Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Hang through this friends....it's going somewhere.  Last night Bella Kate (who is 3) and I were playing on the deck waiting for Dan to get home.  She got in her Little Tikes Coupe and said, "I'm going to school Mom, see ya later!"  I laughed as she "locked" her door and put on her imaginary seat belt.  "Tell me to be careful!" She cried like I was totally neglecting my motherly duties.  I told her to be careful and have fun.  Off she went to the other end of the deck.  She got out and "played at school" for a few minutes then hopped back in and Flinstoned it back to me.  "I'm home!" (I hope she is always this enthusiastic to get home) "How was school?" I asked her.  "Oh, it was fine." with this very grown up voice. Suddenly, flashing before my eyes was a 16 year old girl pulling into the drive way, telling me school was fine that day.  Ugh.  While I have hopes and dreams for my kids to grow up to be independent, go to college, get married, and have a family of their own, the reality of how quickly that will actually happen sometimes becomes very clear.  She will not be under our authority for that long.  I need to be busy and purposeful with the time I have to guide her and teach her.
It seems that not that long ago every event that I longed for took fooorrreeevvverrrrr to get here.  I didn't get it when grown ups said, "When you're older, time flies."  And while I believe the Bible is true and accurate I didn't get it in James when it says "...you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.."  Really? 70 years seems like a really really long time when I just can't wait for (insert Christmas, graduation, wedding, baby, etc).  But in the grand scheme of thousands of years of history on Earth and then go ahead and throw in eternity, 70 years is truly a mist.  While I do need to stay on it for the 20ish years I have to train up my kiddos, what about staying purposeful for my God?
I told you you're going to have to stick with me.  This is supposed to be about adoption, right?  Adopting internationally has brought on a lot more criticism, from strangers and family, both directly and indirectly, than I expected it to.  Recently said of me, "She doesn't know what she's getting herself into." and how "You're not doing your girls any favors." At first, comments like this would make my skin want to melt off from the blood boiling underneath.  But now I'm just letting them know they need to take it up with God, because their problem is really with His command and His word, not with me.  The one that makes me laugh the most is, "You really want more kids after this?  I mean in this economy that's (insert ridiculous, crazy, brave(but not in a good way))."  They usually follow up with, "yeah, we might do that someday."  Now before I go on, there is a time to do things, and I'm not discounting that, 2 years ago would not have been the time for us to adopt.  BUT why are we waiting?  We are adopting for a lot of reasons, but at the core of it is Jesus changed our lives by adopting us and God's word says to care for orphans.  We have 70 years (give or take on average) to do what God has commanded us to do.   I don't just mean adoption.  I don't think adopting is a command, but caring for orphans is.  There are lots of ways to do that.  But either we believe what the Bible says or we don't.  We make the dangerous assumption (especially in the part of the country that I live in) that just because you recognize that Jesus is the Son of God you assume that you have a relationship with Him and are forgiven.  Even demons in the New Testament would call Jesus out on who He is, and they were afraid because the knew the authority He had.  They recognized who He is, but they certainly will not spend eternity with Him in heaven.  So we believe in God? James says even demons believe in God and shudder.  It takes us recognizing that we are separated from God, we have messed up, and need to not only recognize who Jesus is and what He did for us on the cross but recognize we need forgiveness and get that by grace through faith.  Then if that's true for us we need to get busy.  There will never be a perfect time to share the gospel, adopt an orphan, go on a mission trip, live overseas.  Satan will always provide you an excuse.  But if we believe what the Bible says, our life has changed because of Jesus Christ.  If our life has really changed, don't we want others lives to change too?  There are places so desperate for the gospel.  They can't wait until we are retired and our kids are in college to hear.  A couple generations will be gone by then.
When I was in Ghana working at a hospital I was overwhelmed by physical death.  Babies, kids, young adults, every day dying.  It took me months of being home to shake some of the the things I had seen.  But I'm surrounded by spiritual death constantly and I don't blink an eye.  So while my time is flying, what am I going to do with it?  Because soon I'll vanish.
Thanks for hanging through this my bloggy friends.  This isn't for you, it's for me.  Now I need to get off here and get busy!

Ladies & Gentleman, We Have A COURT DATE!!!

Can you feel the enthusiasm of my title?!??!  Three weeks ago I saw his precious face for the first time and in 5 weeks and 5 days I get to hold him in my arms. My heart is overflowing with joy! You all who read my last post know I was praying to see my son this year and I asked you to pray for the same.  I'm so thankful that God has answered this prayer.  
Our court date is December 22nd!!! WAAHOOO!!
While this is what I was praying for, it wasn't super realistic of me.  To be assigned a court date as fast as we did and have one assigned just over a month from now is a blessing from the Lord, I will give Him the glory for the most wonderful Christmas present a mom could ask for!


So today I've been a busy bee.  We are working on our travel itinerary with an agency, I made our appointments at the travel clinic for vaccines, looked into travel insurance, made a list of documents we needed, and reviewed our travel pack from West Sands. I also realized this afternoon that since we will be getting home on Christmas Eve, I not only have 5 weeks to get everything in order for us to leave the country for the week, I only have 5 weeks to get everything ready for Christmas! Although, there is potential the Jenkins may be celebrating Christmas on December 26th so mom and dad will actually be awake and able to remember it! So if I lose my train of thought while talking to you it's because I'm mentally crossing off and adding to my to-do list (or just day dreaming about holding my little man :) 


What happens now...(I'll be so happy when the only thing left to happen is be a forever family!)


