And the WINNERS are...

We were excited to have our drawing yesterday to find out who would win the FABULOUS prizes that we raffled off as part of our final adoption fundraiser!

Stella Hung & family won the Great Wolf Lodge gift card!
John & Jill VanVeen won the brand new Vanity!
Congratulations to both of these families!


 
However, we want to thank EVERYONE who supported us in this fundraiser! We are thankful for the Lord's provision and how He has used His people to help make this adoption a reality for our family. We know that without the support of so many, we wouldn't be getting ready to bring home a child to her forever family!

With your help, we were able to raise $1,800 to go towards upcoming expenses as we finalize things. Also, a BIG thank you to Jason Campbell at Rocky Tops for their donation of the vanity and to our family for the Great Wolf Lodge gift card. 
If you have any countertop needs, please consider Rocky Tops of Greensboro. Their website is: http://rockytopsinc.com/

If you think of us over the next few weeks, please continue to lift us up in prayer as we prepare for her arrival...for time with the birth mom, for a safe & smooth delivery, and for the Lord's peace to be with us all. We're continuing to pray for His will and trusting that He'll be with us each step of the way. 

Thanks again from the bottom of our hearts!!

Josh, Anna & Rachel

Our FINAL Adoption Fundraiser!!!

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since we did our "Ultimate Date Night" Raffle! After over a year of fundraising, saving, completing lots of paperwork, getting matched, meeting our birthmom, waiting and LOTS of praying...it's exciting to think about welcoming a new little one to our family in about 7 short weeks, maybe sooner. However, now that we have a deadline and are still needing to save/raise the final expenses (approximately $5,000), we figure now would be a great time for one final fundraiser. :) We've come a long way and are SO grateful to have had the support and prayers of so many over this past year.

We are raffling off 2 AMAZING items--so we'll have 2 BLESSED Winners, in 2 separate drawings!!

• A Brand New 36" Granite or Marble Vanity Top (Valued at $500)

Donated by: Rocky Tops, Inc.  Click here for Rocky Tops Vanity Information

• A $300 Gift Card to Great Wolf Lodge (Charlotte/Concord, NC)

Donated by: Family Members

TICKET DONATION AMOUNTS:

$10 donation= 1 chance to win

$50 donation= 6 chances to win

$100 donation= 12 chances to win

All ticket sales will end on Thursday, January 23, 2014. The drawing will be held on Friday, January 24, 2014. Rachel will draw the winner and we’ll announce it here on our blog, as well as via email and Facebook. All funds raised will go straight to our agency, AmericanKidz Adoption Services.

HOW TO GET YOUR TICKETS (You won't receive an actual ticket, but your name will be printed on a ticket and added to the appropriate "Raffle Box"):

1. Donate here on the blog via PayPal or AdoptTogether (tax-deductible option) links, specifying that it's for the raffle. Paying in person or via snail mail is always fine too.

2. Or, you can email us at: ajgreen1@bellsouth.net or leave me a message on Facebook.

3. We realize that everyone might not be interested in a Vanity and/or going to Great Wolf Lodge. But, you might be interested in one or the other. So, we're doing 2 separate drawings and you can let us know which raffle you want your tickets for and how many. (Ex. 2 for Vanity/2 for Great Wolf or 5 for Great Wolf.)

Thank you for your willingness to consider supporting us in this way. We are blessed to have others joining us on this journey. We can't wait to see who WINS!! 

Love,

Anna, Josh & Rachel

Noonday Collection Trunk Show Fundraiser

I forgot to do a post about this, but back in November, Annette Pittman hosted a Noonday Collection Trunk Show as a fundraiser for us. It was a great morning of meeting new people, talking about adoption, learning more about the Noonday products, and of course eating yummy food!

The Noonday Ambassador was Katie Eller and I was so blessed to meet her! Not only is she and her husband in the adoption process as well, but we discovered that she is using the same consultant as us, Tracie Loux, from Christian Adoption Consultants. It was so neat to be able to talk with her. What a blessing from the Lord!!

Noonday Collection has a two-fold mission. They sell beautiful products like necklaces and scarves that are made by people from around the world. This helps to create jobs for the artisans, so that they make an income to sustain their families and have an impact on their community. And, anyone that is adopting can earn funds as well.

