December Update

Ok, ok, ok. So I know that some of you are probably thinking that the Wallaces no longer exist since it has been SO long since my last post! Truth is, we have just been crazy busy! And, since there have been some slow downs in Ethiopia, we really haven't had much news about adoption to share.

Today, so sweetly on Christmas day, we received our December numbers! We are #116 for a girl & # 93 for a boy! Sounds good to us, we hope things keep moving right along!

We truly hope you all had a very Christmas! We enjoyed ours spending time with our families & celebrating Jesus birth! Have a happy New Year!

Woo Hoo!

Okay, everyone, big news.... We have made it to the waiting list! We mailed our dossier to AGCI on Monday and they reviewed it today and we don't have to make any revisions which is a blessing! We are on the boy & girl list and we are finished with paperwork! Our numbers are:

130 girl

101 boy

So we ask that you all please be praying for our family over the next year as we wait for our new little one! 

Thanks y'all, Hannah

Adoption Update

Oh my goodness! After 18 weeks, I finally received my clearance from the FBI. My fingerprints were rejected, then delayed, then lost in the mail! But our amazing home study agency, New Beginnings received them last Wednesday and we had our actual home study in our hands by Friday! It was a nice feeling to finally have the home study in hand. So, we were able to mail off our USCIS paperwork, and as soon as we receive our USCIS fingerprint appointment, we can mail off our dossier!!!!!! That will finally get us on that waiting list. I have been watching lots of gotcha day videos lately, and it makes me so ready for the day we get to meet our kid! CAN NOT WAIT! Our friends who just made it to the waiting list waited 8 weeks for their USCIS appt., so I am hoping ours will go at least that quickly.

As previously promised, I want to update y'all on Orphanology. I actually haven't finished it yet, which is ridiculous, but we have been so busy this summer. Anyway, the book is amazing. It spells out so simply how we should look at adoption, Biblically speaking. I love reading it because it is so reaffirming to what led us to adopt. I will share more soon, but it really is inspiring!

Just to hint at a little fun, John and I have gone back & forth, to & fro on the tshirt idea. We are going to wait a while before we do them but we decided tonight that we are each going to design one and then have a little friendly competition to see who can sell more!!!!!! I think it will be a lot of fun. The winners bounty has not yet been determined! Stay tuned!

Thanks y'all, love you all!

Greetings...

Hi Everyone, I know my updates have been few and far between but I feel like as soon as we get ourselves on that wait list, we will have more time on our hands! It has been a very busy time for us, finishing paperwork and then re-doing it, oh, and then re-doing it again! I'm pretty sure we have done each dossier document at least 3 times!

Many of you have asked where we are in the process so here is a brief explanation: Our homestudy is finished, but it can not be reviewed by the state until our agency receives my fingerprints from FBI
(they claimed the 1st set was too blurry, so I sent off 3 more cards weeks ago!) Once the home study is reviewed by the state, we will receive a copy that we will include in our dossier. (Our dossier is our packet that basically tells everything about us on paper.) Once we submit the dossier, we are on the waitlist! We are hoping and praying that all of this happens soon, because once we are on the list all we can do is wait so we don't want to prolong this very long process to our baby at all! We have been hustling to get these document signed, notarized, certified, whatever the requirements!

I can not thank all of you who support us enough! We have been overwhelmed by the positive things people have done for us and our adoption! You have been generous and understanding and we want you all to know how much we love you and appreciate your good will and your prayers! Adoption is not for the faint of heart, and we could not be doing it without all of you!

The world of orphan care and adoption is never ending, I pray that you all will check out Melissa's blog (from which I posted most recently) if you haven't already, and I would encourage you to help and pray for the children of Oasis as much as you possibly can. Melissa is doing incredible things in Uganda and she needs support since she is separated from part of her family! www.roadtomercy.blogspot.com

Also, at my sister's suggestion, I am reading Orphanology by Merida & Morton. I am really enjoying it, it lays out how our adoption by Christ parallels adopting and caring for orphans. I hope to update you on the awesome things I am learning!

We love you all!
Hannah

Please check this out.....

