When Love Takes You In Giveaway!!!

Friends...I am beyond words, can't stop the tears of emotion. My faith has always been like a seed and over the years has been nourished by both pain and joy.

ADOPTION has grown my faith in ways I can't explain with human language. Why the Lord created all these events to take place at this time I will never know. I honestly don't feel worthy of the pouring out of Love. But I know this much...I am on my knees in prayer to Him. Thanking Him for loving me when I am unlovable. For opening my eyes, OUR eyes when we are so SELFISH. For opening our hearts to saying YES to an insane situation. And for realizing it's not about US.

When Emma passed away we became a different family.

To say now...six years later we are okay...seems unfathomable.But we are. Because of Faith.

Emma. Her name meant One Who Heals.

She helped us to see the Lord Heals All. Through Emma we have seen His glory in all things, even a short life.

We have been brought to this new journey through an exceptional series of events...led to people named Michelle, Becky, Renee, Heidi, Brandy and more...people we never knew before. 

And now..some of these are banding together to help us out. We are beyond humbled. Without words.

How could people care so much?

But They DO.  The Lord has placed ADOPTION in their hearts and they walk along side anyone on the same journey. Hands and Feet they become....I have seen it so many times.

My friends have orchestrated a big ole giveaway to help us out with airfare. And yes we need help....we were pummeled by tornadoes last month and two of our fundraisers had to be cancelled. OUR needs felt ridiculous and we gave back to those who had nothing knowing we would have nothing to bring Sveta home.

But now here we are...we leave in a week. A month ago...tornadoes. Devastation all around us.

And then..the anniversary of our Emma girl passing away, celebrating her life on earth with balloons released into the sky, her birthday coming in a month...and prayerfully hoping to soon wrap Sveta in our arms.

Our God is so worthy of our praise. Sveta..the sister Paige says she will get to "keep" . Try hearing that out of your little girls mouth and not sob in front of her. We know the Lord has it all in His hands.

Sveta..this is for you. We loved you before we knew you even existed. We love you with arms wide open, with hearts full of joy for the child you are...for the part of our family we have been waiting for but never knew until last fall. You are perfect..created in His image.

Now for the news I read on Michelle's blog tonight!....Try keeping a secret from me!! HA! Ummm I actually want to donate to have a chance at winning...!

Go to Michelle's Blog HERE to donate for chances to win and be Entered in the give away. Please leave comments to enter.

Love Takes You In GiveAway...

Love Takes You In giveaway...

Yesterday, I introduced you to a sweet, little, blue-eyed beauty who is sitting in an orphanage this very minute waiting for her family. Sweet Sveta is not even aware that her world is about to be forever changed. The Houser family...Eli, Kim, Peyton, and Paige are busy preparing...Eli and Kim are heading to eastern Europe...and Peyton and Paige are preparing their little selves to be without their parents.  The Housers have faced many difficult times over the years.  Just 6 short years ago...they gave their daughter, Emma, back to her creator.  I can't imagine the pain of losing a child...or the empty place in their hearts...but I am certain that if Emma were here to tell her mama and daddy one last thing...Emma would tell them how proud she was that they said yes to God...yes to rescuing her sister, Sveta. 

For six years now...the Housers have been missing a piece of their family...but God has comforted them and filled them with the peace that surpasses all understanding.  Over the past six years, He has guided them and molded them into loving, compassionate, and such giving people as He prepared their family for the little girl He has chosen to fill their missing piece...

So now...it is our job as followers of Christ and the voice for the fatherless to get this sweet girl home.  Some really awesome gals have joined forces with me to get this sweet princess home...and all because we love Sveta.  The best part is...the Housers have NO CLUE what's going on!  Here we go...

The Love Takes You In Giveaway...

