Final Fundraising Efforts --- T-Shirts!!

It is surreal to think that we are actually in the home stretch of this mission to adopt. Some days it really has felt like it would take for-eh-vah! Time has always seemed to creep by as we have waited and waited for various steps to be completed. It has never felt like the time was speeding by, except when we have thought about Ivelina getting older in her orphanage. Every day that has gone by since we have known about her has been yet another day that she has grown older and bigger and taller without us being there with her. 

Now that we have a court date set 9 DAYS from today, I have sort of been in excited-panic mode in my mind thinking about all that needs to be done before we travel. I wanted to shampoo all the carpets before her homecoming and get the half-way standing maple in our front yard cut down. I wanted to deep clean the showers + tub and make some freezer meals for when we get back from our trip. I need to make a DVD of all of our Ivelina videos so that she can watch them herself, and I need to make a playlist of children's music for the airplane. Geesh! SO much to do, and now I feel like time is not going to allow me to do all these "essential" things before she is here.

Another thing to add to the list is fund raise. Since our return from Bulgaria, we certainly knew another trip was coming, so we have been saving like crazy and trying to work as many extra shifts as possible. Spring is an awfully busy time for us as we both have busy jobs in the spring and are in school full-time. We have only planned one fundraiser; it is a giant yard sale/bake sale that will happen April 26th in our town. We have TONS of donations coming in making this our biggest yard sale yet!  Plus, we have secured what we think will be a great location. We are definitely hoping for a beautiful day and an awesome turn out!  

However, this trip is more expensive than the first, so of course, I'm always a little worried.  "How are we going to do this, God?"  "Lord, we know you will provide for this adoption as You always have up to this point, but can you provide like....now, just to ease the stress a little?"  I'm sure all you adoptive families out there have felt the same pressure. So, our first opportunity to travel will likely be mid-May, and we are not yet fully funded. Like I said, though. God has provided everything else we have needed up to this point, so why should I doubt Him now?

We know that God has so often provided for this adoption through friends, family, and the body of Christ. We would like to provide an opportunity for anyone who cannot be a part of our yard sale/bake sale to help support our adoption in a different way. We have sold T-shirts before, but we are selling again and have a new company and a new T-shirt design that we both really love!  The process for these shirts will work a bit differently.  

Here are the details:  

The design:

very cool, huh?

This shirt was specially designed for us by Fund the Nations. We chose to offer it in red and green, two colors of the Bulgarian flag. The shirt reads, "ADOPTED." Then in smaller font, it reads, "no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir." This is taken from Galations 4:7.

Sizes:

Basically, the shirt comes in any adult, youth, or plus-size. 

Prices:

$15 per youth shirt
$20 per adult shirt

$22 per plus size shirt

Deadline:

May 9th, 2014.  That's two weeks after our court date. We should have our court decree by then and we will probably be making travel arrangements by that time as well.

How to order:

The easiest way will be through our PayPal button on our blog. Simply decide what size and color shirt(s) you want. Then, calculate the cost and donate that amount through Paypal. While making your donation, add a comment with the sizes and color shirt you want to order. Make sure you enter a valid mailing address in PayPal. We will place the order on May 10th and your shirt(s) will be shipped to you shortly afterwards. If you know us personally through church or family, you may just give us your payment in person or mail it to us with a note indicating which sizes and colors you need. (These could be great for Mother's Day or Father's Day gifts.)

How this helps us:

We will earn about $11 per shirt, and ALL profits will be used for travel expenses on our pick-up trip to bring Miss Ivelina home!  Also, once the orders are in, you will be wearing a cool shirt that is sure to raise awareness about adoption, both spiritual and physical!

So, what do ya say?  Let the t-shirt orders begin! Please feel free to share this fundraiser with anyone you know via Facebook, email, blogs, etc. Every t-shirt sold is important to us!  Thanks for reading and thanks so much for your support, prayers, and love!

-Shelly

Last call for T-shirts!

I haven't posted about our T-shirt sale in a looong time, but we will be closing the fundraiser at the end of the month, so I wanted to remind everyone that we are still selling these six designs from our Adoption Bug T-shirt store:

These shirts are very soft and comfy.  They come in small-fitting "ladies" sizes and in plus sizes as well as children's sizes.  They would make great Christmas gifts!  We earn approximately 30-33% per T-shirt sold to help support our adoption.  We plan on closing the fundraiser on November 30, 2013.

CLiCK HERE TO VISIT OUR T-SHIRT STORE

Please feel free to share our store with anyone you think may be interested!

Thanks!

We are officially saving for travel!

The adoption process is so expensive!  It is a blessing that the required fees are spread out, though.  For us, the best way to tackle the fees was to focus on one at a time.  Save + raise funds for contracting-- done!  Then, save + raise funds for the home study--done!  Then, save + raise funds for the dossier fees -- done!  That's been our experience for this journey.  Sometimes we have had funds way before we needed them, but most often we have had just what we needed at just the perfect time.  Nerve-racking at times, but it has built patience and trust in us for sure.

When we began our Give One Save One fundraising week, we had received a matching grant months ago that we had been working hard to fund.  Our end of the bargain was to save + raise $2,500. Then, it would be matched to make $5,000.  We started last Monday with $1,682 already saved.  Then, we received two outside donations from friends totaling $300 that were to be used toward our grant.  As of this morning, many generous friends, family members, and strangers have helped us raise  $563 in just 5 days!  That. is. amazing.  

The grand total is now $2,545, which means we have fully funded our matching grant and are now raising money for travel!!!

Whew!  It feels so good to type that: we are raising money for travel.  That means we are so much closer to meeting Miss Ivelina. 

We don't exactly when our first trip will happen, but it could be before Christmas.  Or, it could be in early 2014.  We'll be sure to post about that when we know more.  Either way, we don't have too many months to come up with 3-4 thousand dollars.  As soon as we receive travel dates, we want to have the funds available to purchase our plane tickets right away, so the fundraiser is still on, y'all!

