Our First Fundraiser - Christmas Cards for Sasha

We are going to be starting the adoption process and by simply sending in the application to the adoption agency, there are expenses. So, we are going to be having some fundraisers to try and raise the money because The Lord knows that we ......do not have $40,000 just laying around!

Our first fundraiser is this....I will send out all of your Christmas Cards for you. I am asking for a 'minimum donation' of $1.50 per card and that covers the cost of the card and the stamp.  I will personalize the inside of the card with whatever message you want and send whatever type of card you want me to send.  Please feel free to share this with your friends....I will be happy to do this for anyone!!!

If you are interested in saving time and helping us out at the same time, here is how.  Just email me a list of names and addresses where you want the cards to be sent, the message you want written inside the card, how you want the card signed and the type of card you want sent (Holiday card, Christmas card, Religious, etc.). Have me send as many or as few as you need. I would be sending the same card to everyone on your list with the same message inside each card. I will also email you a proof before I send them out.  These are high quality, glossy cards, too!  

Anyone can help us out!  You don't have to live local for this fundraiser because everything is done via the internet.  You can even donate online via paypal!  You email me the information for your cards and I will create all of your cards and email you a proof before I send.  Everything is done online!

Here is a picture of an example of what one of the outside of the cards looks like.  Not the best picture but the card is beautiful! 

Here is an example of what the inside looks like....I just personalized this myself and used a "handwriting" font because then it looks like I wrote it out myself.  I can write anything you want on the inside and use one of about 10 different fonts.  Again, very high quality. 

The cards will be addressed for you and your return address will be on the envelope, as well. 


Thanks for your support! And as always, thank you for your continued prayers! 

Two weeks and Two days

Sasha will be here in two weeks and two days!  That comes to a total of 14 days.  I would count down to the hour and minute, except that I don't know when his plane will be arriving.  We are so ready for him!  When Sasha arrives, he will arrive with the clothes on his back, so we are needing to send him back with a suitcase full of clothes and shoes.  So far, we already have a winter coat for him (thanks Nikki Esquivel!) and a few bags of boys clothes (thanks Catherine Tutor and Karen Barlow!)  We are not sure what size he is so we are trying to get clothing in all sizes from 7-12 so that we can make sure we have something for him to wear and take back with him.  If you would like to help, please let me know.  Whatever Sasha doesn't take back, I will be happy to return. 

As far as proceeding with adoption, we are getting ready to fill out "part 1" of the application and send it in.  This will determine if we "qualify".  Technically, on three different levels, we are disqualified.  However, we are working through those and hope that it will not hinder the process at all.  The Lord knows that anything that we can offer him is better than anything he is getting now.  And considering we are a part of the body of Christ, we will never be without.

1 Corinthians 12:27  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Please continue to pray for us and for this little boy on the other side of the world.  I pray that he is open to our family, that he allows us to love him and that he wants to be a part of our family.  But I also pray that if that is not the Lord's Will, then He will find a family for Sasha. 

December 13th can't get here quick enough.  I am excited but I am just waiting patiently and asking the Lord to teach me what he wants to teach me while I wait.

Another reason to bring Sasha home...

Danny and I were headed to Charlotte on Saturday for an all day training.  The training was to teach us more about the hosting program (like the 41 page training manual wasn't enough...lol) and hear from families who previously hosted.  It was actually a great training.

Anyhow, we decided to make a "date" out of it and on the way, we stopped in Burlington for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe.  We had a bogo coupon!  I love my coupons!  So, we sit down for breakfast and our waitress brings us a newspaper to enjoy while we are waiting for our breakfast.  One of the first articles that catches my eye is this one:

Two very ridiculous comments were made in this article.  The first is when the leader of this group says, "Sometimes you need to show your breasts for ideological reasons".  Wow...really?  I am just amazed that showing your breasts really has anything to do with politics.  But then again, we don't live in Europe where women are objectified on a daily basis in all of their media.  The second comment that I found absolutely ridiculous is when the article states that the group campaigns against prostitution and discrimination of women.  Hmmmm.....campaigning against prostitution by showing your breasts?!?!  Is it just me or does anyone else find this ridiculous?  I know I keep using the word ridiculous but I'm trying to keep it clean!!  I am not saying what I actually feel.  But I do know that reading this article made me sick to my stomach.  I had righteous anger when I read this article and I don't feel bad for it at all!! 

