This is the message we received from our agency yesterday (Friday):
Your dossier will be sent to Ethiopia via FedEx later today! Thus, your DTE date is today!
The wait has officially begun!
With a DTE (Date-to-Ethiopia) of 1/22, we can expect a referral for a baby girl anywhere from October-December, traveling anywhere from November (at the very earliest) to March.
I'll post more later about some potential changes we're praying for in our adoption plans and on "what do we do while we wait?" For now, just wanted to share the good news!
Family Woven by Faith: Our journey of faith to bring our new daughter home from Ethiopia...
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Crunching
Tonight I was filling out a form for one of our grant applications, and they ask for a breakdown of financial assitance rec'd so far.
And this is what I listed:
MP Community Church: $2200
Gifts from friends and family: $9900
Fundraisers (Read For Orphans): $1770
Just Love Coffee Store: $ 100
Isn't that AMAZING? I tell you what, our friends and family are truly the most supportive group of wonderful people we could ask for!!! We are humbled and blessed...THANK YOU!!!
Seriously, look at that. Bottom line of assistance received thus far: $13,970.
The estimated costs for our program run from $19,000-$29,000. We've taken an average of $25,000, since it's a nice easy number to work with.
With some things, we've been on the low side of the estimates (e.g: Home Study costs can be anywhere from $1200-$2800, which is one of the reasons the agency has to give such a broad total cost range...our home study was $1450).
Airfare totally depends on many factors. With that item, we know we're going to be on the high side of the range (agency estimates that airfare for 2 people will be $2500-$4000...I've searched for tickets with dates in all seasons, just to compare, and prices range from $2500-$3500 per person).
That said, we feel pretty safe with our $25,000.
And with that, my friends, we need only $11,000 more!!! A year ago, that would have seemed huge to me. Now, not quite as much!
Funny how amounts shrink as your faith grows...
And this is what I listed:
MP Community Church: $2200
Gifts from friends and family: $9900
Fundraisers (Read For Orphans): $1770
Just Love Coffee Store: $ 100
Isn't that AMAZING? I tell you what, our friends and family are truly the most supportive group of wonderful people we could ask for!!! We are humbled and blessed...THANK YOU!!!
Seriously, look at that. Bottom line of assistance received thus far: $13,970.
The estimated costs for our program run from $19,000-$29,000. We've taken an average of $25,000, since it's a nice easy number to work with.
With some things, we've been on the low side of the estimates (e.g: Home Study costs can be anywhere from $1200-$2800, which is one of the reasons the agency has to give such a broad total cost range...our home study was $1450).
Airfare totally depends on many factors. With that item, we know we're going to be on the high side of the range (agency estimates that airfare for 2 people will be $2500-$4000...I've searched for tickets with dates in all seasons, just to compare, and prices range from $2500-$3500 per person).
That said, we feel pretty safe with our $25,000.
And with that, my friends, we need only $11,000 more!!! A year ago, that would have seemed huge to me. Now, not quite as much!
Funny how amounts shrink as your faith grows...
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
On its way!!!
So here it is, in quadruplicate! (Is that even a word)?
Presenting our dossier, that embarrassingly, we started paperwork for back in March. *sigh* We just trust that this whole process, interruptions and delays and all, have been part of God's timing. When we got our information packet, it stated that "most families take 5-6 months to complete their dossier." Ha! Nearly a year! Do you know what it feels like to carry a burden of a "to-do" list for that long? At this moment I feel like I'm flying!!!
Andre, you've got a precious package here! Thanks for humoring me and letting me take your picture with our labor of love!
Dossier, dossier, on its way
Over your travel we did pray
Get to Ethiopia oh-so-fast
So our baby will have a family at last!
Presenting our dossier, that embarrassingly, we started paperwork for back in March. *sigh* We just trust that this whole process, interruptions and delays and all, have been part of God's timing. When we got our information packet, it stated that "most families take 5-6 months to complete their dossier." Ha! Nearly a year! Do you know what it feels like to carry a burden of a "to-do" list for that long? At this moment I feel like I'm flying!!!
