STUCK Documentary Showing in Indianapolis!!
AMC Castleton Square 14
6020 E. 82nd St.
Indianapolis, IN 46250
April, 27th @ 7pm
$15/ticket
If you click on the STUCK link to the left of the text on this page it will take you to a website that is raising awareness for children who are STUCK in orphanages or institutions all over the world. Most of these countries are taking their sweet time in releasing these children to forever homes and we need to do something about it to move the process along. Josh and I have already seen it once and it broke our hearts. It gives you a better understanding of the challenges that can come along to families who are trying to adopt internationally. Since this is the process Josh and I have chosen we really want to help our friends and family understand what we are advocating this by having a voice for these children.
If you would like to attend with us that would be fantastic!! Just make sure and purchase your tickets ahead of time! Seeing this documentary and watching it with other families who feel the same way we do will definitely be something you won't regret! If you can't make it to Indy with us then please consider making the $12.99 donation and watching it from home and signing the petition to show your support in ending this STUCK process these children are in!
Thanks so much for your love and support!
-Josh and Renee
My Blog List
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Lots of info...
This weekend has been pretty productive! We got our contract sent out, contract fee paid and filled out the paperwork for our passports! YIPPEE! It's nothing compared to what's ahead for us but it's something to keep me occupied!
Friday was a busy day. We have two case workers that I'm working with almost on a daily basis. Melitta is my go-to gal for any general questions I have about the process, paperwork, etc. She's based down in Indy. Vici is our intake coordinator. Our contract is being processed by her and any beginning questions are sent to her. On Friday, I'm pretty sure I talked to both of them for atleast 2.5 hours total!! Since Josh is along for the ride, I've been having a hard time deciding which country to adopt from. Our choices are Ghana and Ethiopia. Here are the issues that were brought up during my conversation with both ladies.
1) Ghana is a brand new program with Bethany. There are a handful of couples who are already in the process of bringing home their child, however their children are not yet home. But there are NO couples from Indiana who have expressed any interest. Josh and I would be the first if we proceeded with this program. When we were first accepted for the program, they made it very clear that it was only for children 3 and up. At first I was ok with this because even though a toddler can have it's challenges, it's an age I know I can work with before the child starts school. During our conversation, Vici brought to my attention that the average age of the children being placed with families was older than 3...it was 5. A little older than what we were wanting. Being a first time mom, I don't want to miss out on those "first" moments that we obviously would miss out on with an older child. It's just not where our hearts are.
2) Ethiopia is a very established, well oiled program with Bethany. From what Melitta and Vici have told me about the Ethiopian program, there are lots of successful adoptions that happened pretty smoothly. At first we didn't think we would be able to apply for this program. We met the age requirements but with Josh's previous marriage they would have preferred us to have been married for 5 years. When we submitted our actual application, we expressed that we were interested in the Ethiopian program and even with the divorce they said it was fine! Melitta later told me that they wouldn't have accepted us for the program if they didn't think we were good canidates! We have since gotten a message from Bethany saying that they just opened up the program to start accepting applications for ALL ages! 0-3 years is ultimately what we are looking for! The only down side is that the wait is between 26-31 months. WHOA! A little stab in the heart.
I don't know...it is a very long wait but after thinking it through and talking to a few people about it it might be a blessing in disguise! A longer wait time till allow us to be fully prepared. We have a few more things to finish with the house. It will allow us to get our finances in order and work on grants and fundraising for the adoption! And it will give us plenty of time to pray for our future child and plant that seed of hope and love in our hearts and our friends and families hearts!
Josh and I have decided that we want to tackle this debt free. The fees, services rendered and travel expenses for the adoption are very costly, with a huge chunk of them being due roughly at the end of the summer. We will be putting together a few fundraisers and the proceeds going towards those expenses due! We have a fantastic community that is growing with adopting families! Humbly we are asking for prayer and support from anyone willing. I will keep everyone posted as to when our first fundraiser will be!
There is no price on a child...only the hope and love of being a forever family for a child someday.
"I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my
brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me."
-Matthew 25:40
Love to all!
-Josh and Renee
Friday was a busy day. We have two case workers that I'm working with almost on a daily basis. Melitta is my go-to gal for any general questions I have about the process, paperwork, etc. She's based down in Indy. Vici is our intake coordinator. Our contract is being processed by her and any beginning questions are sent to her. On Friday, I'm pretty sure I talked to both of them for atleast 2.5 hours total!! Since Josh is along for the ride, I've been having a hard time deciding which country to adopt from. Our choices are Ghana and Ethiopia. Here are the issues that were brought up during my conversation with both ladies.