Hi Everyone, I would really appreciate if y'all would read this & pass it on. Let's see what we all can do to help these sweet children.  I posted the story below, but if you want to donate you can go to Melissa's blog here. www.roadtomercy.blogspot.com
(Btw, Melissa is the wife of my high school youth minister. She is currently in Uganda trying to bring home their little girl. She has been there since August fighting the court system while her husband & other 2 children are at home in the states. While it must be very hard for their family to apart, she is doing amazing things with her time in Uganda.)


Oasis of Life
A friend of mine that’s spent time here in Kampala emailed me a few weeks back and asked if I would be willing to help with a project. She’d visited this orphanage and saw their great needs. She and her husband had raised some money to help them out and she wondered if she could wire the money to me and I would use it for supplies and to pay bills for the home. I told her that it would be no problem. I knew she’d said that this home could use some help, but I did not realize how much help, until I got there. 



Children of Oasis

The home currently has more than 60 children from 8 months old to 17 years. The boys’ house has no running water or electricity. The children sleep 2 or 3 to a twin size bed. A few kids just sleep with a blanket on the floor. I only saw mosquito nets on about 4 of the beds, which could explain the huge medical bill that had built up from all of the cases of malaria. The children are fed once per day a bowl of posho (corn meal) and beans, if there is enough food. Many of the children had very tattered clothes and no shoes. To be honest, the conditions really reminded me of “M” the children’s rehabilitation center where “SixtyFeet” began their work. The difference… the director and people working at Oasis love the children and treat them with respect. The man, Pastor Robert, that oversees the home has a huge smile, tons of energy and really seems to love each child. 

Girls' Bedroom.



Room where the babies sleep



Only water source for girls' and boys' home

When I arrived at Oasis for the first time the children swarmed to the car and gave me hugs and started shouting and dancing. They were thrilled with the food I brought. I also brought new underwear for all of the kids and sanitary pads for the girls. They were ecstatic and kept thanking me over and over. I tried to explain to them that I was merely delivering them for my friend, but they wouldn’t hear of it. I could not stay long and did not get to visit with the children that day. It had already taken hours to pay the bills and do the shopping, but I told them I would try to come back on Saturday when the kids would be out of school. 
Saturday rolled around and Mercy and I were tired. I decided that I wouldn’t go to Oasis that day. I could always go another day. Then my phone rang, it was Pastor Robert from Oasis. “When are you coming? The children are waiting. Some of them are so excited they did not sleep well.” How could I say no to that because I was merely tired. I told him I would be there in a couple of hours. I rounded up some of the other people staying at the house with me and we headed out. I wanted them to experience this place with me and get their thoughts on what to do next. And I am so glad we made the effort to go.

Again the kids greeted us with singing, dancing, drumming, and shouting. I gave everyone that I could reach a huge hug. Pastor Robert had them sing a few songs for us, then gave us a tour. As I expected, my friends also could not believe the conditions. After the tour of the girls’ house, the kids put on a dance contest for us. It was so much fun to watch them all “bust a move” and to see their different personalities. Then I got the chance to lead them in some silly songs. We laughed and laughed. We took some pictures and loved on the kids the best that we could. Then Pastor Robert led the kids in prayer time for us. Wow!! So sweet.


The Welcome Song



Dancing a song of thanks for their gifts

 

Oh yes, there was breakdancing and tumbling

 

Making Melodies

As one of my friends was hugging one little girl, she realized she was burning up with fever. She seemed very lethargic. We decided that on our way back to town we’d take her and Robert to the clinic. Sure enough, she had malaria. After a blood test and a few shots ( all for $12), she was on the road to recovery. 
I am not telling you about this place or this experience in any way to bring glory or attention to myself. I have not really done anything in this situation except for shopping and pay bills with someone else’s money. You can ask Cody… that comes naturally to me, ha! I tell you about this place because they need help. 

There is a group in the US that wants to partner with Oasis and help with some long term needs. They want to help with budgets, training, buildings, child sponsorship, and finding ways to be self-sustaining. But in the meantime, this place just needs resources. I believe this place is run with a good heart, but with very few resources. The home is sponsored by a church in a poor community that is filled with people barely able to feed their own families. As I said before, Pastor Robert has a big heart, which means it’s very hard for him to turn any child away, although they are struggling with the ones they have.