December 12th: Preliminary hearing in Ethiopia.  They review our paper work and little man's paper work.  We get travel clearance or request correction to documents. (We are praying for clearance!!)


December 18th: Fly to D.C.
December 19th: Fly to Ethiopia
December 20th: Hold on to and cuddle our little guy!!! Happy Day!
December 22nd: Court!!
December 23rd: Leave Ethiopia
December 24th: Home to our girls 


Noah has still has not been moved to the transition home.  So at some point between now and December 20th he will be moved.  Please pray for him to get there soon and safely.  I'll be one relieved mama when he gets there.


Please pray that our MOWA (they write a supportive letter to the judge that we are clear to adopt Noah, without that letter our case cannot be final) letter is there and that when we leave Ethiopia Noah is our son.  The longer the letter takes, the longer it will be until he is home.  


Obviously flying in December has weather risks.  We are asking the Lord to hold off a white Christmas until Christmas day :) 


So thankful and excited to bring Noah home!  So thankful for our friends and family who have been so encouraging and supportive!  We love you all and can't express our gratitude.  Please keep praying for our little guy.  That he stays safe and healthy. That someone is loving on him today, that he is well fed, and clean.  We can't wait for you to meet him!


My turn of "what I'm thankful for" at Thanksgiving might take a while :) 

We Have a Son!!

We are sooo thrilled to have received the referral for our son!! We set out on this journey expecting to go from a family of 4 to a family of 6 overnight.  While we still plan on “making it 2 less orphans & 2 more Jenkins” it looks like we are going to do it one at a time.  Changes at the US embassy in Ethiopia along with other factors contributed to this change of plans but I’ll get on to the reason you all are reading…our son!

Thursday Dan was at work and I was teaching a nursing clinical at a downtown hospital.  I walked to the local farmers market in the cold to get a yummy lunch and was trying to find a quiet place to eat when I checked my phone only to find a missed call from our agency.  Last Wednesday marked our dossier being in country 6 months, the day had passed with a little disappointment that we still had no referral.  So of course I called our coordinator back immediately.  We discussed a few things and she said, “Well I have a little boy who needs a home.”  “Well, we want to give him one!"  I told Lesley I’d go plug my computer in and call her right back.  I found a tiny room in the back of the medical library and plugged my computer in (it took forever to come on and load my email!!).  I called Dan and caught him up to speed and we conference called Lesley (Yay for iphones).  By this time Dan’s email was already up and I could hear his enthusiasm as he went on about how cute our little boy is.  My email FINALLY loaded and I got my first look at our little guy.  He’s currently about 4 months old and in an orphanage about 8 hours from the capital.  We went over some things about his short little life and excitedly accepted the referral. 

This day has long been anticipated and I had imagined how I would feel in those moments. The happiness, anticipation, and gratefulness to our God, an amazing provider, was overwhelming.  He is so precious.  He has curly hair, chubby cheeks, and lips that kind of look like our oldest daughter’s.  We can’t publicly post pictures of him until he’s legally ours, but if I see you I’ll have his picture out before you can ask!  We have also decided what his name will be.  Officially, his first name will be Noah, which means rest/comfort.  We are praying those things for him while he is still so far from home.

When we got home Thursday we showed the girls his picture.  Bella Kate said “He’s so cute! Where’s his mommy and daddy?”  I explained to her that I am his mommy and Dan is his daddy.  She looked at me like I was crazy! But now when she walks past his picture on the fridge she is very excited to announce, “That’s my brother, baby Noah!” Claire also learned how to say “brother” and I love that she is now a big sister!  We were not anticipating an infant.  We were really expecting a toddler.  But I know C is going to make a great big sister!

So what now?  We got our contract notarized Friday and mailed to our agency.  We contacted Show Hope and Lifesong, who have graciously partnered with us financially, to let them know to send funds to our agency.  Now we wait.  Again.  We should be “filed” this week, meaning our paperwork gets together with little guy’s paperwork and we wait for a court date.  Two to four weeks after we are filed we should be assigned a court date.  Then we will travel to Ethiopia and meet Noah!!! We will go to court and he will be legally our son.  (Insert WOOOHOOO here).  Then we wait.  Yep.  Wait.  Again.  Then he will get a new birth certificate with our name on it, a passport, exit/entry visas, and we will wait to be cleared by the US embassy in Ethiopia.  Once that takes place (8-10) weeks after court) we will go and bring him home to his forever family. 

I thought I would let you know what we are praying for our sweet Noah so you can join us in praying for him too!

First, he has to make the 8 hour journey to the transition house where he will stay until we bring him home.  This 8 hour journey is not like a ride on the interstate.  The roads are poor (as in dirt).  There are no car seats or airbags.  So please pray that he gets moved soon and gets there safely. 

Second, we are praying for a speedy court date! We want our little guy home ASAP.  Specifically, we are praying to pass court this year.  So not only would that mean going to court but that MOWA would have our approval letter in our file on our court date.  Without that letter, our case is not final. 