1) Ghana is a brand new program with Bethany. There are a handful of couples who are already in the process of bringing home their child, however their children are not yet home. But there are NO couples from Indiana who have expressed any interest. Josh and I would be the first if we proceeded with this program. When we were first accepted for the program, they made it very clear that it was only for children 3 and up. At first I was ok with this because even though a toddler can have it's challenges, it's an age I know I can work with before the child starts school. During our conversation, Vici brought to my attention that the average age of the children being placed with families was older than 3...it was 5. A little older than what we were wanting. Being a first time mom, I don't want to miss out on those "first" moments that we obviously would miss out on with an older child. It's just not where our hearts are.
2) Ethiopia is a very established, well oiled program with Bethany. From what Melitta and Vici have told me about the Ethiopian program, there are lots of successful adoptions that happened pretty smoothly. At first we didn't think we would be able to apply for this program. We met the age requirements but with Josh's previous marriage they would have preferred us to have been married for 5 years. When we submitted our actual application, we expressed that we were interested in the Ethiopian program and even with the divorce they said it was fine! Melitta later told me that they wouldn't have accepted us for the program if they didn't think we were good canidates! We have since gotten a message from Bethany saying that they just opened up the program to start accepting applications for ALL ages! 0-3 years is ultimately what we are looking for! The only down side is that the wait is between 26-31 months. WHOA! A little stab in the heart.
I don't know...it is a very long wait but after thinking it through and talking to a few people about it it might be a blessing in disguise! A longer wait time till allow us to be fully prepared. We have a few more things to finish with the house. It will allow us to get our finances in order and work on grants and fundraising for the adoption! And it will give us plenty of time to pray for our future child and plant that seed of hope and love in our hearts and our friends and families hearts!
Josh and I have decided that we want to tackle this debt free. The fees, services rendered and travel expenses for the adoption are very costly, with a huge chunk of them being due roughly at the end of the summer. We will be putting together a few fundraisers and the proceeds going towards those expenses due! We have a fantastic community that is growing with adopting families! Humbly we are asking for prayer and support from anyone willing. I will keep everyone posted as to when our first fundraiser will be!
There is no price on a child...only the hope and love of being a forever family for a child someday.
"I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my
brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me."
-Matthew 25:40
Love to all!
-Josh and Renee
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Internationally??
Why do you two want to adopt internationally?
That's a question I've been asked a lot lately. There is a very detailed yet simple answer to that question.
When you think about the world...what places are the most poor? The United States isn't. Norway isn't. Finland isn't. Switzerland isn't. The Netherlands isn't. Austria isn't.
Some of the Poorest countries:
-Haiti
-Zimbabwe
-Albania
-Papua New Guinea
-Ethiopia
-Uganda
-Cambodia
Once you have wrapped your head around atleast one of those countries...think about then the poorest city, town or village in that country. Think about the disease that's running rampant in that area. Think about the warfare that's going on that's leaving all these kids homeless and parentless. Think about how the common cold is killing people left and right like the plague because there is no basic medical care. Think about the starving children...
Makes me sick just thinking about what all those children have to go through just to survive each day.
We have a furnished house. Plenty of food in our fridge. Clothes in our closet. Loving families.
Thousands of children can't even say they have one of those.
So lets go back to the original question. Why do you two want to adopt internationally?
WHY NOT?
Yes it's expensive and we will have to make multiple trips. Yes we have to take time off work and find ways to save more money. Yes we will fry our brains looking at and signing paperwork. Yes we will loose sleep praying that our future child will stay safe and healthy and will be ready for us when the time has finally come to bring that child home.
Many people don't and won't understand why Josh and I are doing what we have decided to do. That's ok. I just know I have a hard time thinking about those children and then looking at our life and wondering what if we brought home one of those kids.
If you have questions for us, PLEASE ask. We are just starting our process but if you are feeling led to look into adoption yourself we can point you in the direction of some amazing people!
And we can't ask enough for your prayers and support! To all the family, friends and prayer warriors out there...we can feel the love surrounding us! We want you all to be apart of our journey to help us bring our child home. Love you all...
-Josh and Renee
That's a question I've been asked a lot lately. There is a very detailed yet simple answer to that question.