There are two days left in our Give One Save One week.  Your dollars are still greatly appreciated as we begin tackling our next financial goal-- travel.  Please visit the link below and check out our video story.  Then, give as God leads you.  Thank you!!

G1S1 fundraiser video (hint--wait to the end to see our girl!)

A wonderful Wednesday update!

Our Give One Save One fundraiser week began on Monday.  Our primary goal was to meet the mark of $2,500 for our matching grant from Brittany's Hope.  Any amount more than $2,500 will be used for airfare and travel expenses.

We have been saving and raising funds to go toward this goal for a while now, so we began our week already with $1682.26. We received two outside donations toward Brittany's Hope totaling $300.  Then already in our first two days of fundraising through Give One Save One, we have received $249!!

That totals 2231.26!!

We only need $268.74 more to fully fund our matching grant!!

Amazing! Today marks the start of Day 3.  It is totally possible to blow this goal out of the water today, y'all!  Look at how close our thermometer is to the top!!

If you have already viewed our video and donated, thank you.  You really are blessing our hearts so much through your thoughtfulness and generosity.  If you haven't viewed our video yet, you are missing out!  Check it out here at our You Caring donation page.

Check back tomorrow for another post about our adoption story. 

Day Two of G1S1 fundraising: Getting to know the Moorhouses

This post is part of a series for our fundraising week at Give One Save One.  If you haven't checked out our video and given your dollar yet, please check it out HERE!!

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As we raise money this week through Give One Save One and our You Caring site, we know some new folks will be visiting our blog, so we thought you'd like to get to know us a little better:

GETTING TO KNOW JEREMY:

 

Statement: Hey, I'm Jeremy and I would like to say thanks for checking out our adoption blog! We are in the process of adopting a little girl from Bulgaria and cannot wait to bring her to our home. I am married to the beautiful young lady who runs this blog and we have a knucklehead of a dog, featured below.

Age: 33

Profession: Copy Editor
School: Appalachian University + Southeastern Seminary

Favorite thing about his wife: Beautiful, intelligent, and just her heart for the Lord

Favorite food: Steak, baked potato, corn on the cob and Caesar salad.... on Monday after a long day at school there is nothing quite like a pizza

Dream vacation: The Pacific northwest, also the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone....possibly on a motorcycle : )

Team(s): Florida State!

Secret talent: Not to brag but I'm pretty good at pancakes....Shelly likes them .... I hope Ivelina will also!

Favorite way to spend a beautiful day: Hiking, tennis, basketball, working in the yard

Favorite article of clothing: Appalachian State sweatshirt (Shelly hates it...haha)

Future aspirations: Serving the Lord through missions, maybe church planting (still working out the details)
Favorite Bible Verse: First one that came to mind ... 1 John 4:4

Thing I'm most looking forward to about being a tate (dad): Sharing the love of Jesus Christ with our first child.

GETTING TO KNOW SHELLY:

Statement:  I am Shelly, the primary contributor to this blog, wife of Jeremy, future mom to Ivelina, teacher, cook, seminary student, and owner of Miss Josey featured below!
Age:  knocking on 30 (this Feb!!)
Profession:  Part-time developmental English/Reading teacher + tutor
School:  UNC-Greensboro + Southeastern Seminary
Favorite thing about her husband:  His dashing good looks... oh, and just how he loves me and is my best friend every day through the glorious and the mundane
Favorite Meal:  pintos and cornbread  (for real y'all)
Dream Vacation:  we've already been on some great ones, but I'd have to say I'd still like to take a tour of all the major national parks out West (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Tetons, etc)
Team(s):  don't care... I usually read while the game is on
Secret Talent: I'm really good at finding awesome parking places and I make a mean Thai stir fry
Favorite way to spend a beautiful day: playing tennis or going on a long walk
Favorite Article of Clothing: my Ashley Judd jeans...no jeans fit me like her brand.  So sad I can't find them anymore.  Also, my scarf made out of socks!
Future aspirations:  to be a mom really, to home school, to work in Christian missions in some capacity
Favorite Bible Verse: 1 Cor. 10:31

Thing I am most looking forward to about being a mama:  oh gosh, where to begin!!  Watching Ivelina see and do things for the very first time.  That's got to be exciting!  Teaching her about the Lord! Bedtime stories, Christmas morning, VBS, you name it, I'm looking forward to all of those "firsts". 

GETTING TO KNOW JOSEY:

Statement:  I'm the dog of the house.  I'm spoiled.  I look mean, but I'm just a chicken on the inside.  I am attached to both of my owners, but my favorite one is Jeremy!
Age: 7
Breed: Doberman Pinscher
Profession:  guard of the house and keeper of my dog bed
School:  PetSmart Training School grad 2007
Favorite thing about her owners:  when they give me any kind of attention and especially when they take me on outings
Favorite Meal:  My Science Diet is ok, but I really love it when they cook pancakes, eggs, and grits and give me a little sample! I like licking out the empty peanut butter jars too!
Dream Vacation:  oh to go to a squirrel park where I could chase those little guys all day long.  A cat farm would be pretty fun too!
Secret Talent:  locating a Kleenex in my mom's purse within .1 seconds and eating it before she can ever get to me to take it away
Favorite way to spend a beautiful day:  long walks with my family. I also like wrestling with Jeremy and going hiking and "swimming"
Favorite Article of Clothing:  I am anti-clothing but I love my warm blanket
Future Aspirations:  to one day break out of my kennel, and to finally catch that oppossum that I see in my yard sometimes
Dislikes:  baths, the kennel, cold wind, bikes, the vacuum cleaner, the suitcases, the vet, and when Shelly & Jeremy have to go to work  =(
Thing I am most looking forward to about having a little girl in the house:  I will always have someone to play with and I'll have some new toys to steal  ;)

Thanks for reading!  Remember to visit our fundraiser, watch our video, and support us with your dollar.  Every dollar is being matched!!

Are you ready to Give One and Save One?

This week Give One Save One is featuring our family!!  We applied to be a featured family back in early summer, but then we encountered some set backs in our adoption timeline.  Now, our turn has finally arrived, and we couldn't be more excited!