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.  We can’t wait for you to meet our son!

Words that put me on the Defense.

We had a yard sale a couple weeks ago to raise money for the adoption.  A big shout out to those who donated stuff for us to sell!  You made the fundraiser a success!!  So just like last time we advertised that we were hosting this as a fundraiser for our adoption.  One because we like to talk about adoption and once you meet someone who have adopted it doesn't seem like an impossible thing to do.  Second people tend to be more generous if they know it's to raise money, so they might actually pay the 50 cents marked on an item instead of asking if I'll take a quarter for it.  


I had some encouraging conversations and we were making sales when a couple of ladies came over to purchase their items.  The first question is "Well why aren't you adopting from America??" in a very condescending tone.  I smiled and politely explained to her exactly why (you can see my post Why Ethiopia? for the full explanation).  There is potential that I had a little tone of my own when telling her what happens to most orphans when they "age out" of the orphanage in most countries.  I don't think she caught it though because her next question was, "Won't they be black?" This one actually took me off guard, looking back I wish I had been more witty but it surprised me so much that all I could say was "Yes mam they will be."  "You all must really love kids!" she said a little disgusted sounding.  By this point my heart was much more sad than I could muster up anger.  I told her we do in fact love children and that we think all children are a blessing from the Lord.  "God loves children" I told her and we want to be after God's own heart.  It's words like that that make me stand up tall like the mama bear protecting her young....I think I might have actually been standing on my tip toes and stretching out my neck as I answered her.  I'm on the defense.  It's funny because they aren't even home yet!  


The next night I had the sweet privilege of going on a date with my husband to celebrate his birthday.  We always joke when we're out what we'll look like at a restaurant as a family of 6, the looks we'll get, and maybe the comments.  I tend to think, surely people won't say ugly things in front of my kids.  But people continue to surprise me.  So I wonder how many times I'll have to take my kids out in public for me to get down off my tip toes.  Because even without knowing what their faces look like I am defending them.  I will fiercely do so to anyone who questions their worth.  It's a precious thing to pray for them, to ask the God who knit together my girls in my womb to protect my children that He knit together so far away.  Even though the womb that gave birth to them won't be called "mom" she is a precious lady who loved her kids enough to give them life.  I'm so thankful for her and to our incredible God who has allowed me to be called "mommy".  

We are a Show Hope Family!

God's faithfulness continues to amaze us!  We received a letter this week notifying us that Show Hope has awarded us with a $4,000 grant!  We are so humbled and grateful.  We are very close to having all the funds to pay for not only our referral fee but for our travel expenses as well.  Saying "Thank you" seems so small and insignificant but we are so thankful to Show Hope, Lifesong, and our friends and family who have given to help bring our kids home!  It literally could not have happened otherwise.  We cannot wait to introduce you to our kids!

My heart aches for my kids that I don't know yet.  I pray that they know they are loved already and will soon be home with their forever family.  Claire fell down today and immediately cried "Mommy!" and I was there to pick her up and comfort her.  At times like that I can't help but wonder who is comforting my kids in Ethiopia, who do they cry for?  Or do they not cry at all because no one is there?  Please pray with me that they will get home soon.  And pray for the families that are considering adoption...that they would step out in faith and be so blessed with a child. 

Thank you Show Hope and Show Hope Sponsors!!  You've helped change our lives and the lives of 2 soon to be ex-orphans!  An anonymous donor is currently pledging $1 for every new "like" on Show Hope's Facebook page up to $25,000.  So to help other families like us get on your FB and like Show Hope!!

A Friend and a Fundraiser :)

My dear friend (and cousin!) is helping to support our adoption by doing her own fundraiser through Mary Kay.  We are so very appreciative! In efforts to help her help our kids I'm posting the info below.  So if you use Mary Kay or know someone who does please pass it along! 

Jacqulyn Myers Would Like to Invite You to Be a Part of The Dan & Ashley Jenkins Adoption Fundraiser!  They will earn 25% of sales through July 24, 2011.  Visit this website:
www.marykay.com/michelemcgaha and shop on your seat and not your feet!  Please be sure to write "Jenkins Adoption" in the comment section so they will get credit for the order.  Products will be delivered by Jacqulyn Myers or shipped to you if you don't live near by.

The product is 100% satisfaction guaranteed!  Michele McGaha will cover any shipping charges!

For questions or to schedule your own fundraiser, contact Michele McGaha (502)295-6359
michelemcgaha@marykay.com or visit her site above.

Thanks Jacqulyn and Michele!!!

Almost in the "window"

Next week will mark our dossier being in country for 3 months!!! Yes, 3 months.  While I had hoped, against odds, that we would have had our referral by now, it wasn't super realistic of me.  But that's why we call it hope :) From the beginning we were told a 3-6 month wait for a referral is realistic but sometimes they come sooner.  The Jenkins don't fall into the "sometimes" category in this case.  Although, I would be elated to retract that statement if we get a referral before next Thursday! So with quite a bit of excitement we enter "the window" of 3-6 months.  We have been fairly warned that because we want 2 kids our wait will be closer to 5-6 months.  Doesn't make much sense to you?  Me either...at first.  We thought (with some guidance from those in the know) our case would go faster because we want 2 kids.  So if a sibling group came through we would be bumped up on the list.  While normally that's the case...there has been a sudden wave of families who want 2 kids also.  And 12 of them are ahead of us on the list!  While that makes me happy that families are stepping up and taking in 2 kids that don't have a home...I'm honestly bummed that we have to wait longer.  I trust that God knows my kids and provided just a time as this for us to grow our family. 

