faith and hope for her future.  God goes before us ....... I see this in the people that I come into contact with as we prepare for this journey.  Thankful.


I know in my heart that no matter what this precious girl has gone through - we can not take that away - her history will be her history and with that comes great possibilities for a great future.  We can give her a forever home, a loving stable home, education, medical care and so much more.





Forgiveness

All in His Plan

He reveals himself more and more in this process.

Today in the mail Brennan received a free supplemental learning package from Highlights magazine. We opened the package and much to our jaw dropping disbelief we found this:

What a Surprise!

Yes,  the Guide to China! What timing!  It came with all kinds of activities - world maps, play passports etc...  I was in awe.  What a great tool for the boys to enjoy before we travel.

Just had to share.:)

Also - today received an email from our adoption agency stating that our girl had the TB skin test as a proactive measure.  They do this ahead of time to try and catch medical conditions so they can be treated prior to our arrival.  Since she is over the age of 2 the medical checks to leave the country involve more.  She will have to have a blood draw add to all the other screenings.  Good news as -   ---initial screening was negative.  Praise God!

We are counting down the last few steps:

• Finish last documents for Dossier
• Agency review and translate Dossier
• Mail Dossier to China and get Logged in
• LOA Approval of Our Girl
• 800 - Immigration for our girl
• Article 5
• Travel Approval -  to China in 3 weeks (I am guessing by end of year)

Please continue to pray over these last steps specifically:

• That if it is in God's will he will continue to provide us with a smooth and timely process
• That we will continue to embrace each of these last steps and learn from each and every experience
• That our girl is being well cared for and staying healthy
• That our girl is being prepared for our arrival and calm will come over her when she meets us (this is a very difficult one - need extra prayers in this area - not sure who will be crying more - me crying of joy, happiness and amazement or her crying in fear as she leaves everything she knows to be with her forever family - such tug of emotions for all of us)  Please ask God to comfort us and give us peace in this time
• That God will continue to provide for this process.

We are extremely grateful for this journey and very grateful for everyone's loving support and kind words.  We could not do this without all of you.  Thank you. 

Love - Traci xoxox