All From Asia #06…

Asia map
Asia map (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is post #06 of our All From Asia series, which features families adopting from Asia who need your help to bring home these precious children. The mummies and daddies on this list would like to express their thanks to everyone who has helped them in every small way; financially, in prayers and in sharing their stories. Please do continue to help them in whatever way you can.

Families who are HOME!

The Hemmes Family is in country, they have John with them and are finishing final paperwork before flying home. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: They are HOME!

The Vogelzang Family is HOME with Pearl Katherine TuYuan. You can follow their journey here.

Families still on their adoption journey:

The Gaines Family is still playing the waiting game with regards to their TA (Travel Approval). A computer upgrade at the CCCWA is causing quite a bit of delay for a lots of our families. Please pray that the computer upgrade is worked out quickly and things move fast. On a brighter note, they have a lovely new video of Finnley and great photos of her opening the care package they sent her. Go check it out on their blog. Also, they need just a little over US$1000 to be fully funded! Please help them by sponsoring a piece from their Puzzle Fundraiser. Only 40 pieces left. You can also help by using their Amazon link from their blog for your Amazon purchases. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 20 June – They have Travel Approval! So flights can be booked now. 

Jon & Angela have their LOA (Letter of Approval) and are now awaiting travel dates. They are expecting to travel at the end of June. And they are still in need of about US$16,000. Please help them by taking part in the following fundraisers:  Masterpiece Quilts are still giving 20% of their sales to Jon&Angela when you purchase from them and state at check-out that it is for the Jon&Angela adopting Jack&Jensen. Please go here to see what wonderful quilts they make! They have an Usborne Fundraiser going on, click here to go to the Usborne Page directly or here to join the FB event. They have a Java for Jack & Jensen fundraiser so buy some coffee and help them at the same time. You can also contribute directly to their Project Hopeful grant (link at the top of their blog) or their FSP on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow the family’s journey here. UPDATE: 20 June – there is an amazing online auction going on now for Jack & Jensen, it has some really beautiful jewelry up for grabs! So head over here and take part! Jon & Angela are also running a Puzzle Fundraiser. You can sponsor a piece of puzzle for US$10 and have your personal message to the boys on the back of that piece or pieces. See here for details.

The Garrick Family has been told that they will need to make 2 trips! Which means more expenses. You can help by purchasing a t-shirt from here, or shopping at She Does Justice and a Just Love Coffee fundraiser. You can also double your contribution through Brittany’s Hope, simply select Special Needs Adoption Grants and key in Garrick under Grant Recipient Family. When they raise US$1500, Brittany’s Hope will give them another US$1500. You can also contribute directly to their adoption grant on Reece’s Rainbow. Please also pray that they hear about travel dates real soon. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 27 June – they have EP! (Emigration Permit) Which means LANA has approval to leave her country. Now they wait on Travel Dates.

The Evans Family is still waiting for LOA. They are one of the families affected by the computer upgrade i mentioned earlier. They need another US$7400 to be fully funded. Please help them meet that goal by buying a lovely handmade Wooden Name Puzzle, beautiful Apparent Bracelets and cute homemade Bottlecap Necklaces. You can contribute directly to their FSP on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow the family’s journey here.

The Fristoe Family is trying to recover from the loss of little Feng. Please continue to pray for them. They are still going ahead with You’s adoption. They are waiting for her file to be released. They are finishing their homestudy and are in need of funds. They have coup aide fundraiser where you can receive a US$50 Restaurant.com voucher for a US$20 donation. You can also contribution to their adoption grant on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow their journey here.

The Murdoch Family is still waiting for travel dates. They are also one of the families affected by that computer upgrade issue. Please do pray that they get LOA as soon as possible. They are a little over halfway with their fundraising but still need a fair bit. You can help by requesting to join the Crazy for Corina FB page and purchasing the lovely handmade items. You can also take part in their Build A Menu fundraiser. You can also contribute directly to their FSP on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow the family’s journey here.