So to sum up, we're still waiting and we still need your prayers.  That God would prepare us for travel away from the girls, for bringing 2 more kids home, for the girls to adjust, and to be prepared for whatever comes with bringing kids into the Jenkins family that have likely suffered loss and are grieving and lots of other transitional things that comes with international adoption.  We are so excited and cannot wait to get them home.  We are hoping that God would allow them to get home before Christmas, but if not we will have Christmas when they get here!

So thankful for our friends and family who keep encouraging us on this long journey!

I600A APPROVAL!!!

Dan came in from cutting grass with the mail in his hands and said, "Be excited!".  I looked at him and the mail and back at him.  "How excited?" I had to clarify that we were on the same subject...sometimes we aren't :).  He just grinned and shook his head yes. And in the mail was a large envelope with the return address "Department of Homeland Security" that we have been waiting 6 long weeks for.  In the envelope was a surprisingly boring looking piece of paper that stated "NOTICE OF FAVORABLE DETERMINATION..." Some of the most precious words I have ever read!
So this means that we can receive our referral ANY DAY!  It could still be several weeks before we do but it is a wonderful feeling and an answered prayer to finally be so close to seeing the faces of our children.

An Officer and some CPK...not a bad week

So after almost 5 weeks, my impatience got the best of me and I called the good old USCIS (United States Citizenship & Immigration Services) to check on the status of our I600A.  And we were told that on the 13th we had been assigned an officer to review our application.  I was informed that it typically takes 1-2 weeks to receive our approval after being assigned an officer.  While I was hoping for something sooner, I'm excited to know something and that our case is being processed.  And we are still beating the average on the USCIS site, that says it is typically taking 75 days to approve them so basically don't bother us until it's been 75 days.  So I won't bother them, I'll just pray that the officer we are assigned is efficient and having a good week so we can get our approval this week instead of mid-June (which is 75 days from when they received our application).  The approval is at the discretion of each individual officer and my agency told me today that some officers have been known to deny applicants when the applicant calls too often to check their status.  While this is unfair, I'm sure it is frustrating to not be able to do your job because anxious parents like me keep interrupting your work.  Once we get the approval we can get our referral ANY DAY!!! This week our dossier will have been in Ethiopia a month and we are so excited to see the faces of our children!
In other news, California Pizza Kitchen is hosting a fundraiser for us tomorrow and is donating 20% of sales to those who bring in a flyer for our adoption.  While any fundraiser is super exciting, I love CPK and haven't eaten there in probably 2 years, so I am especially looking forward to eating dinner with family and friends around some incredible food! If anyone wants to join us let me know and I can email you a flyer!

Waiting is Hard Work!

It's been 3 weeks and 2 days since we went down to the Federal Building and were fingerprinted.  No sign from USCIS with our official approval.  This isn't unusual...I'm just impatient.  Each day when the mail comes I'm like a kid at Christmas.  I run out and filter through the bills and junk in hopes to see an envelope with return address "Department of Homeland Security".  So far nothing.  Our dossier has been in Ethiopia 2 weeks tomorrow.  And even though it is making it's way to to the top of the list, I have no idea of it's progress each day. I've never had to wait like this before.  Everything else in life had an appointed end.  High school and college graduation had a date circled on the calendar.  I counted down days to my wedding.  Even when I was prego with the girls and the exact date wasn't known, there was an end date.  If they weren't out by then, they would be evicted! There is no end date in sight with our adoption.  While that might be a little dramatic to say, it's just not known.  We could get our USCIS approval today and our referral tomorrow.  One family I've met since we started this process literally got their referral a few days after their dossier got to Ethiopia.  Or we could get our USCIS approval in a month and a referral in six months.  There are so many variables it's completely unpredictable from my viewpoint.  I'm sure the wonderful people at our agency are more aware and will have a heads up before me.  Thankfully, they don't share all of that inside info until it's certain we have a referral.  As if the suspense isn't enough, I would not want a lot of "possibles" and then disappointment. 
So we are waiting and praying (a LOT) and raising money to bring our kiddos home.  Until now, I have selfishly felt like I was somewhat in control of what happened in my life and that I had worked hard to get what we have.  This experience is knowing that WE literally can't do this on our own and are being completely humbled by asking our family and friends to partner with us.  And a whole new trust of giving our children, the adoption process, and the cost completely over to the Lord.  And no matter how much we think we are giving, we can't out give the one who gave His life for us.  He has given the ultimate sacrifice and I can't earn it or work for it.  It's a gift of grace. 
We are so grateful and humbled by our friends and family who are coming around us in prayer and support.  People who are sacrificially giving to help bring our kids home.  We'll never be able to express our thanks.  But know we love you and appreciate you!

