Road trip

We moved to Louisiana almost 7 years.  At leas twice a year Jacob would mention that he wanted to go back to Rayville, LA for a visit.  When his parents were in training to prepare for international missions, they lived in this small, quiet, charming little town for about a year and a half.  Jacob has so many memories jam-packed into his time there.  The past few weeks have been very up and down for us, so earlier last week we decided this past weekend was the perfect time for a little mini-roadtrip.  We left on Saturday and came home on Sunday night.  Here's a little recap....

We loaded up on easy snacks and lunches to have in the car...saved some major cash this way!

Loaded up and ready to go!

Jacob spent many hours of his 6th and 7th year of life playing in this water

This is the house they lived in....it's actually in a small community called Holly Ridge..like 1 blinking yellow light, kind of small community.  

The road that leads to a bridge that was another favorite hang-out of Jacob and his friend, Rusty

While one of my favorite parts of the trip was seeing a little piece of where Jacob grew up, the girls

were ecstatic to get to stay in a hotel....

One thing about Rayville, LA....it's 20 minutes from the Duck Commander!!

Sadly, no sightings of the bearded men that day ;(

Uncle Si has enjoyed many glasses of sweet

tea right here...as seen on Duck Dynasty!

I took this picture for my grandad...it's the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway.

Thanks, Denden, for your service to this great country.

And this beautiful church is so full of love - many of them remembered Jacob, his sister, and parents, still pray for them, and were super excited to see him and his family.  They welcomed us all as if we were there to stay! If you're ever passing through Rayville, LA - I highly suggest visiting FBC Rayville :)

Providing, Moving On, & Advocating

Providing...

He funds what He favors.

  

I really wish I'd come up with that phrase.  Our home study social worker told it to me first, she'd read it on another adoptive dad's blog.  Basically, if God wants you to do something, He's going to make a way, He's going to provide - all He asks is obedience from us and He'll do the rest!  He loves children.  He repeatedly tells us to take care of orphans in His Word.  So...if He wants a family to adopt a precious, orphaned child...why would He not provide a way for that to happen? I just wanted to show you how much He has provided for our adoption over the past 6 months:

 Donations: $4,270

Adoption T-Shirts: $1,750

Adoption Cookbooks: $2,005

Adoption Yard Sale: $1,485

Jamberry Nails: $1,550

Other (overtime opportunities, piano lessons, tax returns): $4,000+

Total: $15,060

This total combined with what we started with means WE ARE ALMOST THERE! It's been so incredibly amazing watching God do all of this...trust me, it hasn't been anything we've done or are doing - it's ALL HIM!!

We're now ready to start applying for adoption grants. Please join us in prayer as we start this portion of our journey.  There are a lot of families out there who will apply for these grants every month.  The men and women involved in these various ministries have a great task before them each time they meet to review, pray over, and decide who will be awarded one of their precious grants.  Please pray for them as they make their decisions - whether it is to award a grant to our family or another family.  We know that God will provide the remaining funds in the perfect amount of time in His perfect way!!

*Note: We still have a few t-shirts and cookbooks available. If you'd like one, comment below, Facebook me, or email me at jmalcoleman@gmail.com!

Moving On...

Our home study was recently completed and finalized - on my birthday to be exact!! Now, we are compiling our dossier (a fancy word for "a stack of papers we send overseas") and waiting on our immigration approval (the US says it's okay for us to adopt a child from overseas).

Each country has different requirements for a families dossier and ours is not quite as intense as others.  It will include our home study, psyc evals, medical clearances, birth certificates, marriage certificates, employment letters, name change verification letter (for me), FBI and state criminal background checks, passport photos, and 10 color photos showing our little boy a glimpse into the family he'll be joining once we are matched with him (I'm really excited/nervous about this one - it makes it so real, but I want it to be perfect for his first glimpse of us!!) Each of these items have to be notarized, sent to our agency, apostilled (I have no idea??) and then forwarded to Colombia - where it will be translated.

Advocating...

