Goals (or What now?)

This particular post may be boring for many of you. Sorry. Just skip it. 
For other's it will be an answer to many questions. 
Many thanks to Google for the images.

Several sweet and interested folks have asked "Now what?" or "Isn't it paid for yet?" (sometimes it's us asking those questions) and some have sweetly suggested that we list each goal - we'll try to be more forthcoming. 

Currently, the USCIS* and FBI is $1115 and is met. And as of this writing they have been mailed off! WOOHOO! Now we wait on USCIS to respond. 

While we wait we aren't going to be sitting still (except for the parts we literally have to sit still for). We have lots to do!

Here's whats to come (followed by a glossary of weird words and an expected cost list):

1) Grant* writing. I've already researched many grants that we may qualify for and now that we have the homestudy* we can actively pursue those. If your looking for me, I'll be in the basement writing grants. 

2) Building the dossier*. Which includes new medical exams and test and other fun things, having it all apostilled*, and mailing it to Ukraine. 

3) Continue Fundraising for Agency Fees, Ukraine Fees, Expected In-country fees , and travel expenses. 

4) Continue to update you pretty people. 

5) Stay the course! And continue to scrimp and save while we pray. 

Glossary

Apostille (pronounced “ah-po-steel”) is a French word meaning certification. ... The Apostille is attached to your original document to verify it is legitimate and authentic so it will be accepted in one of the other countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention. In GA it's $3 per document.


dossier /ˈdôsēˌā,ˈdäsēˌā/ (pronounced "dos-see-A") noun; a collection of documents about a particular person, event, or subject.

grant noun; a sum of money given by a government or other organization for a particular purpose.

homestudy noun; an assessment of prospective adoptive parents to see if they are suitable for adopting a child.

USCIS noun; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Expenses to come 

(this is not exhaustive, and does NOT include things already covered):

https://www.adoptfamilyconnections.org/

These are also our next goals.
$3,250 Agency Fees, Family Connections (most of this has been paid, update to come)
*$12,000 Ukraine Fees (2 siblings) (this covers facilitators, translations, and legal fees) - this is our current fundraising goal - and the biggest one yet!
$1000-1500+ Dossier preparation (this would include updated and in-depth medical exams, fees for other documents we may need to create, getting EVERYTHING apostilled, and mailing the whole thing to Ukraine) 
$4680 In-Country Fees  (this includes an orphanage gift, birth certificates, passports, & US embassy fees like Visas and medical exams. We may also have the added expense of any required medical for Andrii while we are there)
$15,480-$27680 Estimated Travel Expenses depending on how many times we must travel to Ukraine,  and the cost of transportation, room and board at the time of travel) We are trusting that whatever is provided will be exactly the right amount. God is a great provider.

Current Ongoing Fundraisers 

Click on colored words for links.
Abba Fund - tax deductible gift, Abba Fund pays directly to service provider. Please specify "for the HE Brown family" in the comments online, or in a note with your check. 
Bonfire T-shirts
PayPal - paid directly to us. Please specify "adoption" 
Family Connections, Inc. - this is our agency. Any money received over their fees will go toward Ukraine fees or travel expenses.
Kathy's Kreations on Facebook (just made up that name) - the "Morgan cousins" supplied us with lovely things they crafted to help us raise funds - Hair scrunchies, headbands, lanyards, & dog bandannas

More to come!

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

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!

Current Fundraisers

Hold on to your seat!

No!!! Don’t do that! Especially if your local! Let go! See where you can help!

You can help by simply liking and sharing a Facebook or Instagram post, committing to pray, give, or get really wild and jump in with both feet and walk (run, skip, hop, roll, drag along) beside us (literally)!

It all helps!

Here’s the big list of what we are working on right now to help fund this adoption.

Candy & Lemonade Stand   

Lavonia Festival – Saturday, May 4^th, 9am-4pm

Carnesville Festival – Saturday, May 11^th, 10am-3pm

Hosted by the 4 younger siblings

Car Wash

At Carter’s Kitchen & Barry Hose and Hydraulics, Lavonia

Saturday, May 4^th, 11am-3pm

Hosted by the 4 oldest siblings

Adoption T-shirts                                     

www.bonfire.com/ukrainian-adoption/

Current campaign runs through May 12

Looking to get your own shirts made? Use this link and we get a bonus!

Antiquities Portraits

Purchase a $10 certificated for an 8x10 portrait of your child(ren).

Portrait Sitting Date: Saturday, June 22, 10am-8pm

Location TBA (somewhere in Franklin County, Ga)

 You and also earn extra photos by helping to sale the portrait coupons - AND whoever sales the most wins a prize from us!!!

Email edbrown77@yahoo.com 

if your interested.

Abba Fund

A link is being set to give via the Abba Fund grant. This would allow donors to give a tax-deductible donation of money, vehicle, assets, gift card, and other contributions. These funds create a grant which is paid out to our agency, attorney, travel agent, or others who assist in the adoption process.

As soon as it’s up and going we’ll let you know!

Edit: The Abba Fund is live! Linked Here.

Change Drive

We are in the process of collecting peanut butter jars or similar containers to use for a change collection drive later this year (perhaps late summer). Every cent counts!

PayPal

paypal.me/edbrown77

GoFundMe

www.gofundme.com/Becoming12

Illustration by William Warren

Got questions? So do we! But we're happy to answer any we can in the comments below. Perhaps you'll spawn an entire post!

Our goal for the adoption is between $35,000-$40,000. That's seems pretty overwhelming. But we are reminded everyday that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. And chew.