The Pellegrino Family has LOA! And are expecting to travel in September. They still have about US$14,000 to raise. You can help by buying Olive Tree Promise products, they get 50%. Shop at Ordinary Hero and they get 40% when you click on Pellegrino, Kim as the affiliate. Purchase adoption tees from Adoption Bug and they get 25-40%. Get coffee from Just Love Coffee Roasters, they get a percentage. Buy gift cards, magazines & cookie dough from here and they get up to 40%. They are also affiliates of Amazon and CafePress so shop through their blog! They will also host a Golf Fundraiser in July! Sign up if you are local to them. They have also listed other ways you can help them on their blog. They have been given a US$5000 matching grant, they need their FSP to read US$5655 by July 4th to get that additional US$5000, which would mean more than two-thirds the funds they still need. Please help by contributing here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 20 June – they have exactly 2 weeks to meet that matching grant of US$5000! PLEASE help them meet it. Give towards their adoption grant here! 27 June – They have I-800 Approval so travel is expected to be August 30. PLEASE HELP them meet that matching grant of US$5000!

The Dismuke Family is waiting for their documents to be certified and then posted to country. They have met their Lifesongs Matching Grant – thank you so much. They still need another US$16,100 to be fully funded. They have a Shop With A Cause tab on their blog; they have affiliate programs with The Sili Company, Mama’s Bug A Boo, Adoption Bug, Just Love Coffee Roasters, Amazon Link. And they are also a Pampered Chef representative so start shopping and helping. You can contribute to their adoption grant on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow the family’s journey here.

The Lewis Family is getting their documents authenticated, after which it will be posted to country. Please pray that they will receive their NOC (No Objection Certification). They have a Lifesongs Matching Grant of US$2500 to meet by July 24th. (They have matched $800 of that to date.) Please help them by contributing through Lifesongs, instructions here. They are still selling Indian Bracelets. Please also continue to support their Birthday Fundraiser for Riya, who has turned 6. They are asking for 100 persons to give US$55 each to Riya as a birthday present, which would cover their travel expenses. Please continue to pray for that in-country grant which would take care of their in-country fees. You can contribute directly to their FSP on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow their journey here.

The Gariepy Family is waiting to hear back about travel dates, which are expected to be the end of this summer. Andrea needs US$15,000 to complete the whole process. You can contribute to their adoption grant on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow the family’s journey here.

The Wetherington Family is compiling their dossier and hopes to finish real soon. They are now busy fundraising: they have a Pampered Chef Fundraiser (go to top left box to select specific show, put in Wetherington for last name), and an Online Auction (send me a message for an invite to this). Please do support them. You can also give directly to their FSP on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 20 June – their online auction is now closed. Thank you for your participation. Please do continue to support their other fundraisers.

The Phelps Family has their dossier logged in and are waiting for LOA. They need US$10,000 to be fully funded. They made a loss on their last fundraiser so please pray for them, pray for ideas for the next fundraiser which would bring in the funds they need. You can help by buying a Wild Olive Tee (remember when placing order, please enter PHELPS1207 in the coupon area). Purchase therapy items through their Therapy Fun blog-link and a percentage goes to their adoption grant. You can also contribute to their adoption grant on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow the family’s journey here.

The Gilbert Phillips Family has their dossier in DC and hopes to have it in country next week. They are thankful for funds given from a benefit dinner which kind strangers have held for 5 orphans and Winnie was one of them. They ask for prayers for little Winnie to be prepared for this huge life change. They are also asking for prayers as they consider adding another child to this adoption. They are searching for Winnie’s foster-sister. You can contribute to their FSP on Reece’s Rainbow. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 20 June – They have DTC (Dossier To Country)! So now they wait for LOA. 1 July – They have been approved for TWO kids!

NEW – The Smith Family is currently putting together their homestudy. They have had pre-approval and have experienced some delays over the last week. Please pray for them to trust in God’s timing and for the delays to be removed. They have 6 months from the time of pre-approval to get their dossier to country. As they are just at the start of their process, they will need lots of funding. They have quite a few fundraisers going on: Usborne Books, Build A Menu, Amazon Link, Just Love Coffee, Adoption Bug, Young Living (use number 1450122) and Play World Toys. So many ways to help, just pick one! You can give towards their adoption grant on Reece’s Rainbow too. You can follow the family’s journey here. UPDATE: 27 June – They have decided on a name and they have new photos! See here.

