Week in Review

This week was spent filling out applications for adoption grants.  My goal is to apply for 10 and then just wait.  They are very extensive but most of them ask for the same information, just individual forms.  I think I used a ream of paper and a cartridge of ink, but we only have 2 more to finish up.

We got our 3rd set of photos of the boys and were so glad to see a couple pictures of them smiling.  We saw them standing next to others which gave us a better idea of how big they are.  We get more and more attached to them and long to bring them home more with each new photo.

Saturday was a huge blessing to me.  A friend from church offered to host a Swap and Shop to Adopt.  I didn't realize until Saturday that this particular fundraising idea was an original idea of 2 sweet adoptive moms in my church.  They came up with the idea a few years ago to benefit the adoption of twin boys from Ethiopia.  It's an ingenious idea, in my opinion.  A host of ladies are invited.  Each one collects items around their house to donate (things you might put in a consignment sale, pass to a friend, give to Goodwill or for a garage sale).  All the donations are organized in categories and then each lady in attendance goes "shopping," collecting anything she would need or likes enough to take home.  In the end, each person makes a donation to benefit the adoption.  Everyone wins - everyone gets rid of things they don't need, everyone gets "new" things to bring home, and money is raised to help support adoptions.

I headed over to my friend's house early Saturday morning hauling a 12 passenger van full of goodies.  My sweet friend and neighbor donated as much as my van would hold from her recent move that required downsizing for her family.  I also had a few things left over from our garage sale and consignment sale.  We set up tables in her backyard and hanging racks in her garage.  We labeled tables with signs for clothing, household, toys, books/media, etc.  We sorted what we had and as friends arrived, they sorted their donations also.  We came inside for snacks and I shared with these sweet girls our "adoption testimony" and then they prayed for us.  Then we all went outside to collect what we would like to take home - baby equipment, curtains, home decor, shoes, movies, all kinds of great things.  As each friend left, they left a donation.

What blessed me so much is that most of these girls didn't know we very well and a couple of these girls didn't know me at all.  This was not a gathering of my closest friends.  As I scanned the room, I saw girls with whom I had never visited with for very long.  What blessed me so much was their passion for adoptions and their willingness to bless us and give.  We raised $650 with just a handful of people at the fundraiser.  I was blessed beyond measure.  The 2 girls who hosted for me blessed me so much.  One of them I just met within the last couple of months.  The other I have known for a while through church but we have not gotten together outside of church events. They both have very small children and one of them is due with baby #3 in a few weeks,so their lives are busy.  It was such a labor of love that blessed me so much.

As we were boxing up the leftovers to donate to a thrift store, one girl offered to take everything home with her to host a garage sale the very next day to add to our funds.  This was one of the girls with whom I didn't know before Saturday.  I was shocked by her sacrificial offer.  

This adoption process has changed me in many ways.  Saturday I was taught through this small group of girls about giving.  Giving of time, giving of money, giving of support - even to those who are not in my "inner circle" of friends.  It was huge to me and I am extremely grateful.