Pastor Robery singing with the children

Last week my friends were able to pay off medical and school debts, pay part of the water bill, buy underwear and sanitary pads, and buy a week’s worth of food. Last Saturday, we also collected money to have the latrine emptied and buy mosquito nets for every set of bunk beds. 
But there are more very important needs that we need to meet as soon as possible. FOOD! I talked to Pastor Robert today about bringing the mosquito nets to him tomorrow. I asked how they were doing on food. I knew they were waiting on a donation from another group. He told me they ran out of food today. He would not have told me that if I had not asked. I would love to be able to bring them another week’s worth of food tomorrow. I can’t stand the thought of them going hungry another day. 


All of the remaining food last Saturday.  Now it is all gone.

Also, at least 12 of the children cannot attend school because they do not have shoes. All of the children need school fees for the current term. They all need school uniforms. Imagine being singled out every day at school because you are wearing tattered street clothes, instead of a uniform. But let me tell you how much I appreciate the headmasters at these schools that allow the children to attend when their fees are not up to date and they do not have the uniforms. That does not usually happen! The headmaster of the primary school told me he lets them come because all children should be educated and because the children of Oasis are also always among the top performers in the whole school. 

Children needing shoes for school

They also need money for their electricity bill and for the balance on their water bill. Also the babies at the home do not currently drink any sort of formula or milk. I’d love to be able to buy them several cans of formula. They need more clothes, shoes, blankets, mattresses… the list goes on and on.

It is overwhelming to have to try to prioritize these things and figure out what is most important. I hate questions like, “Should they get two meals a day or get their school fees paid?” “Should we pay for shoes or underwear?” I hate that we ever have to consider these things. I know that we cannot meet all of their financial needs, but I would love to be able to help these precious children and tell them that God loves them and that God is the one who sent us to help meet their needs. 

Would you be willing to help? I promise you that any money given for this project will be spent entirely on their needs. I will pay each bill directly and purchase all items myself. I know I’ve often told you about different needs and places you can donate money to help the children of Uganda. They are all great causes. But I want you to know that this place really touched my heart. These children desperately need help. I was so touched by their gratitude, happiness, and love in the midst of such dire circumstances. And we can easily meet so many of their needs.

I’m asking for donations of any amount to help these children. I need at least $150 to buy them food for the next week. You can donate by clicking the PayPal ‘Mama Kit’ Donation button on the top right of this page. Put “Oasis” in the notes and all money will go towards these children. If you would like to make a sizeable donation to this project and need it to be tax exempt, please let me know (melissabusby@hotmail.com) and I will get you in contact with the right people.

I am so grateful to have wonderful friends and supporters like you that see the benefits of helping others.



Matthew 25: 35-40 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”




Thanks for reading y'all. The part that stayed with me the most was about the children having one meal a day. Can you imagine if our children only had one meal a day? 

Hi Everyone!
We had a great day at the zoo yesterday! We visited the Memphis zoo with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece and the little girls had a big time! Even in the rainy weather! My sister-in-law works for a company that sponsors the zoo so we got free tickets! The weather was terrible but we decided to go for it & see what happened. Needless to say, we were wet all day! My camera is currently charging but I will get photos up soon- the girls in their zoo ponchos were too cute!

I also want to tell y'all about our new fundraiser! My friend, the wonderfully talented, Kristen Lee King has made us Africa magnets! She makes beautiful pottery and we love her for lending her skills to make these pieces for us! Each one is handmade & unique!

Now, of course I am excited about these because they represent our soon-to-be child but these are not just for those adopting in Africa. My hope is that they will serve as prayer reminders. We will not only be praying for our baby but also for the fatherless, the sick, and the lost. We are also praying for people who we know who are in Africa right now, Melissa, who is desperately trying to bring her baby home, and those are doing what they can to help like SixtyFeet & Restoration Hope. 

"...my house will be a house of prayer for all nations." Mark 11:17

Right now I have 50 of these guys...Here are all 50 on my fridge!

The magnets are $10 or $11 if I need to ship it to you. (We prefer check or cash because the paypal fees are so high but if that works best for you, that will be okay.) 

They are each different ...