NEW – The Huhn Family is not new to adoption. They had to stop their last adoption process because of a ban in that particular country. However, they have been faithful and pressed on and God has led them to Josie. Please pray for them as they move forward to bring Josie home, pray for their hearts to be open and have peace, and not be fearful of losing her (no repeat of previous situation). They are in the process of doing up their homestudy. So they are at the beginning of the process and have just started fundraising. Their first fundraiser is over at SophiaRoseCraftShop. Do stop by and buy some really cute handmade items and help them in their adoption journey. You can give towards their adoption grant on Reece’s Rainbow also. You can follow their journey here.

NEW – The Monier Family has pre-approval to adopt and they are very excited about it. They are now busy filling in paperwork to get their FSP started. Please do pray for them as they get started on another adoption just a little over a year after their last one. They don’t have an ‘official’ fundraiser but Mrs M has an Esty shop which could use your support. She sells some lovely bead jewelry. Your purchase would make a difference in their adoption journey. You can follow the family’s journey here. UPDATE: 21 June – They are running their very first fundraiser! An Usborne Books Fundraiser. Click here to join and see details. 25 June – Their FSP is up!! You can give directly to their adoption grant here.

NEW – The Steinhoff Family has answered the call to adopt many times and God has provided all they needed each time and daily each day as they live the wonderful life of having a large family. They are now on a new adoption journey to bring home 2 little girls, Carrington and Peyton. They have a very very unique fundraiser; they raise puppies (a few different breeds). If you are local to them, do check it out here. They have USCIS approval and are hoping to travel in August. They still need about US$2000 to be fully funded. Please help them meet this last gap. Give towards their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 1 July – they have I-800 Approval. Travel dates will arrive soon.

These are the 15 16 17 families who need your help, your prayers, your generous giving, your sharing of their stories so that their adoption journeys might be just that bit smoother. Thank you so much.

syc

All from Asia #05…

asia_en URGENT NEED: Please help the HEMMES family who are already in country to bring John home. They need US$15,000. Please contribute to their adoption grant.

This is our 5th post about families adopting from Asia. It has been encouraging to hear that these posts not only helps people who wish to help these families, it also helps the families themselves. It helps them to keep going in this difficult process, knowing there are people out there who care. So even if you are not on your own adoption journey, know that your prayers, your contributions, your sharing helps to make one less orphan.

Families who are HOME!

The Sharp Family have been home with Rowyn and Zekiel for almost a month now. They are settling in nicely. Follow their journey here.

The Baird Family came home with Bobby a month ago, and he is doing wonderfully. Follow their journey here.

The Lanz Family are flying home with their precious girls as i write this. They are grateful that some grants became available to them at the last minute which provided the funding they needed. You can follow their journey here.

Families Currently On Their Adoption Journey:

The Hemmes Family have a Travel Date (June 6th), a Gotcha Date (June 10th) and a Civil Affairs Appointment (June 18th)! BUT they still need more than US$20,000. Most of their fundraisers have ended. They are, however, still selling t-shirts, see here for details. Please help this family meet their funding needs so that John can come home. You can make your contribution here. You can read more on their blog here. UPDATE: 12 May: They have ran into some logistical issues. Please pray for these issues to work themselves out and please continue to support them in terms of funding (both in praying and giving). 16 May: Logistical issues are resolved! Praise the Lord. They are now flying out on June 5th and Gotcha Day is June 7th! Please pray for safe travels, for John to be ready to have a family and for their family waiting at home for John’s arrival. 26 May: They leave in 10 days!! And are still in need of funds! PLEASE HELP! Go here to give generously! 5 June: They are on their way to John! Pray for journey’s mercy. 7 June: They have John with them now! Praise the Lord!

