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!