G1S1 is a blog that helps adoptive families raise money for adoption expenses by enlisting everyone to give just ONE DOLLAR.  Almost anyone can spare a dollar, and when they are all directed toward one cause, dollars can really add up to make a great impact!

If you are just coming to our blog for the first time, first, please watch our G1S1 video.  The theme of our video is HOME.  We desire to give our daughter a home and a forever family.  We tried to make our video represent "home" as best we could.  The best part is at the end!!

Then, please consider donating ONE dollar (or more) through You Caring to help us bring Ivelina home!

CLICK HERE TO GIVE 

This fundraiser has extra impact for us - - Every dollar you give is being DOUBLED through our matching grant from Brittany's Hope!!



If you are not familiar with our adoption journey, here is where we are in the process:

• Our Dossier was reviewed for the first time back in early September.
• The review committee asked us to change some of the wording in our home study, so regretfully, we had to back-track for over a month.
• We updated our home study and our immigration approval notice
• Just last week, we sent all updated and reworded documents back to Bulgaria for a second try at a referral.
• We hope to get our referral for Ivelina THIS month! 

THANK YOU!

surprise blessing + a fundraising update

This past weekend, we were surprised to find a letter in our mailbox from Show Hope.  We applied for a grant from their foundation back in June, but we were not expecting to hear any news just yet.  Jeremy opened the envelope...

Me:  What is it?  What does it say?
Jeremy:  *silence*
Me:  Is it bad?  We didn't get anything, did we?
Jeremy:  Yes, we got something
Me:  How much?
Jeremy:  Guess
Me:  2,500
Jeremy: Keep going
Me:  5,000
Jeremy:  Keep going
Me:  *crying, sniffling, unable to speak clearly by now*   How much?!
Jeremy:  6,000!  Praise the Lord!

Wow.  Just wow.  We quickly got out our AGCI fee schedule and added some things up.  What do you know!  We had about $6,000 in fees remaining.  What a tremendous blessing of provision from the Lord.  He knew just what we needed at this time.

This grant has helped us arrive at the point where the only thing we lack to being fully funded is our travel costs.  Our Show Hope grant cannot be used for travel expenses, only for adoption fees.  Similarly, our Brittany's Hope matching grant also cannot be used for travel fees, just for adoption fees.  However, we are so excited to only be saving and raising money for travel now.  What a surprise blessing indeed!

I like to periodically share some financial details of our adoption because I believe finances are a big part of the process.  Sometimes, for those who are just beginning adoption or praying about beginning an adoption, the financial part can be a big fear.  So, I like to be somewhat transparent to help inform and encourage others out there in the adoption community.  That being said, here's a update of how we have funded our adoption up to this point. 

Total funds acquired:   $22,806 
Fundraisers  -  21%
Gifts  -  9%
Grants  -  37%
Personal Savings  -  33%
_______________________________
What's left?
$3,000 appx. for 1st trip (needed this Fall)
$4,000 appx. for 2nd trip (needed this Winter)

We have been so blessed by our fundraisers.  Selling T-shirts, hosting a benefit dinner, delivering spaghetti lunches, selling graphic prints from a friend, washing cars, and selling lots and lots of stuff on Facebook and in consignment shops has earned us a lot of money, and we are so thankful for each and every person who has supported these efforts.  

Of course, we continue to be humbled and thankful for the spontaneous gifts we receive from friends, family members, Facebook friends, and complete strangers!  It's amazing to me that 9% of our adoption fund has come from people who have felt the Lord leading them to spontaneously donate to our cause.  Many times these gifts come at such perfect moments that I literally cry when we receive them.  We are so grateful for each and every gift we have received whether it has been $20 or $200!  Each gift is needed, wanted, and appreciated. 

So far, we have received 2 grants:  a matching grant from Brittany's Hope and, most recently, a Show Hope grant for $6,000.  We still have a little bit left to raise for the matching grant, but we pray that that grant will be fully funded by the end of September.  We are so grateful to these organizations for their ministry to help make adoption possible for our family!  

God has also been so good to us to allow us to so far be able to save 33% of our adoption fund right from our incomes.  He has blessed us with generally good health and good work.  Jeremy has switched jobs during this process to a job much closer to home that is saving us hundreds of dollars on gas, and he gets overtime almost every week!  I have been blessed with classes to teach, students to tutor, and an additional part-time job as a hostess.  We are still working hard to keep our expenses as low as possible so that we can continue to save.  Some months we save more than others, but God has always made a way for us to set aside some money each month for our adoption fund. 

Posts like this get me excited!  They make me want to praise God more and more for His provision!  When we started this process in July of 2012, the fee schedule was daunting.  I would sit and look at it and frown at that one little line item that was checked off.  I would feel dread as I scanned all the many other line items to come thinking secretly, "How in the world are we gonna do this?"  Let me just say to those of you who are thinking of adopting or just beginning your process-- nothing is impossible with God!  If He has called you to adoption as He has done for us, He will provide.  You may not suddenly wake up one morning with an extra 20K in your bank account, but with hard work, creativity, and faith, it can be done!  We still have a little way to go, but we are seeing the light at the end of the fundraising tunnel.  

Thank you to you all who have partnered with us by praying and giving! 

Car Wash & Bake Sale results!

Today the weather in NC definitely wasn't the ideal car wash & bake sale weather, but I'd say the day was a success!  God always has a certain way He wants these adoption fundraisers to turn out.  I have to learn to stop holding onto my idea of success and accept His idea of success instead.

Today, we had ten friends/family members present & ready to serve!  

We only washed six cars today in the super-cloudy, cool weather, but we had a lot of fun!

We sold many yummy desserts too!  Actually, when we saw that not many folks were stopping by our event, we took baskets of baked goods and drove around to some nearby businesses to sell.  Then, we sold to our neighbors, and we are each taking a basket of goodies to sell at work tonight! Not what I expected, but it worked!

 

This was a fundraiser event, so I'm sure you want to know what we made!  Our grand total is $373 and counting!  I'd say that's pretty good for a cloudy, cool, misty July morning. 

