I'm out of control

How many times have I said to myself just in the past few days, “It’s all in God’s perfect timing. He has all the details in order. You are NOT in control”?

A LOT!

We are still waiting on the septic to be fixed so we can pass that portion of the homestudy.

I am not in control of that man who dig’s holes and lays pipes’ schedule.

I must get some fingerprinting redone.

I am not in control of how any of that works.

The Young Love Birds

Ava’s medical report was totally messed up at the doctor’s office.  

I am not in control of those people and their lack of understanding.

We are in full-blow wedding planning crazy! And the budget is…. There isn’t one. 
It’s a week by week adventure.

That is beyond my control. We only have so much.  We can only plan and pay for what we are able to week by week.

What am I in control of?

My attitude. I can enjoy the ever-changing journey. I can decide this is an exciting adventure and love every minute (it’s only a season).

I can be patient. I can treat people with kindness (even when they make me wait more).

I can be a good steward of all we are given. I can keep moving forward (with adoption fundraising, and paper collecting, and wedding planning).

I can do my best at what I can and not sweat the rest.

I can KISS it all (Keep It Simple Stupid).

I can choose each day (multiple times) to trust God’s perfect plan. (this one is the most important).

I can take care of me. Then I can take care of others (and all the rest). I can stop in the middle of all the crazy and give myself a pedicure or read a book or write a blog post (your welcome) or take a nap (or all these as needed).

I can try to control me and my words and actions.

I’m out of control. But not really.

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 

2 Peter 3:9

Have patience, have patience

Don't be in such a hurry

When you get impatient, you only start to worry

Remember, remember that God is patient, too

And think of all the times when others have to wait for you

~ from the PATIENCE Song (Herbert the Snail)

Sad News/Good News

We came across this article (linked here) stating that, as PERSONHOOD Alliance said, “GoFundMe has just independently launched its own megafund to support the National Network of Abortion Funds, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU Foundation. Donor money will be split among the 5 organizations to pay for legal challenges to abortion laws, lobbying for abortion-on-demand in Congress, and the actual killing of pre-born children.”

This us such sad news. We are extremely pro-life (I lead a local pro-life group). So, we have chosen to delete our GoFundMe account completely and remove all links.  

Thankfully we have already been approved to have an AbbaFund page and PayPal for online giving.

All our current adoption fundraisers are linked on the side (in web view, I don’t know where to find them in mobile view, but if you scroll down on your mobile device you can change views).

We’ve also launched a NEW t-shirt campaign with pretty summer colors and TANK TOPS to help keep folks cool on the long hot summer days! You can find these trendy little pretties https://www.bonfire.com/becoming-twelve/

at

You can also find the old t-shirt campaign (with a few different colors) at https://www.bonfire.com/ukrainian-adoption/

It may not be to late to book a trip using our Airbnb link. We aren't sure if that link still works to save you $$$ and earn us funds we can use towards our stay in Kiev.

I Ran Away

Gene and Chris install a s
hiny new transmission

Birthday Girl

I was really glad that the fellas got my van fixed because I NEEDED to go to Alabama.

There’re these precious girls there and one was having a birthday party.

There’re my big cousins who I love.

And a GREAT aunt and uncle.

But mostly there’s this beautiful, new, tiny, perfectly perfect baby girl, and bless her heart, they named her after me!

Erin LeighAnne

The Erins who ran errands

So, I loaded up the four youngest and spent the gas money to get these people in my arms.

I needed to.

We ran away for just a few days from the details and to-do list of adoption and weddings and celebrated life!

And I loved it.

Then we came home and took a very long nap.

Adding On...

So much can happen so quickly. Thankfully, it’s all good. We could use some good news.

The text photo that
this was a thing!
Maybe my current
favorite picture of
my favorite oldest
daughter.

Stephen & Ava

First, the biggest news!!! We are adding a son-in-love to our tribe! 

That oldest tall child got a wedding proposal Sunday and she giggled happily and kept the ring, so the young suitor took that for a “yes!” 

So, now we are planning a wedding. They have yet to set a date. She’d love a Fall wedding but with the uncertainty of when we might travel to Ukraine (hopefully in the fall), we asked them to speed things up or wait longer. They see benefits to both. 

But why wait?

In other news, the Knee Baby (that’s what we call the next to youngest), with help for the almost oldest, cooked chicken enchiladas for a Fiesta supper earlier this week as part of his math assignment. He even decorated the porch and had the Daddy put on some fiesta music. It was fun!

During the course of dinner conversation the younger set were discussing brothers and sisters and very naturally said they “have 9 brothers and sisters” (for those slow on the math – that’s 2 more than currently reside here full time – that a wonderful precious big deal). They may be half a world away but they are close in our hearts. And have already been counted as part of this crazy clan.

Adding on as fast as we can.

This Weeks Adoption Progress

There’s only a few more (maybe 4?) more things to check off our list to get done for this homestudy!

This week we finished the 10 hour Hague Adoption Training (don’t tell anyone that it was mostly boring, somewhat outdated, and didn’t take a whole 10 hours – BUT some of it was good and thought provoking and helpful – I suppose that’s balance), we’ve gathered more documents, we’ve ordered more trigger locks, that last old child is finally getting her medical report filled out today!

A quite few minutes writing notes earlier this week
which still need to be mailed

All that’s left is one more reference letter, the septic letter (septic being repaired next week), the TB test, and one more certificate.

Next week we’ll be continuing writing thank you notes, finishing school lessons, getting a new transmission for the van, visiting a new baby cousin (Lord willing!!!), putting together more fundraisers, and planning a wedding.

