Waiting and Wanting

Not a lot has happened since our last post - so just checking in! June was a busy month. We had VBS and 2 weeks of children's camp. June 4 - our church partnered with Action Ministries to deliver lunches to the children in Butts County. Our church began serving these lunches (M-F) to approximately 37 children - and last week we added 30 more children.  We have teams of people who come each day to prepare and deliver lunches to these children. While I thought delivering these lunches would be such a GREAT ministry to these families, as it turned out, it has been such a blessing to me - and I think for everyone who has taken part. We have become involved in the lives of these families who live in a 5 mile radius of our church. Most of whom do NOT attend church. We've celebrated birthdays! We've celebrated the birth of a baby! It has been awesome. Our church family has gone above and beyond to donate funds and food for this ministry. I can't wait to see what God will do through this simple act of kindness.
June 10th - our dear friends hosted a breakfast at our church prior to SS. Their goal was to raise $300 for us to help with our adoption. They raised almost $1800.  WOW!! Our church folks are
A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!  We completed one interview for a grant through Katelyn's Fund. We are praying that we will hear good news from them in a couple of weeks. We have not heard anymore from the other 3 grants (one - a matching grant) we have applied for but are praying that we will hear within the next week.  These grants - if approved - should give us enough $$ to send our paperwork to Latvia AND make our first trip. Please pray with us about this.  As the days pass by, we get more anxious. We are 'farther removed' from V with each passing day, and even though we try to talk to her every few weeks, her English gets less and less. Today, as we talked to her, Daniel tried to explain to her that we were working very hard to try to come see her. He told her we were trying to get enough $$ and get our passports and such. She got real quiet - and then I heard her say, "HERE? To LATVIA?" He told her it would be a while - probably after she goes back to school - but that we hoped to see her soon. She said, "Here?" Then, she began speaking very excitedly and rapidly to her family in the background. Of course, my favorite parts of our call are when we get ready to get off the phone - I say, "I miss you!" She says, "ME, TOO!" and I say, "I love you!" - She says, "ME, TOO!" The excitement in her voice when she says those two words - though some may not think is much - is enough to keep us working toward our end goal - Bringing Her HOME!!! If you have not had the opportunity to give toward our goal, please visit our fundraising page and click the donate button. You can give through Paypal.  You can also click the link to go to Village to Village International to make a tax deductible donation.  To those of you who have already given - THANK YOU!! A MILLION TIMES THANK YOU!!! We will NEVER be able to repay you for the sacrifices you have made to help change the life of our 'special orphan'.
FYI - stay posted! We should have our t-shirts available for purchase soon  ($15).
Prayer needs:
**Pray for the New Horizons families who are hosting nearly 200 orphans from Latvia and Ukraine RIGHT NOW!! Pray that they will be the light, and that these children will feel the love of Jesus while they are here. Also pray that these children will find their forever families. Visit newhorizonsforchildren.org for more information on how YOU can participate in this hosting program.
**Pray for V - that God will fill her with His love - and she'll feel the excitement that something better's coming!
**Pray for Show Hope and God's Grace and Katelyn's Fund and Hand to Hand as they review our grant requests. Pray that we will receive approval and funds in a timely manner.
**Pray for the last few documents we need for our dossier - one specifically from my Dr. I had to have them do it twice BEFORE I had it notarized ( I goofed!). Then, we messed it up when we had it notarized - so I'm having to get it done again! I've called and emailed! I did finally get an email from them but she basically said she didn't know when she could get it done. Just pray that she'll show me grace and get my papers signed and mailed to us. We really need to get our papers apostilled.
**Pray for my brother, Clark, and sister-in-law, Susan as they have begun the process of adopting a precious baby from China.
**Pray for Kati (Susan's sister) and Lew as they are patiently waiting to get the word to go to Congo to get their precious babies - Arthur & Gigi - who are just adorable!!
**Pray for our Orphan Awareness Silent Auction/Banquet we are in the process of planning - which will take place August 18th. Most importantly pray that we will be able to adequately make people aware of orphan needs and orphan ministry opportunities - domestic and international. Pray that we will have the attendance for which we are hoping. Pray that people will be generous with their donations (if you have anything you'd like to donate - message me!). Finally, pray that we will raise some much needed funds for our adoption.

Plane Tickets

We will need three round trip tickets for our first trip to Latvia (Daniel, Heather, and Vita).  We will then need 2 round trip tickets for our second trip (Daniel and Vita) and 2 for our third and final trip (Daniel and Vita).  If anyone has Delta sky miles and would like to use them to purchase a ticket, the tickets are selling for 75,000 sky miles each right now.  Please let us know if you have enough miles and would be willing to donate them to bringing V home!!

