Today is Rev' up the Fundraising Day!

Well we have received all but one state's background clearances for our home study. We have also completed our 12 hours of Hague required training. We are very close to being done with our home study. I can feel it... But after a phone call from our adoption agency yesterday, I realized we have quite a bit of funds coming due very soon... Document certifications & authentications, courier fees, more fingerprinting, & more agency fees. Eek! How did I not realize this? I just can't process this entire process at one time, or I get overwhelmed and so I have to break it down into managabel chunks. And I was on the home study chunk. (lol) And I thought I was doing so good at gathering the Dossier documents... But it seems I also have quite a bit of paperwork & document stuff still to due. And just when I think we are so close to completing something, another something presents itself as needing done... Oh well, all part of bring Eli home!

So Fundriasing...

Well here is an Update on Scarves of Love for Eli:



Left to Right:

Brilliant Blue (approx 84” x 5”)

Purple Majesty (72" x 5")

M & M Green (approx 92” x 5 ½“)

Olivine Green (approx 72” x 5”)

Baby Blue (68" x 5")

Valentine Red w/ Black Tassels (approx 88” x 5”)

Angel White (approx 84” x 5”)

 Levi’s best friend’s GREAT-GRANDMOTHER hand knitted these and donated them to help raise money for us to bring Eli home.

Please use Chip-In button to right & label “Scarf” & specify which one with names listed below. If you prefer to mail a check or pay locally, please email us for address & to reserve your choice.

Next we have some more fabulous Boston Terrier items up for auction on Ebay, donated by Boston Terrier breeder Victoria Wilt of Heartbeat Bostons to help raise funds for our adoption.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220963153875?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220963150504?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649


We will also be uploading more computer software for auction on Ebay too... 


And we are working on plans for our next BIG Give Away fundraiser. So be watching for it and help us bring Eli home!

Thanks to everyone that has and is supporting and praying for us on this adventure. We couldn't do it without you. May God bless you as you help us and Eli.

Sincerely,
Sherry & family

We’re asking donations be $10 per scarf, plus S/H ($3.50 for one & additional $1.50 per scarf).

Shout of Praise

I had the blessing of attending Show Hope's "Empowered to Connect" conference today and hearing Dr. Karyn Purvis speak. I get to attend tomorrow too. J While in the first half of the conference today, I sat there listening to all these testimonies and challenges possibly ahead and how hard it's going to be, and all the things I probably did wrong with my bio kids... I am like Lord are you sure you want to give us another one to mess up? (lol)

And then at lunch I received word that we had received an $850 donation to help bring Eli home today!!!

OMGoodness!!! I was speechless and cried! I am not kidding... The ladies with me thought something was wrong. After assuring them I was fine and nothing was wrong, I realized that every time I might get the slightest discouragement or doubt if this adventure we are on is God's plan for us, He confirms it again... and again... and again... J 

See just a few days ago, we tallied up how much money we needed by the end of this month. We really need to make an agency payment and we will need to finish paying for our home study too, and those needs added up to $850. Wow! Praise God! He continues to amaze me every day. And I KNOW we are in God's will. I may not know how it's all going work out, or all that lies ahead, but I know Eli is OUR son and we are being obedient to do what God called US to do.

And to the family that gave:

THANK YOU for doing the same and being such a huge blessing and timely instrument in our adventure. May God bless you, your family & your future tenfold in Jesus name, Amen!

I give God ALL the glory. And I am so excited and can't wait to transfer that money from Paypal to the bank account, so I can write two checks: one to our agency for that $3,000 fee we owe and the other to our SW when she completes our home study. Wooohoooo!

I want to shout Praise God from the roof tops! God is so good! He supplies ALL our needs, EVERY time. Hallelujah!

More blessings

We received two blessings today for Eli.

One: We received the background clearance for Steve from Guam. Woohoo! One more step towards bringing Eli home... Yay!

Two: We were handed 5 new beautiful scarves for the "Scarves of Love for Eli" fundraiser tonight at church.

Check them out below... Still only $10 donation, plus S/H $3.50. Donate using Chip-In button on right.



Left: Baby Blue (68" x 5")

Right: Purple Majesty (72" x 5")



Left to Right:

Sea of Reflection (72" x 5")   SOLD!!!

Vanilla Dream (68" x 5")  On HOLD for Renee Coyer!

Camo is Fun (68" x 5")   SOLD!!!



Also, don't forget to scroll down to see which one's are left from the first 10.

Feeling so blessed & encouraged about our adventure for Eli.

Thank you everyone for all your prayers & support!

Sincerely,

Sherry & family

Valentines day is tomorrow

The day is supposed to be about showing love... So we are asking that love be shown for Eli with our new fundraiser. Scarves of Love for Eli

A kind family from our church donated hand knitted scarves to help raise money for us to bring Eli home. We’re asking donations be $10 per scarf, plus S/H ($3.50 for one & additional $1.50 per scarf).