The Gaines Family are awaiting Travel Approval, when they get that, they will be able to book their flights to go bring Finnley home. They are hoping for a late June travel date. They still have their Puzzle Fundraiser going; they need contributors for the next 220 pieces. Go here to take part. You can contribute to their adoption grant using the donate button on their blog. You can also help by using the Amazon Link on their blog for your Amazon purchases. Follow their journey hereUPDATE: 6th May: They need another US$2500 to be fully funded. Please help them close this last gap! 12 May: They got to send Finnley a lovely care package! Check it out on their blog.

Jon & Angela have all their paperwork in country now. They are waiting to hear from their agency, which should be any day now. Travel date could just be weeks away and they are still in need of almost US$20,000 so that they can bring Jack and Jensen home without delay. It is very important for both boys that there be no more delays. Jack urgently needs medical care and Jensen needs to be adopted before he ages out. Please help them meet their funding so they can win the race against time. We have a 7000 Miles for 2 Boys Fundraiser going on for them. We are now running our Surprise Giveaway for them. They also have been offered a matching grant of US$400. They have 2 weeks (by 16th May) to get their FSP to US$13,207.45 at which point Anonymous Angels will put another US$400 into their account. Double your giving, contribute to their adoption grant here.  Masterpiece Quilts are still giving 20% of their sales to Jon&Angela when you purchase from them and state at check-out that it is for the Jon&Angela adopting Jack&Jensen. Please go here to see what wonderful quilts they make! You can follow the family’s journey here. UPDATE: 6th May: The 7000 Miles giveaway has ended. BUT they still have the matching grant to meet. Please help by going here and contributing. Your contribution now would essentially be doubled! 12 May: The matching grant was matched! Thank you! They are still in need of about US$18,000. Please continue to help them. Their dossier has been accepted by the boys’ country and travel information should be coming this week. Remember they have expedited paperwork because of Jack’s health and Jensen’s age. 14 May: Joni is running a WildTree Online Party for Jack&Jensen and she is donating 100% of her commission to them. WildTree has great natural products as well as gluten-free ones. So do some shopping, get great food and help bring these boys home. Darla is running a Tupperware Party for Jack&Jensen! Please visit here and purchase these wonderful products and help bring the boys home. 24 May: They have LOA! Now they are waiting for exact travel dates. Which means they could be travelling in 4 weeks and they are still about US$20,000 short! Please help. There is a wonderful iPad Mini Giveaway running for them here. Please give and take part! Please check out this wonderful video of Jensen, hard at work on his motor skills!

The Garrick Family have finally heard from Lana’s country that things are moving ahead. They could be issued with Travel Approval real soon. They still need to raise funds for travel expenses. You can help by purchasing t-shirts here and by buying from She Does Justice. You can also contribute directly to their adoption grant here. Follow their journey here. UPDATE: 12 May: they are still waiting for travel dates and it looks like they will have to make 2 trips! Which means more expenses. So please help them meet their funding needs. 21 May: They have a Brittany’s Hope Matching Grant for US$1500, which means they need your help to raise US$1500 in order to be awarded the other US$1500. Please go here to donate to help them meet this matching grant.

The Evans Family is waiting for their Letter of Approval. They have been busy fundraising and estimate that they need about US$11,000 to cover the orphanage fees for both Hylah (Molly) and Meilin (Eliana). They are still selling beautiful Wooden Name Puzzles, Apparent Bracelets (from Haiti) and cute bottle-cap necklaces. Have a look and make a purchase to help them reach their fundraising goal. You can contribute to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 12 May: there is a really cute video of Meilin on their blog. Check it out. They have managed to raise some more money from 2 garage sales but still have a way to go. Please do continue to pray for them and help them.

The Fristoe Family is at the last step of their homestudy and will be gathering their dossier together after that. They were blessed with a matching from Anonymous Angels which they have met. Praise the Lord! They are still in need of a fair amount of funds. Their next payment would be for USCIS fees which are US$1610. They have a coup aide fundraiser where you can receive a US$50 Restaurant.com voucher for a US$20 donation. See here for details. You can contribute directly to their adoption grant here. Follow their journey here. UPDATE: 15 May: Little Feng is going to have surgery in her country tomorrow, 16 May. The Fristoes are asking for prayers – pray for the doctors, nurses and nanny that will be with her.  Pray she comes off the ventilator easily and quickly.  Pray her pain is controlled and for a successful surgery. 16 May: Little Feng did well in the surgery but is not doing well post-op. The doctors are not giving much hope. Please pray – here is what the family requests we pray for – Pray she is pain free and is peaceful. I know God is holding her in His hand a will do what is best for her. 17 May: We just heard Little Feng has earned her wings and is with our Lord in Heaven.