So, I have an idea.  If you couldn't make it out to our bake sale and car wash, you could still help us add to this total by buying a "virtual" cookie (or brownie or cake slice or whatever sweet treat you imagine).  Just make a donation through our Pay Pal button, and I will email you a virtual sweet treat!  Remember, all donations will be matched by our Brittany's Hope grant! 

It really means a lot to have ten people working together, encouraging us (even though the weather was gloomy), and contributing to this cause.  I can't think of a better way I'd like to spend my Saturday morning   =)

Thanks for reading!

~ Shelly & Jeremy

Brittany's Hope Grant

We were recently awarded a matching $5,000 matching grant from an organization called Brittany's Hope!  

Check out their website here!

In order to receive the full amount, we are responsible for raising $2,500.  Then, Brittany's Hope will match that amount.  So, we have been thinking carefully about how we want to approach this segment of our fundraising.  I have decided to install a new fundraising thermometer in the sidebar of my blog so that we (and all of you) can keep up with our progress.  Any monetary gifts or fundraising profits we receive at this time are going toward meeting this fundraising goal.  

This means if you have previously considered supporting our adoption, now is the time to do it!  Every dollar donated toward our adoption right now is being matched.  So giving $5 is like us receiving $10, and giving $20 is like us receiving $40!!  You can give securely through our Paypal link to the right.

Here's our plan for raising the needed funds for this grant:

1.  Saturday, July 13th we are having a fundraiser car wash and bake sale at our local Advance Auto Parts.  Local friends and family, you can help by donating baked goods, volunteering to wash cars for an hour or so, and by stopping by with your dirty car so we can wash it for you! 

2.  We are continuing to sell our Adoption Bug T-shirts.  They are super cute and comfy.  Local and distant friends can be a part of this on-going fundraiser event!  Just visit our t-shirt store here. 

3.  Coming soon:  We are making plans to be the featured family on the Give One Save One Europe blog!  We are working on our family's video right now and hope to be featured late this summer.  Meanwhile, check out the blog and support this week's family.  Anyone can afford to give $1!

That's it!  Between these three fundraisers and money I earn from continuously selling things through Facebook and consignment, we hope to meet our goal of raising $2,500!  This grant is a tremendous blessing, and we want to earn every dollar of it that we can.  

We want to thank the many of you who have supported us in so many ways.  Many of you have given multiple times to our adoption, and we can't thank you enough.  We just hope one day to return the generosity.

Thanks for reading,

~ Shelly

My response to Dear Abby

My mom is an avid newspaper reader and always checks out the popular Dear Abby column each day.  Tonight she called to read one of the letters sent in and Dear ol' Abby's response.  It's adoption related, and I have to admit, this is one we haven't heard yet.

The letter was from Miss "Ticked Off," who apparently was "increasingly disgusted" by two friends' "continuous pleas for money" to help fund their international adoption of two children.  This adoptive couple had requested donations for a yard sale, had set up an online store to sell coffee, and had had a couple of dinners to help raise funds.  (What do ya know, our family has hosted these exact same fundraisers!)  This reader wanted to know if she was wrong for being so ticked off and annoyed by her friend's repetitive requests. 

As my mom read the letter, I admit, my blood started to boil a bit (especially after the rotten day I had).  But, then she read my Abby's response.  Are you ready?

DEAR TICKED OFF: It appears your "friends" are taking advantage of your generosity. It will continue for only as long as you permit it. Because the requests for help are continuous, are you absolutely sure this couple is really in the middle of the adoption process and not using the money for some other purpose? Before donating anything else, you should find out.

                               -- taken from dearabby.com on 06-13-13

First, "taking advantage of your generosity" is very hurtful.  I am positive that NO adoptive family wants to have to raise funds for their adoption.  It can be a humbling, humiliating, and frustrating process.  When we do muster up the energy and time to host a fund raiser event, we are always worried that 1.) no one will care and no one will show up and 2.) that someone will feel we are imposing on them.  So, when folks actually show up to help, give, and support, we are always blown away.  We feel so grateful that it's hard to put into words.  For Abby to claim that this adoptive family is taking advantage of a friend's generosity is hurtful because I'm sure that's the last thing they want to do and one of the first things they are worried about.  I surely pray that our friends do not think this of us.  If so, please know that we love you and appreciate your support, and it would just break our hearts to think that we had offended you in any way by asking for your support.

Second, "Are you absolutely sure this couple is really in the middle of the adoption process and not using the money for some other purpose?"  Wow!  For having been around so long, Dear Abby sure doesn't know a thing about international adoptions.  This couple is adopting two children; that endeavor could easily cost 35K-45K, depending on the agency and country! That figure alone makes it near impossible to earn the needed amount of funds with just one fundraiser event.  It is very reasonable to think that the couple could need to host several different events to meet their financial goals.  What is unreasonable is that Abby would jump straight to the conclusion that this adoptive couple was unethical and dishonest in their dealings without even knowing them at all.  We know many adoptive families who have held multiple fundraisers; we have supported them when we were able and have never questioned their intentions.  This would be like getting offended that a friend invited us to her child's birthday party year after year.  "Didn't they get enough presents last year?" "What are they doing with all those gifts?"

Something related to this that we should consider:  have you ever thought about what percentage of your charitable donations actually go to directly support the cause you believe in? 
     - If you donate to World Vision, 88 cents per dollar goes directly to support the cause.
     - If you donate to The American Cancer Society, 70 cents per dollar supports the cause.
     - If you donated to the new George Bush Presidential Library Foundation, less than 70 cents went   to actually fund this cause. 
                                                      source

I'm not putting down any of these charities; I am simply making the point that bigger charities like these must have employees.  Therefore, some donation monies inevitably does cover overhead costs. 

However, if you donate to an adoption fund, consider that 100% of your donation goes to support the family's cause.  There is no overhead and no administrative fees.  We're not using your money to fund our dream vacation or buy the latest iphone device (heck, we aren't even going on to the beach this summer, and our phones are like 5 years old with no data plan). If you want the best bang for your buck, giving to an adoption is the way to go!  (Many couples have their giving set up to be tax-deductible too!)