Quiet Time Thoughts & The American Dream

      So this has been an interesting week.  Monday started off incredibly well with USCIS being so kind as to fingerprint us a month early!  Later that day I had an extremely flat tire (a big thanks to the three men who changed it in the rain and to my awesome husband who used his lunch to get a new tire for me).  The rest of the week has had ups and downs, not only with adoption stuff but with all things being considered as we look to what the next couple years hold for the Jenkins family.  I then ended the week with a fender bender that was completely my fault and thankfully did more damage to me than the other guy.  A lot is about to change and while I’m sooo thrilled, I’m overwhelmed at times.  So this afternoon I took advantage of the girls nap to sit and be still.  Be still and pray and read.  I thought about our journey so far and how far we have to go.  I also thought about all the encouragement I’ve received and the not so encouraging conversations.  And what it really comes down to is it’s not about me.  It’s not about me or my inconveniences or emotions.  It’s about Jesus and if I’m really trusting Him.  We started this journey because we love being parents and want more children.  We started because God loves orphans and clearly tells us to care for them.  And even more than that because as my sweet Bella Kate sings “I once was lost and now I’m found”.  One of the more memorable comments I’ve received about adopting is “So, if you go over there and they aren’t what you want or something is wrong with them, can you pick different ones?”  We are not picking out a puppy or buying a car.  We are having two children, whatever that means and comes with, they will be ours and we will take care of them just like we do our girls.  AND praise God that He does not have that attitude about His children.  Because I am not worthy and do not deserve to be adopted by Him.  What I deserve is Hell (the Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that the wages of sin is death).  But God took me, the one who messes up (a lot, just ask my husband) and by His grace saved me through the death and resurrection of Jesus (The Bible gives hope when it says “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved).  Thank you Lord, for not looking at me and saying she has too many things wrong with her and will be disobedient and has had too much of a past, leave her as an orphan.  Instead, He loved me and adopted me and changed my life forever. 

            Another favorite comment of mine is “wouldn’t you rather give your two kids more in life than giving four just a little?”  Okay folks, let’s get honest.  Apparently this person is, because even if I thought it I can’t imagine saying it aloud and I’m a little nauseous that that is the American mindset.  I have a love/hate relationship with the book Radical by David Platt.  I love it because it’s true and I agree with what he has to say.  I hate it because I’m living the American Dream.  He talks about taking the Jesus of the Bible and turning Him into a comfortable American middle class Jesus.  And that is what came to my mind when someone made that comment to me.  We’ve made Him a Jesus who says “Sure, leave those kids as orphans to starve or die of preventable disease so that you can take your kids to Disney every year until they graduate high school”.  It’s absurd.  The Jesus of the Bible says to care for orphans; there is no contingency in there about what that means for the sacrifices we have to make in order to do that.  I’m not denying that the budget is going to be a little tighter with two more kids and we’ll have to make some sacrifices.  But everyone in the Jenkins family will be clothed, well fed, warm, and live in our comfortable suburban home.  Yes they will have to share a room (which they’ll love) and will have a few less toys (they won’t notice!) but will have more than enough!   As a note, I’ve taken 2 huge totes of toys from our house and sold them.   The girls have not noticed and my living room is still cluttered with play things  They won’t go to Disney every year but will go on some fun family vacays to be certain.  What we “need” and “want” are two very different things.  Even in my soon to be large-family, we will have way more than our needs met.  And I’m completely okay with the girls having a few less things.  Even after adding two more kids, we will just live a more modest middle class American Dream.  My point is, we still aren’t being very radical.

            For dinner tonight the girls and I had mac & cheese and green beans.  It’s not a bad dinner.  A dinner on a budget.  Since Dan is at work it was also quick and easy.  But I was feeling kinda sorry for myself, because I like to eat. Then I got a text from a sweet friend who is also adopting from Ethiopia .  She says, “You know you’re in the process of international adoption when you are eating tuna, grapes, and kool-aid for dinner!” Hilarious I thought and I told her what we had.  And immediately I thought, that’s more than our sweet African kids had today. 

            So you might want to keep praying that we get our referral soon, so I’ll have something to blog about besides my quiet time thoughts J

Yard Sales, BBQ, & Fingerprints, OH MY!

Saturday we had a yard sale to raise some money for our adoption.  Anything that we didn't find completely precious and worth saving for the rest of our lives and we couldn't anticipate using in the next 12-18 months we are selling! We did well until about 10:30 when a crazy storm came through.  So we will be having another sale in the near future.  But a big shout out to those who donated things to sell, to our dear friends the Caples who allowed us to use their garage and yard, and to my mom who watched the girls for us!  Thanks for helping us get one step closer to bringing our kids home.

This Thursday, Marks Feed Store is holding a fundraiser for us.  They will donate 15% of sales of people who eat there and turn in a coupon.  We are excited about seeing our friends and family at dinner and raising money at the same time!  So we'd love to see anyone who lives in Louisville come out and eat with us!  Let me know if you need a coupon.

