Friday, August 3, 2012
promises and pennies
our home study is finally in the authorization process and should get its final stamp of approval from our agency within the next two weeks. PRAISE GOD! this also means that our next payment of $2500 is due...now. we currently have $680 in our adoption account and expect to bring in $500 more next week with ashley's photography jobs and fundraisers (more info here: www.cainphotography.blogspot.com or www.cainphotography.showitsite.com). so we still have a ways to go and yet we can't move on to the next step or even begin to apply for grants until we have that home study in hand.
these are the times where its easy to get overwhelmed. these are the times where its easy to throw your hands up and think, "there is no way...and this isn't even a quarter of what we still to gather to bring our child home!"
BUT
these are also the times where GOD'S GLORY SHINES.
there are also the times where GOD MAKES A WAY and all we can do is diligently seek His Heart and trust.
so we strive with hearts eager to see God's name glorified despite our feeble attempts and shaky faith. Joshua 1:9 is so very comforting at times like these: "have I not commanded you? be strong and courageous! do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." think of joshua when he heard God Almighty remind him of this promise: he was taking over from an amazing man of God who had just died (Moses) and leading a ragtag bunch of people into battle....they were desert nomads, not warriors. and yet, joshua believed, had faith, remembered who God was (and IS!) and ACTED.
our heart's desire is to complete this adoption without incurring debt. we have already been overwhelmed by the gracious giving and participation of so many brothers and sisters. what a joy to see God's family come together to accomplish something so much bigger than them!
another news and updates: while we gather our pennies and planning fundraisers, we are also working on our next stack of papers: the dossier. a HUGE ANSWER TO PRAYER: a very dear friend of ours is a notary and has graciously agreed to notarized our TON of paper free of charge. you cannot believe how huge of a gift this is and the amount of money this allows us to put towards other expenses. the first section of the dossier requires $3500 plus our home study, medical forms, and formal ghanian adoption application. we have the medical forms and ghanaian application notarized and ready to go. we are simply waiting for the home study to be approved and then work/wait/trust/strive to gather the next set of funds!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
photography fundraiser
*MINI-SESSION ADOPTION FUNDRAISER*
on saturday, august 11, we are offering a special mini-session package to FOUR families (single household only, first-come, first-served). sessions are available at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30 at our property in shingle springs. donations of $100 will include the session fee, fully edited images, and all digital negatives on CD mailed directly to your home.
if you are interested in taking advantage of a session AND helping our adoption AND getting an early jump on Christmas cards (YAHOO!!), send us an email: iamacain@gmail.com.
if we have enough interest, we will plan another mini-session day in september or october.
Monday, June 25, 2012
so....??
we're in a quiet lull. they happen.
i've been majorly antsy about getting things done, but there just isn't anything to do just yet! we have our final home visit with our social worker this friday, june 29. i'm reeeeeally excited for it too because we'll get our next HUGE stack of paperwork then. is it odd to be excited about paperwork? i don't know...i just can't stand the thought of our child staying in an orphanage away from us one day longer than necessary. every once in awhile i get overwhelmed by that thought and i could scream that there's nothing i can do RIGHT NOW to make the process go faster.
but.
PRAISE GOD that I AM NOT IN CONTROL.
there is such peace is knowing that God has ordained every day of mine life and the lives of my children and husband (psalm 139). nothing surprises Him. He doesn't forget things.
PRAISE GOD.
so...friday is the last part of our home study.
saturday we have a little yard sale planned to help with the next batch of expenses. want to donate something? we'll come by and pick it up this week (ben.cain@me.com)! come by 8-1 and see if there's something you cannot live without. ;D
next steps:
once we have the finalized home study in our hot little hands, we'll start applying for adoption grants. i have a whole stack of grant applications all fill out!
after our meeting on friday, we'll also receive all the information on how to file our immigration paperwork and get our dossier in order.
in the next few weeks, we'll also be completing our formal application to ghana's social services to adopt. yay!!
please continue to pray for wisdom and endurance for us as the road ahead still seems long and far away. pray for our family as we walk this road together - that God will use it bring us even closer together! pray for our children - the two here and the one across the ocean - that God will protect them and meet their needs.
amen.
i've been majorly antsy about getting things done, but there just isn't anything to do just yet! we have our final home visit with our social worker this friday, june 29. i'm reeeeeally excited for it too because we'll get our next HUGE stack of paperwork then. is it odd to be excited about paperwork? i don't know...i just can't stand the thought of our child staying in an orphanage away from us one day longer than necessary. every once in awhile i get overwhelmed by that thought and i could scream that there's nothing i can do RIGHT NOW to make the process go faster.
but.
PRAISE GOD that I AM NOT IN CONTROL.
there is such peace is knowing that God has ordained every day of mine life and the lives of my children and husband (psalm 139). nothing surprises Him. He doesn't forget things.
