living life in a different country, different culture, different experiences; being different
So very very happy for Shane! Praise the Lord!
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Please do continue to pray for Shane and his forever family. Pray that his family will have a hassle-free journey to bring him home.
Please also keep praying for Wesley’s family to step forward! Thank you.
syc
Our #12 post highlighting Families Adopting From Asia. These families have answered the call to provide a loving home for special needs orphans, the ones who are most overlooked by society. They have chosen a very costly way to bless and show love. Please give them all the support they need – financial, emotional and spiritual. Thank you.
Families Who Are Home:
The Campbell Family is home with Ally Kate (Darcy) and she is doing well. Follow their journey here.
The Perry Family is home with Riley Mei (Vonnie). Follow their journey here.
The Stickley Family is home with Jada and trying to settle down. Follow their journey here. Their blog will be updated soon.
Families Who Are Still On Their Journeys:
The Lewis Family passed court and now they are waiting for Abby-Kate’s passport to be ready and then they can go get her. BUT they have been waiting for quite a while now. Please PRAY that the passport process will be fast and that they will hear good news ASAP. They are still short about US$1850 in travel expenses. Please help them meet this last funding need – give here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 20 March: They Have Travel Dates!! Praise the Lord! Details are still being worked out but they expect to travel just before Easter. Please do continue to pray for a hassle-free and safe pick-up trip. Pray for Abby-Kate as everything she knows is going to change.
The Wetherington Family is now waiting for LOA (Letter of Approval) from Eilliette’s and Henry’s country. They need about US$21500 to be fully funded for both adoptions. They have a NEW T-shirt Fundraiser – CHOSEN – it is a very lovely design and comes in a great variety of colours and sizes. Make your order here. They are also a part of a larger fundraising effort for 4 families – an Online Auction running from March 9-16. Check it out here. Give directly to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here.
The Smith Family has received LOA and is now waiting for TA (Travel Approval). Then they travel to bring Steve home. They still need funding and have a number of fundraisers ongoing. Here’s their Amazon Link. If you sign up for Amazon Prime here, they receive some funds too. Shop at Ebates through this link and it will help them too. Shop at Just Love Coffee, Adoption Bug and Young Living (use number 1450122). Also shop at Play World Toys (please use the link here) and Ginger on a Mission (enter Smith family for Steve in the notes to seller). You can give directly to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here.
The Huhn Family has received LOA and were able to send Josie a care package. Travel will be coming up real soon. You can give directly to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here.
The Monier Family has their dossier logged in at Channah’s country and they are waiting on their LOA. Please PRAY that it will arrive ASAP. New lovely items are always up for purchase at their Esty Shop. You can also shop at Channah’s Guardian Angel’s Esty shop with lovely sandwich bags and business card holders, please put in a note at checkout that you would like 50% to go to Channah. You can contribute directly to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 13 March: They have a T-shirt Fundraiser going on now – check it out and make a purchase! 17 March: They have a fundraiser at Applebee’s – go eat at Applebee’s Inverness USA on 24th April and 10% goes to Channah – see details here!
The Aschoff Family is waiting on “Matching Approval” from Leo’s country. They have a number of different items on sale – any purchase would help them. They still have some Apparent Bracelets left to sell. Their new fundraiser is Bravelets. Check it out here. Their NEW T-shirt design is 3:21 in celebration of Down Syndrome Day. Details are here. You can also contribute to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 13 March: Check out their list of fundraisers here.
The Rakoczy Family has their dossier logged in at Daniel’s country and is waiting for LOA. They are still needing US$10,000 in funding. You can help by shopping through their Amazon Link. You can contribute to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here.
The Lanz Family has their Article 5 issued and is waiting for TA. Please pray that it will arrive soon from Peter’s country. In the meantime, they are working on getting things ready and packing for travel. They still need about US$15,700 in funding. You can help by taking part in the following fundraisers: Amazon Link, Adoption Fundraiser Fair Trade Shop (use family code TOM12003) and Ginger On A Mission Esty Shop (mention “Peter and the Lanz Family” at checkout). You can see most of the fundraisers on this FB page. You can also contribute to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 6th Mar: They have TA! Now needing $12,000. Please give here. 7th Mar: They have Gotcha Day date – 24th March! And they still need those funds! Please give here.
