Cattle Sales

Another sweet cousin is trying to plan an adoption fundraiser for us and asked for information and a breakdown of the cost of the adoption to present to her church and local businesses. 

The total funds needed is an overwhelming amount. 

But we determined at the beginning, with God's help, to eat this big elephant one little bite at a time. And thus far, God has been faithful to supply. He is always faithful.

The first week of December we needed to send the agency $1300, we were a little short, so we sent what we could. And we were pretty spent, totally out of ideas for quickly raising more. Then the phone rang. By the weekend we had two more small fundraisers to do. The difference was made up. The $1300 was covered, with change left for the ongoing fundraisers (headbands, wreaths, and such).

Cow painting by Mary Beadles - given to Jorja last week at a fundraiser

I've said for a long time (at least 14 years), and through many financial hard spots (ours and others), "God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Surely He can keep the lights on." (As a single mom HE kept the lights on - miracle money in the mail box - that's another story).***

Earlier this year, driving to some adoption/trauma training, I passed some peaceful rolling farmland. Hills full cows to my right, a multitude of sheep to my left. And I was reminded of how God could keep the lights on. It reassured me to keep moving forward and pursuing these kids. 

This week, I passed a pasture with just a few cows and immediately thought, "Oh look, He sold some cows." 

I woke up Friday, to the official diagnosis for Andrii, "stage four malignant brain tumor with metastasis in the spinal cord." (Talk about adding wood to the fire!)

We had about $200 in the Abba Fund and $136 in the bag (my fancy way of keeping adoption funds separate is a big ziplock bag - don't be jealous of my organizational skills). And I shared publically about Andrii. 

Within hours we were overwhelmed with love and support and the way people who don't know him or us are being God's hands and feet. 

Enabling our desire to bring them home. 

Helping the orphans.

Being used to set the lonely in family.

Gathering those cow auction profits. 

Oh how He loves us! All of us. All 12. 

(And Stephen too - which makes 13, but I'm not changing the name of the blog). 

I'll stop typing now. 

*curtsy*

*** This is NOT a plug for the prosperity gospel. It is our little finite minds and hearts attempt to remember to trust a totally trustworthy, infinite, eternal, creative, doer of the impossible, God and Kimg of the entire universe to care for us. We are but sinful dust. We are totally undeserving of any good. Yet He cares for us. He carries us. He loves lavishly. 
All glory and praise and honor belong to Him. 

Desire

If desire were dollars or wings we'd be in Ukraine.

We desperately need prayer. Support - of all kinds.

Last week we found out that "our boy" had a brain tumor. Today we have been told that he has been in the children's hospital for 4 days, today he was officially diagnosed with "stage four malignant brain tumor with metastasis in the spinal cord." He has begun chemo. They believe it is inoperable.

We don't even understand all those words. We are researching each one. We have more questions than we can give voice to.

Oh to be by his bedside, holding his hand.... calling him "mine."

We cannot play the "what if?" game.
Only the "right now."
And right now... he should have a Mama and Daddy and family with him, comforting him, encouraging him...

And "our girl"... what must she be thinking? She's not as fluent in English as he is and communication is limited. She needs a Mama and Daddy and family with her, lots of hugs, encouragement, comfort, understanding....

They need love. And we want so badly to lavish them with so much love...

We are so close. We have "official" people there now advocating for him. For them. For us.

Funding continues to be a seemingly insurmountable hurdle. But God....

He who has call you is faithful, 
HE WILL SURELY DO IT.

1 Thessalonians 5:24

In the spirit of total transparency, thus far we have paid in over $5000 in adoption fees, the total estimated expenses is at least $43,000. So we just need $38,000 more (and we laugh and pray and fund raise and strategize and pray and trust God who loves them even more - because that number seems ridiculous - and more than many people make in a year).

So we ask, HELP! Help us go get them quickly!

We've got fundraisers in the works. See this post. 
We've got a tax deductible place to give through the Abba Fund.
We've got direct giving via PayPal.
We are preparing for change drives in churches and groups and available to speak anytime in person or online.
We've got ideas and need help getting it all to work.

Update: The agency we hosted through is hosting a fundraiser and it’s amazing! See it here.

Thoughts swirl and hearts hurt.