Sasha is living in a country where women are objectified on a daily basis in their media and that is to be viewed as "normal", human trafficking is rampant and children are kicked out of orphanages at the tender age of 16 to fend for themselves.  Most of those children turn to prostitution or crime in order to survive.  So, ya know what?  We are going to fight for this little boy.

I just downloaded the adoption application and there are 3 things that "disqualify" us to adopt!!  THREE!!  But you know what?  I don't care.  I'll say it again in case you didn't catch that...I DON'T CARE!!!  The ONLY thing that is going to stop us from getting Sasha is the Almighty One Himself!!!  I said it once, I'll say it again and I may just say it 100 more times before Sasha comes home for good:

For nothing is impossible with God.  Luke 1:37

The Lord is at Work

The other day, I was at school picking up Coby and my friend Dawn was there.  I was talking to her about Sasha and she mentioned that there is a family at Cary Christian School that has a Foreign Exchange Student from Germany.  She is originally from Russia, though and speaks fluent Russian...as well as German, English and Latin.  Wow!  So, I contacted the family to see if they minded if she helped us out a bit maybe with some English tutoring for Sasha.  The mom emailed me back and gave me this girl's cell phone #.

Well, I called her on Friday and she has agreed to tutor Sasha every single afternoon for an hour.  Plus, she is going to help me show Sasha around the school and tell him about the school...in his own language.   Plus, she offered to be available for him by phone any time he wanted to talk to her or if we are having trouble communicating something.  We can call her, put Sasha on the phone and she will translate for us.  This is amazing for a couple of reasons.  For one, it will obviously help us to communicate with Sasha.  But most importantly, I think spending an hour a day with someone who speaks his language is really going to help him feel more secure. 

In our prayer time, one thing that we have lifted up is our ability to communicate with Sasha.  According to his paperwork, he does not speak any English at all, so that has been something that we have prayed about.  We figured we would be playing a lot of Charades and Pictionary.  Which I am sure we will still be doing but this willingness of someone to help is going to make things so much easier!

So each and every day as we go through the trials of hosting and adoption, we can most definitely see the Lord's hand at work!! 

Every single day we are dealing with some aspect of Sasha coming.  Between talking to New Horizons, the adoption agency, blogging, praying, talking to friends, asking for help (which is very humbling), attending training and just the  many things that we are having to do....we are constantly working on this.  It definitely is a very humbling opportunity.

Philippians 2:3-11  Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ... 

I am, so far from following this verse but this is a verse that I would love to paint on my walls.  A reminder to be more like Jesus because he performed the most humbling act by dying on the cross for us when we definitely didn't deserve it.  We are "good people", but when we say that, what are we comparing ourselves to?  The world or Jesus?  I'd much rather be more like Jesus.  So, I am working on counting others as more important than myself and I hope that comes across when I am dealing with others.  I hope when you see me, you can see Jesus in me. 

New Horizon's Training

29 days ago, I first heard about New Horizon's at our church's women's retreat.  In these short 29 days we have accomplished a lot. 

• We had decided on one child and that door was quickly closed when we found out that his country was not part of the hosting program anymore.
• We actually laid dormant after that, until we received a call from New Horizon's on November 1st.   So, I guess we've accomplished a lot in the past 20 days.
• I have contacted six adoption agencies regarding Sasha's "Adopt-ability Status" and regarding proceeding with adoption for him in the country and region in which he lives.
• We have filled out three applications with New Horizons.
• We have read a 41 page training manual.
• We have sent in numerous forms (I have lost count) that we had to acknowledge and sign.
• We have made flyers.
• We have created a blog.  This is a huge one for me because I am NOT a blogger!  I am not a writer.  I just am not.
• We have posted on Facebook.
• And we have attended an all day training (plus 6 hours of driving) to learn more about the hosting program.  Yeah, I thought there couldn't be much more after reading a 41 page training manual but there was!
• I am sure there is a lot more we have done but I just can't think of anything right now.  My brain is pretty much on the fritz after the long day we had today!