Andre, you've got a precious package here! Thanks for humoring me and letting me take your picture with our labor of love!
Dossier, dossier, on its way
Over your travel we did pray
Get to Ethiopia oh-so-fast
So our baby will have a family at last!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Exciting Stuff!!!
Okay, so I've been promising some exciting news for a week or so now, not wanting to be hasty in putting together the details. But our God is one incredible God, and I can't put this off any longer!
The point we've been at for a few months now is needing to raise the $7200 that needs to accompany our dossier submission. There are more needs down the pike after that (anywhere from $6k-$12k more), but that has been the need at hand.
Sadly, I've been negligent in keeping the sidebar tally of provision updated as gifts would come in. In November, some friends sent us $100, hoping to help speed up the process (which overwhelmingly blessed us, as they're in their own process to adopt two kiddos!). Then we had the Read For Orphans, which ended up raising $1770!!! Again, above and beyond what we had hoped for or expected. I babysat for a friend for a few hours, and she insisted on paying me $100..."yes, you have to take it-it's for Karis, not you." Humbly blessed. We've made almost $100 from our Just Love Coffee store. Amazing. Yet, still so far from our $7200.
So we have waited, and prayed. And prayed and waited. And although it was far from our timing, we have seen God provide miraculously in a matter of 3 days.
We have some family members who are exceedingly generous, and they told us many months back that they had an account to which they would contribute several hundred dollars each month towards our adoption. On the 28th of December, they gave us a check for $3000. I am not kidding you. That very same day in the mail, we were surprised and blessed beyond measure. Some dear friends in Montrose (and this will get it's own post, b/c the pictures and note are priceless!) did a "Cookies for Karis" sale right before Christmas. $1100, from selling homemade Christmas cookies! Some other wonderful friends in Montrose sent $500. A family member in NY heard about our car accident, and felt led to help us out by sending $1000. The next day, we received a note and a check from a precious woman we have never even met, but is a friend of a friend...she gave $400. The next day in the mail, some close friends in Anchorage sent us $500.
Are you seeing what I'm seeing through my myriad of tears?
$6500, all in the space of three days.
There are simply no words to describe how grateful and humbled we feel to be a part of this miracle that God is working for a beloved girl we love like crazy though we haven't yet met. See what God is up to to bring her home? It boggles my mind.
So what does this mean?
Our dossier will be headed out of here shortly-can I hear an AMEN?!?
We had two documents that had to be state certified/authenticated, and they should arrive back from Juneau on MONDAY (well, looking at the time-today)!
I am holing myself up in the office with the gate across the doorway and making copies like a madwoman Monday evening (well, hopefully I'll be more organized than that!), as we need three complete sets of our dossier. Then off to our agency this week!!! Dossiers get reviewed at our agency on Mondays, then 2-3 weeks for translation/authentication/blah blah blah. So my best guess is that by FEBRUARY our dossier should be landing in Ethiopia!!!
The point we've been at for a few months now is needing to raise the $7200 that needs to accompany our dossier submission. There are more needs down the pike after that (anywhere from $6k-$12k more), but that has been the need at hand.
Sadly, I've been negligent in keeping the sidebar tally of provision updated as gifts would come in. In November, some friends sent us $100, hoping to help speed up the process (which overwhelmingly blessed us, as they're in their own process to adopt two kiddos!). Then we had the Read For Orphans, which ended up raising $1770!!! Again, above and beyond what we had hoped for or expected. I babysat for a friend for a few hours, and she insisted on paying me $100..."yes, you have to take it-it's for Karis, not you." Humbly blessed. We've made almost $100 from our Just Love Coffee store. Amazing. Yet, still so far from our $7200.
So we have waited, and prayed. And prayed and waited. And although it was far from our timing, we have seen God provide miraculously in a matter of 3 days.
