Do Something!

So, it's been a while since we updated you all. Sorry about that. Life gets in the way of us making the time so sit down to update this, but things are very much still happening. Frankly, there isn't much movement at this point to report on, but here's what's happening

There's a song by Matthew West called Do Something. The message is simple, and poignant...

"If not us, then who?
If not me and you
Right now!
It’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when?
Will we see an end
To all this pain?
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something"

That's how we feel. This is our opportunity to Do Something! To show people that adoption is doable. It's a real, tangible thing that can bless the life of a child, their lives, the lives of their church family, the community, and yes, bless the world!

So, you should do something! Give, adopt, act, serve, help, SOMETHING! Pray for guidance in your own life as to what that Something that God wants you to do is, and for the courage to get off of the couch and GO DO IT!

The progress update...

The home study is complete and we've been officially approved to adopt. All of our paperwork (our dossier) is either at our agency in Georgia or with the Federal Government in Dallas (our I-800A application). Our agency is getting our paperwork translated into Lithuanian while the US government is processing our application to allow John-Patrik to immigrate to the US as our son!

What does this mean? It means that in 30-90 days, the waiting will be over and we will hear from the Lithuanian Central Authority 15-30 days after the processing, and they will give us a travel date and court date with 30 days notice. That means, that we could have a travel date in 45-120 days!

It's really happening! It's not just an abstract idea about something we'll be doing at some time in the future, we're really going to spend 20 hours on a plane and go to an eastern European country that we've only seen on the internet to pick up the boy that God has chosen for us to take into our family!

So, thanks for checking out our update, and again, our apologies for the lengthy delay. A public thank you is in order for Sharon Freeman who organized and pulled off an adoption shower for Meg! Thank you also to the many, many people who gave us gifts and helped with the shower. Also, we just cannot thank enough the dozens of people, friends and strangers alike, who have donated to our fundraising effort. We are so close to our goal, it's very humbling!

In God's love to each you!
Rich & Meg
Here's the official video for "Do Something" so you can listen right now...

But God...

Have you ever been apart of something so driven by God that, even though you were working at it, in reality, God was actually the One accomplishing it all?  As in, unmistakably so?  To experience it is almost indescribable. It’s like I’m just watching it all happen.  We sign our names, fill things out, write a few reams worth of background information, and get things notarized.  But God has been the One raising the money, blessing the people who touch our paperwork with a mind to be efficient, cutting through busyness to have people return emails, and more than promptly.  These things could not possibly be done by us. It’s all Him.

Initially, when we considered adoption the mile-high pile of insurmountables (cost, paperwork that has to be perfect, tons of international red-tape, etc.) was enough to stop us dead in our tracks.  There’s SO MUCH, we thought.   …Which made it so much easier to talk ourselves out of it.  Again and again. However, those thoughts were not filtered through God’s word.  They weren’t considered in light of discipleship. They weren’t paired with faith. Faith, as a matter of fact, had nothing to do with those fearful thoughts, we realized. But God, in His mercy (Some of my favorite words in the whole bible) was patient with us. 

The phrase in scripture… “Behold, I am doing a new thing!” comes to mind. Like He’s excited and wants you to get on board!  Listen, when God has a mind to do something new, and blesses you with the opportunity to be apart of it, 1. Wake up and accept the opportunity!, and 2. He makes it happen!  (I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but God doesn’t need you to accomplish His will… He allows you… us, to be apart of it.) What He requires of you is a desire for faithful obedience.  You’re not going to be awesome at it the whole time, you’re just not. The temptation to doubt will be all around you. But God rewards faith with more faith!  He builds us up.   HE writes our life’s story; we are His workmanship. HE is the author and perfecter of our faith… and this is what that looks like.  It starts with that first, scary, step towards obedience. But here is the great news: There is blessing in obedience! Not only is it going to be “OK”, it’s going to be really good!