The Fraley Family is waiting on I-800 approval as well as for Autumn’s and Abby’s country to process their Non-Objection Clause (NOC). Please pray the process will be a fast one, they have been on this journey for almost 3 years now. They still need funding and you can help by purchasing Nuts and Weighted Blankets. They also have fundraisers posted on this FB page. You can contribute to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here.
The Cassel Family is waiting for USCIS Approval. They are hoping to travel late Summer this year to bring Shawana home . They are fundraising through the sale of handmade wooden pens. The pens are lovely – check them out here. You can contribute to their adoption grant here.
The Duvall Family has Homestudy Approval and is now working on compiling their dossier. They have calculated that they need US$12,000 to be fully funded. You can help by taking part in their Puzzle Fundraiser and buying some Apparent Bracelets. They also have an Esty Shop with lovely crochet items. They hope to travel to pick Jimmy up in about 6 months. You can also contribute to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here.
The Anderson Family is working hard on finishing up their Homestudy. They got news a few weeks ago that Wayne isn’t doing well. Read details here. Please PRAY for Wayne’s health. Pray also for an expedited process so they can bring Wayne and Danny home ASAP. They have great fundraisers going on: Name A Character (only 3 names left), Envelope Fundraiser and Bumper Sticker Fundraiser. They are also taking part in an Online Auction with 3 other families, starting March 9-16. Check it out here. You can contribute to their adoption funds here and here. You can follow their journey here.
The Smith Family (a different one) has sent their dossier to country (DTC). Please continue to pray for them as they move forward to adopt Barry. You can contribute to their adoption grant here.
The Casebier Family has their Article 5 dropped off and is waiting for TA. They are just a few weeks away from travelling to bring Brandy and Brielle home. They still need US$9500 in funding. They have a number of fundraisers going on: Envelope Fundraiser, Puzzle Fundraiser, Origami Owl Jewelry, The Greatest of These is Love Necklaces and Ginger On A Mission Esty Shop (state it’s for the Casebier family at checkout and they get 50%). They are also taking part in an Online Auction for 4 adopting families which runs from March 9-16, check it out here. You can contribute directly to their adoption grant here and here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 20 March: Plesae PRAY for the Casebier family. Their boys’ bedroom is flooded from a broken pipe somewhere in their house. This will impact their savings which has been set aside for this adoption. Please consider encouraging them with a little bump in their adoption grant here.
The Maples Family has their dossier logged in at Callie’s country and is waiting for LOA. They have been offered a US$500 matching grant, which means they need to raise $500 to get that $500. Their FSP needs to read US$11611 to receive the matching. Please help by giving here today and have your giving doubled! Another channel to give (no matching grant) is through their YouCaring account. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 6th Mar: They are selling lovely soft scarves as their new fundraiser. Check out the pretty 17 colours they have here. You can order any of those colours and it will be made and shipping to you. 20 March: They have added more colours to their pretty scarves. See here.
The Reeds Family has been through a tough time. Their precious Sophia went to be with our Lord before they could reach her. We grieve with them. Do pray that the Lord bring them comfort. BUT we also rejoice with them as March 3rd (2 days ago) was Joel’s Gotcha Day! (They are also fully funded :D) They are now in country with Joel, processing final paperwork. Pray for a smooth and hassle process and a safe trip home. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 20 March: They are HOME! See here.
The Settles Family has their dossier logged in at Hudson’s country and is waiting for LOA. They have an interesting Quarter Auction coming up on 15 March, Saturday – check out details here and here. You can keep updated via their FB page here. You can give directly to their adoption grant here and here. You can follow their journey here.
The Grady Family has TA, they will be travelling on March 13th to pick Hudson and Evie up. Please pray for a smooth, hassle-free final paperwork process and a safe trip. Their FSP is still open for donations. You can follow their journey here.
The West Family has always had adoption in mind. They were blessed with their eldest daughter before starting on their 1st 2 adoption journeys which brought them 2 more little girls and a boy. Now they are going to get Nicholas, who has a serious blood condition (Thalassemia) and needs this adoption to be expedited. They already have approval from the US side to expedite with USCIS approval already granted. Please pray that Nicholas’ country will also grant the expedited paperwork. They hope to travel in July. They have very wonderful yummy fundraisers happening: Cupcake Tuesdays – you will have to check their blog every Tuesday to see the flavours for that day and order. It is very limited and sell super fast so get in on the action early! Check out previous cupcake flavours here and here. Upcoming is a special event on March 22nd with a Pasta Bar, Silent Auction and a WOMAN-less beauty pageant – check details here and here. You can give directly to their adoption grants here and here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 20 March: Due to their adoption agency closing with immediate effect, the last couple of weeks has been hectic. They have found a new agency which they are comfortable with. But they have lost time. Although their new agency did not charge them for fees they already paid to the previous agency, so funding was not lost. Praise the Lord. Please pray that the rest of their process will be expedited so they can make up for lost time.