We have some family members who are exceedingly generous, and they told us many months back that they had an account to which they would contribute several hundred dollars each month towards our adoption. On the 28th of December, they gave us a check for $3000. I am not kidding you. That very same day in the mail, we were surprised and blessed beyond measure. Some dear friends in Montrose (and this will get it's own post, b/c the pictures and note are priceless!) did a "Cookies for Karis" sale right before Christmas. $1100, from selling homemade Christmas cookies! Some other wonderful friends in Montrose sent $500. A family member in NY heard about our car accident, and felt led to help us out by sending $1000. The next day, we received a note and a check from a precious woman we have never even met, but is a friend of a friend...she gave $400. The next day in the mail, some close friends in Anchorage sent us $500.
Are you seeing what I'm seeing through my myriad of tears?
$6500, all in the space of three days.
There are simply no words to describe how grateful and humbled we feel to be a part of this miracle that God is working for a beloved girl we love like crazy though we haven't yet met. See what God is up to to bring her home? It boggles my mind.
So what does this mean?
Our dossier will be headed out of here shortly-can I hear an AMEN?!?
We had two documents that had to be state certified/authenticated, and they should arrive back from Juneau on MONDAY (well, looking at the time-today)!
I am holing myself up in the office with the gate across the doorway and making copies like a madwoman Monday evening (well, hopefully I'll be more organized than that!), as we need three complete sets of our dossier. Then off to our agency this week!!! Dossiers get reviewed at our agency on Mondays, then 2-3 weeks for translation/authentication/blah blah blah. So my best guess is that by FEBRUARY our dossier should be landing in Ethiopia!!!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
"My Crazy Adoption"
If you've never hopped over to the blog "My Crazy Adoption", it's a great place to stop in! Kari Gibson (daughter of Gary Smalley) and her husband adopted little Zoie from Ethiopia last year, and are in the process to adopt again.
She's created a website that touches on everything from recipes to adoption, and is a great resource!
I love her "Simply Love" t-shirts they're selling as a fundraiser...esp. the men's t-shirt, which says "Man Up. Protect and Love the Fatherless." The back of the women's t-shirt says "If you are a Christian, then orphans are your thing." We'll be sporting them before too long! (If you all knew a secret code that Mark didn't know, I could tell you that I'm buying them now while they're available and saving them for our Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts this year, but I don't know a secret code. So shhh... don't tell, and maybe he will forget that he read this).
She's created a website that touches on everything from recipes to adoption, and is a great resource!
I love her "Simply Love" t-shirts they're selling as a fundraiser...esp. the men's t-shirt, which says "Man Up. Protect and Love the Fatherless." The back of the women's t-shirt says "If you are a Christian, then orphans are your thing." We'll be sporting them before too long! (If you all knew a secret code that Mark didn't know, I could tell you that I'm buying them now while they're available and saving them for our Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts this year, but I don't know a secret code. So shhh... don't tell, and maybe he will forget that he read this).
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Fun!
We just received our first check from our Just Love Coffee fundraiser store! It wasn't much, but more than we had before...we're grateful to those of you who have started buying coffee from us!
I must say (and I can be unbiased here b/c I have no control over the product whatsoever) that it is some seriously.good.coffee.
If you haven't tried it yet, check it out! www.justlovecoffee.com/milligan. Our adoption fund receives $5/bag of coffee sold, $9/sampler. Every bag of coffee brings Karis one step closer out of an orphanage and into our home!
The storefront still appears that you have to join the coffee club, and you don't...you can just purchase ala carte. If you purchase some, leave a comment to let us know how you like it!
So far
They have also just added an espresso blend, there are green beans for those who like to roast their own, and all coffees can come either whole bean or ground. There are also a few samplers if you're not sure which one you'd like to try first!
Another great note is that the Swiss Water Decaf is not treated chemically...it is very hard to find a naturally decaffeinated coffee!