Village to Village

We are now being hosted through Village to Village International Ministries. We need approximately $6,000 in order to send our paperwork to Latvia.  If you could spare any 'change' each week, please go over to Village to Village and make your tax deductible donation to help us bring Vita home. Giving up a soda or coffee every day would equal about $7-$10. Every little bit helps. Thank you SO VERY MUCH!!!
We also have puzzle pieces left if you'd like to purchase one for $10.

Village to Village International - DeJong Family

Happy Mother's Day

Today I feel so blessed!! So thankful for my 4 angels who made me a mommy!! Thankful for angel #5 -14 years old - who will make me a mommy again - hopefully soon! We have been gone the last few days - visiting with family! So happy to see my brother, Richie and his family. They are relocating to NC from MI - and we are so thankful! As a result of this move, I got to kiss on and love on my new nephew, Drake, who is such an angel as is his big sister, Madelyn. So, after not getting the mail the last few days, I checked it today when we got home after church. The best Mothers Day 'card' EVER was in the mail - our immigration approval!! HALLELUJAH! Thank you Jesus!! Now, to move forward - - maybe a few fundraisers, hopefully some grant approvals, and maybe a few donations. We are so anxious to get this paperwork sent off. One special girl is waiting on us, and we don't want to miss anymore time loving on her than we have to! So pray with us that God will provide! Thanks for your support and prayers through this process.

Cattle on a Thousand Hills

We are in the process of applying for several grants that we pray God will use to help fund the next leg of our journey to bring our girl home. Please pray that God will provide. We have a couple of very large expenses due before we can move to the next step. Once we are approved by immigration, we can send our dossier to Latvia, but we have to have paid all of our adoption agency fees first (in the neighborhood of $7,000). We also need to be prepared to leave for our first trip to Latvia when they approve us and tell us when our court date is ($8,000 + plane tickets). So, we need God to sell one of His cattle on a thousand hills! We trust that He will do this through one or more of these grants, and through special donors like you!! It has been amazing to watch God work through this journey. It is one thing to talk about faith and watching God do the impossible, it is quite another to be in the midst of it. God is so good!

Good Friday

Good Friday - - Such a strange name for such a 'sad day' of history. The day our Savior died! But looking back, it was a GOOD FRIDAY! The best GOOD that was EVER done for mankind - was done over 2,000 years ago!! It was a bit bittersweet today for us as we celebrated the life of my uncle. He left a legacy of faith, hope,love, perseverance, and humility to his children and grandchildren - and it was WELL portrayed by his son today! As far as the adoption goes, we got our receipt in the mail from immigration saying that they had received our paperwork. So, now we wait - - again! ;) We also received some $$ from one of the grants for which we applied! Thank you JESUS! Praying for V this weekend - as we celebrate our Savior - I pray that she'll have some sense that it is a special day! We introduced her to Jesus and taught her about His birth while she was here during Christmas. I can't wait for next year to teach her about his death, burial, and resurrection. (Well, we talked about that while she was here, too - but to celebrate it with her on Easter Sunday - teaching her at the same time will be AMAZING!! We still have a long way to go to raise our needed funds to be able to send our paperwork to Latvia. If you feel lead to give, please visit our fundraiser page and click the donate button! Every dollar, every penny puts us one step closer to bringing our girl home!! Thanks for your prayers! Love to you all as you celebrate our Savior this weekend!! Be sure to share it with others! Remember - Jesus is ENOUGH!!

Monday, Monday

Well, I just wanted to take a minute to write a short 'blurb'. Several things on my heart this morning as I took a walk in the cool morning breeze: My uncle Ed, my dad's brother, passed away yesterday afternoon as he napped in his chair. This comes in the midst of so much trial and heartache for their family - but we are rejoicing that he is no longer in pain. Please continue to pray for them - that God would comfort them during this loss and give them the strength they need to make it through the week. (especially, Kent, who has cancer);Our friends Mark & Lisa Tribble. Lisa was in a car accident a week ago and she remains on the vent. 14 broken ribs and 2 broken ankles will make for a long recovery but we know the Great Physician who is ABLE to do ALL THINGS; a few friends who are in the midst of big decisions - life changing decisions. May God give them wisdom and guidance; my cousin Ashley and my sister-in-law, Stephanie, who will be having babies any day now. Praying for Holt & Drake as they make their entrances into this world. May they grow to be men after Your own heart, God. Thankful to God that his mercies are new EVERY MORNING!! After my wonderful walk, enjoying the beauties of spring, I have spent most of the morning working on paperwork-mounds of paperwork. Every time I get frustrated or tired of signing my name - I just look at the sweet face of our girl - and get renewed energy to keep on keeping on. Besides our 'legal' paperwork, we are also working on grant applications. Be praying that the people who receive these applications will feel led to approve us for the grants. Every little bit helps. Now begins the waiting game!! So, we wait for approval and pray. Thanks for the prayers and words of support for so many of you! May God bless your families as we enter into a time of reflection on what Jesus did for us on that cross!!