Up for grabs:

 

All-New, High-Contrast E Ink Screen – 50% better contrast with latest E Ink Pearl technology

Read in Bright Sunlight – No glare
New and Improved Fonts – New crisper, darker fonts
New Sleek Design – 21% smaller body while keeping the same 6" size reading area
17% Lighter – Only 8.5 ounces, weighs less than a paperback
Battery Life of Up to Two Months – A single charge lasts up to two months with wireless off
Double the Storage – Up to 3,500 books
Built-In Wi-Fi – Shop and download books in less than 60 seconds
20% Faster Page Turns – Seamless reading
Enhanced PDF Reader – With dictionary lookup, notes, and highlights
WebKit-Based Browser – Browse the web over Wi-Fi

Custom Outfit #1

Becky creates such beautiful outfits...She will create your princess one of these beautiful, one of a kind party ensembles...complete with matching hairbow.  You will be seeing the Enskat cuties rockin these little party gowns later this month as we celebrate their first American birthdays...but here is a sneak peak...

                                                          Alina in the flower shirt and Nina in the cake shirt...

too cute girls!

A custom doll

Becky will create a custom doll that your little princess is sure to love...

Check them out...they are precious!

Custom outfit #2

Becky is one insanely talented and generous person...she is offering a second custom outfit

for one of you lucky readers.



Alina is getting good at the modeling thing...she's a natural!

Wait...there's more

A collection of hair pretties

Becky will create a collection of hair accessories for your little lady.  Really, no outfit is

complete without a hairbow

White Chocolate Toffee

If you have not indulged in Renee Tam's toffee...you are missing out.  It is sinfully delicious and Renee is going to send not one...but two lucky people some of her mouth watering toffee straight from Paisley's Pantry

Yum...

Nope...not done yet

Up next...

A $50 Target Gift Card

It's Target...Need I say more?

And last but not least...

A $25 Gift Card from Olive Garden

Yay...you can take your sweetie out to dinner and no...a babysitter is not included

So there you have it!

Here's how you can get in on all these awesome goodies...

1. For every $10 donated...you will be entered in the giveaway

2.  Purchase a t-shirt or car decal and you will also be entered in the giveaway 1 time

3.  Post on your blog, facebook, or twitter and you will be entered into the giveaway 1 time per day

The Love Takes You In Giveaway starts today and ends Friday, June 10th at midnight.

Alina will draw the winners on Saturday, June 11th

If you donate or post...please leave a comment so I can be sure you are entered the

correct number of times. 

The Housers are trying to raise the funds needed for airfare...

approximately $4000 for Eli, Kim, and Sveta's tickets.

There is a chip-in button at the top, right hand corner of this post...donate there!

All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE through Circle of Hope.

Click HERE to Leave Your COMMENTS on Michelle's blog !!

Our Little One...Waiting How Long?? TOO long.

WHOO HOO!!! And OH MY!

We have great news - our appointment is in two weeks! We have literally a week 1/2 to prepare and to raise the remaining funds which will go towards our plane tickets. I've never been one to throw a pity party but funds for plane tickets would be a blessing. To say we are stretched thin would be an understatement. And I hate asking for help, and especially money. There are other things we are having to pay for (here) while we are out of the country and the money pit is looking kind of low! It's been a long road but so worth it.

Saying YES to adoption means saying NO to so many worldy things, saying YES when the rest of the world asks WHY. Saying YES to God when nothing seems to make sense. Saying YES when God asked us to go...EVEN though the MONEY was no where in sight.

We are walking by faith, not by sight...a beautiful sweet lady reminded me of that this morning.

We continue to walk by faith...even when we can't see. God is doing wonderful things and working on a story of redemption.

Little One...we are coming.

The other great news is that an awesome organization Hope To Home has designed a shirt for our adoption! Please click the link and consider buying a shirt or passing on the link. Once you get to our site there is a code to paste onto blogs,etc. THANK YOU for your prayers, and support.

http://www.hopetohome.com/houser.html

Praise God and A Who Is Listening?

First, praise God! Apparently many folks came forward and helped the Tam family put their adoption funds over the top while Renee was on a short internet hiatus! I had no idea there was some wild things going on until a friend asked if I had seen how much money Paisley's account had gotten up to! Well...no I hadn't seen....because I hardly ever know what's going on! Renee is always, always helping others so it was awesome to see this great news...and their dossier is heading to a far away land at this very moment!!! I cannot tell you how much I am going to bawl when I see pictures of Renee holding her little girl Paisley for the first time.