But that’s ALL!

Come Back Soon(er)

Today all this legal stuff is just taking too long! 

I’m feeling impatient. I want to rush things but it’s out of my control. (And to fair, we are still just in the overly detailed dragged-out beginning phase – so this is totally a heart issue – keeping it real).

It’s been four and a half months since we hugged them good-bye. (Seem longer). We didn’t know what to do with ourselves. God distracted us with a problem with the van (less serious than the current van problem).

I dreamed again last night that we were where they are and I could hug them, touch their faces, tell them that I love them and that we really are trying hard to get there and bring them home.

Oh, to bring them home!

Got up and did my morning routine. Bathroom, coffee, devotions (about parenting), emails, Facebook (hit the brakes) - right near the top of my feed someone had shared a beautiful older child adoption story (linked here). Now I’m a teary-eyed mess.

Reminded again that God is in control. We may not understand His plan. We may get impatient with His timing and provision. But it is ALWAYS PERFECT.

He loves them.

We just trust and press forward with the next task at hand. All for His glory.

They’ll be here soon.    

"This God—His way is perfect; 

    the word of the Lord proves true;

    He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him."

Psalm 18:30

PS - It's so much the little things that impress me and keep me amused. Pretty rocks, little flowers, baby toes....wanna boost my ego a little? Subscribe to this blog - we "installed" a gadget for that near the top of the sidebar. Or just comment occasionally. Tell us your praying, give us some wise word, or tell us we're crazy... all are acceptable. 

Abba Fund

We were approved for the Abba Fund last week! This is very exciting!

Those lovely folks who wish to give a tax-deductible donation can do that through the Abba Fund.

AND – I love that I don’t have to touch the money – I just tell the Abba Fund people where to send it. This can help pay for any adoption related expense. They will send funds directly to our agency or a travel agent…  or wherever to cover the cost.

They even take donations of cars, assets, gift cards, or other (whatever that is).

We also love their statement of beliefs and faith. They are “grounded in helping orphans – often referred to as the “fatherless” in Scripture. [They] believe the best environment for an orphaned child is to be cared for in a loving, nurturing Christ-centered family environment where they will not only experience the love of Jesus Christ, but be introduced to the person of Jesus Christ … and hopefully trust in Him so that they will be adopted into Abba, Father’s family through salvation.”

You can find our info page at www.abbafund.org/hebrownfamily

Prayer Request

We are thankful for our good health, and remember how the Lord has lead, guarded, provided for, and loved us all these years. Please join us in praying for the following details.

First, as part of our home study we must have a letter that our septic system is in good working order. It has been examined and found lacking. According to our very nice fella from the health department, a family half our size shouldn’t be able to flush the toilet. Yet here we are… a year and a half of flushing and showers and laundry and dishes… but he can’t give us that letter. But he wants to help us resolve this easily. 

He asked that we first check for leaks.

Did you know that your toilets could be slowly leaking from the tank into the bowl without you knowing it? And that that slow leak adds constant pressure to your septic? And you can test it with red kool-aid?

New information for us too. Turns out all our toilets needed new flappers.

Worse case now is we will need to add some more drain field. Messy costly job.

Next, this weekend our big giant van, that is the Mama’s main vehicle, started making really weird whiny noises and being a jerk. (It jerks, especially in reverse). We’ve got a couple of theories about what could be wrong.

Lastly, (which seems minor compared with those first two) that oldest tall child, is the only one who hasn’t gotten her medical exam done. Medical reports are also needed for everyone in the family. The older two girls aged out of the pediatrician’s office and just hadn’t gotten a new doctor yet. They both visited a local office to get their records transferred and become new patients. One got in, one’s records never showed up. The office has resent the request (over a week ago) and we continue to wait.

We praise the Lord that all of our medical exams were covered by our insurance as our yearly check-ups.

We are at peace as we trust God has all things in His control and will provide for each need. Pray we see soon how those first two request will be provided for and that any oversight on that last one is cleared up.

We’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment on any of our post. We know most of this blog now is the nitty-gritting, somewhat boring details. But hang on the really exciting stuff will come as we continue to press forward.

Yard Sale

Our friends, the Vickers, who hosted the yard sale and made and put out LOTS of signs and donated items and fed us lunch and… and… and … hoped that we would raise at least $500 this weekend and we made … (drum roll) …

$568.64

With that and what we have in the bank we are about halfway to our next small goal!!! (Eating this BIG elephant of adoption expenses one small bite at a time – not sure my brain can think in tens of thousands of dollars).

We are so thankful to so many who helped so much! Of course, the Vickers, and the Waltons, McCollums, Dallas, Stricklands, and… Natalie (whose last name I don’t know but enjoyed getting to know her) and all those who supported us by finding their new treasures and eating some tasty snacks!

We worked hard but we had fun. And got good tans.

And I must brag on my children. Sometimes I feel like I need to micro manage or they stand around wondering what to do next (honest Mama moment). But I was so impressed this weekend with how they ALL jumped in to help pack, unpack, set up, take down, sale, run errands, clean up messes, and visit with others. All without my prompting. Thank you, Ava, Autumn, Elijah, Alex, Lora, Jorja, Jacob, and Josiah for working so hard to help bring home your foreign friends and call them family.

We aren’t done. We’ve posted several things that didn’t sale to Facebook marketplace and are making more sales today. We are open to getting more “in-kind donations” (aka your junk that could be someone else’s treasures). We’ll continue to sale some things on Facebook (just a little, it’s very time consuming) but will also be collecting for another yard sale at the end of summer or early fall.

More to come!