Send me an email if you would like one!
wallacelc@aol.com

Thanks y'all! -Hannah

Day Over

Today has been one long day! We had our fundraiser today: Spin Off 2011! We didn't have a huge turn out but we still raised a lot of money & we learned a lot about how to run this event. In other words, Spin Off 2012 will be awesome, and we can't wait to do it again since next year we want to give all the proceeds to another family that is working on adoption. We want to say thanks again to our sponsors: M&S Auto, Brandon Discount Drugs, Jason Harper: Century 21, Camille Griffith: Guide One Insurance, Studio Hair & Tan, Dozier & Associates, Bryan Bailey for Sheriff, & Mississippi Medical Massage Therapy! We also want to thank our friends who helped us put this thing together & those who came out to visit us today! Our grand total was $716! We were so excited about that! We are getting really close to our goal that will need to send in with our dossier paperwork which will hopefully be soon! And oh yes, I completely forgot to take pictures today! I know, I'm sorry!
Also, we have a few event tshirts left, if anyone would like to buy one!

In adoption news, we heard from our New Beginnings social worker this weekend and our home study should be ready for us to proofread by Monday! This is very exciting, we can't move further with our dossier until the homestudy is finished, and the sooner we are on that waiting list, the better! So, all of our homestudy paperwork is finished and I have completed about half of the dossier paperwork. I feel great that everything so far has gone so quickly and smoothly! God has provided every step of the way. We knew that He would when He called us to this plan, but living by faith is still so hard! He has proved himself even more than we expected!


I wanted to leave you with a few sweet pics of International Families....can't wait for family photos with 4 Wallaces!

Thanks for yall! Love, Hannah

Spin Off 2011 Flyer

Spin Off 2011

Spin discs, support orphans

disc golf fundraiser

for international adoption

may 15, @ the rez

pelahatchie shore park

$20 to play includes player pack & event tshirt for first 50 players.

Beginner & Novice 

Prizes for 1st place in each category

For more information 

email Hannah 

wallacelc@aol.com

 Hey Everyone, this is the info I have been meaning to get out! We are so excited about the fundraiser, its this Sunday!Please come out & join us if you can and send this to anyone who might be interested. There is a facebook event page too with more info.

I picked up the event shirts from Pollchaps yesterday and they look great! I know you will want one!

Thanks y'all!

Hannah

Fundraiser this Sunday!

Hey Everyone, I only have a minute so I will post more later but I wanted to let yall know about our fundraiser this Sunday. We are having a disc golf fundraiser at the Rez course at Pelahatchie Shore Park. It starts at 3pm. Its $20 to play & the first 50 players receive a player pack and a tshirt. The shirts are really cool, I will post photo soon.
Thanks yall!

Babies, babies...

Well, while we may have to wait quite awhile for our next little one, there always seems to be babies coming in the Shanks family! Baby Sawyer, whom I told yall about a few post ago, got to come home from the hospital today! She is back up to 5lbs, 2oz. and she is the cutest, tiniest little thing. Ivy loved checking out all of her stuff, especially her video monitor! She kept saying, "ivy's on tb!" It was really cute.

I also have another new niece today! I know, right! My sister gave birth around 1am to Sicily Ann, she was 8lbs, 8oz! I haven't gotten a photo yet but Im sure she's precious, as are her two older siblings! We have so much to God for this week, that is for sure!

We have really busy working on our disc golf fundraiser that is coming up on May 15th! We are really excited and we have some awesome friends that are helping us get everything in order. It is going to be a fun day & our hope is that we can do this event every year with the profits going to a different family in the adoption process each year.

For all of you African mommas, I have some special coming soon....so stay tuned!

Thanks yall! -Hannah

Cupcakes & Haircuts!

Alright! So more news on our exciting & busy week...

Last Thursday we had an amazing night! We attended a showing of the documentary Bereaved created by 60feet. There were many families who are involved with adoption and it was great to meet some of them. We also got to finally meet, drumroll, local blog celeb, Allison of Lovinmuch! She is as nice as anyone can be and passionate about orphan care! 

The documentary is very moving and I highly suggest checking it out! It can be hard to watch but it is such an important truth, orphan care is not just for those called to adopt, it is a commandment to all believers.