The most exciting news of the day is our notice from USCIS.  Yesterday I went to get the mail (yes yesterday was Sunday but I forgot to get it Saturday) and in the mail was our notice to go get fingerprinted for immigration!  We were elated!  But our appointments were scheduled for April 28 and May 5.  There is no way I could sit and wait a month.  So this morning Dan and I ventured down to the federal building.  We walked in and I said, "Hi, we have our appointments on different days and I was hoping we could get our fingerprints done early."  The guy smiled and said, "Sure!"  I thought wow that was too easy.  Another FBI personel came over and they stamped our paperwork then he stopped and said, "What's your date say?" Uh OH, my stomach dropped.  He kind of sternly asked, "Is there a reason you're here so early?"  "Yes sir, courts in Ethiopia close in August and Sept and if we get fingerprinted today we might take 3 months off our wait to bring our kids home." (Dan later told me how nervous I sounded...that's because I was.  This man had the power to turn me away and make me and my kids wait, or let us proceed.)  The original guy said, "When you said early, I thought you meant early for today."  But after this conversation they agreed to do it!  Praise the Lord!  I am so relieved and sooo thankful. 

We also got an email today that our dossier is at the Ethiopian Embassy in DC today getting authenticated.  This is starting to happen! 

So I will excitedly check the mail each day and wait for our official approval from USCIS which means we can then officially get a referral!

Lifesong Grant & USCIS being processed!!!!

Today and yesterday have been super exciting! Today almost $900 came out of our checking account and I've never been so excited!  Our check for immigration went through, which means it's being processed.  We can't get our referral until USCIS approval comes, so we are thrilled that it's moving along. 

Yesterday we received a call from Lifesong for Orphans informing us that we have been given a $2,500 matching grant from Highview Baptist Church!!!  I'm not a cryer, unless I'm pregnant (which I'm not), and I cried when I listened to the message.  This is such a blessing because it does several things.  First, it involves our church, family, and friends in caring for an orphan.  Not everyone is able to bring an orphan into their home, but this allows everyone to help participate.  Second, it provides extra motivation since it's a dollar for dollar match up to $2,500.  If we can get 100 people/families to donate $25, it would double to give us $5,000!!! That's sooo huge. 

In case you are wondering about costs and how it works, let me break it down for you.  We are estimating that the whole adoption, including travel is going to cost close to $35,000.  We don't have that laying around.  As of today we have spent $10,012.69 of money we had saved and got back from taxes.  This covered agency fees, home study, dossier, authentication costs, and more.  We have given all we have. When we receive our referral, which we are anticipating(and praying!) late May or June we will have ten days to accept and pay the referral fee of $13,000.  If we do not have the funds, we cannot accept our referral.  This is where my anxiety level increases.  But as I give it over to the Lord, He is so faithful in showing me He will provide.  Like yesterday, through Lifesong for Orphans.  We are so grateful and thankful for this blessing.  After the referral fee is paid I can breathe a sigh of relief.  The rest of the costs are mostly travel related (which can be put on a credit card).  There will some other fees like medial exams, visas, and possibly another immigration form if our kids aren't siblings.  But nothing as comparable to the large referral fee.  Lifesong also provides an avenue for tax-deductible donations.  So if anyone knows a billionaire who needs to get a tax break, feel free to pass along my information :). 

Obviously, not everyone is able to give.  Times are hard and the economy is poor.  So, it also provides an avenue for us to let our family and friends know what we are doing and ask for prayer.  We desperately need our family, friends, and church to partner with us in prayer.  If you would like to pray for specific things, this is what we are praying:
      *Pray for our children that are not home yet, that they are being loved on and cared for.  That God will keep them safe and healthy while they are waiting to come home. 
       *Pray for us and for Bella Kate and Claire to be prepared to have two more siblings.
       *Pray for the Ethiopian government and MOWA(the ministry that controls when we get a court date).  There are still changes being made.  Pray our process will go smoothly and that our children will not have to stay in an orphanage even one extra day due to delays. (Just a note, a friend got her court date today, so I am celebrating for her and super encouraged for our process!!)
        *Pray for God's continued protection and provision over our family through this process.

If you or someone else you know would like to make a tax-deductible donation to help bring our kids home and have your donation doubled thanks to Lifesong, there are two ways you can do so.
 1. Make a check payable to Lifesong for Orphans and write "preference Jenkins #1981 adoption" in the memo section.  Mail the donation to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40/ 202 N. Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744
2. Use paypal to donate online by clicking this link: http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html

All donations must be received by May 26, 2011

We are so grateful for our church, family, and friends who are surrounding us with prayer, encouragement, and support.  We are blessed to be a part of a church who has a heart for adoption and partners with Lifesong to provide us this grant.  What a blessing the adoption ministry at Highview is in so many ways.  We love you and are thankful for you!

BK saying Ethiopia.mpg

Officially Out of My Hands

My part of the paperwork is done! Our dossier has been submitted! It will spend the next few weeks being transported by FedEx around the country to be authenticated before making its way to Ethiopia. Once it's there it will be translated and the match process will begin! This part is way better than chasing paper work!

In the mean time our request to immigration has been made and hopefully within the next 4 weeks we'll receive notice to go get fingerprinted.  Then another 4 weeks or so later we'll get our official approval to bring our kiddos home! We cannot receive our referral until we get this, but they can begin matching us and the match pend upon us getting approved by the government. 

My agency told me today there have been unofficial reports that the Ethiopian government is seeing up to 20 cases a day!!! This is super exciting! I'm praising the Lord for this answered prayer! Way better than five...and actually close to what they were seeing prior to the change. 

