MAY
May was a really incredible month for us, filled with other peoples' overwhelming generosity. But before I fill you in on that, let me rewind a bit to last December.
In December, Randy and I went to San Felipe. Our primary motivation was to spend Christmas with the kids at the orphanage. But we had a very important secondary motivation: to go to DIF (children's services) to inquire about adoption.
While living at Sonshine Hacienda, Randy and I obviously grew very attached to the children. Over 40 kids were part of our lives while we lived in San Felipe. Some for just a few days. Others were there at the children's home when we first visited in 2016, and continue to live there today. They all made a lasting impact on us, but we connected with three boys in particular.
So it was those three brothers that we asked about when we went to DIF (pronounced Deef). We were met with a familiar face when we arrived at the offices -- a woman we had worked with on numerous occasions while living in San Felipe. She was excited to meet with us, and even more excited to share with us that these three boys are, in fact, eligible to be adopted. (Children's homes in Mexico serve a similar function to foster homes in the U.S., and therefore many children living there are not legally able to be adopted.) She filed our initial letter of intent, but said that we actually have to start the process in the United States. She gave us the names of three agencies, but as we researched them, only one seemed to fit for us.
For the past several months we have been having initial conversations with that agency, exploring our options (we wondered if we could be local foster parents while waiting for the adoption to be finalized, for example, but that seems to complicate matters significantly) and learning more about the international adoption process. Our biggest challenge is that the home study is one of the first steps in the process, and our home is currently timbers. But we finally felt ready in May to file our paperwork and officially set the ball in motion to adopt our boys.
At the same time we were filing paperwork, we began to explore Facebook Marketplace, where people in our area can sell anything from kitchen tables to lawnmowers. Because home remodeling and adoption are about the two most expensive things you can do (add purchasing a new home last fall as the third most expensive!) and obviously we are looking to reduce costs wherever we can! So we have been buying and selling on Facebook and have met the most incredible people.
During one such adventure, we ended up sitting around a table that we were considering buying with a retired couple who were weeks away from moving to Belize to be missionaries. When we told them that we had just returned from the mission field and were in the process of adopting, they let us buy their table and then threw in a mattress and dresser and a truck load of other items to help get us started.
Shortly thereafter, a woman reached out to me. The missionary couple had told her our story and she wanted to give us mattresses and dressers for the other two boys, plus bookshelves and hot wheels and a basketball hoop. She wouldn't take a dime for any of it. She just wanted us to have it all!
Soon afterwards, a couple in our church unexpectedly sold their home and were moving into a smaller, furnished house, and had to get rid of all their belongings. (Crazy story. Someone showed up at their house, said she grew up there and wanted to buy it. Their house wasn't even on the market! But they sold it to her!!!) So they loaded us up with another trailer full of furniture and decorations.
We were overwhelmed by these couples and their generosity, and how God orchestrated the timing of each of these connections so perfectly!
At the end of May, we traveled to California for our granddaughter's high school graduation. During our week long visit, Randy's daughters hosted and fed us. Our grandkids sacrificed time with their friends to hang out with us. Friends took us out to eat and had us over for Memorial Day barbecues and shared their lives with us. All of this graciousness and generosity was equally valued. Whether it is through time or tangible gifts, generosity always makes people feel good. Our love tanks are full and we just want to pour all of this love right back out on to others! We are abundantly blessed!
Want to be part of our adoption story? We've set up a GoFundMe account where you can make a donation of any amount to help us bring these three boys home. We'll be posting updates about the process there and will continue to keep you updated here as well! Click here to learn more: Tu Puedes Adoptarme.
In December, Randy and I went to San Felipe. Our primary motivation was to spend Christmas with the kids at the orphanage. But we had a very important secondary motivation: to go to DIF (children's services) to inquire about adoption.
While living at Sonshine Hacienda, Randy and I obviously grew very attached to the children. Over 40 kids were part of our lives while we lived in San Felipe. Some for just a few days. Others were there at the children's home when we first visited in 2016, and continue to live there today. They all made a lasting impact on us, but we connected with three boys in particular.
So it was those three brothers that we asked about when we went to DIF (pronounced Deef). We were met with a familiar face when we arrived at the offices -- a woman we had worked with on numerous occasions while living in San Felipe. She was excited to meet with us, and even more excited to share with us that these three boys are, in fact, eligible to be adopted. (Children's homes in Mexico serve a similar function to foster homes in the U.S., and therefore many children living there are not legally able to be adopted.) She filed our initial letter of intent, but said that we actually have to start the process in the United States. She gave us the names of three agencies, but as we researched them, only one seemed to fit for us.
For the past several months we have been having initial conversations with that agency, exploring our options (we wondered if we could be local foster parents while waiting for the adoption to be finalized, for example, but that seems to complicate matters significantly) and learning more about the international adoption process. Our biggest challenge is that the home study is one of the first steps in the process, and our home is currently timbers. But we finally felt ready in May to file our paperwork and officially set the ball in motion to adopt our boys.
At the same time we were filing paperwork, we began to explore Facebook Marketplace, where people in our area can sell anything from kitchen tables to lawnmowers. Because home remodeling and adoption are about the two most expensive things you can do (add purchasing a new home last fall as the third most expensive!) and obviously we are looking to reduce costs wherever we can! So we have been buying and selling on Facebook and have met the most incredible people.
During one such adventure, we ended up sitting around a table that we were considering buying with a retired couple who were weeks away from moving to Belize to be missionaries. When we told them that we had just returned from the mission field and were in the process of adopting, they let us buy their table and then threw in a mattress and dresser and a truck load of other items to help get us started.
Shortly thereafter, a woman reached out to me. The missionary couple had told her our story and she wanted to give us mattresses and dressers for the other two boys, plus bookshelves and hot wheels and a basketball hoop. She wouldn't take a dime for any of it. She just wanted us to have it all!
Soon afterwards, a couple in our church unexpectedly sold their home and were moving into a smaller, furnished house, and had to get rid of all their belongings. (Crazy story. Someone showed up at their house, said she grew up there and wanted to buy it. Their house wasn't even on the market! But they sold it to her!!!) So they loaded us up with another trailer full of furniture and decorations.
We were overwhelmed by these couples and their generosity, and how God orchestrated the timing of each of these connections so perfectly!
At the end of May, we traveled to California for our granddaughter's high school graduation. During our week long visit, Randy's daughters hosted and fed us. Our grandkids sacrificed time with their friends to hang out with us. Friends took us out to eat and had us over for Memorial Day barbecues and shared their lives with us. All of this graciousness and generosity was equally valued. Whether it is through time or tangible gifts, generosity always makes people feel good. Our love tanks are full and we just want to pour all of this love right back out on to others! We are abundantly blessed!
Want to be part of our adoption story? We've set up a GoFundMe account where you can make a donation of any amount to help us bring these three boys home. We'll be posting updates about the process there and will continue to keep you updated here as well! Click here to learn more: Tu Puedes Adoptarme.
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