We definitely learned a lot today!  We heard from three (or four...geez I can't remember and the training just ended 5 hours ago.  Isn't that awful) other families that have hosted in the past.  They gave us a lot of suggestions regarding making them feel welcome, what to expect and how to handle all kinds of awkward, uncomfortable, strange and difficult situations.  We learned about how they go about picking the children to be hosted.  We learned about the adoption process.

What we walked away with was even more valuable than anything we learned today, though.  We walked away feeling even more confident that God wants Sasha in our home.  We feel very strong that that little boy is going to be our son.  I had a girlfriend tonight make a comment, "Hopefully they can shed some insight as to the best ways to go about this adoption out of Russia thing."  My response to her was, "God is bigger than Russia. While it is a challenge, I'm no going to let that get in our way."  As another friend of mine said, "God can move mountains and he can raise the dead.  Surely he can help an orphan, even if he is in Russia."  

For nothing is impossible with God.  Luke 1:37

That verse doesn't say hardly anything...is says nothing!  The Bible is the inerrant word of truth and I can't pick and choose what I am going to believe.  Either I believe all of it or none of it.  I choose to believe all of it.  So, I am going at this like nothing is impossible with God and he is going to move mountains in Russia over the next 6 months to a year!

 

What a crazy law!

So, the Eastern European country that we are seeking to adopt Sasha from has some wacky laws!  It is illegal to seek to adopt a child in which you have not met.  That is why we are having such a hard time determining if Sasha is even adoptable.  However, the great news is that we did find out that there is a child with the same first name, same first initial of the last name and same month and year of his dob in the Federal Databank of adoptable children.  We are encouraged because that means chances are, Sasha is adoptable.

Now, once Sasha gets here and we meet him, then we can seek to pursue adoption.  Praise the Lord!!  

Why not a child from America?

I can't tell you how many times I have been asked just in the past couple of weeks why we are not pursuing adopting a child from America.  People say things like, "We have enough children here in America that need adopting, why do you feel like you have to go to Russia?"  Well, I'd love to answer that question so hopefully those who are interested may understand.  We are not adopting a child because we can, because without the Lord's help, we can't.  We are not adopting a child for any other reason except we feel the Lord placing on our hearts to rescue an orphan from a life that nobody should have to live.  In the Lord's eyes, a child is a child no matter where they live.  To us, it doesn't matter where we adopt a child from....we are saving a life.  Period.  If it is the Lord's Will, then the Lord will make a way.

We do not have the means to adopt a child.  We are not rich.  We are not perfect.  We are sinners saved by the Grace of God.  With the Lord leading us to adopt a child, that on our own we could not otherwise do, He will get the Glory.

I love it when people ask questions, even such as that, because it tells me that they care.  Please continue to pray for us as we embark upon this battle.  It is a tough battle and it's not going to be easy but we are going in with full gear!

Spiritual Warfare

As we move forward with what we feel the Lord is leading us to do, we realize that because we are doing God's work, we are going to be fighting a spiritual battle.  Spiritual Warfare is a very real thing and in order to fight it, we must stand strong in the Lord because the battle is His.  Every day I must remind myself to put on God's Armor so that we can stand against evil. 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Ephesians 6:10-12

I take comfort in knowing that all we have to do is put on the full armor of God to fight a battle that seems so difficult to fight on our own.  I am constantly reminded that God will take care of the details, but I must believe.  A friend of mine reminded me that we must prepare our fields if we believe the rain will come.  She put this on her blog; which is from Facing the Giants. 

The older teacher tells the coach something like this:  "Two farmers are in need of rain and they each pray to God to send it.  Only one farmer goes out to prepare his fields to receive the rain.  Which one do you think believes God will send the rain?"  Coach answers:  "The one who prepared his fields."  Teacher:  "God will send the rains when He's ready.  You need to make sure you're ready to receive it."

We are definitely out preparing our fields because we believe that God will send the rain!

We are so very exciting that through all of the trials, we can see God's hand at work!!  We are required to take Sasha to the dentist and to the eye doctor while he is here.  My friend, Dr. Tina Goodall, is taking care of his dental needs, so we are very thankful to her!  However, I still needed someone to take care of his eye exam (and glasses, if needed).  So, I sent a request out to our CCS Group for an optometrist that would be willing to donate his services for Sasha.  There were FOUR doctors that were willing to donate their services!!  Yes...FOUR!!  I was overwhelmed by all of the responses that we received.  I even had people email me and just tell me that they read my blog or that they were praying for us.  We are very blessed that Dr. Jeff Stikeleather will be taking care of Sasha's eye care needs.  Also, due to the overwhelming response, I have two other friends that are hosting orphans and I have their children's eye care needs met, as well.