Also, consider this: when you give to Goodwill, or the American Red Cross, or the wonderful charity of your choice, you may not ever get the reward of seeing the effects of your donation.  You know it went "out there" somewhere to support the general cause, but when you donate to an adoption fund, especially of someone you know personally, one day you will have the sweet reward of seeing just what wonderful thing your money did! 

For us, that reward will be a happy, smiling, funny little girl who will most likely light up our family's future holiday dinners and squirm and wiggle in the pews of our home church.  That reward might sit in your Sunday School class one day, and you may even see her get baptized one Sunday.  Your son or daughter might invite her to a play date or a birthday party. You might see her strolling with us around the neighborhood or one day see pictures of her high school graduation streaming across my Facebook page.  What a wonderful thing to be able to be a part of something so real and so sweet and so redemptive.   

I was so honored that my mom emailed a response in to her newspaper to help defend our family and all the fundraising adoptive families out there.

What are your thoughts in this topic?

praises and prayers

Yes, we did have our benefit dinner for our adoption on April 20th, and, no, I have not blogged about it yet.  This is mainly because life has been hectic this past week with our semester at seminary coming to a close and with trying to get last minute loose ends tied up for our Dossier.  Also, I am mad at myself for not taking a single photo of our fundraiser to share with you.  

Here are a few praises and prayers from the past week though:

PRAISES 

• Our benefit dinner went very well and we raised about $1500 profit to go toward our adoption fund!
• We have had many generous friends, family members, and church friends who have given us so much encouragement and support over the past two weeks.  I have tried to thank everyone, but if for some reason I missed you, THANK YOU for how you love on us and support us through your prayers, kind words, and financial gifts.  We COULD NOT do this alone.
• Our home study was approved by our home study agency!
• Most of our Dossier documents have been appostiled and are being translated in Bulgaria right now!  The others are on their way to our case worker as I type!
• We had a little blunder and didn't realize we had to get local AND state criminal background reports (on top of FBI criminal background reports, I might add), sooo.....it was a huge praise that we had a day off school this past week and were able to take care of both of those last minute details all in one day.  =)
• We have officially mailed off every piece of our Dossier to our placing agency!  What a relief!
• At this point, we have payed almost half of our expected adoption fees.  Wow!  Huge praise!

PRAYERS

• When we have documents in limbo, being sent to and fro, across the country and back, I am a nervous wreck. This may seem silly, but please pray for our packages to arrive at their destinations safely.  We have many documents in route right now, and I just pray that they are handled well and arrive when and where they should.  
• Our home study has been approved by our home study agency, but it is still being reviewed by our placing agency.  I pray that M approves everything quickly and efficiently.  Once that home study is approved, our Dossier will be complete, and we move on to the next step:  immigration!
• Let's not forget who this is all for:  Ivelina.  We continue to pray for her daily.  She is already becoming such a huge part of our lives.  We talk about her like she's already here sometimes, and we have fun wondering what her little personality will be like.  We imagine holding her hand as we walk through the airport and cuddling with her during her very first plane ride.  We imagine the vacant room in our home painted and furnished and filled with laughter.  We wonder if she is well and if she has eaten and if she is sleeping at night and if she has anyone to play with.  I know as this process creeps slowly along, we will get more and more antsy to meet her.  So please pray for patience on our part and for health, happiness, and healing for Ivelina.  We just can't wait to bring her home!

Thanks for reading!
~Shelly

Strangely Dim

As usual before a fundraiser, I get all stressed out and crazy about minute details.....err, wish I wasn't like this.

I am trying to keep in mind God's track record and how He has blessed so abundantly with all of our other fundraising events.  I am reminded of the lyrics of Francesca Battistelli's new song, "Strangely Dim."

"Cause when I fix my eyes on all that You are

Then every doubt I fear deep in my heart

Grows strangely dim"

This is so true for me this week.  We have had all kinds of little stressful issues arise related to this event, and for the moment I get frazzled and might have snapped at my husband a few times -- sorry Honey.  But then, I pray; I lift these stresses and burdens to God.  I focus on who He is, and it really does give me peace.

I'm still not sure how it's all gonna turn out, but if you are reading and you have a moment, please pray for God to be glorified at our fundraiser.  We have some great video testimonies to share, and we've worked hard on a nice little presentation.  People are generously pledging to bring desserts for the dessert auction, and many more people stepped up to purchase tickets this past Sunday.  The goal is to have a good time, to glorify God with all aspects of the night, and to get a little closer financially to being able to bring Ivelina out of her orphanage and into our home.  Please pray that all details fall into place at just the right time in order to make this event a success! 

If it was just about chicken pie and desserts, I wouldn't be so stressed-- believe me.  But as an adoptive mama, I know this event is so much more.  (I'm sure many of you are with me here.)  It's about our child!  Our daughter!  It's about giving Ivelina a family, a home, a future.  It's about giving her hope, stability, love and gospel.

Thank you for praying with us!  

-Shelly

Benefit Dinner for Adoption

On Saturday April 20th, my husband and I are hosting a benefit dinner at our church to raise support to help bring Ivelina home!

We are selling tickets for the event starting THIS week!  Tickets are $10 each.  

We plan to start out with dinner catered by Town & Country Grille (yummy chicken pie with sides).  After dinner, we will present a short program of testimonies and information about adoption.  Our goal is to educate about the basic in's and out's of adoption but also inspire everyone to do something!  We know that everyone cannot adopt, but there is so much more that can be done to help the least of these in our world. 

After the program, we will be having a dessert auction.  This is sure to be fun and tasty!  I can't wait to see how it goes.  We will also have an area set up for anyone who would like to purchase one of our Adoption Bug T-shirts.  

Oh yeah, and there will be door prizes!!  

So make sure you bring your ticket to enter the drawing!

How Can You Get Involved?