The Murdoch Family is waiting for Letter of Approval and is about halfway to reaching their fundraising goal. And to help them get there, they have an Usborne Fundraiser going on till May 13th. Usborne Books are absolutely fabulous books for your kids. Have a browse on this link and make a purchase. You can contribute to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 12 May: You have just one more day to get some amazing books from their Usborne Fundraiser. They also have explained a little bit more about Corina’s special need on their blog. 14 May: They have set up a Crazy for Corina FB page where they have lovely items, handmade for sale. All proceeds go to their adoption grant. Go here and request to join group. They will accept the request. Then you can help by shopping 🙂 21 May: There seems to be an unknown reason why they have not yet received their LOA (it is overdue already) and authorities have not responded to the email enquiries sent by their agency. Please pray that the LOA comes quickly so they can move on in the process and bring Corina home. 5 June: They have NEW FUNDRAISERS! A Pampered Chef one and a Build A Menu one. Please see here for all details.

The Pellegrino Family have their dossier in country! Which means it is now a matter of waiting. They also have a name for Baby Pell; he will be Gabriel YanJia Pellegrino. They still need almost US$16,000 to be fully funded. You can help by buying Olive Tree Promise products, they get 50%. Shop at Ordinary Hero and they get 40% when you click on Pellegrino, Kim as the affiliate. Purchase adoption tees from Adoption Bug and they get 25-40%. Get coffee from Just Love Coffee Roasters, they get a percentage. Buy gift cards, magazines & cookie dough from here and they get up to 40%. They are also affiliates of Amazon and CafePress so shop through their blog! They will also host a Golf Fundraiser in July! Sign up if you are local to them. They have also listed other ways you can help them on their blog. You can contribute directly to their adoption grant here. Follow their journey here. UPDATE: 12 May: Matching Grant from Brittany’s Hope Seedling Grant. You can literally double your giving towards their adoption grant by using their Brittany’s Hope link. They have a US$1000 matching grant, which means they have to raise US$1000 to get another US$1000. Please help them meet this matching grant.26 May: Pray with the Pellegrino family as they feel drawn to more orphans and older orphans. 30 May: They have LOA!! So travel is only a few months away. Their Brittany’s Hope Matching Grant has been met. Thank you so much for helping them meet this. NOW… they have been given another matching grant of US$5000! They need their FSP to read US$5655 by July 4th. At that point, another US$5000 would be given to them. Please help. 5 June: They have a beautiful Afghan to raffle. See here for details. Please also remember their matching grant.

The Dismuke Family have a finalised homestudy and now they wait for USCIS approval. They have raised a little less than half of what they need. Another US$23200 and they would be fully funded. They have a Shop With A Cause tab on their blog; they have affiliate programs with The Sili Company, Mama’s Bug A Boo, Adoption Bug, Just Love Coffee Roasters, Amazon Link. There are so many ways to help them, i’m sure there is one for you. Their Lifesongs Matching Grant has been extended. They need to be filled ASAP so they can pay upcoming fees. Just a few weeks left on this. See here for details on how to give towards that. You can also contribute to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here. UPDATE: 12 May: They are still trying hard to meet their Lifesongs Matching Grant. Please help them! 5 June: They have their I797 which means their dossier can now be certified and posted to country in 3 weeks! Praise the Lord for progress. Please do remember their Lifesongs Matching Grant!

