Rekindled Hope…

As summer has finally come to a close, we’ve been busy with a trip to Grandma  Brandt’s house and fun adventures, like taking Colin to his first rodeo.   (A rare photo of Heather–albeit hidden under a floppy hat).

 

We expect an update on our adoption Monday(tomorrow).  Please pray that God will continue to lead us to the baby girl whom He has intended for our family….that He will make the path clear and provide what we lack to bring our daughter home. It would be wonderful to have our baby girl home before Christmas but we know that in adoption there really is no way to predict anything. 

‎This week I read the quote, “Expect hope to be rekindled.Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.The dry seasons in life do not last.”-Sarah Ban Breathnach

Hmmmm….Living in expectance can be challenging sometimes…the world makes it so easy to be pessimistic or “realistic.”  When someone is “too” hopeful by the world’s standards, they are often mocked.  But as a Believer in Christ, I am supposed to be living by different standards.  I choose this week to believe that our “dry season” will not last forever…That God will lead us out of the dry season and will answer our prayers for our daughter in “wondrous ways.”    While we still don’t know if our daughter has even been born yet, we pray for her well-being and that of her birth mother. 

Fundraising/Grants Update:

We have received $100 from donations family and friends have given through Lifesong.  There is still time to give a tax-deductible donation of any amount through Lifesong.  Just click on the tab above or to the right on this blog.  We are still being considered for a grant and hope to hear something in October.  Please pray that we will receive this grant to help with the remaining projected expenses for our adoption.  We still lack  $3,445-$27,880 (projected)  but we are trusting God will provide for us and that it will be to His glory!

Thanks for your prayers & encouragement,

Heather & Alan

Updates…

 (Photo of Colin & Alan from our summer visit to TN.  Colin had been playing with the water hose.)

Last week, we were submitted to another situation (possible match with a pregnant birth mother ) but we were not chosen.  This little one yet to be born was not our daughter. 

We don’t tell Colin this sort of thing.  We honestly don’t mention his baby sister a lot but as we try to prepare her room or put aside things we might need for her we do naturally find ourselves talking some about her.  Yesterday on the way to church, Colin asked if we could go to Target.  We asked why, expecting him to mention the toys which he loves to play with at Target.  Instead, he said he wanted to go to Target to get clothes for his baby sister.  We tried to explain that we don’t know what size she will be for sure and that we need to wait before we get any more clothes.  He tried to ask us when she is coming home and we had to tell him that God knows but we can’t be sure of when it will be.  He said something indicating that she would be coming soon.  No, our little boy is not a prophet but he does have the faith of a child.  He implicitly trusts that she IS coming and, with his very rudimentary understanding of the passage of time, he believes it will soon.

Because we have only estimations of what the costs may be for our travel and placing fees and legal fees, we are still saving and raising money.  We lack about $3,445-$27,880  based on the estimations of our adoption consultant.  Lifesong is graciously accepting tax-deductible gifts on our behalf.  You can click on the link at the right(the paypal box) or the one at the top of the page for info. on how to give (It’s labeled “Make Tax-Deductible Gifts.”)  Make sure you follow the instructions on how to label the gift so we will receive it. 

We are so thankful for the prayers, encouragement and gifts of our friends and family!  You have lifted our spirits and helped us to keep on keeping on as we wait on God to reveal the little one He has planned for our family.  Please keep praying for our future daughter’s well being and for her birth family. 

God bless,

Heather & Alan

Pendant Sale Extended to TODAY, WEDNESDAY, 9/8 to Benefit Brandt Adoption

Sarah has extended our fundraiser to today!  You can still order pendants today & we will receive $5 for our adoption funds for each handmade pendant you purchase from Sarah’s Treasure Box (etsy store online). (Custom orders do not count towards our fundraiser other than the custom order listing Sarah has  for $19.99.  You can email Sarah through etsy if you have questions). Remember to leave a comment saying you are shopping for our fundraiser.  Please share this sale with others 🙂 if you forgot to put the comment that it was for our fundraiser, please just email Sarah through the etsy shop & I think she’ll honor it.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahstreasurebox

Thanks for sharing news of this EXTRA DAY for our fundraiser!

