Why help overseas????

The local paper did a story on our adoption and living in a small town I usually see the responses on FB or hear the discussions that are going on.  I've seen a few posts on FB and had a few people ask me directly about helping people overseas vs here when there are starving children in the US. I am not offended by those questions.. Just wanted to share my response here in case you are wondering but not asking: American children may be hungry but they are not starving to death and if they are it's not for lack of resources available it's simply due to abuse. Sometimes it does make sense to just send money but if there is a country where there aren't enough people or resources to help then someone has to be there to take those resources. I can send tons of money to Haiti but that money can't buy medicine because it's not there to buy. That money can't hold a child that was found in a trash pile and nurse him back to health unless there are people there with medical training (and in Haiti there is a 1 trained dr for almost every 1 million people) . We have enough resources in the US that even the poorest and most unfortunate have more than some in other countries. I've never seen an American child go get water out of a pothole in the middle of the road but I have seen that happen in Haiti. I've never seen an American child not have a public restroom he can go into for clean water to drink or wash off with. I don't understand why or how there are children starving in the US with all the aid programs we have here. And if we took just a few of the salaries of pro-sports players or actors/actresses we could do a lot of things too but we support them and cheer them and their over salaried selves. I know that helping people in other countries isn't for everyone but that's my heart. I would rather question why or how people spend so much money saving animals and how they can spend thousands to run sappy commercials for abused animals when we have kids that need that money and help but I just remind myself that we each have a calling in life and I'm following mine and it's not my place to be upset with someone else if what they are doing is helping.

A Time for Thanks

I'm working on my list of people who have helped us with our adoption so far. I have the following list but if you have helped/given and aren't on here PLEASE let me know. I want you to be on the list so our kids can see all the people that helped make their adoption happen. :)
Anita Aranha Baptist
Kathy Hutchison Gladfelter
Lisa McManus
Reneé Angelina Mares
Shara Lewis Mohr
Deanna Sammons Bebeau
Lori Bellinghausen Timson
Kathy Tenney
Sahrae Rivas
Anna Morris
Kristin Moreno
Echo Hutson Huckaby
Sharon Richardson
Tina Baum
Angela Cherry
Barbara Bremner Fahey
Kenzie Davis
Dawn Staker Randolph
Theresa Dame-Bellasario
Rebekah Milstead
Kathy Brown
Debbie Bunn Whidden
Sherry Crocker
Brittany Lawson Bonagua

Kristen Weardon

Kelly Scott Soria
Nipal Bellmonde
Amanda Nicole
Cindy Gay Sloan
Kelly Makin'Changes Gibson
Alisa Davis

Tawnya Phillips Caudill
Sandy Blair Mansfield
Lisa Coon Green
Penny Mercer Mourer
Cynthia Payne Abbott

Sassy Chix Salon
Erika Via
Robbie Reed Mullins
Kayla Via

Bits N Peace's
Allison Giddens Fullerton
Pam Freytes
Melanie Shugart Brown   

Sheila Gaitan 

 Ken Nowicki 
Tami Leigh Whidden

More to be added......


  

Fundraising Help

I'm usually one to beat around the bush but I'm just going to put this out there.... We need help with our adoption fundraising. I know not everyone has the ability to give financially but I have several ways I'm asking for your help and some don't require your $ :) 1. If you have a church or organization ask if I can speak about missions in general or missions and adoption. I LOVE to talk and can do a short thing or the whole service. 2. I have Bulldog jewelry for sale at Sassy Chix Salon and at the high school with Dawn Staker Randolph. I'll post a link below with more info. 3. I have handmade paper bead bracelets at Bits N Peace's and part of that goes to our adoption and the other part goes to the Haitian who made it. 4. I have a recycling fundraiser with info on my webpage (link below) 5. You can donate things that I can sell online (online auction or ebay) 6. You can give me some other creative ideas. :) And I know there are kids here in the US that we could adopt for "free", however, these are the kids I feel in love with that God put on our hearts. I'm not going to argue with that over $. I don't see adoption as an "us vs them" type of thing. Kids are kids, orphans are orphans and it doesn't matter what country they are from...they deserve a family...all of them...equally. Thank you for all your love, encouragement and support. That's as important to me as the financial support we get.

I Refuse!

I can't not do what is in my heart. I know not everyone understands my desire to do missions/outreach or adopt from Haiti but that is what I am called to do. We are on earth for a short time... As much as I selfishly would like to think it's all about me, life is about soooo much more! This song is my ringtone to remind me that: "I don't want to live like I don't care.... I don't want to say another empty prayer.... Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else.... To do what God has called me to do myself.... I could choose not to move.... But I refuse"

In IBESR!!!

Adoption Update: I think I have almost been too afraid to post this for fear I was dreaming but I wasn't..... We have moved another step in the process... a huge step. Again, it's hard to explain how adoptions work in Haiti but there are TONS of "pit stops" that adoption paperwork goes through.... and it's actually paper work, not electronic. It it literally carried and hand delivered to various places and offices for various checks. Our paperwork was at a stop that basically determined if we could continue on or if we would be "rejected". There are lots of reasons why they reject families and it happens a lot so we've been waiting for our official numbers stating that we could move on and praying, praying really hard that we wouldn't be rejected and have to stop the process, wait another year or start over. Well.....we got those numbers today!!!! It seems so small but it's such a big thing. Each of these updates gives me a little more hope and reassurance that our kids will be coming home soon....that they will have a real family and they will know the love of a mom and dad. It breaks my heart I can't be mom to all the kids at the orphanage, or in Haiti, or the world but I have to focus on the fact that for these two, our family will make a world of difference in their lives and that we are doing what we were called to do. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers and encouragement. I can't wait post that we are bringing them home!