This Sunday, the week after "Orphan Sunday" our family has had some amazing ladies create a day for Ethan-they are having a Boutique for Ethan!!! All of the proceeds will be going for our first trip's expenses & Ethan's Visa! We were hoping that we could tell everyone our first trip dates by this Sunday but i have a feeling that we won't know until next week! We are so excited for the sale, for the dates for Ethan & for seeing what God is going to do with His children!
For those of you who don't know; we are adopting Ethan from a country in Eastern Europe. We have a daughter, our fifth, who has Down Syndrome, and she has changed our lives. We were led for many months that we were to adopt a child with Down Syndrome & then we were led to a site, Reece's Rainbow, where our world was ROCKED!!!
Reece's Rainbow showed us HUNDREDS of children with DS who are in orphanages with no hope, no life, some/many untouched, unloved, uncared for even, and many that we have since found that were so malnourished when the families brought them home that they went straight into the hospital! BUT i also have seen what these families (who are now friends of mine) have transformed those little lives into children who are healthy and strong.
We had researched and found that there are HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of families on waiting lists here in the states for children with DS. The only way that you can get a young child with DS here in the states is if you know someone who knows someone who knows you (and then it is an infant & we weren't being led to do that) (don't believe me? check it out! i just wish that those hundreds of parents on waiting lists would see the hundreds of children in EE) ANYWAY, it was a long road of which child we were to choose. Scott & I wanted a girl; the girls & the Lord had other plans. God led us to Ethan; boys don't get chosen & we felt led to choose a child who others may not choose- a boy! UFFDA!! CONNIE with a SON????? God, are you sure? Hee hee
Long story....TRYING to make it short. Scott & i have done paperwork before...for a house, an account, etc but NOTHING can prepare you for the paperwork of an international adoption. The costs of an international adoption can be anywhere from $20,000-$50,000!!! So why didn't that stop us? We decided that we would give up our life savings if it came down to it & we knew that that money would not be able to be used on anything better than what we would be...our son!
We have been blown away by the generosity of people that we didn't even know a year ago to a complete stranger that i had just friended the WEEK before on FB to a 16 yr old young man who is baking Angel Food Cakes to donate the proceeds to Ethan to another 11yr old young man that will be selling his wares THIS SUNDAY-marshmallow shooters (who got the money for the costs of the materials from an older lady in our church who really didn't have the $100 but wanted to be a part of Ethan's adoption!) to our family selling ETHAN's COOKIES & having people all over the country BUY THEM!!!! NOW....this coming Sunday!
We have had people bring us baskets of Creative Memories at great prices, a lady who i barely knew with her mother who i don't know at all...they are creating jewelry & baby hats, watching our daughters working so hard to find ways that they can raise money for Ethan & being blown away by what they are bringing! Someone has brought us a wall hanging that was bought from Hoye Furniture store a year ago & never used-for $150!!! Women are creating scarves & other beautiful creations! A step mom to some families that go to our church has made all kinds of things...never met her!
We are praying that whatever people can do that they will ACT!!! If that means that they donate their time for babysitting, cleaning, organizing, baking for Christmas, fix-it-man, or even a fix-it-cook/seamstress or whatever God has gifted you to do! If you could bake some homemade baked goods or have something that you have already created & you could donate for this occasion we pray that you WILL! If you are one who doesn't have time to give but you do need Christmas gifts then PLEASE come by and BUY them at this sale! The sale will be THIS SUNDAY from 11:30am until 2pm so that that time will cover churches that get out early to churches that get out late! Or it gives you time to get a quick bite and then come to the church to buy your incredible desserts. I know that i am baking my scrumptious toffee, homemade fudge of many varieties, and many other nummy treats as well as i know that other ladies are bringing their goodies!
MAY I ASK ONE MORE THING....if you are able to let people know at your church about this event, we would appreciate it. Put it on your FB wall, see if you can announce it or email it! Email it to YOUR friends!
SUNDAY - A DAY for the Orphan Boutique for Ethan!!! 11:30am-2pm at Calvary Community Church St Cloud, MN PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take time to pray for us, the people working hard to help us, the event & that people's lives would be changed
ALWAYS blessed, Connie for the crew
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