• If you are a far away friend, you can pray for many tickets to be sold, many desserts to be donated and bid on, and for Jeremy and I as we share and speak at the event. 
• If you are a local family member or local friend, YOU CAN COME!  Yeah!  Please call, email, text, message, or see me at church to purchase your tickets.  Invite your family and friends too!  The more the merrier!  You can also bring your favorite dessert with you to be auctioned off.  Homemade or bakery made- - either is wonderful!
• If you just can't make it but wish you could, you can still be involved by praying, donating to our event through our Paypal button, by offering a dessert, or purchasing a t-shirt right off our blog.

What Specifically are the Proceeds Being Used For & What is the Goal?

• At the end of April, we will be ready to submit all of the rest of our paperwork to Bulgaria.  Proceeds from this event will help us pay the fees needed to submit these documents:  international fees & translation fees. Currently, we still need about $4,000. This is our most immediate need.
• As soon as we submit that stuff, we will be required to get "NBC approval" which involves electronic fingerprints and a hefty fee.  National Benefits Center approval makes it legal for Ivelina to immigrate to America.  Then, it will be time to accept our official referral for Ivelina which involves another hefty fee.  Any funds raised above the $4,000 mark will go toward our fees for NBC approval and referral.  
• We don't want to set a rigid goal for this fundraising event.  God knows our exact financial need and when those fees are due.  We don't want to set our hopes too high for this event and be disappointed, but we also do not want to limit what God can do through our benefit dinner.  If He wants to He'll fully fund us tomorrow!  We just want to lift the immediate need of $4,000 to Him, diligently work toward hosting this event, and see how He blesses!

Thanks for reading!  I hope you consider how you can get involved!
-Shelly

A Financial Update

So far, my best calculations show that we have payed $6,890 so far for adoption-related fees and expenses. 

We did not begin this journey with a savings account already prepared for adoption.  That would've been nice, though.  We have always needed every bit of the time allowed for coming up with fees, but God has been faithful to make it happen when it needs to happen.  I keep good records, and I have done the math.  So, here's the breakdown of how God has provided for our adoption so far:

Precisely 40% has come from fundraisers.  Everything from friends selling ice cream and graphic prints for us to us selling items and having spaghetti lunches and yard sales!

Precisely 40% has come from personal savings.  We have been pinching pennies during this process, doing without a lot of extras, and trying to set aside a percentage of our income every month just for the adoption fund.  This is the most amazing category to me.  I only work part-time, and my husband and I are both in seminary.  Given these two circumstances alone, I am amazed that God has allowed us to save bits here and there to where this amount saved equals the amount we have raised!  Crazy!

Precisely 20% has come from gifts from sweet friends new and old, family members, and even strangers who have happened upon our blog and felt led to give.  We are SO grateful for these gifts.  No matter how large or small the gift, trust me that it is 100% appreciated and 100% is used for adoption-related expenses.  

To put this all in writing is very encouraging to me.  It shows me that I serve a good God who is faithful and likes to give good gifts to His children.  It shows me that we have come a long way in this process, and it encourages me to keep my head up for the rest of this journey.  It also humbles me to know how many sweet people have a part in this adoption.  Adoption is not just about us.  It's so much bigger!  If you have contributed in some way, you have been a part of something big-- not just helping us become parents.  You are a part of changing a child's life, and you are a part of a God-sized plan for His people.  My God is a faithful God who loves justice and peace for His people. He desires to see the oppressed, the helpless, the fatherless and destitute be brought into relationship with Him. 

Psalm 10 says:

"The Lord is King forever and ever....Oh Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts; You will incline Your ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed..."

God hears the cry of the needy in this world and He will fight for them to be redeemed.  He has chosen to use us in this one tiny part of His plan.  How humbling. 

So, what's next?  Our next financial goal is $5,700 due in late April, and we are just beginning to work on that goal.  We plan on meeting this goal through the same ways: fundraisers, savings, and gifts.  We also hope to apply for a few adoption grants, but we cannot do this until our home study is complete, and there's no guarantee of receiving them.  If you feel like God is leading you to contribute in some way, our Paypal Donate button is an easy way to give.  You could also consider buying a T-shirt or coffee.  We are planning on closing our T-shirt store in April, so that we can use all of our commission money to go toward this goal.  If you have some other radical, interesting way to help us meet this next goal, please let me know!  We're always game for new ideas, and we always welcome anyone's help who wants to get involved! 

New T-shirt designs and a CONTEST!

We are excited to announce that we have SIX NEW DESIGNS in our Adoption Bug T-shirt store!!

And, like the last ones, they are awesome.  Jeremy and both bought a shirt from our last store, and we have been so pleased with how soft they are and how great they wear.  One tip: ladies, if you choose to order a "ladies fit" tee, check the sizing chart because they run small.  The regular fit seem to run true to size from what we can tell. 

Without further delay: here are our six new shirt designs.  Just click the photos to visit our T-shirt store and purchase yours!

Scroll all the way to the bottom to read about a CONTEST you could help us win this week!

This is the perfect time to order a tee because Adoption Bug is holding a contest THIS WEEK.  The family who sells the most t-shirts by 6PM CST on January 20th wins a $50 bonus toward their family's adoption fund.  $50 is big y'all.  You can help us win by purchasing a tee for yourself (maybe one for a friend) and by helping us spread the word.  Send the link to our store to anyone whom you think would like it!  Thanks, everyone.  And enjoy your t-shirts  =)

www.adoptionbug.com/moorhouseadoption

-Shelly

Spaghetti Lunch #2

Last week, our family held our second spaghetti lunch fundraiser for adoption.  We had our first spaghetti lunch in August, and you can read about the details here.  Just like last time, I forgot my camera and have no photos whatsoever to share about this awesome event-- boo!  

At this point, we have raised just over  $800 dollars from this event!!  

Woohoo!  I say "at this point" because I have had a few belated donations or payments come in and have been able to add to that total in recent days. 