When you think about the world...what places are the most poor? The United States isn't. Norway isn't. Finland isn't. Switzerland isn't. The Netherlands isn't. Austria isn't.
Some of the Poorest countries:
-Haiti
-Zimbabwe
-Albania
-Papua New Guinea
-Ethiopia
-Uganda
-Cambodia
Once you have wrapped your head around atleast one of those countries...think about then the poorest city, town or village in that country. Think about the disease that's running rampant in that area. Think about the warfare that's going on that's leaving all these kids homeless and parentless. Think about how the common cold is killing people left and right like the plague because there is no basic medical care. Think about the starving children...
Makes me sick just thinking about what all those children have to go through just to survive each day.
We have a furnished house. Plenty of food in our fridge. Clothes in our closet. Loving families.
Thousands of children can't even say they have one of those.
So lets go back to the original question. Why do you two want to adopt internationally?
WHY NOT?
Yes it's expensive and we will have to make multiple trips. Yes we have to take time off work and find ways to save more money. Yes we will fry our brains looking at and signing paperwork. Yes we will loose sleep praying that our future child will stay safe and healthy and will be ready for us when the time has finally come to bring that child home.
Many people don't and won't understand why Josh and I are doing what we have decided to do. That's ok. I just know I have a hard time thinking about those children and then looking at our life and wondering what if we brought home one of those kids.
If you have questions for us, PLEASE ask. We are just starting our process but if you are feeling led to look into adoption yourself we can point you in the direction of some amazing people!
And we can't ask enough for your prayers and support! To all the family, friends and prayer warriors out there...we can feel the love surrounding us! We want you all to be apart of our journey to help us bring our child home. Love you all...
-Josh and Renee
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
From the beginning...
Wow...this is the first time I've ever blogged! Aahhhh!! Before you read this really long post, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read this and support us in the way you all have so far! And for some of you this might be the first time you are hearing about the path Josh and I have decided to take! It's one that is going to challenge us as a couple by putting full faith in God! So why don't I begin!
About a year ago...still in the newlywed phase of our marriage...we decided that we didn't want to wait too long to start trying for a baby. We had our lives established and wanted to get the process going! I went to the doctor just for a pre-pregnancy visit to see what we needed to do to prepare ourselves...I like to be WELL informed of everything! He gave me some pointers and suggestions and I was on my way. For the next 6 months I just felt like things weren't right. I went back in for some blood tests and found out I have a disorder called Insulin Resistance. It's where my body produces too much insulin. Eehhh...I'm just glad it's figured out now! However, as I type this, sadly we aren't pregnant yet.
When I was going through the process of all the blood tests, Josh and I had to have a serious conversation. What do we do incase a baby of our own blood isn't in our plan? Do we just accept that or do we do something about it? Adoption was always a last resort but a viable option.
On February 9th, I went to a woman's retreat, at our church, with a girlfriend and little did I know that that day was going to change my life! The topic of the day was Transformation. During one of the sessions a women's panel was presented to us-4 women who were in different walk/stages of life. One woman shared her story of her family and how they adopted 5 children from China. I could feel the passion of adoption in her voice and by the grace of God it just clicked in my head!! Kinda like my AH-HAH moment! This was the reason God wanted me at that retreat! I was quickly overwhelmed with emotion...love, confusion, doubt, understanding. Is it possible to have all those at one time?!?! It's so hard to explain! There was a worship set right after and I bawled the WHOLE time!! (My girlfriend can confirm that! lol) During worship it became clear that this was the path God was leading us down.
Once I got home that evening I had to share with Josh what happened during the day and how God moved through me! We knew nothing about adoption but after a few conversations about it we decided it would be best to start looking into international adoption agencies. I called a few and decided on Bethany Christian Services! The ladies I talked to were very informational and completely honest with me about the challenges adoption can bring. But that didn't stray us! If this is how we are meant to grow our family then we are totally excited to start the journey!
The question was brought up to me on why we want to adopt? Because we want a child or because we want a project? To be perfectly honest, it's a little of both. Josh and I yearn for a child so badly. We want to start our family by moving on to the next phase of our life and we want to feel the fulfillment that children can bring! James 1:27 says:
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring
for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world
corrupt you." (NLT)
This verse I think explains why we see the adoption as a bit of a project. God adopted all of us as His children so we-in return-need to take care of the orphans of this world! Our hearts ache for what orphans have to endure in 3rd world countries...warfare, disease, death of parents, malnutrition. Why not give a child a chance at life? Why not make a difference? Why not put all of our faith into the Creator Himself? All we strive to do is to follow the path God is making for us.