The Speelman Family is on their first adoption journey, bringing Seth (Simon) to join his 2 brothers, who are eagerly waiting for him to come home. They are now waiting on USCIS Approval. They hope to be DTC (Dossier to Country) by the end of March. They have a CD/Kids Songs Fundraiser coming up – so stay tuned. In the meantime, do encourage this family by giving towards their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here.
3 families home. 2 new families. 20 families needing your help, support and prayers. Please give generously in all aspects, spiritual, emotional and financial. Thank you.
syc
This is our 4th and final Love Notes post for this year. You can read Post#01, Post#02 and Post#03.
Love Notes are a gift you can buy for your loved ones and they will be able to choose which precious child they would like to bless with this gift – to grow their adoption grants. Bigger adoption grants would aid their forever families to reach them with less of a financial worry – adopting is an expensive affair, especially an international one. So please consider purchasing some Love Notes. Check out details here.
Today’s post will highlight some children with other special needs such as heart defects and blood disorders who need your help. Please click on their pictures or names to go to their profile pages for more information.
She is a newly-listed child and is 11 years old, which means she will have a little more than 2 years for her forever family to complete their paperwork and bring her home. She is a Hep B carrier and has a mild heart murmur. She is a sweet 5th grader who loves to jump and fan dance. Her favourite subject in school is Chinese Literature.
She is a lovely 11-year-old who has very complex heart conditions (discordant atrioventricular junction, corrigent transposition of magistral vessels, coronary-left ventricle fistula, complete atrioventricular heart block) and may have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. She ages out of her country’s adoption system in less than 5 years.
She smiles a lot and is very outgoing. She is 11 years old and is loved by the nannies whom she helps with cleaning the table, mopping the floor, making beds, folding clothes and feeding babies. She has a humpback but walks well and is only sometimes unstable in her walk. She has just a little over 2 years before she ages out of her country’s adoption system.
He is 10 years old and really needs a family to care for him. He has complex Congenital Heart Defects – cardianastrophe; left atrium structure in both sides; ASD; moderate back flow of common valve, double exit of right ventricle, pulmonary artery stenosis, and A-P fistula or window. His condition limits his activities but he is said to be a clever boy who enjoys reading and gets along well with others.
He is a 9-year-old boy who is talkative but can only use simple speech. He has Thalassemia which requires him to go for blood transfusions. This means he is missing a lot of school and is behind his peers. He has good self-management skills and is a good helper with the younger children.
He is 8 years old and has post-operative left inguinal hernia and a cyst of pellucid septal cave. He is extroverted and loves riding his bike as well as going for outdoor walks in summer. He is not afraid of strangers and can say hello to strangers on his own initiative. He likes to spend time with his friends and loves cartoons.
He is active 5-year-old who enjoys dancing to music and has a good sense of rhythm. He has Down Syndrome and Patent Ductus Arteriosus (Congenital Heart Defect). But his heart condition does not affect his daily life. He enjoys playing games with other children and likes to watch cartoons.
She is 5 years old and has Down Syndrome and congenital heart defect (Ventricle Septal Defect). She loves to play outside and is a good eater, and a little shy with strangers.
He is a 4-year-old cutie who has a complex heart defect: transposition of the great arteries, pulmonary stenosis, and an ASD and VSD. In 2013, he had surgery called a “right double-way Glenn operation”. He will require another surgery. He does not go to school because of his heart defect but is quite talkative although shy in front of strangers.
He is 3 years old and has Dextrocardia, which means his heart is on the right side instead of left and his lungs are on the left side instead of right. His heart condition has affected his development; his motor skills and speech are delayed. He is a curious little boy who needs a very special family who will help him get the surgery he needs.
Please consider giving one of these precious ones Love Notes and bless them. Do also pray for them, especially for their forever families to come for them. You can also help this process by sharing their stories with all you know.
Please read other advocates blog here, here and here.
Thank you.
syc
trippingdifferently 