We've been home just a hair over a week now. I've been trying to figure out the best way to say "Thank you!" to all those who helped get Abel home. Everyone deserves some public recognition in their lives, and this is a good time!
The Fundraising: There are no organizations advocating for Serbian orphans who families are trying to adopt. NONE! People who would like to contribute to a family's adoption often prefer to give to an organization rather than a private party so there is accountability. Add in the fact the Serbian adoption process is very fast, it makes the whole business a bit tricky. But Project Hopeful has chosen to stand in that gap for Serbian adoptive families. The staff and leadership of Project Hopeful is a group of people dedicated to His word. Thank you, Project Hopeful, for helping us get Abel home.
The Funds: I don't have the exact numbers, but somewhere around 120 people contributed to helping get Abel home. Each of you put your faith in Dean and I, believing that we would be good stewards of the money you so generously contributed. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for sacrificing for us, for our son. Weather you contributed $5 or $1000, every penny was important. Thank you. Every one of you.
Being Gone: We had three kids here who can be quite a handful. Not only that, but it is a crazy schedule to follow here. Even though I eliminated a few things, it's still a lot to keep up with. God absolutely blessed us with a group of people who, like a coach directing the play of a champion team, took amazing care of our kids! We could NOT have brought Abel home without knowing we had people here we could trust and who our kids adored. Not only did our kids get great care, but we came home to a spotless house!!! The pantry had been cleaned and organized, the refrigerator cleaned, not a single dish in the sink, and every stitch of laundry done and put away, the laundry room and bathrooms immaculate, and the list goes on! I cannot thank all of you enough. Just that alone made our first week home far less stressful than it could have been.
The Prayers: So many of you prayed. I'm sure I don't even know who all of you are. I do know that this was the most stressful trip to Serbia I have ever taken. It was the easiest trip in some ways, and in others it was the most difficult. I have to tell you that one night, I think it was the 3rd or 4th night in Serbia, I woke at 1:30 in the morning having a full-blown panic attack. I couldn't breath, and I was scared to death...about something I couldn't even name. All I knew was my kids were on one side of the world and Dean and I on the other, and in that very moment it was just all too much!!! I went outside on the balcony, taking in gulps of the night air. "God, this is NOT of you. Please take it from me now because I can't stay here otherwise. I can't DO THIS without you." Suddenly I felt it. A gust of wind that blew my hair away from my face, and although the night was cool this breeze was warm. God clearly showed me all your prayers washing over me, taking away my fears and insecurities. No, we couldn't do this alone. We didn't do it alone. Every one of you prayed us home.
The Fundraising: There are no organizations advocating for Serbian orphans who families are trying to adopt. NONE! People who would like to contribute to a family's adoption often prefer to give to an organization rather than a private party so there is accountability. Add in the fact the Serbian adoption process is very fast, it makes the whole business a bit tricky. But Project Hopeful has chosen to stand in that gap for Serbian adoptive families. The staff and leadership of Project Hopeful is a group of people dedicated to His word. Thank you, Project Hopeful, for helping us get Abel home.
The Funds: I don't have the exact numbers, but somewhere around 120 people contributed to helping get Abel home. Each of you put your faith in Dean and I, believing that we would be good stewards of the money you so generously contributed. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for sacrificing for us, for our son. Weather you contributed $5 or $1000, every penny was important. Thank you. Every one of you.
Being Gone: We had three kids here who can be quite a handful. Not only that, but it is a crazy schedule to follow here. Even though I eliminated a few things, it's still a lot to keep up with. God absolutely blessed us with a group of people who, like a coach directing the play of a champion team, took amazing care of our kids! We could NOT have brought Abel home without knowing we had people here we could trust and who our kids adored. Not only did our kids get great care, but we came home to a spotless house!!! The pantry had been cleaned and organized, the refrigerator cleaned, not a single dish in the sink, and every stitch of laundry done and put away, the laundry room and bathrooms immaculate, and the list goes on! I cannot thank all of you enough. Just that alone made our first week home far less stressful than it could have been.
The Prayers: So many of you prayed. I'm sure I don't even know who all of you are. I do know that this was the most stressful trip to Serbia I have ever taken. It was the easiest trip in some ways, and in others it was the most difficult. I have to tell you that one night, I think it was the 3rd or 4th night in Serbia, I woke at 1:30 in the morning having a full-blown panic attack. I couldn't breath, and I was scared to death...about something I couldn't even name. All I knew was my kids were on one side of the world and Dean and I on the other, and in that very moment it was just all too much!!! I went outside on the balcony, taking in gulps of the night air. "God, this is NOT of you. Please take it from me now because I can't stay here otherwise. I can't DO THIS without you." Suddenly I felt it. A gust of wind that blew my hair away from my face, and although the night was cool this breeze was warm. God clearly showed me all your prayers washing over me, taking away my fears and insecurities. No, we couldn't do this alone. We didn't do it alone. Every one of you prayed us home.
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