Merry Christmas!

There's a Third Day song that sums up my emotions this time of year... So I give you the lyrics and a few tears as I type this. Praying for our Birth family today that they are blessed by time with people who love them today. Also praying that we can bring home our boy SOON so he doesn't have to be alone for any Christmases!

"There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn

Cryin' for momma's arms

At an orphanage just outside a little China town

Where the forgotten are

But half a world away I hang

The stockings by the fire

And dream about the day

When I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home

Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone

So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in His arms

And tell you from my heart, I wish you a Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights

I'm warmed by the fire's glow

Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white

And make angels in the snow

And half a world away you try

Your best to fight the tears

And hope that heaven's angels come

To carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home

Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone

So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in His arms

And tell you from my heart, I wish you a Merry Christmas

And Christmas is a time to celebrate the Holy Child

And we celebrate His perfect gift of love

He came to us to give His life and prepare a place for us

So we could have a home with Him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home

Your family is here so you will never be alone

So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms

And tell you from my heart and I'll tell you from my heart

I wish you a Merry Christmas"

Merry Christmas!!!

Fun coming in January!!!

First let's talk money... Our next fee that is due when we complete our paperwork is $5,500. It is for translation of the documents and submitting fees. We are hoping to pay this MUCH sooner but the last possible day to pay it is April 16th. So we've put on our thinking caps and come up with a few more fundraisers! We are super excited for these! 

We've got some awesome stuff in January! We will start off the new year with a fundraising kit from Tukula! I grabbed the about from their website to give you a little info on who and what Tukula does (you can look for yourself Here): 

"Tukula (meaning "we grow") is an accessories line based in Jinja, Uganda. We hire young women who are trained as seamstresses but aren't able to find consistent work. Along with a fair wage these women receive medical care, an encouraging work environment, and access to savings programs. In addition to our full time employees, we provide paid interships for women who are on the verge of dropping out of sewing school so that they can continue with their studies and receive a job immediatly after graduating. By relieving the pressure of school fees, medical fees, and daily expenses, these ladies are able to walk with confidence and joy."

 We are really excited about this opportunity AND the bags are super cute!!! I am going to set up an online sale for the items through Facebook, we''ll also have the necklaces we have left in that sale. More details on how that will work soon! 

We are also working on a bowling tournament... Not sure if this will be in January or not, details are still being worked out. At the tournament we are hoping to have a small silent auction set up with some good stuff including a lap quilt raffle!

We are so close to getting completed in our paperwork stage I can just smell the wait! I've starting looking at books to read while we wait and have got quite the list made... If only we had the finances to purchase all of them! Been keeping my eyes peeled at half price books for them though!

I also want to thank everyone who participated in our Home Study by Christmas campaign! Knowing little Africa's are hanging on so many Christmas trees this year makes my heart so warm (we sold 18!!!)! You all are so amazing!

Surgery For Emebet!

Eyerusalem is a little girl we stand as Family in the Gap for through Project HOPEFUL Awassa! She is in Ehtiopia and lives with her mom and dad. Our $30 a month helps her stay with her family and go to school etc... 

Her mom has such a sweet personality, when Project HOPEFUL Awassa visited and brought gifts for all the FIG kids Emebet (Eyerusalem's mother) sat with a beautiful grace and enjoyed every single child's gift. She is in just about every picture of kids with their gifts. It's beautiful.

Her story is a tough one. Read a little bit about her and her family below. I encourage you to HELP! Her mom needs a surgery to better care for her child!

From Project HOPEFUL directors Greg and Charisa Knight, read more about them Here!

Remember Eyerusalem? 

Her parents were injured when Eyerusalem was just 18 months old.

Somehow her father's motorcycle fuel tank caught fire and quickly spread in to the home igniting a kerosene can and sparked an explosion that burned her father badly and crippled her mother. He has recovered and is back to work but has scars and some enduring problems.

She was bedridden for a year and is now confined to this chair. 

A mother despite her circumstances that is filled with such joy.

We need to raise funds asap for her. 
We have the funds for the beginning already in Ethiopia but the hospital needed us to sign a contract that we would cover the funds for the whole amount before they would begin. We told our friends in Ethiopia to go ahead and sign that contract IN FAITH that the funds will come for this sweet momma.
And now we need your help!
The cost of the surgery with the doctor, medicine and hospital is to be around $1,900.
The gift of her being to walk again and fully take care of her daughter is PRICELESS.
We have sent scriptures from you to Emebet and Zewdu went to share them with her and to offer encouragement and prayer.

Zewdu shared this:
I have told all the messages and encouragements by each name and she was crying as I telling about your commitment. Her daughter, Eyerusalem was also at home and enjoyed our visit. One word Emebet said at last is that" I thank my God for giving you around here and abroad to support me. If God doesn't brought you all in my life, I would be history leaving my child for hardship in life much worse than mine. Your visit, words of encouragement and prayers have a meaning for my existence and please keep doing it day and night. By all these I am seeing my God helping me and has a bright future for me to raise my beloved child, Eyerusalem to live a life better than mine. God Bless You all for helping us and keep in touch with me.


Would you like to help us bless this family?
All funds received will go straight to her care and surgery.
(paypal button below..if you’d like to make a donation by check message me at awassaph@gmail.com )
Your tax deductible donation will go straight to her medical needs. 
If you would like to comment (or email them to me awassaph@gmail.com)  with encouraging words and prayers for her—we will make sure that she gets them.
Thank you!!

December

December has big meaning in my life. This time last year I was preparing myself for our first fertility appointments, hoping that it was something simple. We were hoping to have a baby by this time. But God had other plans. Now here we are in this journey. The things that happen in a year are crazy! I know that the next year won't hold too many surprises... Unless we get our referral early... We'll be waiting for the news of a bundle of love waiting on us in Ethiopia!

I am just overwhelmed by the thought that with all the excitement of this past year (see: new dog, adoption journey, and deciding to settle down and buy a house) next year scares me. I dislike sitting around waiting, the unknown scares me.

On a bright note, we are so excited to be waiting though! YAY! While we wait we are going to do some "last ____________ without kids". Like little weekend trips to places we've never been to before. We'll also be doing lots of reading and praying about the adoption. So here's my challenge to you: be our prayer partners. Make it a new years resolution to pray with us, every day for our little boy and his birth family and for us to be patient!

If you are interested in partnering with us I am making up a prayer card for fridges or whatever that will remind you! You can email me (top left of the page) and let me know if you want to be a prayer partner and I will send you a card!

Looking like we will have this home study under wraps by Christmas thanks to YOU ALL! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

(That was an ADD post but glad you stuck around and read it all! LOL)