So now we wait and pray for our kids.  I am so excited to hear who they are!  While that is at least a couple months away, I'll wait in anticipation, not anxiety, because I can trust in the One who created my kids...all of them.

We're Getting Official!

We received our official home study today!! Notarized and everything :) So we mailed off our applications for LifeSong and Abba Fund for grants and loans.  Yesterday, our home study agency also mailed our application to the government for us to bring an immigrant into our home.  This week I met with our placing agency and got all of my dossier paperwork looked over and "approved".  So Monday I will be officially submitting our dossier to our agency!!!  This is such a huge sigh of relief and weight lifted off of me.  After Monday I will be fundraising and waiting...which you already know I'm working on. 

While there is still no resolution with the previous post about the decrease in cases the Ethiopian government is seeing a day, our agency is optimistic about it and I am more so now than I was.  An adoptive mom I met last week was so encouraging.  She said, "God is writing their story."  She's so right.  Another friend encouraged me that maybe our kids aren't ready yet, maybe they aren't at the orphanage or maybe their paperwork isn't up to date.  All these things could be true.  I'm so thankful for these encouraging friends and conversations!

In other news, Bella Kate learned to say "Ethiopia" which sounds like "Epeepeeia" and it's probably the cutest thing ever! She watches the video I posted over and over again.  She also said, "I want to go see brothers!" because they are not home, they are in "Epeepeeia".  Second cutest thing ever.  Yes, there were tears in my eyes as I answered, "I want to go see them too." 

Thanks for taking this journey with us...it's a long one, but we're thrilled to be on it!

P.S. Only 2 more days to order from 31 Gifts if you want something!!! Thanks everyone!!

Do Not Be Anxious About Anything

This blog is getting real honest.  Just a heads up.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7

It was officially announced this week that adoption cases processed by the Government of Ethiopia's Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth will be reduced from 40 something a day to 5.  For us, best case scenario, it means significant delays.  My heart is aching.  If you see me out at the store and I'm mumbling to myself it's because I'm saying Phil 4:6-7 over and over again, trusting in the truth and authority of God's word.  I am pleading with the Lord to change this.  I believe He is in control of it and will change it.  There are few times Dan and I have been praying on our faces together, literally crying, with such heavy hearts.  Please pray that God will change the officials' hearts and open their eyes to the needs of the orphans to get home.  For our boys to be taken care of in the mean time.  That our case will be seen quickly and our boys will get home this year. 

A sweet friend sent me a card in the mail today that was such a huge encouragement to me.  It reminds me "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father!'" Rom 8:15  Her sacrifice to help us bring our boys home and encouraging words are just what I needed and I am so grateful. 

We have all of our paperwork for our dossier together with the exception of our official, notarized copy of our home study.  Our home study has been approved! YAY :) As soon as the official copy arrives our dossier will be mailed from place to place being approved at various levels of government, then on to Ethiopia. We also submitted last week our paperwork to our social worker to request the government to allow us to bring an immigrant (two actually) into our home.  It will be mailed with our official home study this week.  Then we will be sent a document to get fingerprinted, then wait for official approval.  Meanwhile, our dossier will be in an Ethiopian office, in a large waiting pile.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

A video I had to share..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSaHNzWTLmA

This is all about why Ethiopia? I linked this from a friends page...so the end is about another family.

I spent the afternoon with my awesome husband getting things notarized, getting official passport photos taken (for the dossier) and getting police clearance (this is after the state and I think federal background checks!).  But it was a productive afternoon and I'm so happy to be a tiny bit closer to getting our boys home. 

Please pray for the current situation with the Ethiopian government.  Nothing official has come out from the government or our state department.  Praying the rumors are just that and empty threats from other governmental departments.  We don't want our kids to be delayed a day, much less months. 

So thankful for all our family and friends who are being so encouraging! We love you all!

Out of Control

Excited, anxious, nervous, and occasionally nauseous.  All things I felt when I was prego with the girls...all things I am feeling now (except the nausea is only occasional!).  Before I blamed the crazy emotions on my hormones, now I realize it's just the anticipation of having another child.  I'm learning a lot about myself through this process.  For example, I had no idea how much I like things to be in my control.  And how all of this being out of my control is causing an ulcer to form in my stomach.  I can't control the mail, the Ethiopian courts or their speed, when our tax return will hit our checking account, or how my kiddos are being taken care of tonight.  But the great comfort I find in all of this being out of my control is that someone much better at taking care of all this than me is in fact in control!  My God is in control.  He knows who my kids are and is watching over them even as I type this.  He has provided our state side fees through our tax return and knows when it will hit our account so that I can write the next few checks to continue in the process.  He knows the day we will get to bring the kids home.  It is so comforting that I can lean on His everlasting arms and trust that what He has called us to do will come to pass in His oh so perfect timing.

We are taking baby steps! Our home study was complete this past week.  We are just waiting on our notarized copy (and tax return money to pay for it's review).  Once it's final we can also apply for grants and loans.  We sign our contract and pay our first fee at our incredible agency (Arise for Children) tomorrow.  The rest of the week will be spent finalizing our dossier paperwork.  Meanwhile, we'll submit a request to the government for permission to bring an orphan into our home.  Then we'll get a notice to get fingerprinted and wait for approval.  When we get all of that submitted, we wait.  Wait for a referral, wait for a court date, wait to bring our kids home.  (I promise I'm working on trusting in the Lord's timing...I really do know it's perfect!)