We are fighting a battle just to determine if Sasha is even adoptable.  However, yesterday I finally received a very encouraging email.  It was from adoption agency #6 and she wrote:  "At this time, we are only able to check the child's status through the federal databank for children.  It appears that he is legally available for international adoption according to the information in the databank.  (There is a child with the same first names, first initial of the last name and month and year of birth)"  That is the closest we have gotten to finding out he is adoptable in the past two weeks!!  It's not a guarantee but it's Hope.  So, although the world tells us that Russia is too corrupt, that Russia is too expensive, that Russia requires too much paperwork, that the region Sasha lives is too difficult, etc., etc., we are going to continue to prepare our fields for the rain that we are expecting.  We are not living by the world's standards but we are living by God's standards.  And I do believe that my God is bigger than what the world is telling us is the impossible.  According to James, we have not because we ask not.  Of course, our motives for asking must line up with His Will but if they do, then we just need to ask.

You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.  James 4:2b-3

Thank you for following our blog and please continue to pray for us as we fight this battle that is so worth fighting.  This is a life at stake.

Discouragement after discouragement and we've barely even started!

Wow - the emotional roller coaster that I have been on in the past two weeks is unbelievable!  We've barely started this process and we've already encountered obstacle after obstacle!  I have to remind myself about James 1:2:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

I have talked to six adoption agencies.  Yes, just in the past week, I have spoken to six agencies!!  Here's a breakdown of those six agencies (without naming them):

Agency #1:  The gentleman I spoke with gave me three different answers to the same question that I asked, depending on how I asked it and when I asked it.  He did not seem very trustworthy and I found out he lost his accreditation, so that doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Agency #2:  This agency does not deal with Russia at all.  Why?  Because Russia is too difficult to deal with, the costs are outrageous and the government is very difficult to deal with.  She compared Russia to Ukraine.  Russia requires twice as much paperwork, costs $45-60K whereas Ukraine is $23-25K and you have to make 2-3 trips whereas Ukraine only requires one.  Sigh.

Agency #3:  This agency deals with Russia but does not deal with the region that Sasha's Orphanage is in.  Why?  Because that region is way too difficult to deal with.  Oh my word...is it just me or is this a very sad, recurring theme here???  The children in Russia are living in Orphanages and have no families, just like the children in other parts of the world. 

Agency #4:  This agency doesn't know if they deal with the region in which Sasha's Orphanage is located; however, she is checking with their something or another (I can't remember what she called it) and will get back to me.  Could be a week or more before she is able to get back to me.  Sheesh, I'll just go paint my toenails while I wait!  LOL

Agency #5:  This agency deals with Russia but also does not deal with the region that Sasha's Orphanage is in. I didn't even bother to ask why at this point.

Agency #6:  We finally found an agency that deals with Russia AND deals with the agency in which Sasha's Orphanage is located!  Yeah!  Right?  Wrong!!  

We now need to find out if Sasha is even eligible for adoption.  The adoption agency doesn't have any way of knowing and referred us back to New Horizon's for Children (where we are hosting Sasha through).  However, New Horizon's for Children is not an adoption agency, so they would have no way of knowing and that is why they referred us to an adoption agency.  So, the adoption agency stated that the only way they could (or would) find out if Sasha is eligible for adoption is if we become their client.  Well, in order to become a client, we have to start paying fees.  Paying fees just to find out if he is even adoptable!  Yikes!

So, as James says, we must count it all joy when we face trials of many kinds.  Not "if" we face trials but "when".  To count it all joy, means that we must be joyful in our trials, not necessarily joyful for our trials.  I am joyful because I know that the trials we are facing to give this child a family that he doesn't have will only make me stronger. It is drawing me closer to Him and when I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me (James 4:8).  It is building my character and developing my perseverance; which will make me mature and complete.  