And now for some exciting news!!  Our social worker, Beth, called last week to update me on our case. She had just gotten out of a staff meeting which included our in-country rep/attorney, Raul.  I've never met Raul, but he's one of my favorite people because of all the work he's done and will do on our family's behalf. Anyway - Raul had just reviewed our files and our child desired form (still working on that post, y'all...it's just hard and it stinks).  He loves our file and the parameters we have set for the child we are able to adopt!! Now that we are home study approved, he's going to start actively advocating for our family in Colombia - meaning he's going to keep our family's name and file out there and really look for children that match our parameters!!

Beth was quick to assure me that this didn't mean our process would go any faster or be any quicker - nothing can really determine the time line of an adoption because, well, we're not Jesus.  But it's so exciting to know that they are finally able to actively work on our behalf to seek out, find, and connect us with our son!!!

Please pray for Raul and the many families that he serves in this capacity and especially for our little boy who may very well be waiting for us right now.

That's about all for now on the adoption front - thanks so much for continuing to check on us, support us, and - most importantly - pray for us!!!  We really can't tell you how much it means to us!

Have a Happy Weekend!

Smile for the Camera

We recently had family pictures made.  This might have been the best round of pictures. EVER!! Our friend Maggi, of Maggie Moreau Photography, did mini-sessions to raise money for an upcoming mission trip she is going on later this year.  Awesome photographer + amazing family pics + mission funding = PERFECT PHOTO SESSION in my book!! Go check her out if you're in the Slidell area.  She also did Creek's one year pictures - she's so awesome!!!!  Anyway, here are some of my favorites from the sessions - we booked 2: 1 for family pictures in our adoption t-shirts and 1 for the kiddos...it was perfection!!

It WAS For Sale!!

We just had our THIRD big fundraiser...a yard sale!! This was probably the hardest fundraiser ever, but SO MUCH FUN!!!  Lot's of pictures in this post....they tend to tell it better than words, sometimes....

 

This beautiful, young lady is my Nana.  She's pretty much amazing - for lots of reasons - but for the purposes of this post and fund raiser...whoa, did she work hard! She cleaned in her kitchen what I'd sorted, let me compoletelly takeover use her garage, carport, dining room table, and spare bed to keep stuff as it was cleaned and sorted.  Then, she and my Denden (that's granddaddy for some of you) opened up their driveway and yard for one amazing fundraiser.  I cannot thank her enough...really, I can't do it.  She's just so awesome.  I want to live like her when I'm as young as she is :)

 

 

Next up is one of my 2 cashiers.  This is my baby sister (the pretty one with the long, brown hair - boys, I'll cut you if you mess with her) and she not only manned the money bucket and bag all day, she got up at 5:15 to go help my dad and I set up.  I'll probably owe her for that one for a long time.

 

 

These guys provided lots of muscle leading up to the yard sale.  We'd asked for donations from our Tennessee church family and they helped us go around a couple of nights before a load stuff up.  And they did it all for a Sonic milkshake...at half price.

 

 

It was pretty cool how God took this small pile from my family and turned it into this...

 

 

and this...

 

 

and this...

 

 

 

This is not an accurate representation of what these 2 did at the sale.  That's my uncle on the left and my little sister on the right.  She was my other cashier for the second half of the day (boys - same rule applies for her, too).  My uncle and my dad helped load stuff throughout the day and carry bags and items to people's cars.  They earned a little late-afternoon nap.

 

 

 

On the left is my aunt, then my dad, and on the right is my uncle.  My aunt and uncle got up at 4 am and drove 3 hours from Nashville.  They brought stuff for the sale, worked their tails off all day, and bought stuff, too.  My dad....wow...I can never say enough about him or give the most accurate description of him.  He spent his entire birthday watching my kiddos so I could finish stuff up, helped me round up donations most days after work, got up super early on his day off to help set up, work hard, and try to scare off the creepers at the the yard sale.  He's always been awesome in my book.

 

 

 

 

This blank section is where I should insert a picture of my mom and kids since she took care of them all day long....believe me, I know that's not an easy task.  Especially considering the yard sale fell on the absolute busiest 2 weeks for her at work....for the whole year!! Thanks for being a team player, mom :) You're the best!  Sorry I apparently didn't snap a picture when ya'll stopped by :(

 

 

 

All in all, the yard sale was a blast!! It was hard work collecting donations, sorting through and cleaning them...but it was also just as wonderful to see God blessing this fundraiser through so many people.  The first item that sold was my favorite chair...a pompesan chair that I'd waited years for.  I cried when the man drove off with it in his truck.  Oh well, it was just a chair, right?!!