SO many sweet people from our church and community helped out with this event by donating supplies, cash, time, and gas as they helped deliver the lunches for us.  Many members of our church offered to get an order together at their place of business, and we even had a local pizzeria (whose owners just happen to go to our church) donate a large portion of our sauce, noodles, and salad!  With all of this help, we only spent about $15 out-of-pocket for supplies for this event.  That's a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

Of course, like any fundraiser sometimes the details come together at the very last minute, which is fine but not so good for my nerves.  I worry and my husband encourages.  Things look hopeful, then look bad, then go back to looking hopeful again.  I stress and God provides.  I think that the event is going to be a big flop, and God comes through with a classic photo-finish.  

All in all, I am amazed at the success God gave us, and I just can't thank everyone enough.  Please know if you helped with the event in any way, you are very appreciated.  In the 12 o'clock rush, there were so people just dropping in to buy plates, it felt more like a restaurant than a church kitchen.  Dollars were being handed to me and helpers were rushing orders to and fro, and I honestly don't even have a record of all the plates we actually ended up selling and who we ended up selling to.  Thus, there's no way I send all of you a formal thank you card, but please know that if you helped, prayed for us, ordered a plate, helped deliver, or donated supplies, you played a role in something much larger than a spaghetti lunch fundraiser.  

See, this wasn't just pasta and sauce for us.  Every single plate and every single dollar represented a step closer to redeeming a child from a life of no hope, no family, no love, no Jesus.  It's so easy to get caught up in the mundane details of adoption, like filling out paper work, meeting with social workers, and doing fundraisers, that we forget the point of it all.  At the end of this journey is a child.  There is a sweet child who deserves to be loved, fed, hugged, played with, and introduced to Jesus.  God has given us this mission we are on, and we will continue plugging along until it is finished.  We do greatly appreciate the support we received from this event.  

What's up next?  Well, sitting on my table at home is a certain envelope with ALL of our home study paper work enclosed and a check for $2200.  That's being sent to our home study agency this week. Then, we can begin meeting with our social worker and getting this home study finalized.  I'm so ready!

-Shelly 

 

Graphic Print Fundraiser Totals

I wanted to post a great BIG thanks to my friend, Kristen from In Sweet Violets for her efforts and generosity in heading up a graphic print fundraiser for us.  The fundraiser ended at the end of December.  Through selling these prints, we raised $100 more dollars for our adoption fund!!  Yippee!

Prints were shipped to people from all over the country, and I am again blown away by the fact that by the time our child is home, literally hundreds of people will have played a small part in his or her story.  I simply can't wait to tell our son or daughter about all the little steps that were taken to bring him or her into our family.  It's gonna be a beautiful story.  Thank you to everyone who has chosen to be part of our family's story by supporting our various fundraisers and by praying for our little one.  THANK YOU!

My print, shown below, is now hanging nicely in my kitchen.  I'm loving it!  Although the fundraiser has ended, I encourage you to check out her Etsy shop again because now she has some pretty prints up just in time for Valentines Day. 

What a great reminder of my own adoption into God's family. 

Next time...  results from our second spaghetti lunch fundraiser.  It was awesome!  Our home study is SO very close to being funded!  Yay!

-Shelly

A Word About Facebook

About a year ago, I discovered a local group on Facebook that I decided to join.  It was "(Fill in the Blank with County Name) Area Yard Sale" Facebook page.  Several people from my church had invited me to join, so I did.  Every now and then I would scroll through and look at items for sale to see if there was anything I wanted or needed. 

Since beginning our adoption and becoming a fundraising family, being involved in this group has helped me raise $322!  In adoption world, that's like several sets of fingerprints, or several parenting courses, or a couple of visas, or a post-adoption report!  Ha!

If you're interested, just search your Facebook for your county's yard sale page.  All of the counties surrounding us have one established, but if you can't find one, create it yourself!  TONS of people love yard sales and would want to join.  I love it so much more than Craigslist because, well, we all know Craigslist has some questionable stuff on there.  I can't think of one thing I've successfully sold on Craigslist.  Another benefit of using the county yard sale page is that all the members live in your local area.  I don't have to worry about shipping things across the country (like with ebay) or driving to a city an hour away to meet someone who may or may not be shady (as in Craigslist).  Knowing that everyone is local also frees me up to sell several smaller, cheaper items because I know I don't have to ship or travel far to sell it. 

The first thing I do is take nice photos of my items.   The word "nice" really is important.  I can't tell you how many blurry, dark, or poorly thought-out photos I see posted.  One time, someone posted a photo of his truck for sale and he had taken the photo outside at night.  Come on, people!  If I can't see what color or size the item is, and if I'm not able to enlarge it to see details and possible damaged spots, I'm not buying!  So, I try to set my small items up one at a time in our brightly-lit kitchen on a table with no other clutter around.  I usually wait until I have several items and post them together in a photo album.  

Next, I always include a good description of my items, including the price and I add that all proceeds help support our family's adoption.  Any time I have failed to include a detailed description, people ask questions and I end up having to add details anyway! 

Like our consignment items, I get my Facebook items mostly from things donated by other people.  Our family and friends know we are in the adoption process and trying to bring in extra cash, so we regularly have stuff given to us to use as we see fit for fundraising. 

Things that sell really well on my Facebook page are:  Baby items, DVD's, video games, kids toys, anything "NEW," and electronics.  Almost everything I have sold has been something small and relatively cheap.  DVD's and CD's for $2 each, a box of baby clothes for $10, light fixtures, phones, TV's, baskets, laptop cases all for $5 each. 

When I post items, I wait until someone comments and says they want it.  Rarely do people haggle on my Facebook page like they do at yard sales.  Once a person expresses interest, we begin a private message conversation so we decide when and where to meet.  I usually pick a busy place like one of our grocery store parking lots in my town.  I never meet people at my home or workplace.  So far everyone I have sold to has always shown up on time, and no one has ever "stood me up." 

5 bucks here and there adds up, friends.  I think my very post was back in August, and I have now raised $322 just from selling small stuff!  The only thing I have to do is take a decent photo, include a description, check my Facebook messages once or twice a day, and be willing to meet people every now and then at the grocery store.  If you are a fundraising family (or just want to save up for something special), I highly recommend selling stuff on Facebook.  You know we all have items around our home that could bring in $5 or so.  If you don't have enough stuff for a full-blown yard sale, try Facebook!