Please pray for us that God's Will be done in this situation.  If we are mistaken and this is not the Lord's Will, then we pray he will slam the doors shut.    However, we have received countless confirmations that we are on the right path, so we just pray that we won't allow the discouragements to get us down while we are trying to obey the Lord.  We don't want to act out of our flesh or allow the world to tell us "no"...the only one we want to hear tell us "no" is the Lord Himself.  We pray that we have the heart and wisdom to discern the difference.  

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.  James 1:5

Philippians 4:19

I posted this on my Facebook Page last night: "The Will of God will not take you where the Grace of God will not cover you".  Well, I believe that is what is being said in Philippians 4:19:

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

I don't believe that means that we get whatever we want but I do believe that means that when we "Trust in the LORD with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5), our needs become lined up with His.  We can fully trust that God will always meet our needs, we just have to remember the difference between our wants and our needs.  We also have to remember that what we feel we need may not be the same as what the Lord feels we need. 

Today in our Sunday School Class, our teacher was teaching on prayer.  He said that when we pray, we shouldn't always look to ask for a specific outcome, the way we want it.  We should look to seek God's Will.  Sometimes we get so wrapped up in asking God to do something the way we want him to do it, that when he answers our prayers, we don't even realize it because it wasn't what we asked for. 

So, with that being said, we would like to ask for you to pray Philippians 4:19 for us.  That the Lord will meet all of our needs (regarding the hosting and ultimate adoption of Sasha) according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 

We have prayed fervently, asking the Lord to open all of the doors that need to be opened and to close all of the doors that need to be closed.  In the past 3 weeks since we started this journey, many, many doors have been opened.  We prayed that The Lord would supply our needs and so far, he has abundantly done so.  Thank you to those that have followed the Lord's lead on your heart to help up in all of the ways that you have done so....we have been so very blessed!  We are on this journey together and are excited for what is yet to come.  We realize that it is not going to be easy but as Danny said, we are not planning on taking the easy route.  We want God to be glorified in all of this!

Please consider printing this flier out and putting it on your fridge as a reminder to pray for a little boy in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, named Sasha. 

Danny's Response & The Rest of the Story!

I have to admit, I was not one hundred percent sure this is what God had planned for us but I am always willing to seek Him out for His will for our lives and the direction He wants us to go. The night I sat at the computer and looked at the photos of those children, it was not my normal practice to do this. But that night I just felt a push, if you will, to look at the little faces seeking out families. Than all of a sudden...BOOM! I caught myself looking into the eyes of a little boy named Sasha and felt this racing excitement in my heart. Was it God, I asked?

As I sat there reading his profile, the feelings that were racing through my heart was of Hope! This little boy's heart was shared and he had said that he was praying to Jesus for his family. I called April in and told her that this little boy is special and I want to pray about hosting him. As I went into the other room, I continued to pray and asked God that if this is the boy He wants to be part of our family, then move mountains and show me the way. For many days to come, Sasha was on my mind all the time...in the morning, at lunch and at the supper table. I prayed, "Lord hold this boy in your loving arms until he can be here with us".

As my excitement grew, I started making fliers and other info to hand out to everyone we know, because I knew this was going to be a long and trial-filled journey. I kept asking April if she had called any adoption agencies so we can find out if Sasha is able to be adopted or not. One day I came home and she told me that she had spoke with a couple of Eastern European adoption agencies. One of them had told her all this stuff; which I take to be negative info.  Things such as: this is the toughest country to adopt from, not to mention the emphasis on how much money it takes. That's when the Lord took hold of my heart and said to me:

"Danny suit up in my armor and take hold of this journey I have for you, it will be tough, tiring, stressful and at times seem to be impossible. But prepare as through this journey I will first of all grow you, bring you and your family closer together and you will bring home your son!"

I looked at April and said "NO!" I do not care what they say...if its tough, expensive or whatever.  I will not let this world put mountains in front of me to stop me from doing God's work. We are to move forward...we are not shopping for a new car, I do not care how expensive they say it is; my God can make all things possible! So I told April to hold my hands and lets pray harder that God continues to move in ways that cannot be explained so that He gets all the honor and glory. We prayed together and I vowed before my wife and my God that I will lead my family in our Savior's direction and push forward with His plans for adopting Sasha. We will endure trials when we do His work but He will also follow through with His blessings. As days pass and Sasha continues to be part of my daily prayer life, I can say that we are preparing for the blessings of the Lord.