Heather

Pendant Sale UNTIL Midnight, Tuesday, 9/7 to Benefit Brandt Adoption

TODAY Tuesday (Sept. 7th), we will receive $5 for our adoption funds for each handmade pendant you purchase from Sarah’s Treasure Box (etsy store online). (Custom orders do not count towards our fundraiser other than the custom order listing Sarah has  for $19.99.  You can email Sarah through etsy if you have questions). Remember to leave a comment saying you are shopping for our fundraiser.  Great gifts for teachers, friends, and loved ones! Many designs to choose from (7 pages worth!)! Please share this sale with others 🙂

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahstreasurebox

Thanks for sharing news of this ONE DAY ONLY fundraiser!

Heather

Pendant Sale TOMORROW, Tuesday, 9/7 to Benefit Brandt Adoption

Tomorrow Tuesday (Sept. 7th), we will receive $5 for our adoption funds for each handmade pendant you purchase from Sarah’s Treasure Box (etsy store online). (Custom orders do not count towards our fundraiser other than the custom order listing Sarah has  for $19.99.  You can email Sarah through etsy if you have questions). Remember to leave a comment saying you are shopping for our fundraiser.  Great gifts for teachers, friends, and loved ones! Many designs to choose from (7 pages worth!)! Please share this sale with others 🙂

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahstreasurebox

Thanks for sharing news of this ONE DAY ONLY fundraiser!

Heather

A Prayer for His His Baby Sister…

At bed time tonight, I teared up at one of Colin’s prayer requests.  He asked to pray for his baby sister.  When he prayed, he said, “Thank you for my baby sister, Jesus.”  This was all from him, no prompting from us.  It reminded me that I need to pray believing that God has already brought this little one to us, a believing prayer that shows confidence that this little girl actually exists.  It’s not important whether she has been born yet or not.  What is important is that I continue to believe like my son that God will lead us to her and that He will provide a way for her to come home.  In my son’s eyes, she is already a part of our family, and I believe that is how God sees her already, too.  God has planned for her to be a part of our family and we look forward to meeting her…hopefully some day soon.

Thanks for stopping by,

Heather

Pendant Sale Tuesday to Benefit Brandt Adoption

This coming Tuesday (Sept. 7th), we will receive $5 for our adoption funds for each handmade pendant you purchase from Sarah’s Treasure Box (etsy store online). ONE DAY ONLY! Remember to leave a comment saying you are shopping for our fundraiser. Great gifts for teachers, friends, and loved ones! Many designs to choose from! Please share this sale with others 🙂

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahstreasurebox?page=7#

Photo: One of the many pendants featured @Sarah’s Treasure Box! 

Pendant just for women who are in the process of adopting just like me–paper pregnant 🙂

PLEASE share news of our fundraiser with Sarah’s Treasure Box with all your friends and family!

Thanks!

Heather & Alan

Adoption Update….

thanks for all the prayers…We were being presented as prospective parents yesterday but we found out this afternoon that we were not chosen. God will lead us to our baby girl when the time is right. We thank Him for leading us so far!  Please continue to pray for us as we wait on His will.  We will probably not be bringing home our daughter until November, December or next year due to Alan’s work commitments and our required post-placement for Russia in October.  Pray that God will give us (especially Heather) peace in October as we have to take a little break from the process.  We could still be matched in September or October but it would have to be with situations where the baby is due in November or December or later…

Heather & Alan

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for us today!  We could be on the brink of big news….or not!  In the adoption world, things can change at a moment’s notice.  Pray that God will make clear His will and that we will trust in His will and His provision for us.  We still are accepting gifts through tax-deductible button (via Lifesong).  100% of your gifts (designated for us through Lifesong) will go towards our placing agency fees if we are matched with our daughter this month or whenever God wills it to happen.

Heather & Alan