Other things that have been brought up:
-there are children right here in the US
-you two haven't tried long enough
-are you sure your ready?
-are you done trying?
-you haven't been married long enough
All I can say to those statements/questions is that when you know...you know! We feel this is what God is putting on our hearts. We want to adopt a child from Africa! We want to make a difference! We want to give a child a chance at a Christ filled life! Trust me...we hope and pray for a biological child but right now we need to do what God is telling us to do!
Thank you SO much for taking the time to read our story! Please be on the lookout for upcoming posts on progress or on how you can help! Please pray! Keep us in your prayers that as the different challenges come up we stay fixed and focused on Him! We love you all!!
1 Corinthians 13:13-"Three things will last forever-faith, hope, and love-and
the greatest of these is love." (NLT)
-Josh and Renee
About a year ago...still in the newlywed phase of our marriage...we decided that we didn't want to wait too long to start trying for a baby. We had our lives established and wanted to get the process going! I went to the doctor just for a pre-pregnancy visit to see what we needed to do to prepare ourselves...I like to be WELL informed of everything! He gave me some pointers and suggestions and I was on my way. For the next 6 months I just felt like things weren't right. I went back in for some blood tests and found out I have a disorder called Insulin Resistance. It's where my body produces too much insulin. Eehhh...I'm just glad it's figured out now! However, as I type this, sadly we aren't pregnant yet.
When I was going through the process of all the blood tests, Josh and I had to have a serious conversation. What do we do incase a baby of our own blood isn't in our plan? Do we just accept that or do we do something about it? Adoption was always a last resort but a viable option.
On February 9th, I went to a woman's retreat, at our church, with a girlfriend and little did I know that that day was going to change my life! The topic of the day was Transformation. During one of the sessions a women's panel was presented to us-4 women who were in different walk/stages of life. One woman shared her story of her family and how they adopted 5 children from China. I could feel the passion of adoption in her voice and by the grace of God it just clicked in my head!! Kinda like my AH-HAH moment! This was the reason God wanted me at that retreat! I was quickly overwhelmed with emotion...love, confusion, doubt, understanding. Is it possible to have all those at one time?!?! It's so hard to explain! There was a worship set right after and I bawled the WHOLE time!! (My girlfriend can confirm that! lol) During worship it became clear that this was the path God was leading us down.
Once I got home that evening I had to share with Josh what happened during the day and how God moved through me! We knew nothing about adoption but after a few conversations about it we decided it would be best to start looking into international adoption agencies. I called a few and decided on Bethany Christian Services! The ladies I talked to were very informational and completely honest with me about the challenges adoption can bring. But that didn't stray us! If this is how we are meant to grow our family then we are totally excited to start the journey!
The question was brought up to me on why we want to adopt? Because we want a child or because we want a project? To be perfectly honest, it's a little of both. Josh and I yearn for a child so badly. We want to start our family by moving on to the next phase of our life and we want to feel the fulfillment that children can bring! James 1:27 says:
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring
for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world
corrupt you." (NLT)
This verse I think explains why we see the adoption as a bit of a project. God adopted all of us as His children so we-in return-need to take care of the orphans of this world! Our hearts ache for what orphans have to endure in 3rd world countries...warfare, disease, death of parents, malnutrition. Why not give a child a chance at life? Why not make a difference? Why not put all of our faith into the Creator Himself? All we strive to do is to follow the path God is making for us.
Other things that have been brought up:
-there are children right here in the US
-you two haven't tried long enough
-are you sure your ready?
-are you done trying?
-you haven't been married long enough
All I can say to those statements/questions is that when you know...you know! We feel this is what God is putting on our hearts. We want to adopt a child from Africa! We want to make a difference! We want to give a child a chance at a Christ filled life! Trust me...we hope and pray for a biological child but right now we need to do what God is telling us to do!
Thank you SO much for taking the time to read our story! Please be on the lookout for upcoming posts on progress or on how you can help! Please pray! Keep us in your prayers that as the different challenges come up we stay fixed and focused on Him! We love you all!!
1 Corinthians 13:13-"Three things will last forever-faith, hope, and love-and
the greatest of these is love." (NLT)
-Josh and Renee
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