I ask of you, please pray for the McLaughlin family and Sasha in an Eastern European Orphanage, that the Lord and the Lord only, bring us together this Christmas.

In His Grip,
Danny McLaughlin

Bringing Sasha Home - James 1:27

Well, most of you are probably wondering what in the world this is all about.  So, I will do my best to explain without writing a book.  Please join my blog and follow us on this journey that The Lord is leading us on.


On Friday, October 22nd, I attended a women's retreat at our church.  Well gosh, let me back up just a bit.  On Oct 3rd, we were at our Sunday School Class at church and I had realized that we had not been getting any emails.  So, I wrote our email down with a note to please add us.  On Oct 13th, I received an email (via our Sunday School Class) from one of the ladies in our class that could not attend the retreat and wanted to give it away to someone else!  Well, I had wanted to go but we decided that it would be better for us to save the money, so I wasn't planning on going.  However, God had other plans!  I took her up on her offer and got to attend the retreat at not cost to me!  Keep in mind that I would have never gotten that email had I not asked to be added to the email list just a week and a half earlier!

That's where it all started.  On that Friday, at the retreat, a lady there was explaining that she was hosting a child for the holidays through New Horizon's for Children.  There was a book that she printed out with all the children available for hosting.  I immediately found a child that caught my eye and my heart...his name is Kirill and he is from Estonia.  I called Danny with the thought of hosting him for Christmas and he said, "Let's pray about it".  Well, I thought about him throughout much of the weekend and Danny finally said, "Let's do it".

As soon as Monday came around, I called New Horizons for Children and left a message with two different ladies.  On Tuesday, I didn't get a call back, so I called one of those ladies again.  She informed me that they had to pull Estonia from the Hosting Program, so none of the children from Estonia are available for hosting.  Oh, my heart broke!  So, Danny had mentioned that if it was the Lord's Will, that we not give up.  We really hadn't talked about it too much more that week, though.  But I did receive many, many confirmations (did I say many?) in just the past 3 weeks, so I knew with every fiber of being within me that this is something that we needed to do.

Then, on Monday, November 1st, Danny decided to go onto the picture page for New Horizons (on his own accord) and look at the children that were still available for hosting.  That's when he stumbled (ok, not sure that he actually stumbled) upon Sasha.  He read Sasha's profile and called me into the room and said, "Honey, what about this little boy?"  My heart melted that he was even looking at the site!  So, I read the profile and thought "sure...why not".  But I must admit, that my heart was still a little saddened at the loss of Kirill.

Well, Danny goes into the bedroom to lay down and I got on my computer.  I decided to do a cut and paste, side by side that picture of Sasha next to Coby because I thought they definitely could pass as brothers.  I emailed that to Danny (Yes, he was just in the other room!) and he emailed me back saying, "Let's do it!".  I emailed him back that I would call New Horizon's the next morning and he emailed me back saying, "Let's pray".  Yes, we are a couple of dorks emailing when we are almost touching distance from each other!  Sixteen minutes after Danny sent me the email about praying, my phone rings.  Keep in mind that it is now almost nine o'clock at night.  I answered my phone and it was a lady from New Horizons.  Also keep in mind that I had already spoken to someone from New Horizons, so there should have been no reason for them to be calling me.  And, the lady that was calling was neither of the lady's I had originally left a message for!  Coincidence?  Surely not...our God is greater than a coincidence!  By the end of the call, we had put Sasha on hold for hosting and were working to print out our 22 page application to send in.

Since November 1st, we have contacted a couple of adoption agencies to find out about possibly adopting Sasha.  Come to find out, this country is one of the most difficult countries to adopt a child from.  It is one of the most expensive (between $45k and $60k...yikes!!!), requires the most paperwork and is the most difficult to deal with.  However, when I told Danny that, his response was..............well, maybe I will have him tell his side of the story.

Needless to say, we are bringing Sasha here on December 13th for almost 5 weeks to love on him, give him Hope and show him Jesus Christ!  We are going to pursue adopting him and if that is the Lord's Will, then we will welcome him into our home and give him that "forever family" that he so greatly deserves. 

James 1:27  Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and windows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.