 

My original goal for this fundraiser was $1,000...lofty goal for a yard sale, right? At the first of the week, I tried to reevaluate and set a more realistic goal based on what I had and lowered it (in my mind) to $500...still a nice fundraiser!!  God completely blew me out of the water when I counted up the final amount.  Originally, I'd posted on facebook that God had provided $1,250, but then I came across an apparent mystery/secret donation, coupled with a more precise recount.  The "new" grand total is $1,485!!  Almost 3 times as much as I what I "thought" was a realistic expectation for a yard sale.  And the whole thing was put together in 5 days!!

 

So incredible. Fantastically, amazingly, INCREDIBLE!!

 

And God continues to provide in exceptional ways.  He fund what He favors, y'all.  He really does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Multiplication

Hey, y'all!! I hope you've been well - sorry it's been a few weeks since I updated!!  The past several weeks of our adoption can be summed up with one seemingly simple word: paperwork.  Yeah, it's a boring update, but it is what it is!  Some if it has been exciting paperwork, though!!

We recently filled out our I-800A and it is ready to be sent to the USCIS (US Citizens and Immigration Services) office as soon as our home study is approved....which should be done this week!! The I-800A is this really long application that we send in, with our home study, to the US government to seek approval to adopt a child from overseas.  We received pre-approval so we can proceed with the adoption, then final approval once we have been matched with a child.  Our home study has to accompany this form, but our social worker had us go ahead and fill it out so as soon as she gets our home study in her hands...she will drop all of that in the mail to USCIS.  Once she does that, and we wait on fingerprinting dates and approval from them, we'll start working on our dossier - which is our stack of paperwork that will go to Colombia, where it will be reviewed by Colombian officials, and we will receive approval from them to adopt from their country. Simple, right? Yes!! Sometimes I wonder, though, how all of this "needing approval" business is affecting my self-esteem!

Another piece of paperwork we had to complete was our child desired form.  That's something that requires an entire post of its own...too many emotions on my heart to give it a quick paragraph here, so stay tuned.

On the other hand, I've also had a few more freak out moments here and there.  They happen.  They come.  I breathe. I pray.  They go away.  It repeats.  Worrying is a fault of mine - stress something that can easily take me over when I feel things are out of my control.  And adoption is so very far out of my control.  Good thing, though, because God IS in control!

We have our next big fundraiser coming up and I've been nervous about it.  We're having a yard sale at my grandparents house this weekend.  We've been pulling stuff from our house and sending it up with my parents as they've visited us in Louisiana the past several months, pulled everything we have stored at their house and my husband's grandparents house, and we've graciously been given donations by our Tennessee church family - some of which I'm about to go pick up! 

Yesterday, though - I was worried.  Praise God - a friend who is using the same agency as we are had a yard sale this past weekend.  Guess how much they raised?  $5,000 dollars!! Yes, 5 thousand. 5K. a 5 with three 0's! How amazing is that! When I read her news, I was immediately overcome with joy for their sweet family - knowing they are so much closer to their little girl.  I thanked Jesus for providing so abundantly for them.  And then the "thoughts" came...

What if our yard sale is a bust?

 

We'll never raise that kind of money!

 

I can't do this!

 

This will be hard!

 

How are we going to make a decent amount of money with this fundraiser...and it's supposed to be a big one for us?!

 

How are we EVER going to reach our total goal for this adoption?!

 

What will happen to our son?!

And on and on and on the thoughts and questions rolled.

And then that still, small, Voice of peace reminded me...

"Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanmks and broke them.  then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people." Luke 9:16 (for the entire miracle, see Luke 9:1-17)

He fed 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.  And the people who sought after Him were fulfilled.  They were satisfied.  They had leftovers.  They not only had full bellies, they had full hearts, too.  He simply multiplied what was brought forth and given completely over to Him.  And as He whispered to my heart the miracle that I sat and listened to time and time again as a child, I knew.  I remembered...it's not about me.  It's not about my family.  It's not about what we or I can do.  It's not about us.  It's about Him.  It's about seeking Him and making Him known and striving to see Him exalted and glorified in all that we do.

