Sunday, April 22, 2012

Would You?

Today is April 22. While I've thoroughly enjoyed today, spending the morning at church, then the afternoon with family, my heart is aching. Today our son, our precious, beautiful gift from God, is turning 6. And while we are here in the US loving him and wanting him home, he's in an orphanage. Alone, without a family. Without even knowing that he has a family here waiting for him. Wanting him. Aching for him. Loving him so much.... I know I've said it before, but it's amazing how God can instill this love for a child we've never met.

"Not flesh of my flesh, Nor bone of my bone, But still miraculously 
my own. Never forget for a single minute, You didn't grow under my heart - but in it."
 - Fleur Conkling Heylinger


So even though we cannot celebrate his birthday with him today, I would like to celebrate him and how much he is a gift to our family and to our friends who already love and care for him. If you wouldn't mind, please take a moment to write a special note for him under the comments, wishing him a happy birthday. When he does finally come home, we do plan on celebrating his birthday and would love to read to him about all the people that loved and cared for him, even when he was completely unaware of it.

Also, would you be willing to help give him the ultimate birthday gift any orphan could receive? Would you help to bring him home? I have now added Paypal buttons for the HOPE, PRAY, and BLESSED bracelets and they are now available to order.  Please check out the Current Fundraisers tab up at the top or go HERE . Not sure what I'm talking about? Read under Current Fundraisers for more info!

Could we get at least 60 bracelet orders tonight for his 6th birthday? I know it seems like a lot, but I know it's totally do-able! Help show "M" how many people love him and want him HOME and please share with your family and friends!!! (And don't forget to leave a comment for his birthday!) 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Dossier #2! And a chance to help!

Once again, it's been quite awhile since I've posted an update! I apologize! We have been really busy and finally moved into our new house. I hate moving... But I unpacked in record time and had the house ready to go, decorated, and rooms painted within a week! I had the motivation of updating our home study to get me going! So... That means we got to finally update our homestudy! This was the last bit we needed to complete our new dossier for "M"! Last Wednesday, the kids and I headed to the post office to overnight our new completed dossier to our agency!


They were just as excited as I was! They pray nightly for their brother and are constantly asking when he will be home... We wonder that, too... And some have wondered if we'll be bringing home a sister... As of right now, we have not gotten another referral for one. If God wants us to bring home a little girl, He's got about a month left! :)

Speaking of timing... I turned 26 on Monday! I did a lot of thinking! While I was excited for my birthday, it was pretty bittersweet. This was my first birthday I had to celebrate without having my Daddy here... I think all the firsts of holidays and birthdays are going to be especially difficult.

Another bittersweet topic! "M" is turning 6 on Sunday (whether that's his true birthday or not, we're not sure. It's what's on his birth certificate)! I'm always excited for my children's birthdays, but this one also makes my heart ache even more for him... He'll be celebrating (not even sure if they celebrate birthdays) his birthday alone without a family and it kills me... I won't be able to wake him up with a morning hug and kiss and special birthday breakfast. I won't even be able to see him...

But I'm thankful that we're possibly going to be able to go in June or July for the first trip! I cannot wait!! Unfortunately, according to my friend who is a travel agent, it's a very expensive time of year to travel. We're looking at a lot higher costs, around $1800+ for each ticket, not to mention all the other expenses... Anyway, unfortunately with switching agencies and such, we still need to raise money for our travel fees. All the fees for the agency and for "M" have been paid. The only thing left is our travel costs for both trips. We're saving as much money as possible, but will still need about $6000. If we do get a referral for another little girl, we'll need an additional $6000 for her, as well. So, we're looking into a couple fundraisers!



First: Introducing MudLove bracelets!


Mudlove is a great company who gives 20% of their sales to help give clean water in Africa! So when you buy a bracelet from us, not only will 100% of the proceeds benefit our adoption, but 20% of the actual cost of the bracelet will go towards clean drinking water for Africans!

We bought a bracelet that benefited a missions trip. I originally bought it for myself, but Michael "stole" it from me and he wears it everyday! We are not sure of what band colors we're getting, yet, but would love to get a rough count on what colors most people would want, so please respond if you are interested in what color you'd prefer to buy!

We will be getting bracelets with the following words:

Blessed 
 Hope. (of course!)
Pray. 

My prayer is that you will buy these and if someone asks what it's for, you'd tell our story and tell them that you helped bring a sweet little Ethiopian boy home to his forever family! And that every time you look at your wrist and see the bracelet, you'd pray for him. 

Cost: $10 each, shipped.  Again, please be sure to respond to this or Facebook on if you'd be interested, how many, and what colors/words you'd prefer. We have NOT ordered these yet, and I want to be sure to get what's most wanted!




Secondly: Just Love Coffee

We love coffee in this house. A lot. Sometimes I think Michael lives on it! I know I have lots of friends that love it, too... So, since so many of you buy coffee, I thought this would be a great way for you to not only get amazing, free trade coffee, but also to have it help us! For every bag of coffee you buy, we receive about 50% of the proceeds!

About Just Love Coffee:

"At Just Love Coffee Roasters, our mission is to bring out the unique qualities inherent in each coffee bean. We do this by taking a small-batch artisan approach to all of our specialty coffees. We don’t use automation or computers during the roast process, but instead carefully roast every batch to perfection using smell, sight, sound, touch, and taste. We’re always searching for the best Fair Trade, organic, and shade-grown coffee beans available.And as passionate as we are about creating outstanding artisan coffees, we are equally passionate about helping those in need. Every delectable cup of Just Love Coffee you drink has a portion of its proceeds go to someone who could use a helping hand. In our first two years of business we have given over $200,000 to adopting families, non-profit organizations, and the arts. "

So, for just $12.95, you can buy a bag of organic, free trade coffee from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Costa Rica, etc. They also sell other items, as well. Check it out and order through the link by clicking below the photo below:

CLICK HERE



CLEARANCE SALES**

Also, we still have lots of cookbooks left and are now selling those for $13 each (includes shipping)!

We have T-shirts left, too. Sizes Large and XL, and also children's medium and large. Adult sizes are now going for $10 and children's are going for $8! Please click on the Current Fundraisers tab up at the top, e-mail me at nunezfamilyadoption@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook if you have any questions or need help ordering!