 
I LOVE it when God blows my socks off.  LOVE IT. I pray for it.  In fact, if you know me personally, you’ve probably been in the room praying with me when I’ve said it.  And do you know what?  I think He loves it too.  One of the incredible things that has happened through this adoption is that I’ve have had the enormous privilege of watching our boys’ faith grow.  They have seen, with their own eyes (figuratively, of course) God’s hand moving through this whole thing.  We have a running total on our huge white board in our “school room”/family room of where we are with the adoption fundraising. (Let me just tell you, it was an act of faith just in the decision to do this; I was afraid they might not see the numbers change and lose heart. I repented of my unbelief and have since felt so stupid, I wish I could un-think it!)  But God, in His grace, has provided. Incredibly so!  They have watched that number shrink steadily. He has continued to provide, and through some of the most delightfully unexpected sources!  It has nothing to do with the money. I’ll say that again, it has nothing to do with the money.  …And everything to do with watching the Creator of all things direct His attention on tiny us by supplying what we need.  In humble amazement, I am stunned by this thought.  He makes me giddy.  And my kids are starting to understand just how big our merciful, gracious, God really is and it just tickles me to no end.  I wonder if John-Patrick will ever understand all of this?  I hope so.

All for Him,

Meg

p.s.

Our home study is nearly complete! It should be done in 2-3 weeks, and then our final official dossier sent to the Central Lithuanian authority! This means we could be travelling by April or May!!! Praise God!

p.p.s.

Reece's Rainbow, a great Christian organization that provides help for families seeking to adopt special needs children, has approved our request for help! What does this mean for you? There is now a TAX DEDUCTIBLE way for you to donate towards our adoption expenses. While personal donations to us are NOT tax deductible, a donation to Reece's Rainbow (a 501(c)3 corporation) is. Many people have helped us financially, and we are SO grateful for their sacrifice on our (and John-Patrick's) behalf!

View our Reece's Rainbow page HERE.

We pray that you will prayerfully consider donating towards our adoption, not because you can get a tax break, but because God has moved you to do so.

Moving Forward

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NASB)

While it has been nearly a month since our last update, it doesn't mean that things haven't been happening. We continue to be blessed with the love and support of our friends and church family as the process continues to move forward.

We received our dossier guidebook from our agency in Georgia. It's monstrous, overflowing a 1.5" 3-ring binder! So much information! It's got steps of the process, samples of forms we'll be filling out, and more stuff that I (Rich) still need to review. 

The home study is underway. The most difficult part of that to this point was finding a physician's office that also had a notary. Once that was done, it was seven(!) physicals including lab work and TB testing. Then, the home study agency accidentally shredded our check payment so they could actually do the study! Not really a big deal, somewhat amusing, really, but it did slow us down a couple days while they waited to receive another check. 

The first of three home visits was yesterday. It went superbly! I was incredibly anxious about the home inspection process but we did fine. All my worry over the fact that I didn't scrub and/or sterilize all the baseboards and every other square inch of our (already regularly cleaned) home was for naught. Once again, I was reminded that God's got this and I should relax and trust Him!

Our case worker for the home study is great, and was more than happy to volunteer to be a resource for us after we bring John-Patrick home. (John-Patrick is what we'll be calling Patrikas after we get him home.) That has been a great relief and blessing, just knowing that the help is available from trained professionals. Our next visit is scheduled for the 27th. Your prayers are appreciated as that visit nears.

Also, our agency's in country representative has received and forwarded our introductory letter to the Lithuanian Central Auhority. This letter is the Lithuanian government's first chance to meet us and decide if we are an appropriate match for Patrikas. Your prayers for the hearts of those reviewing this intro letter is also appreciated!

Meg and I are also taking sabbaticals from our leadership positions at Christ  Community Church as we prepare for the adoption. Pastor Dan wondered how we will prepare for something that we can't prepare for, and it reminded me of a quote I'd heard from Kung-Fu legend Bruce Lee. He said, "The way of no way is the way." 

That is the method I'm using. I'm trusting God that he has placed the correct tools, resources, and people in my path. I'm using those things to prepare in every way I can. Reading books, talking to people, researching things online, any and everything I can reach.  Has it helped me know what to expect? No, but I'll have no reason to be disappointed, either, as I have no expectations. I know that God will help us to be prepared, and He's doing that right now. 

Otherwise, our financial needs are still there, and we've been very blessed by the generosity of those close to us. We're two-thirds of the way to our goal! Thank you again for your generous gifts, we are so grateful for your blessing of us in this way!