PRAISE GOD.
so...friday is the last part of our home study.
saturday we have a little yard sale planned to help with the next batch of expenses. want to donate something? we'll come by and pick it up this week (ben.cain@me.com)! come by 8-1 and see if there's something you cannot live without. ;D
next steps:
once we have the finalized home study in our hot little hands, we'll start applying for adoption grants. i have a whole stack of grant applications all fill out!
after our meeting on friday, we'll also receive all the information on how to file our immigration paperwork and get our dossier in order.
in the next few weeks, we'll also be completing our formal application to ghana's social services to adopt. yay!!
please continue to pray for wisdom and endurance for us as the road ahead still seems long and far away. pray for our family as we walk this road together - that God will use it bring us even closer together! pray for our children - the two here and the one across the ocean - that God will protect them and meet their needs.
amen.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
preparation
moving right along.
at a snail's pace. *sigh*
adoption is the world of HURRY HURRY HURRY....and waaaaaaaaait.
and then wait some more.
and then HURRY HURRY HURRY!!!!
right now we're in a short wait between the hurrys. we've finished all our paperwork for the home study. next friday we have our final interviews with our social worker. then our home inspection. yes, we do already have two children in our home who are happy and healthy and well-adjusted; and yes, we have already completed one successful adoption.
yes, we do still have to go through another home study to received that beloved "stamp of agency approval."
its all good. just those hoops you can't think about too much or you get frustrated. *check check check it off the list*
while we are in a little lull of calm, we are trying to take the time to prepare for the crazy when our next child does arrive home. i'd love it if i could store up on extra sleep right now...stock it away for later when i'll need it. but i tried that with josiah's adoption and it DOES. NOT. WORK. made things worse, in fact...just a little FYI in case you've thought about that. *grin*
what we are doing is creating a big fat folder of support. medical specialists, social workers, adoption circles, etc....things that we may find that we need when our child comes home. this way its already at our fingertips. research it now in case you need it later, right?
this is a really great time for us to learn more about ghana. we found a ghanaian association of sacramento (GASCAL). *score* unfortunately, we just missed their big annual celebration of ghana's independence in april, but we've got it on the calendar for next year.
we're also girding our loins to answer the inevitable questions that will come when we become a "conspicuous" adoptive family. our little josiah is light skinned with blue eyes. no one knows he's adopted unless we start talking about birthmothers, etc (which i do quite often and wonder by people look at me weird. "oh, right! let me explain...josiah came to our family through adoption."). with this new little one who will have beautiful ebony skin and dark hair, the biological differences will be more obvious. while we've had our share of ridiculous and insensitive questions about josiah ("did i cost extra for a white baby?" seriously. seriously?!?!?!?!), we're thinking through our reasons for adoption so we can take the time to gracious educate those who ask thoughtless questions....or not. honestly, sometimes i think you can sometimes reply with a crazy answer and walk away. they might do better to think through the answer themselves without our children needing to hear it. read a great little, humorous blog post on exactly this:
top 6 reactions to our adoption
please continue to pray for us as we see God provide mental stamina, TIIIIIME, and funding. we'll have some news coming out soon about a few fundraising opportunities.
"let the word of Christ dwell in you RICHLY, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with THANKFULNESS in your hearts to God." colossians 3:16
at a snail's pace. *sigh*
adoption is the world of HURRY HURRY HURRY....and waaaaaaaaait.
and then wait some more.
and then HURRY HURRY HURRY!!!!
right now we're in a short wait between the hurrys. we've finished all our paperwork for the home study. next friday we have our final interviews with our social worker. then our home inspection. yes, we do already have two children in our home who are happy and healthy and well-adjusted; and yes, we have already completed one successful adoption.
yes, we do still have to go through another home study to received that beloved "stamp of agency approval."
its all good. just those hoops you can't think about too much or you get frustrated. *check check check it off the list*
while we are in a little lull of calm, we are trying to take the time to prepare for the crazy when our next child does arrive home. i'd love it if i could store up on extra sleep right now...stock it away for later when i'll need it. but i tried that with josiah's adoption and it DOES. NOT. WORK. made things worse, in fact...just a little FYI in case you've thought about that. *grin*
what we are doing is creating a big fat folder of support. medical specialists, social workers, adoption circles, etc....things that we may find that we need when our child comes home. this way its already at our fingertips. research it now in case you need it later, right?
this is a really great time for us to learn more about ghana. we found a ghanaian association of sacramento (GASCAL). *score* unfortunately, we just missed their big annual celebration of ghana's independence in april, but we've got it on the calendar for next year.
we're also girding our loins to answer the inevitable questions that will come when we become a "conspicuous" adoptive family. our little josiah is light skinned with blue eyes. no one knows he's adopted unless we start talking about birthmothers, etc (which i do quite often and wonder by people look at me weird. "oh, right! let me explain...josiah came to our family through adoption."). with this new little one who will have beautiful ebony skin and dark hair, the biological differences will be more obvious. while we've had our share of ridiculous and insensitive questions about josiah ("did i cost extra for a white baby?" seriously. seriously?!?!?!?!), we're thinking through our reasons for adoption so we can take the time to gracious educate those who ask thoughtless questions....or not. honestly, sometimes i think you can sometimes reply with a crazy answer and walk away. they might do better to think through the answer themselves without our children needing to hear it. read a great little, humorous blog post on exactly this:
top 6 reactions to our adoption
please continue to pray for us as we see God provide mental stamina, TIIIIIME, and funding. we'll have some news coming out soon about a few fundraising opportunities.