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; 
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Psalm 82:3

As I'm writing our younger 4 children came in just now and offered to give up any Christmas presents - we just all want them HOME. Help us bring them home. Help us call them son and daughter.

This is the picture of those beautiful children we hosted. Those children we hope to make our own.
When we told them we wanted to adopt them, he said, "Both? or just her?"
"Both child. We want you both."

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1

Christmas Shopping?

We want to bring home a new son and daughter.
Our kids want their new brother and sister home.
But whats currently melting our hearts is that Grandmother, Nana, and several cousins are excited to have new grandchildren and cousins! How loved!!!

Wreaths, headbands, scrunchies, lanyards, dog bandannas, and t-shirts!
So many pretty things!

Lanyards $4

Double sided Headbands $5 -
see below for more options

Double sided Headbands $5 many options - lots of Christmas fabric

Key Fob $3 (only 3 available)

Hair Scrunchies $3 each or 4 for $10

Dog Bandannas - Double sided - slides onto coller
Small $3, Medium $4, Large $5

The Morgan cousins made and donated all the pretty things above. Local pickup avaliable (I'll have them in the van). Shipping is $3 for the first 3 items (or 4 scrunchies)

Grandmother made many grapevine wreaths in assorted sizes then Nana and Ava decorated a few (the picture is upside down - I've fixed it twice - Oh well). Price $2-$9 depending on size and if it's fancied up. Local pickup only.

I use a grapevine wreath on my front door ALL YEAR - I just change the bow to match the season.

Merry Christmas! 🎄

Fundraising this weekend 12/7/19

At the beginning of the week our ideas for fundraisers were all falling flat - then the phone rang!  This Saturday we will again divide and conquer! 

Erin will be helping at a booth in Royston and Gene will be at a booth in Hartwell! 

Of course assorted offspring have been voluntold to help (and they’re excited about it).

🎄What we want most for Christmas is to have them home! 👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼

Update: We had a great time at the bazaar and artisan market this past weekend! Its always fun to meet your neighbors (some are more interesting than others) ;) 

Jorja is a natural sales lady! I was so glad to have her help me at the Artisan Market.
And Kelly, who hosted the event at The Old Corner Hardware Store, was a wonderful hostess!
Thank you Janna McCollum of Ruby Jewel Designs for generously allowing us this opportunity. 

Gene had a great time with Ava, Autumn, & Lora.
Thanks so much to Tammy at Hart Life for allowing us a space.
(Did you notice that the tablecloths are the colors of the Ukrainian flag?)

The FUNdraising continues in the upcoming post! Stay tuned! 

We be rolling (coins)

If you have come into our foyer in the last year you might have noticed this large Folgers canister which was lovingly decorated by Lora when we’re raising funds to host Andrii & Anastasia. We just kept adding to it when we said yes to adoption.
We drop change in it as we clean out pockets and purses, and it holds all the “in-between cash” (that money waiting to go to the bank or to the post office to become a money order to pay some fee).





We need to send in fees to the new agency (Family Connections) ASAP and we’re $38 short. So we got out our closet jars - we’ve been collecting in those a LONG time!
(That penny jar was nearly full, the shorter jar... not so much since we started collecting for fees.)(there was also one dead stink bug - unfortunately we can’t get much for bugs)

So we rolled coins. We ran out of penny rollers and still have half a big pickle jar of pennies - and wound up rolling a few dollars extra worth. (They will now be the in-between cash).

We do have a small fundraiser this weekend - I'm helping a dear friend and fellow homeschool mom sale her jewelry for a percent of the profits. She over booked herself to be at two Christmas bazaars.

We are also trying to think QUICKLY of one more to hold at a Christmas Bazaar we could join last minute. Several others are already doing baked good and hot chocolate... I wasn't as crafty as I'd hoped and my imagination isn't running at full capacity lately... so I need ideas. * Update: we’ve been donated some lovely handcrafted items!!! Woohoo!

If your church or group would like to do a change drive for us in the new year to help with raising adoption funds and/or travel expenses that would be FANTASTIC!!! Just send a message or leave a comment and we'll talk! Funds can be donated directly to our agency or to the Abba Fund. (if you do donate please specify that the funds are for the HE Brown family).