Halted

For the sake of preserving what's happening on this journey of adoption, we would be remiss not to
mention that a global pandemic has halted the adoption. We haven't stopped. The process is just stalled.

Early last week we excitedly mailed all our dossier forms to our agency in the state of New York. But like so many people everywhere they can't "gather" - work is slowed or totally at a stand still. So our documents sit. Waiting. 

Ukraine has been dealing with this slightly longer. They hope to begin accepting dossiers again on April 2nd. Will they reconsider? Probably. Would our documents even be there by then? 
(Update: Ukraine has pushed the end of their quarantine to April 24th)

Like so much of this process, so much of the last year, we wait. 
It's out of our hands. 
We wait. We trust. We hurry. We get excited. We get stand still. 
We are reminded yet again Who is in control. 
That none of this is based on our desire or feelings or effort... but some grander, perfect, good plan that will glorify Him. 

On the flip side, life here is pretty much the same. The daddy and big kids (thankfully) still keep working. Gene as a truck driver, the boys as support for truck drivers (they wash big trucks, which keeps our food trucks rolling), and the older girls in food service (for now). But because of their exposure to folks from all over, we are just assuming we could have been all been exposed. We had already decided to stay away from others as much has possible. 

Life at home is pretty much the same. We continue homeschooling, minus our few regular classes and gatherings. We're finding lots of new things to learn on YouTube. We've indefinitely postponed Josiah's big 10th birthday party. We're just staying home. 

Thankfully, for the most part, we are really good at just being home. We are thankful for good health, for supplements to help boost our immunity, a good size house and a big yard, sunny days, and that we are all pretty easily entertained. 

In other news, I was put in contact with a mom in Minnesota who is trying to adopt the best friend of the kids we are trying to adopt. This young person "calls" then nearly daily. So the mom has gotten to know our hoped for kids a little. What I learned was that 1) eventually, we'll be visited by Minnesotans, and they'll be visited by Georgians, and 2) all three kids have hopes of being home in the USA by summer time. Oh wouldn't that be wonderful!!! 

So we continue to pray. We've just added to our prayers that this virus will pass quickly. That all 13 of us (and all the grand folks) stay really healthy. That this adoption process picks back up. That grants and donations will come in while we wait. That we can be with them soon. 
And we trust He who is sovereign. 
And we wait.  

“Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!”

Psalm 46:10

12-12-12-12 for World Cancer Day

Our next big goal - the biggest goal yet! - is to raise $12,000!!!*
This will cover the Ukrainian fees.
For next 12 days (Jan 28-Feb 8), in honor of  🌍 World Cancer Day (Feb. 4), to help raise funds to bring home a new son, who is now a brain cancer patient, and his sweet sister through adoption we will send you a very cool gold and gray #becoming12 silicone bracelet for every $12 or more donated. 💖



Wouldn’t it be awesome if we actually did raise that much in 12 days!?!?! #highhopes 

💛 Gold represents childhood cancer 

🤍 Gray represents brain cancer

#becoming12 - that’s us (blog, intstagram, Facebook) 

Better picture coming soon! The bracelets have been ordered and are being created.**

To give via the Abba Fund click HERE be sure to comment “for the HE Brown Family”

Or via PayPal click HERE comment “adoption fund” and include your mailing address

Help us help them! 🇺🇦👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼🇺🇸
$12,000
12 days
$12 at a time
#becoming12

Please share! 🥰

Math dork moment: 
If 1000 people each gave $12...
If 500 people each gave $24...
If 250 people each gave $48...
If 125 people each gave $96...
If 100 people each gave $120...
If 50 people each gave $240...
If 25 people each gave $480...
If 12 people each gave $1000... well that would totally blow my mind!


*funds raised will be used for any adoption expenses
** yes $12 is a lot for a silicone bracelet- but the point is not the bracelet. The point is to make 2 less orphans! 🥰

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

All the things I haven't said

When we are waiting on something good it seems to take forever!

But when we have something to do (or that we should be doing) the time flies by!

Blogging will be an easy way to keep everyone up to date. (If you actually do it).

I'll be good at blogging. (Nope - sorry).

Here's the possibly lengthy catch-you-up post. (not totally in chronological order).

Since my last post was about a patriotic quilt (seriously thought I'd updated LOTS since then), I'll start with:

The quilt sold via eBay. But not for as much as we had hoped. We are very grateful to Aunt Carolyn for her donation of the beautiful quilt and to the eBay-er who was delighted to use it in redecorating.

We have since been posting lots of little things on eBay (member erbr_2337) to help raise funds and in the process have gotten to know our sweet postal worker better. They are the most helpful people for shipping anything as cheaply inexpensively as possible. And they are just super sweet.

Photos and college by Jacob

We did have one more yard sale that had shoppers waiting on us when we arrived at the crack of dawn. The unsold treasures lived in the basement until I couldn't stand it anymore and "organized." Some things went on Facebook Marketplace, some on eBay, some to the thrift store. (And, for the sake of total honesty, a few treasures we are using).

Currently, there's a box in the dining room and two in the basement of posted and waiting to be posted items. I got my house back and an extra job. 

A sweet friend, Elena, did a Tupperware fundraiser. It was delicious. 

Tomorrow we are having a Krispy Kreme sale before (and possible after) church. 

100 dozen doughnuts = 1200 doughnuts 

Pray for hungry folks with $7 and a sweet tooth to drive by.

We did this last year to help raise funds for hosting fees and more than doubled our investment. So all those eBay sales have been invested in doughnuts. 

Of course we still take donations any time in person, snail mail (message us for the address), via PayPal, or for tax deductible gifts through the Abba Fund.

Fundraising is FUN. But exhausting. And I'm running out of creative ideas. Matter of fact, I'm not feeling very creative at all. In any area. 

But we have been encouraged this month. We can finally see the light at the end of this homestudy tunnel. We had been waiting (for over 6 months) for one piece of paper, a certain background check, to be sent to our homestudy agency. They had requested it several times. Finally, after several phone calls it arrived. So now we make sure all our boxes are checked and get our original documents together and wait again. 

Fall Birthday People

Next steps (hopefully), apostillizing the documents (they get stamped as "fo'real" legal papers), USA approval, and extreme grant writing. (Plus holidays).

In more personal news:

Over half the family had birthdays - Jorja, Autumn, Gene, Erin, Jacob, and Elijah. 

And the biggest news (drum roll) after a blur of preparations and bridal showers, 

Ava and Stephen tied the knot! 

It was beautiful. They are beautiful. 

The only thing we wish was different (okay, they only big thing) was that the two new children could have already been here. 

Here is a video of just a few of the pictures from the wedding events:

So that's the short version of the last some-odd months. 

Today it has been one year, one month and ten days since we first opened out hearts and homes to two wonderful, beautiful, smart, sweet, funny, energetic young teens. Orphans who want a family.

Pray things hurry along from here and provision is made for all expenses with the least amount of stress. 

Pray for Gene and I. God is refining us, our household, our finances, and our marriage. 

And pray for our two "heart children" who are also waiting - they are ready to come home! Pray God would protect them and redeem this time and place people in their lives to shine His love to them. 

Love ya!

"Is anything to hard for the Lord?" 

Genesis 18:14a

 

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.