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts & keeps our souls, knows that we know, & holds us responsible to act." Proverbs 24:12

One way that 60feet raises funds is through the Cupcake Kids. It is such a cute project, it was started by the children of the creators of 60feet. Last year they decided to have a cupcake stand to raise money for Ugandan children, and last weekend, only one year later, there were cupcake sales in 31 states and 4 countries! Our church had a sale that was headed up by the amazing Jenni of 1in17 blog. She worked so hard & they raised about $650! I had to work on Saturday but Ivy & I made some cupcakes to send.

These supercute tshirts are available on the cupcake kids site, I added there button to the side of the page.

Of course, we had to keep just one to sample!

I also wanted to share a little bit about our haircut fundraiser! Andrea & Leni were troopers! Working nonstop on their day off and for free! It was an amazing blessing! I am still blown away by their generosity! Jeff & Ashley hosted this event so we owe a huge thanks to them for letting us use their home! They have been a great support to us & our adoption in more ways than one! 

Our lovely hosts!

Andrea and our Megan who is also adopting from Ethiopia!

Check out her blog!

 Thanks to all of friends who participated! We raised over $500! Yay! A little bit closer to our dossier fees!

Craziest week ever!

Hey Everyone! I have so much to catch up on, I am going to have to send several little post because we have had so much going on! It has been crazy, crazy, crazy!
First of all, the biggest & greatest news:
Baby Sawyer is here and doing great! My brother Fred & his wife Kristi had their first baby this weekend! She came about 6 weeks early so it was scary for awhile but they were being prayed for by so many people, and God totally took control of it! Kristi is doing much better and I think she is glad Sawyer is here even though she had to come early and Sawyer is doing great! She is 5lbs., 2oz. and cute as a button! PTL!

Sorry for the poor picture quality! It is from my phone, and I was crying when I took it because it was the first time we were seeing her! She is so sweet!

I have more updates coming on the haircut fundraiser, the tornado, the dossier call... it never ends!

Thanks yall! -Hannah

We need your help!

Hi Everyone! This Sunday is our Haircut Fundraiser and we need your help spreading the word to fill up the appointments! I know I have blogged about this already, but in case anyone missed it: My stylist of 10 years & her coworker are donating their time to cut hair for free! Donations are welcome & 100% of those donations go toward our adoption. They are both stylist at ULTA Salon in Flowood and have tons of experience. The event will be held at our friends home in Brandon.
Please help us fill these appointments! We still have a lot of spots available!

Thanks Y'all! Love, Hannah

Fish & Loaves

     Hi Everyone, Just wanted to let yall know we had an awesome fundraiser tonight! We are so thankful for the all of the jewelry orders that helped us raise money to bring home our baby! Thank you, thank you. I will give yall the grand total next week when it's all wrapped up but I am pleasantly surprised!
     I wanted to share something this week that is on my mind from my devotional, I hope it encourages those considering adoption.
"They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." Matthew 14:16.
Jesus said this to the disciples because they assumed they had no food to provide the large crowd. We all know, that He provided food to many with one boy's lunch. It reminded me of how each time we discussed adoption, we would decide we couldn't afford it. Well, we can't but God can. He is taking our 5 loaves & 2 fish and turning it into the huge sum of money that we need to save the life of one child. We are giving Him what we have, which isn't much, and He is blessing us more than we thought He would.  (Which was just silly on our part, right?) The point is that God can take anything and turn it into something amazing, we often think our issue is too big or too small to bother Him, but He created something as small as 2 fish & He created the universe. Nothing is too big or too small for Him.
    In other adoption news, we had a big week! We mailed off our contracts for AGCI and with a huge check, thanks to all of you sweet folks! The baby bottle fundraiser has been a huge blessing. We also got most of our home study paperwork in the mail. We got blood test and finger prints this week, finally. Finding the time for that without taking off of work was difficult for both of us.  Our FBI packet should go in the mail on Monday! We are trucking right along and thank goodness because I am ready for kid #2 to be here with us! Also, I don't think I have shared this yet, but John & I decided to change our status from baby girl to either gender. So, that means when we finish our dossier, we will go on the waiting list for a boy & a girl and see which comes first! It is more likely to be a boy since they are less in demand. I am starting to get really excited about the possibility of having a son! John, of course, is happy because he wants a camping buddy!
     Ivy had her first big "bobo" at school this week, she tripped, busted her lip and got pretty scratched up. It was tough! Luckily, it was on the way into school so I was there to take care of her. She looks like she got in a fight! So sad, but she is fine. She was out playing on the playground later that day.
    All in all, we have had a big week! Ready for rest, hopefully Sunday will bring that to us!