Please use Chip-In button to right & label “Scarf” & specify which one with names listed below. If you prefer to mail a check or pay locally, please email us for address & to reserve your choice.

Please see list of available scarves with names, descriptions & individual pictures below. I will try to update availability as scarves are chosen.

P.S. Levi volunteered to be our model. Zoe & he had fun taking these pics to help bring their brother home. Sorry about the quality  they were taken on Zoe's phone. Sorry about some being side ways, I saved them portrait but couldn't get them to load right.



 

Angel White (approx 84” x 5”)



Brilliant Blue (approx 84” x 5”)



Galaxy Black Illuminated (approx 82” x 4 ½“)

Thank you David Williams owns this one!



Kiss Me Irish Green (approx 86” x 5”)

Thank you Melissa Whitchurch owns this one!



M & M Green (approx 92” x 5 ½“)



Ocean Teal (approx 92” x 5”)

Thank you Melissa Schramme owns this one!



Olivine Green (approx 72” x 5”)



Red Velvet Cake (approx 88” x 5”)

Thank you David Williams owns this one!



Valentine Red w/ Black Tassels (approx 88” x 5”)



Warm Chocolate (approx 91” x 5 ½“)

Thank you Melissa Whitchurch owns this one!

Thank you for helping Eli!

May God bless you,

Sherry & family

While we wait...

to hear back from Angela at Ladybugs 'N Love I thought I would post a pic of the CNY pkg we sent him. Angela had some computer troubles last month and I never received the pic until this weekend. But love it!


Steve thought it best to send Eli something practical,
especially with as cold as we hear it is there. 

We also sent him another letter and three new pics to add to his photo album we sent him for Christmas.

all four of his siblings in PJ's on Christmas Eve
(Patton family tradition) 

Zoe holding Eli's stocking.
(we are saving his gifts for him)



Levi blowing out the candles on Eli's birthday cake here at home.

Angela is trying to get some info from Eli's orphanage as to his receipt of the Christmas care pkg we sent, the birthday cake we ordered for him and also the above Chinese New Year care pkg we sent. We are aware that the orphanage and/or his foster family have the choice wether to give him what we send or not. So we (especially me) are getting desperate to hear back any word, or updates and/or pics of Eli and his gifts. We sent a SASE in the first care pkg, as we are hoping with our letters and maybe open lines of communication to help prepare him. Sigh!

Prayers are appreciated... Prayers that we hear back something soon, prayers that they let Eli have the gifts and learn about his forever family that loves him, prayers that they help prepare him for his future, prayers that he stays healthy & well until we can get there to bring him home. Thanks!

Blessings,
Sherry & family

Home visit, check

THANK YOU to everyone that prayed for our home visit today. It went well, from what I can tell... (lol) The entire family was here, even Cory got to be here. Our SW asked everyone questions, and educated the entire family. Still a few more pieces of paperwork to do, one more visit with SW in a couple weeks, and we are waiting for background checks to come back. We appreciate the prayers and support, and still need them. But hey, we are one more step closer to bringing Eli home.

Blessings,
Sherry & family

ID's, Fingerprints & Police Scanners... OH MY!

While Ebay was busy selling stuff for us... woohoo!

We were all busy getting all of us fingerprinted...

and local police clearances too. Yay!

Now we are busy putting finishing touches on the house and paperwork for our home visit withour social worker coming up this Sunday at 2pm.

We are very grateful for all the prayers & support, and NEED them this week especially.



Additional prayer request would be to hear back about our Christmas & CNY care pkgs & birthday cake we sent Eli. We just really would love to hear IF he received them & any update, info or pics would be AWESOME!

Feeling strangely very "PREGNANT" and emotional these days... (sigh)

Thanks & in Christ,

Sherry & family

Home Study, SW Interview & more Ebay

The Home Study agency should have received all of our documents today. So our home study is offically underway. All the background checks will be most likely what we will have to wait on they tell me. With Steve being in the military we have moved a few times. (lol) But I know God is in control and He will move the paperwork as fast as it needs to move.

Last night I met our social worker and had my interview. I think it went well. I like her and she has has a lot of experience with China adoptions. And that is great for us rookies!  ;)

Spent the afternoon uploading stuff to Ebay to help bring Eli home. I will continue to add more stuff. Today I added 5 brand new computer software items. We have a bunch of computer software (NIB) we are selling at cheap prices to go towards the adoption. Lots & lots of it! That's what happens when you are married to a computer geek. (lol) It will take time to get it all uploaded, but keep checking my Ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/slp4him/m.html?_nkw&_armrs=1&_from&_ipg&_trksid=p3686

We also still about about a dozen or so of our beautiful Adoption Success Stories 2012 Calendars, now only $10 plus S/H $3.50. You can purchase using our Chip-In button on the right.

We are planning on our next great give away. Hope to be announcing it some time soon. So be considering your next donation to help us bring Eli home...  ;)

Thank you to all our prayer warriors and supporter. We couldn't do this without you.
Oh, and Happy Ground Hog Day (tomorrow)!
Sherry