Right now, it's really starting to sink in that this process is really going to happen. It's really going forward. We could really be traveling to Lithuania by April or May! It's exciting and spiritual and terrifying all at the same time. Just, wow!

I opened this post with Christ's admonition to us the we go and make disciples. My prayer as we go through this adoption process is that I can be a man who does that. If I am able to encourage you in some way to become a doer of the Word and not just a hearer, then my prayer has been answered. 

God bless!

Rich

In as much

"For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
-Matthew 25:35-40 (KJV)

I feel like "the least of these" most days. Someone catches me in the hall, hands me an envelope. Pulls me into the lounge, gets out their checkbook. I don't deserve this. We're just trying to help one child. But that's the nature of grace. God gives us gifts that we don't deserve. He started it when He came to Earth in the form of a babe, and grew into the Savior of mankind. We deserve nothing but punishment and wrath, God chose to give us salvation. We are the least of these! I thank God for that!

Been too long since we updated you, and we're sorry. Getting ready for this adoption is quite a process, and with work and school for the boys going, too... Well, sorry, and we'll try to be more diligent!

The support has been pouring in and it's incredible to us. People we didn't expect or friends we hadn't spoken to in a long time, every donation, no matter it's size, is incredibly humbling. It's been a while since we updated, but we are BEYOND the halfway point!
To see how God is moving in our lives, and the lives of those around us is AMAZING! Thanks for your prayers, your love, your encouraging words, and your support. We can't do this without you!

PROGRESS UPDATE:
Commitment contract is done, Home study is underway, and a letter introducing OUR family to the Lithuanian Central Authority has been sent. This is the Lithuanian Government's first chance to get to know us, and we are praying hopefully that they'll accept our request to be matched with Patrikas! Our agency's representative in Lithuania described us after reading our letter as an "unbelievable family," now talk about pressure! But, with God's help, we know we can do it!

I am a puffy-eyed mess!

I am a puffy-eyed mess…  

    I can’t shake this sense of urgency; I’ve never felt this before. Pictures like this one certainly don’t make this any easier.  My heart is sick for him and my eyes burn from crying thinking about how long it’s going to be, even in the best circumstances, before we can love on Little-Bit(Patrikas).

"Learn to do what is right. Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the case of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow and orphan." 

-Isaiah 1:17

 

Expositor’s Commentary points out that Isaiah’s “rapid-fire” style here“underscores the authority and urgency of God's commands to His people(that’d be us too) to obey”. Immediate action.  James 1:22 nudges towards the same… “Do not merely be hearers of the Word, DO WHAT IT SAYS!” (paraphrased & emphasis added)  Go.  Now. Chop, chop.  Shake a leg.  Get off your fanny and start moving!  

 

    So here’s the thing, what happens when the reader and researcher of said verses (i.e. Me) receives the intended message but is faced with the very real, not fast, un-urgent, process?  You wait, that’s what.  Pardon me… I wait.  (You read about me waiting… and hopefully pray too!)  

    Yes, I realize I’m 4 weeks into this.  Yes, I know I need to pace myself.Don’t judge me, I’m new. Patience is not one of my strengths. I’m still accommodating this odd process.  So different than when I was pregnantto add to our family… 1. I already know what Patrikas looks like.  2. I know [some of] how much he needs (developmentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually) 3. I don’t know how long it will be before I get to meet him (at least with pregnancy you know it’ll usually be about36-40 weeks). 4. He’s not technically mine yet. And, 5. There’s a contract involved.  …All of these things are the opposite of having a natural child.  There is one similarity however, that I did not see coming; I am emotional as all get out! (…Hence the heartsickness and puffy-burny-crybaby-eyes.)

    As far as an update, our application was approved! YAY! We got our Commitment Contract from An Open Door Adoption Agency on Monday(Today is Friday) and it’s not signed much less mailed yet.  Why, especially with all this talk of urgency?  (I need to preface this with: I’m not saying any of this to pressure anyone into donating.  It’s just what we’re dealing with right now. But feel free to donate as the Spirit leads! J) With the signed contract they also need a check for $2000 for them to send us our Dossier.  This tells them that we are very serious about pursuing Patrikas; it also means that he will be unavailable to anyone else and the people in Lithuania now know our names as Patrikas’ potential parents.