Save the Date!

Hey Guys, We have several fundraising opportunities coming up and we wanted to share all of the info in case anyone is interested. 

April 2- Amanda Brewer is hosting a Premiere Jewelry Party for me at her home in Brandon. ALL of the profits of the party go toward our adoption, which is so sweet of her to do this and without taking a dime! Also, if you interested, they a promo for April that if buy $75, you can get one item up to $40 for free!
Don't forget Mother's Day is coming up soon- they have great jewelry for gifts.

April 10- My awesome hair dresser of 10 years, Andrea Foster and her coworker Leni Martin are donating their time to cut hair for free! I am taking all of the appointments and ALL donations go to our adoption!

Also, if any of you have bottles that you are ready to turn in, we will take them at any time. You can bring them to me at the drugstore or contact one of us and we can try to pick them up! The bottle drive has been going amazing! So we are excited to see the final results.

We are moving right along with all of our adoption/homestudy paperwork. We still have some things to do, physicals and fingerprints, but we will mailing off a good bit this week and I know that will be a great feeling!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday, we are heading to Pinelake Clinton today, so we are really excited to worship with our extended church family!

Good News!

We have recently heard some good news about Ethiopian adoptions.  The Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) has just added new members and workers to allow them to work full force.  They are currently working extensively to catch up on adoptions that have been postponed during the debates to cut the number of adoptions or not.  They also are planning on keeping this full force team working to make future adoptions in Ethiopia as ethical and timely as possible.  We thank you for your prayers and support and for signing the petition with us to voice our opposition against a 90% reduction.  We thank God for being faithful and providing a way for our family and others to continue with the journey.

My sweet cousins!

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't updated in a while, I have been waiting to hear about the news with Ethiopian adoptions. There was a meeting yesterday so I am hoping to hear something soon. We are trying not to worry and not to get stressed out, but I am so sad for all the families who are already on the waiting list for their children! I couldn't be as calm if I were in their shoes! I know whatever comes next for us will be what God wants so we are being patient.

The point of this post however, is to share with you about my sweet cousins who are raising money for our adoption. Since I first shared our news these girls (and their mom) have been so excited about our new baby and so generous spending their time raising money for us.

One afternoon, they took one of our baby bottles and our newsletter and went door to door in their neighborhood asking for spare change. They made $58, that's alot of change and probably alot of houses too!

They then decided they would have a lemonade stand for us! I loved this idea. Its so sweet that 3 girls their ages would spend their Saturday morning doing something to help others! I had to work so I didn't get to go, but John & Ivy stopped by and said the girls did such a great job. My cousin Gina, the girls mother, took a few pics for me....

We appreciate these girls so much! We are so proud of them and so excited to see what God will use them for throughout their lives. If they are already such cheerful givers at a young age, then I know God is going to use them to big things!

twist of sunshine

Hey Everyone, I just wanted to share a few pics of the jewelry from twist of sunshine...

She has some really cool stuff and it is a green company! If you order, just mention John & I!
Check it out- www.twistofsunshinedesigns.com

Thanks, Hannah

Jewelry Sale

Hey Everyone,
A sweet lady in Texas makes this custom jewelry and for the month of March she is donating 50% of sales to us for our adoption. You just have to put John & Hannah on your order form!  She has some neat stuff and keep in mind that Mother's Day is coming! Please check it out.


http://www.twistofsunshinedesigns.com/


Thanks, Hannah

Hello all...