I have no idea how much this fundraiser will bring in.  I know that He has provided so much more than I could have imagined to this point.  But more than that, I know that I want Him to be made known in every step of this adoption - the paperwork, the fundraisers, the blog updates.  All of it.  So whether we bring in $50 or $5,000 - I will praise Him because He is the One who gave it all. 

Our Adoption Roadmap

Many times the adoption process is referred to as an adoption "journey". When I think of a journey, I think of a long experience, with high and lows, easy parts and hard parts...sometimes the path is clear and sometimes it's a little confusing. But always at the end of a journey, when you arrive at your destination...you look back on everything and compare it with what you have reached, where you have come...and you know that it was all worth it. Every mountain you had to climb, every valley you had to walk through...it never stopped you from getting you to where you are. It will not stop me from getting to my son. I think the word "journey" is perfect for describing the adoption process. Here is our little roadmap for the journey that we will be on for the next 18-24 months...

Social Worker assigned - welcome call   DONE

Turn in agency contracts and first agency payment   DONE

Orientation   DONE

Home Study: (approximately 3 - 4 months to complete) DONE
  -  Colombia specialist orientation  DONE
  -  Joint interview and home tour DONE
  -  Individual interviews with social worker DONE
  -  Joint interview DONE
  -  Education DONE
  -  Acquire a lengthy list of documents for the home study DONE

Immigration - 800A (approximately 90 days to complete); This is the process for applying for immigration  after the homestudy is finalized; once submitted:
    -  assigned adjudicator: 

2 weeks DONE
    -  4 - 6 weeks: receive letter with         fingerprint appointment and 

location DONE
    -  6 - 8 weeks: fingerprint 

appointment DONE
    -  8 - 12 weeks: receive approval

Dossier (approximately 3 months to complete); this includes the homestudy, immigration approval, a  lengthy list of documents such as birth certificates, social security cards, etc,, and our psychological evaluation DONE
    - Submit dossier to Colombia representative for review and translation (approximately 2 - 4 weeks) 
    - Submit dossier to Colombia central authority for review and approval to adopt (approximately 3 - 4 months)...this is where we will be approved by Colombia to adopt a child, once we receive this       approval, we are will start the "waiting" time

Receive Referral: (approximately 6 - 9 month wait time, but we're on God's timeline)
   - Be referred/matched with a child through a private orphanage, Colombia's central authority, or a waiting child through our agency.

Immigration Approval - 800 (approximately 1 - 2 months after receiving match with a child); this is immigration's approval for us to adopt a specific child
   - Apply for 800 = wait for provisional approval (average 30 days)
   - After approval from USCIS, wait for the US Embassy in Colombia to issue full approval for travel to Colombia (will travel approximately 1 - 2 weeks after receiving approval)

Travel to Colombia (approximately 4 - 7 weeks spent in country)
   - Spend 10 day bonding period with child
   - Appear in court for adoption finalization
   - Wait for US Embassy to issue our child his visa to return to the United States
   - He will be a US citizen the very second the plane touches the ground

   So, there you have it.  Our road map, to do list, checklist, whatever you want to call...it's everything we have to do in order to bring our son home.  These next 6 - 9 months will be filled with paper work and more paper work, getting the right documents to the right people. So if you see me a little frazzled and my fingers are covered with band-aids from multiple paper cuts...it probably means I could use a hug :)  After finally completing the necessary paperwork...we wait.  The average time right now is 6 - 9 months, but it could be shorter...it could be longer.  And so during the "wait time", if you see me looking a little teary eyed or maybe a little like a piece of my heart is missing...it's because it is and I could definitely use a hug :)

A Stroll Down Memory Lane With AB

We celebrated Anna Beth's 5th birthday this weekend.  It's really hard to believe that she is already 5.  I love the little girl she is growing into and I pray for the young woman she will one day become.  She is such a loving little girl and this great big ole servant's heart.  I pray she uses that love and heart of service for Jesus with everything in her.  I love you, AB, and - as always - I love being your mommy.

May 25.....

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