The Dossier, in case you are unfamiliar, is the magic packet of information the governments involved, in our case the U.S. and Lithuania, need sayingthat we are who we say we are, among A LOT of other stuff.  That is to say, we are not human traffickers nor are we any other form of perverse humanness; we are healthy, we are genuine, and we promise to love Patrikas like he was our own flesh.  The Dossier will travel ahead of us gathering various signatures from Idaho’s government, the U. S. State Department, and finally, Lithuania’s Central Authority. 

    Anyway, seeing as how we don’t currently have the full $2000 yet the contract will remain unsigned, our Dossier will continue to be unsent, and we will now get creative in how we can raise what’s needed. Needless to say, I’m rethinking everything in my house reconsidering our need for itso that it can be sold for adoption funding.  Thankfully, the adoption agency is ok with staying in a holding pattern until we have the needed amount to send them.  

    And did I mention that in addition to all of that we also have our Homestudy beginning?  That’s another magic packet of information &reports on us & our family, plus adoption training hours, and home visits. It also has a cost of $1400 but that won’t be due for another 6-8 weeks; that’s ages away compared to the Dossier’s ASAP status. In the Homestudy, every fiber of our household, including all 7 of us, will be turned upside-down and inside-out to ensure our readiness and safety for little Patrikas.  We just received that packet yesterday; it’s pretty intense.  I have to say this though: I do not resent this privacy-violating process, the idea of being scrutinized is not my favorite, but it’s necessary to protect little ones… it’s not personal; it’s due diligence.  (…Remind me of that later when I’m whining about it, would you please?)

   So generally, I’m starting to feel the gravity of what we’re doing.  It’s pretty huge.  Like I was telling my good friend, and adoptive mama herself, Sharon; I’m not nervous or fearful about the adoption itself; about having a new personality being added to our family dynamic, the magnitude of Little-Bit’s needs, or even having a crib in my room again.  (I’ve already made space!) At this point, as I’m sure will be the case throughout, the hard part is battling the unbelief that God will provide and, in looking at this ginormous stack of papers that is our contract, the legal aspect of it.  The possibility of missing some key sentence worth of vital information that could cause a big fat delay and this is just the beginning.(Remember that sentence for when I start on the Dossier… *Ugh!* Expect neurotic, OCD-like behavior) As for right now, just like with a pregnancy,I’ll consider it labor only in the form of paperwork… hard and sometimes tedious work for a dang good reason.

     As for the unbelief, I’m thankful for God’s mercy and scriptures likeMark 9:23-24 showing us that Jesus himself addresses this subject directly and that we can and should ask for help in the midst of our unbelief to overcome it and that we have the freedom to ask & receive forgiveness for it. There’s also 1Cor. 10:13 where Paul tells us that we arenot tempted beyond what is common for man and that God, who is faithful, always provides a way to stand up under it; whether that be through friends (or husbands) bearing the burden with us speaking truth into our life; scripturally smacking us back in line if needed, or allowing us to be extra sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s correction, guidance, and reassurance, or the most obvious; scripture itself...  Whichever way it happens, through all of this, regardless of how early into the process I am… I get to experience God’s grace and mercy in ways I’ve not been able to before now and for that I’m deeply thankful.

In Christ,

Meg

Why are you afraid?

When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. (Matthew 8:23-26 NASB)

Adoption is huge. It's hard. It's the right thing to do if you really believe God's Word. I'd heard it for a long time. I knew inside that it was all those things. But, to be frank, I was selfish. I knew that God was asking me for more. Is He asking everyone? Yes. Does that mean that you should start the adoption process right now? No. But, should you do something hard, something sacrificial, to tend to widows, orphans, and the needy? Yes. What we were doing in our family, what we're still doing is important, and is the right thing to do, but, for us, it was 'phoning it in.' Our giving to Compassion International (a fabulous organization) is helpful to Jorge, our sponsored child in Nicaragua, but it isn't sacrificial. It's, frankly, too easy. We don't even have to write a check, it just comes out of our account each month with no thought or effort on our part. I wanted that non-effort to count for our family. But, God had bigger plans for us.