The Lewis Family have USCIS approval! Now they need to put their dossier together and get those funds in. They have 2 fundraisers currently going on; they are selling beautiful glass bracelets (you can have a lovely bracelet of your choice for a donation of US$5) and they have an Usborne Fundraiser (browse the catalogue here and make a purchase). You can contribute directly to their adoption grant here. Follow their journey here. UPDATE: 26 May: They currently have a birthday fundraiser going one. They are calling for 100 persons to give US$55 each as a birthday present to little Riya, who will be turning 6 in 2 weeks! The goal is for their FSP to hit US$6000, which would take care of their travel expenses. Go here to give Riya a birthday present! Please also pray that they would be awarded a grant which would then take care of in-country fees. 29 May: They have been granted a Lifesongs matching grant for US$2500, which means when they have raised US$2500, Lifesongs will contribute that matching amount, which would put them at fully funded! PLEASE HELP them meet this matching grant. They are giving some incentives for donors. Details here. 30 May: Their Usborne Fundraiser has ended. Thank you.

The Gariepy Family have submitted their dossier and expect to travel at the end of this summer. Andrea needs US$15,000 to bring home a precious little boy whom she has decided to name, Samuel Yigael which means “God has heard” and “God will redeem”. You can contribute to their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here.

NEW – The Vogelzang Family is adopting little Tulip. They have Travel Approval. Gotcha Day is May 27th and then it is paperwork in country and they are due to arrive home with Tulip on June 6th. They are asking for prayers for journey’s mercies and for their little girl’s heart to be prepared for this huge change in her life. So please pray for them. You can also follow their journey here.

NEW – The Wetherington Family is adopting sweet Elliette whom i have prayed for over the last couple of months. She was due to age out next year BUT now she has a wonderful family working hard to bring her home. They have Pre-Approval and are working to complete their homestudy. Please pray for a smooth process. They have also just returned 7 months ago from adopting 2 little ones so in terms of funding they will be needing help. Please give generously towards their adoption grant here. You can follow their journey here.

NEW – The Phelps Family is bringing home cute little Naya. Their Dossier is in country and they are waiting on Letter of Approval. They have a couple of fundraisers going on – purchase at Wild Olive Tee and enter their family code “PHELPS1207” at checkout and they get a percentage of the sale, if you buy therapy items through the Therapy Fun link on their blog, they get 4% of the sale. You can also support their adoption by contribution directly to their grant here. Follow their journey here.

NEW – The Gilbert Phillips Family is adopting little sunshine Gianna (whom they will name Winnie). They are now in the process of compiling their dossier and hope to have that done in a week or so. They are asking for prayers for Gianna (Winnie) to be prepared for this amazing life change and also for the foster family who currently cares for her, as the family would likely grieve the loss of Winnie. You can contribute to their adoption grant here. You can also follow their story here.

These 11 13 15 families need your help, your prayers; your sharing of their stories and needs through social media would help them greatly, your contributions (every amount counts) are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your kind attention, your efforts to help/pray/share and your generous contributions. syc

7000 Miles for 2 Boys – Names for Draw #3 …

i was going to work on a post to announce Draw #3 today because i always announce the draw on Facebook first then on my blog. BUT i woke up this morning to almost all the 25 spots taken and then within 30 minutes, ALL the spots were taken. So Draw#3 only lasted 2 days! Thank you to all our very generous contributors and supporters. 😀

So here’s the how we did the draw:

7000miles_draw3Names_20130427Here’s the list of recipients of the giveaway items (14 items in Draw#3 because it was the final draw):

  • Christina Scott
  • Joyce Hill
  • Carol Wise
  • Lee Ann Hudson
  • Darla Messenger
  • Quinton Miller
  • Carol Miller
  • April Ryder
  • Mary Beth Thompson
  • Brian Miller

A few of the above people have won more than one item.

From the very start of the giveaway on April 16th, till today, Jack and Jensen’s adoption grant grew by US$1502.71. Praise the Lord! But only US$395 of those funds were registered as part of this fundraiser.

Once again, thank you one and all for all your support and love shown to Jack and Jensen.

BUT WAIT!

We are not quite done yet! They still need about another US$19000 to be fully funded.

i know i said that the above was the last draw but we have a SURPRISE Giveaway!

i’ll reveal all tomorrow, Sunday, April 28th, EST 5pm (Swiss Time 11pm) – SO Stay Tuned!

syc