Okay...now for the next thing...I had to snag this post from Becky's blog, with her permission of course....I loved, loved her words.

Thunderstorms and morning light

Remember being scared as a kid? Waking up to thunder shaking the house and lightening flashing like a paparazzi mob outside? Or maybe a scary dream tore you from your slumber. Possibly waking up in the middle of the night ill, calling out to your mom. Calling out to your mom who you knew would race into your room and hold you, calm you, help you. That feeling of no matter what happened in the dark of the night, mom or dad would be there to comfort you. It was like morning light breaking through the darkness.

I often think about the kids still in orphanages around the world. Who comforts them when they wake from a bad dream? Who holds them if they are afraid of thunder and lightening? What happens if they are ill at night? Who is there to comfort them? They may have a nanny or a caretaker who is there overnight.... but does that compare to a mom and a dad? Does a caretaker take the time to comfort every child at every need? Its nearly impossible, and doesn't happen.

Children, regardless of age, race, disability or where they are in the world, NEED homes. They NEED a mom and a dad to care for them. They NEED to know that no matter what, someone will be there for them, night or day, scared, hurt, sad, angry or happy.

As I type this, a little 4yr old girl is sitting on my lap. Six months ago this girl wouldn't cry when hurt, she didn't show emotion, she kept herself guarded. But just today she spent 1/2 hour throwing a tissy because her brother smacked her in the arm when she was in his face. And she has a scab on her elbow that she's been nursing for a good four days, making sure to show it to everyone who looks at her, and some who don't. She seeks us out now when hurt, sad, angry or scared. She brings her blanket to me during the day saying 'mama wets nuggoo' (mama lets snuggle). She asked to be picked up and held, she knows what it feels like to be loved. Fully, unconditionally, and forever. She's starting to realize that comfort is something she wants.

Thats after only six months. 147,000,000 orphans wait in this world for a family. You don't have to be rich, have a big house, drive a fancy SUV, or be perfect. You don't have to be thin and have great hair. You don't have to be anything spectacular! Being someone's comfort, someone's stability, someone's MOM.... that makes you spectacular. Providing love, a home, a family. That is what kids want. Regardless of age, race, disability, or where they are in the world. A family.

God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called. Are you listening?

Guess Who's...

Turning FOUR sometime soon???

We can't wait to meet you Little One...

To make the biggest birthday cake ever.

Just for YOU!

Preparations for welcoming you into your family are already taking place...

Little matching outfits...

I had to buy them...the purple is for Little One...it probably won't even fit..but I went a little wonky in Target one day. Paige was thrilled and keeps wanting to get more matching outfits. We have to wait though until we know better what Little One's size is.

Other news...literally...the news contacted us to do a "Focus on Faith" segment. We pray this will help bring awareness to adoption and most importantly bring glory to the Lord. He is so good, even when heartache, destruction and things that just don't make sense rain down.

Feeling peace today, knowing I don't have to have all the answers, don't have to know the master plan, don't have to be in the driver's seat.

He's got it.

And our Father is FOR us.

Always.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you: May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you: May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

Happy Birthday Little One.

Our thoughts, prayers and love are already surrounding your sweet little soul.

They Said WE WILL GO!!!

I get so beyond excited to watch another family as they begin the adoption process. A sweet couple from our church is just starting on their journey. I have had the honor of getting to know Tiffany and am thrilled to help any way I can as they embark on the wild ride that is international adoption. As I have said all along it's a journey of faith and it takes a village to bring home a little one. We are proud to be a part of the Pittman Family village in bringing home their first child!!

Even more incredible is hearing their testimony and knowing without a doubt the Lord is guiding them along. I am thankful another family said "yes, we will GO!" when the Father opened their eyes and hearts.

Their blog is brand new but be sure to stop by and give them a round of support that I know exists in the awesome circle of adopting families!!!

Pittman Family Adoption