A couple of months ago, Dan (our pastor) asked us to read the Gospel of Matthew for our Adult Community Groups leadership meeting. In a rare turn of events, I actually did...

The above verses grabbed me, then. They grabbed me again last night at our most recent ACG meeting. Jesus asking the disciples, "why are you afraid?" He was asking me, too. That's the beauty of where I am now. I'm not afraid. I am finally in a place where I can look at this mountain that's in front of me, realize that there's absolutely no way up it, and I can turn to God. I can put it on Him. I can say, "I can't do this, but You can!" And He is. He is.

It is incredibly humbling to be this broken down. To finally be a man who can trust God first, and his own efforts second. I used to operate with an attitude of "I'll bang out what I can, then when I fall short, I'll throw it to God and He'll give me a hand." Those times are behind me. They should have been a long time ago. Trust Him first, then act out of that trust. That's what He expects of us. That is His desire for our lives. Not just for adoption, for every facet of our lives.

Rich

p.s.
Status update:

Fundraising is starting to ramp up. Meg (with the help of some other great ladies) is cranking out knitted fingerless gloves, and my boys and I are making paracord bracelets to sell. If you're interested in either, get in touch with us through our personal Facebook pages, or leave a comment on this post.

Also, our application is being reviewed, and we are beginning the search for someone to perform our Home Study. This is our fist financial hurdle as well, as most estimates we've heard on the cost of the Home Study put it somewhere in the neighborhood of $800-$1600. We'll let everyone know when we're going on that.

Wondering why?

James 1:27

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Dear friends and family,

About 18 months ago God started whispering to my heart about considering adoption when our Student Ministries Pastor and his wife (Todd & Summer Roughton) were at the beginning of their own adoption. At the time my body was a mess of unchecked Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and chronic back & neck pain; not the best scenario to introduce a little one into.

I started praying about it and, during yet another experience in hearing God’s desire for us to adopt through a speaker at a Homeschooling Conference, I asked Rich to start praying about it too. The subject of adoption kept coming up through any avenue God saw fit to use; movies, books, bible studies, and of course, scripture. It was undeniable and unavoidable; Jesus had a plan for our family. We’ve taught our boys that it doesn’t matter how much you study the bible; you have to live it. In short, they were on board long before we were.

God has moved mountains in our world to accommodate obedience. He’s addressed nearly all of my physical issues, including the latest surgery on my back that should resolve most of my daily pain! The fitting response to getting a second chance at a normal life is to extend that blessing to a little one who’s chance at basic survival is disturbingly low. (Internationally, 80% of special needs children who age-out and are then institutionalized, die within the 1^st year.) Then finally, God softened and spoke to Rich’s heart on the subject; although in his defense he is already pretty dang tender!

So where do we start? There’s so much need. I looked at so many websites and read so many biographies of waiting children and what captured my heart was a 3 year old Down’s syndrome little boy named Drake (Patrikas in Lithuanian) and he lives in Lithuania. He was the only one out of all those kids that had stated in his bio, “He’s 3 years old and nobody visits him. No one is interested in him.” My heart broke. The Holy Spirit whispered, “Yes.” and that’s all it took. We’re praying he is still available and even if he’s not, I was blessed and burdened with a glimpse of how Jesus feels about these forgotten special little ones and we will continue in our search for the son we haven’t met yet.

With all that said, the fact is adoption is expensive, annoyingly so, however it shouldn’t be a hindrance in our obedience. We’ll be able to put a large amount towards the balance with our tax return in mid- February and selling things we’ll be making like bracelets & knitted fingerless mittens, but even with that we’ll still need help. Thankfully there is a sum of money that’s been donated toward Drake’s adoption through a website called Reece’s Rainbow, but there’s still a large amount needed. We’re asking that you pray about donating towards bringing home the little one God has waiting for us. This will, no doubt, prove to be the hardest and most amazing experience of our family’s life. No matter what you decide, we ask that you join us in continual prayer.

All for Him,

Meg, Rich, & the Boys: Jake, Jadin, Emmett, Teigan, Dax, & little Drake…

The sooner we get this money (& paper work) in the sooner he comes home to his forever family, it could even be as soon as February if we can raise the money fast!

Thank you!