The Monica Binder

If you know me very well, you know that by nature I am not a super organized person.  Since I have been married, with the encouragement of my husband, I have made an effort to become more organized.  Sure things in my house have a place, and some things drive me crazy if they are not where they belong, but I don't need the towels to be folded a certain way and don't spend my entire day following my kids around picking up the trail that follows them.  However, when things are important (ie this adoption!) an odd OCD trait comes out.  I have spent the past few weeks creating what I affectionately call "The Monica Binder".  If you watch Friends, you will know exactly what I am talking about! It has tabs, folders, copies, and paper clips with colored tabs that are neatly labeled.  It is ridiculous...ridiculously important. 

My binder is waiting for our 2010 taxes and a reference letter.  Then we can move on with our home study! I'm trying to remember this is the least painful waiting I'm going to have to do.

One of my favorite songs is "Something Crazy" by Steven Curtis Chapman.  Our blog is named after it :)  "...it's crazy when love gets a hold of you, and it's crazy things that love will make you do....you don't know love at all until it's making you do, something crazy..."  Some might call what we are doing crazy.  But God sent his son to die for us because he loved us so much.  We want to have that kind of crazy love! 

So we decided to adopt and love orphans from Ethiopia for a few reasons.  One we decided to be open to adopting older children, as in not a newborn.  Adopting a toddler in KY requires going through the foster care system and fostering a child before they are able to be possibly be adopted.  While I believe this an important job and a great way to care for orphans, we want to adopt a child, to make them a Jenkins forever.  This is not always possible in fostering.  Also, children in the foster care system in the US still have opportunities when they grow up to go to college and have a great, long life.  International orphans, if not adopted, will in the vast majority of cases, become homeless, possibly be kidnapped and made servants or prostitutes, and likely die at a very young age.  I'm not at all trying to downplay the importance of foster care or domestic adoption.  But these are things we considered when deciding that in this season of life, it best fits our family to adopt internationally.  Between the few countries that we meet all of the requirements to adopt from, Ethiopia is the fastest, least expensive, and currently the most stable in their adoptions.  We also know several families who have adopted from there.  We like having the ability to hear about their experience and gain some wisdom!

So I'll keep waiting and praying!  Hopefully our home study will be this week or next.  Then we can start fundraising and get our dossier submitted.  Thanks so much to everyone who has already helped us with paperwork and recommendations!  Also, we REALLY appreciate those of you who have passed on your kind words of encouragement and prayers.  So thankful for our family and friends!

Why oh Why?

So the most common response we are getting about adopting is "Why"? Why are we adopting when we are obviously able to conceive biological children?, why from Ethiopia?, why right now?, etc.  So in my very first blog post (ever!) I am going to attempt to answer that to the best of my ability without making this too lengthy.

My first trip to West Africa was spent in Burkina Faso, at that time it was the 3rd poorest country in the world.  I was slapped in the face with the reality of poverty, death, and orphans.  You don't have to even pay that much attention or be that intelligent to know that there are people living in such dire circumstances.  And if you are one who pays more attention than most you could spout off some statistics about it, such as the fact that 26,000 children die every day, yes I typed that correctly, every day, due to startvation or preventable diseases.  Or maybe you know that Ethiopia alone has over 4 million orphans.  But if you're like me, on most nights, I could turn on an Everybody Loves Raymond or Friends rerun, laugh, and go to sleep on my comfortable bed and sleep like a baby without a single thought of those statistics.  But something in my heart changed that summer.  David Platt puts it so well in his book Radical, "Suddenly those numbers on a page came alive in our hearts....We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.  They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.  It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms.  But once you do, everything changes."  So that's when my desire to adopt began, when I first held an orphan in my arms.  Together, Dan and I have had the desire to adopt since we were dating.  He had his own experience loving on orphans in South Africa.

But the desire comes from more than just our experiences.  God adopted us.  That changes everything as well.  "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12 God loves adoption and is pretty clear about it in the Bible.  James 1:27 says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." We want to be a family who is after God's own heart.

So what are we going to do about what we believe?  We love being parents.  Children are a blessing from the Lord.  And we want more children.  This is a perfect way for us to expand our family and we are thrilled about more kiddos! You know how I told you before that at night I could watch a little comedy and go to sleep.  It's not so true now.  Now when I lay down and close my eyes I think of my kids.  My kids are sleeping in an orphanage tonight.  I don't know their names or how old they are, I don't know if they are hungry or cold, dirty or sick.  And I can't wait to get them home and know that they are upstairs, well, in a warm bed, with clean clothes, and were tucked in with hugs and kisses.  I know that they are not "mine" yet.  But soon they will have the Jenkins name, they will be co-heirs with Bella Kate and Claire.  And I want them home as soon as I can get them here.  So stay tuned for our journey to bring them home. 

Oh, I'm afraid I'm going to have answer the "Why Ethiopia?" question another time...but I will soon!