TIPS:

• Take nice photos
• Add good descriptions of each item (size, possible damage, age, price, quantity)
• Each time someone comments your photo, it gets moved to the top of the newsfeed, so if you have an item that hasn't gotten any love, go comment on it yourself to bump it up in the feed.
• Meet folks at nearby, public places, during the day  

Happy virtual yard-selling!

A Word About Consignment

I had never gotten involved in consignment until this past Fall.  I hadn't sold items and rarely had I bought items at consignment shops.  But, I have now fallen in love with consignment!  I know when we have our little one home, I will really LOVE being able to buy nice, affordable kids clothes from our local store.  

If you are curious about how it works, I thought I would post a word about my consignment experience.  Please note that I'm sure different stores work differently, and I am only posting about one particular store in my town!  

First, to consign clothing, you might have to create an account.  We did.  It involved filling out a short form and agreeing to the store's policies. (Keep those handy for future reference by the way.)  Each store has their own policies, but ours accepts only clothing that is clean, without blemish, and still "in fashion" and in season.  They only accept a certain number of jeans and shoes each month.  They also require an appointment for dropping off clothing, and all clothing must be on hangers.  Our store is small and has limited space; that's why they only take certain amounts of some items.  

Sound daunting?  It really isn't.  What I do is I have a certain designated area in my home for storing consignment clothes.  I keep things sorted by seasons because it's best to take items in when they're what everyone wants to buy that month.  Since we are fundraising, we are always accepting donated items from friends and family members.  When I receive a box or bag of clothes, I sort through and look for items that seem new, brand name, or fashionable, and keep those aside for consignment.  I know certain items that seem to sell very well and when is the opportune time to take them in.  At my store, Holister or AE or similar brands of tees are great anytime, kids clothes and jeans do well in late summer right before school starts, sweaters & blazers sell well in October, anything Christmasy does great in the month of November, girls dresses do well in early Spring right before Easter and shorts and sundresses do well in late Spring.  You kind of have to think about a month ahead of time what people will want to buy.  

I try to make one appointment a month to take in my stuff.  Some stores ask people to "tag" things beforehand, but all I have to do is take items in on hangers.  They inspect the clothes and keep what they can.  They tag it with my consignment number and the expiration date.  Our store allows items to stay in the store for about 2 months.  If something hasn't sold, I can either come search for my items and take them back home or I can let the store donate them to charity.  I rarely have things left over...I was just in yesterday and had one sweater left over.  

When I go in for an appointment, I also check my account.  They keep track of how much I have made from my items.  The percentages vary, but it is a lot more than I could make off the clothes at a yard sale.  I can either get a payment in cash or use it as store credit and do some shopping for myself.  Since we are fundraising, all consignment money I make goes to the adoption fund.  

Since October I have made $50 from my consignment store!  I know it's not a ton of dollars, but anyone who is fundraising knows that every cent counts!  I get excited going through our donated clothes and picking out the best of the best items.  I get excited when I go in the store to check my account and walk out with $10 or $15 for adoption.  

So, if you are a big-time shopper and have lots of nice, new clothes just hanging in your closet (possibly with tags still on!) try consignment.  If you have close friends or family who make Goodwill runs all the time, ask them to allow you to sort through the clothes first.  Try consignment for the best of the best items you find.  If you have kids that are growing like weeds, seek out a children's consignment store and give it a try! 

TIPS:

• Wash items so that they smell fresh
• Make sure items are unwrinkled (this will make them more appealing to shoppers)
• Save items for the opportune time of the year
• If you store requires appointments, make them waaay ahead of time.  Sometimes when I wait until the last minute, I can't get an appointment for a week or so.  I already have my appointment schedule for January and February. 

Consignment is one of our on-going ways to bring in a little extra cash, and I plan on continuing until I don't have clothes to sell or until our adoption is complete!

Stay tuned for a post tomorrow about another on-going fundraiser that has helped me raise $322 in the past 6 months! 

The Day After...

Our Christmas was a wonderful time spent with all of our family and celebrating Jesus, our savior!

However, we couldn't help but think of the missing member of our family.  I know we are still very early in the adoption process, but I still think of "our child" almost every day.  I wonder what he/she is doing and where he/she is.  Especially on Christmas, we were wondering what our child's Christmas was like in Bulgaria.  Was he/she warm (because it's probably snowing there)?  Did he/she receive a gift? Probably not, as orphanage kids do not typically have any personal possessions?  Did someone love on him or her? Maybe so, the orphanage workers in Bulgaria do the best they can to care for so many children, but it's still not the same as spending Christmas with a loving family?  Does our child know what Christmas is all about?  Probably not.  He or she will probably learn about Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection from us. 

So this Christmas, something (someone) felt missing, and although we are trying not to expect our little one to be with us by next year, we do know that adoption is a crazy journey and having our son or daughter with us by Christmas 2013 is definitely a possibility.  What a wonderful gift that would be!  Today, I pray for our child in Bulgaria, and I pray that he/she knows that someone is loving  and longing and working hard to bring him or her home!  I also pray for my friends who are in the adoption trenches right along with us right now.  Some are just beginning to dream of adopting a little one into their family, while some have been literally waiting for years.  Hang in there!  Keep praying and know that God's timing is perfect, and He will bring that perfect little one into your family at just the perfect time!

And now, I have one last push for our current fundraiser:  graphic prints!!  Our next step in the adoption is to submit all of our home study paperwork sometime in early January.  We literally only need two more items and $1,300.  Of course, I want to get all of this submitted as soon as possible because that just enables us to move a little closer to our child.  Our friend's sale of graphic prints ends on December 31st!  That means there's less than a week to get yours!  If you were thinking about buying one but haven't done so yet, this is the time!  Remember, five dollars from every print sold goes directly to our adoption fund! 

GET YOUR PRINTS HERE