So head on over to make sure you have all the coffee you need for Christmas entertaining, and enjoy knowing you're helping create one less orphan in the world!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Read For Orphans Results are in!
Well, mostly, that is!
We are just blown away by how God has used the lives of kids (and their super-supportive parents AND friends and relatives who did the sponsoring!) to bless our daughter in Ethiopia by helping to bring her home. Blown. Away.
The results are trickling in, and I have some "sort-of" tallies...as in, I've been informed of total amounts earned, & checks are still arriving, but I don't yet know how much each child has read in order to award some Amazon gift certificates (though I just found an awesome website with great Ethiopian kids books I wish I had known about to award with instead)! If anyone else participated that I don't have recorded here, please leave me a comment or drop me an email!
So, in no particular order, here's what I know:
Times Five kids:
Jordan...raised $58
Christian...raised $82.50
Adam...raised $73.50
Eden...raised $60
Maria...raised $118
Friend of the Times Five gang, who helped us despite never even meeting us before!
Hannah M...read 40 books and raised $68
From our church:
Jordan L. from AK...read 20 chapters and raised $200
Dakota L. from AK...read 24 chapters and raised $150
Our nieces and nephews in PA:
Walter, Lesley, Laura, Katie, and Ethan M...raised $450
And the siblings trying to bring their sister home:
Andrew...read 39 books and raised $194
Jacob...read 41 books and raised $166.40
Anna...read ? books and raised $10 (not sure if reading books to herself while on the potty counts, or her shortened attention span during bedtime stories with the boys...but Grandma M. sponsored her anyway)! :)
Can you believe it?!?
16 kids working together raised $1630.40!!!
God's workings never cease to amaze me. We are continually humbled by the outpouring of love and graciousness by those around us as we make our way through this new territory.
To all of the kids who gave of their time and efforts in seeking out sponsors and in READING, we just want to say THANK YOU!!!
To those parents who helped record and tally and collect...THANK YOU!!!
To the faithful sponsors who were willing to put a high price tag on a simple activity because of the cause...THANK YOU!!!
We are just blown away by how God has used the lives of kids (and their super-supportive parents AND friends and relatives who did the sponsoring!) to bless our daughter in Ethiopia by helping to bring her home. Blown. Away.
The results are trickling in, and I have some "sort-of" tallies...as in, I've been informed of total amounts earned, & checks are still arriving, but I don't yet know how much each child has read in order to award some Amazon gift certificates (though I just found an awesome website with great Ethiopian kids books I wish I had known about to award with instead)! If anyone else participated that I don't have recorded here, please leave me a comment or drop me an email!
So, in no particular order, here's what I know:
Times Five kids:
Jordan...raised $58
Christian...raised $82.50
Adam...raised $73.50
Eden...raised $60
Maria...raised $118
Friend of the Times Five gang, who helped us despite never even meeting us before!
Hannah M...read 40 books and raised $68
From our church:
Jordan L. from AK...read 20 chapters and raised $200
Dakota L. from AK...read 24 chapters and raised $150
Our nieces and nephews in PA:
Walter, Lesley, Laura, Katie, and Ethan M...raised $450
And the siblings trying to bring their sister home:
Andrew...read 39 books and raised $194
Jacob...read 41 books and raised $166.40
Anna...read ? books and raised $10 (not sure if reading books to herself while on the potty counts, or her shortened attention span during bedtime stories with the boys...but Grandma M. sponsored her anyway)! :)
Can you believe it?!?
16 kids working together raised $1630.40!!!
God's workings never cease to amaze me. We are continually humbled by the outpouring of love and graciousness by those around us as we make our way through this new territory.
To all of the kids who gave of their time and efforts in seeking out sponsors and in READING, we just want to say THANK YOU!!!
To those parents who helped record and tally and collect...THANK YOU!!!
To the faithful sponsors who were willing to put a high price tag on a simple activity because of the cause...THANK YOU!!!
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