Sorry I've been MIA for a few days, but we've been so busy and now I have strep throat! No fun, but I finally feel like sitting up for the 1st time since Saturday, so that is a plus!
Ivy is doing great, though she didn't really get why "momma's sick." She kept coming up to the bed and telling me to get up! John had to take her to school today and I was so worried that she was having to go earlier than usual, but when John told her it was time to go, she said, "I wanna go see friends." So I felt better about it; at least she enjoys it!
Friday we will have our 1st homestudy visit with our local case worker. She will be checking out our house & Ivy has to be present so it should be interesting!
On the fundraising front, I wanted to share our plans and some upcoming dates.
As you know, the month of March is the baby bottle campaign, and we still have bottles if anyone would like one or some.

From now through the next few months we are getting ready for a garage sale, so if you have some stuff you need to get rid off, let us know! We will gladly take it off your hands, and we will do our best to pick it up. We had a great donation this weekend from one of my coworkers cleaning out a condo!

April 10- I am SO excited about this... My amazing hair stylist, who I have used for 10 years, is donating her services to cut hair for free with all donations going toward our adoption! Andrea, and her coworker Leni will be cutting hair for free on Sunday, April 10. My friend Ashley is going to host this event at her home in Brandon. If you would like to make an appointment, email me- wallaclelc@aol.com, post a comment, or msg me on facebook.

May 15- This one is going to sound hilarious to those of you who know me, but I am serious! We are hosting a disc golf tournament! It is going to be tons of fun & we would love for all of our friends to participate! Currently, we are looking for some sponsors and just trying to get all of our ducks in a row. Our friends John & Sarah are helping us with all the terminology and logistics of the game!

So that's whats going on with us, thanks for all of your prayers and ideas. We appreciate them all! We love you guys and enjoy hearing from you!
Love, Hannah

Our 1st Fundraiser!

Hi everyone! This week we received our official acceptance to the Ethiopia Program through AGCI! So, while that is great news, it also lights our fire to get moving on fundraising!

For the month of March, we are providing our friends & fams with baby bottles and asking everyone to fill them up with their spare change.  Raising money for orphan care is as easy as emptying your pockets!

If you would like to join the change drive, you can comment on this post or send me an email and I will get you a bottle. If you have a small group or team that would like to participate, let me know, it will be a huge help! Wallacelc@aol.com

Thanks everyone! We can't wait to see how God blesses this fundraiser!
Hannah

Blessed like a Child

"And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them & blessed them." Mark 10:16

This verse is a comfort to me today, knowing that there are orphans suffering all over the world. One day, here or in eternity, children will be blessed by God. Soon there will be a child blessed to have a new family, and our family will be blessed to welcome a new member! It is very exciting to think about a new little person in our family, another little one to love on & a sibling for Ivy( so she can teach them everything she knows!)

We found out Monday that we are officially accepted into Ethiopia program so now we begin  setting up our home study. We have 90 days and we must about $7000 ready! So, needless to say the fundraising is about to kick off! I will post more info this week
We are so excited about all of the friends who have helped us with fundraising ideas, lending their time & talents! We are thankful for each you!

Thanks everyone, God bless
Hannah

We mailed our formal application today!

So, the process has officially started. We mailed our formal application in & we should hear in a week or so as to whether we have been accepted. Yesterday I started to freak out. I know that God has called us to do this & therefore He will provide but my human side is thinking, "this is crazy, & where are we gonna come up with the  money for this adoption!" Well, this morning, God calmed my nerves, my devotional was based on Matthew 6:25 & 33- Do not worry about your life- Seek his kingdom & his righteousness, & all these things will be given to you as well." God is good. Period. My faith may not always be, but He will always be. I know He will provide on His timing and I must be patient as to how and when!

Thanks to everyone who is supporting us through prayer! It means so much to us and we know that we will not make it through this without our friends & families!
God bless! Hannah

Beginning the Journey!

Hi! So we are very excited about our news... we are planning an adoption! We decided to blog so our family and friends could follow all of the steps of this process. And hopefully to encourage & support others going through or considering adoption.
While adoption is something we always talked about doing "one day," it is now a reality. We are adopting right now out of obedience to God our Father! We will be completely stepping out on faith for this process. We are trusting God to guide us through this and provide the means to the end!
In matters of provisions, we will be working very hard & doing many fundraisers to finance the adoption. We will appreciate all the help we can get! There will be more on those soon.

Thanks for checking out our blog! Email me- wallacelc@aol.com If you have any questions.

No, I will not leave you as orphans- I will come to you. John 14:18