"let the word of Christ dwell in you RICHLY, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with THANKFULNESS in your hearts to God." colossians 3:16
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
fostering hope in ghana
one of the things you have to come to grips with when you start an adoption is that its costs money.
a lot of money.
in the end, though, its not EVER about buying a child. it is ransom money. every penny gets you closer to gathering YOUR child into your arms.
think of it this way: if your child was taken from you and placed in the deepest, darkest jungle on the other side of the world, is there anything that would be too difficult or too costly to get them back? no, of course not. and when you are called to adoption, that is exactly how you feel. YOUR CHILD is out there somewhere, waiting for you...of course there is no amount of money too great, no hoop too ridiculous to jump through, no dance you are not willing to learn so you can welcome them into your home.
that said....we spent a lot of time researching adoption agencies. since we were going to be spending a lot of money, we wanted that money to be used in a way that would do more than simply bring our child into our arms. we wanted to work with an agency that would help to keep families together and alleviate the orphan problem worldwide.
this is why we love bethany christian services (www.bethany.org).
they have foster programs and small business loans and gobs of other GREAT ideas in place in so many countries around the world. in the US, they support birthmothers who choose to keep their babies and help them get back on their feet. these are the things we believe in. these are the things that help to keep families together. adoption is ONE of MANY solutions to help orphans! we love that our support of bethany christian services helps more than just our family...
here's a nice little article about what bethany is doing in ghana: Fostering Hope in Ghana
a lot of money.
in the end, though, its not EVER about buying a child. it is ransom money. every penny gets you closer to gathering YOUR child into your arms.
think of it this way: if your child was taken from you and placed in the deepest, darkest jungle on the other side of the world, is there anything that would be too difficult or too costly to get them back? no, of course not. and when you are called to adoption, that is exactly how you feel. YOUR CHILD is out there somewhere, waiting for you...of course there is no amount of money too great, no hoop too ridiculous to jump through, no dance you are not willing to learn so you can welcome them into your home.
that said....we spent a lot of time researching adoption agencies. since we were going to be spending a lot of money, we wanted that money to be used in a way that would do more than simply bring our child into our arms. we wanted to work with an agency that would help to keep families together and alleviate the orphan problem worldwide.
this is why we love bethany christian services (www.bethany.org).
they have foster programs and small business loans and gobs of other GREAT ideas in place in so many countries around the world. in the US, they support birthmothers who choose to keep their babies and help them get back on their feet. these are the things we believe in. these are the things that help to keep families together. adoption is ONE of MANY solutions to help orphans! we love that our support of bethany christian services helps more than just our family...
here's a nice little article about what bethany is doing in ghana: Fostering Hope in Ghana
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
how did we decide to adopt?
one of the questions we hear a lot is: "so, how did you decide to adopt?"
a fellow adoptive mommy friend wrote a blog post to answer that question (*high fives, alexis!*). i really couldn't say it any better....so i'm stealing her wit instead. *grin*
click here:
How We Decided To Adopt
a fellow adoptive mommy friend wrote a blog post to answer that question (*high fives, alexis!*). i really couldn't say it any better....so i'm stealing her wit instead. *grin*
click here:
How We Decided To Adopt
Monday, April 30, 2012
golden trivia
a few fun facts about ghana....
1. the official language of ghana is english. there are, however, over 200 various languages spoken within its borders!
2. "akwaaba" is the twi word for "welcome." twi is spoken by the ashanti people in ghana.
3. accra is the capitol of ghana and is located on the country's southern coast.
4. ghana is home to the world's largest man made lake, lake volta. it covers more than 3200 miles and provides the majority of the nation's electricity.
1. the official language of ghana is english. there are, however, over 200 various languages spoken within its borders!
2. "akwaaba" is the twi word for "welcome." twi is spoken by the ashanti people in ghana.
 |
| "welcome" sign at the accra airport! |
3. accra is the capitol of ghana and is located on the country's southern coast.
4. ghana is home to the world's largest man made lake, lake volta. it covers more than 3200 miles and provides the majority of the nation's electricity.
 |
| lake volta and the akosomba dam |
5. the secretary-general of the united nations from 1997 to 2006 was kofi annan, a ghanaian! "kofi" is the akan name that corresponds with being born on a friday.
 |
| kofi annan, secretary-general of UN from 1997 to 2006 |
6. in 1957, ghana became the first sub-saharan african country to gain its independence.
7. ghana is the world's second-largest producer of cocoa.
 |
| ghanaian cocoa farmer |
8. the form of money used in ghana is called the cedis. it is currently one of the most highly valued african currencies.
more cultural tidbits and lessons to come! :)
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