So, after a fun morning, we were able to raise $212 that was sent straight to our agency. A big thank you to Annette and everyone that stopped by to shop and support us!

Trip to Florida...

So, how much can you fit into 30 hours?? We made a whirlwind trip to Florida to meet our new birth mom that we have been matched with, and even made it to the beach!
We flew into Tampa and our visit started at McDonald's...meeting our birth mom and her children, along with one of the agency representatives. We got them all something to eat, let the kids play and got a chance to talk. They were all very outgoing and it was a pleasure to spend time with them. After that, Josh and I headed to downtown St. Petersburg and had a nice dinner and walked around down by the water looking at Christmas lights and reflecting on the day.
The next morning we met her and another one of the agency social workers at a 3D/4D Ultrasound place. Having an appointment at the doctor's office for an ultrasound didn't coincide with our trip, so the agency set this up. Although it was a little awkward at first and she didn't talk much, it went well. The baby cooperated and we got to see her in action. And yes, they confirmed that it is a girl. She kept winking at us and at one point was sucking her thumb. We had mixed emotions, but were thankful to be included in this experience.
Next, we headed to lunch at a local place called Cheddar's. The 2 agency ladies, both of which are super nice, joined us for lunch. We had great conversation and got a chance to get to know her better. Josh was even able to pray with her before we left. I won't go into all the details of her situation, but we feel more at peace now that we've met her.
She reminded us that it's only 9 weeks until her due date. Because she is moderately high risk, she'll begin going to the doctor weekly for ultrasounds and NST's (Non-Stress Tests). So, now we wait...

Oh, but before we headed home I told Josh we HAD to at least put our feet in the sand and water for a few minutes. So, we drove over to Madeira Beach and actually had about 1 hour to relax. We walked on the beach, found some chairs to sit in, collected a few sea shells for Rachel and enjoyed the sunshine and 80 degree weather!! We thought it was fairly comical to have the A/C blasting in the rental car and then about 4 hours later, to be back home and blasting the heat. I definitely see why people like to live in FL during the winter months.

So, that's the most recent happenings with our adoption journey. We hope to do one final fundraiser starting next week. We've got about $4,000-5,000 left to save/raise over the next month and feel fortunate to have come this far over the past year or so as we've been working towards our goal. We continue to pray daily for this sweet mama and her baby. We're praying for God's will and that He'll continue to lead us all. Join us!

The Ups and Downs of Adoption!

It's been 2 months since I posted a new update. But, it's not because nothing has been going on. On the contrary, there's really lots to write about. So, let me start with the facts...

After getting matched in October, we went and met the birth mom in Georgia, along with her son and other representatives from the agency, AmericanKidz Adoptions. Although it was a long and quick trip, it went well. We felt really good about things and enjoyed meeting her.

Then, more recently we got a call from the agency that she had changed her mind. She told them that while she knew she couldn't take care of another child, she didn't think she could give her up either. Josh and I were really not that upset...God had been preparing our hearts. We both felt like she might do this, and honestly we were thankful that she made this decision now and not in February. We felt like it took a lot of integrity on her part to do this, knowing that all financial assistance would now stop. We are continuing to pray for her...that God will help her be able to take care of this baby and that she'll come to know Him as her Savior.

So, after hearing about this, we were told about another birth mom in FL. It's a long story, but basically after choosing a family they had another immediate situation come up for another baby and adopted that child. So, she was back at square one--like us. We looked over her information, prayed and talked, and made arrangements to speak with her over the phone. We didn't feel complete peace, mainly just because it came up so fast and we didn't have time to get all of our questions answered. However, we felt like we should just trust the Lord for what He might be doing and to step through this next open door. So, we've made plans now to go and meet her next week. We'll also get the chance to accompany her to an ultrasound appointment.

Now, aside from the facts...there's lots of feelings. It's been quite an emotional roller coaster. Last Sunday in Rachel's Sunday School class we were studying the story of Jacob wrestling with God. I could totally relate because that's what I've been doing. But, in the end it always comes back to trust, faith and surrender. I have to believe that the Lord has a perfect plan and that He is faithful!

So, we ask for prayers in the weeks ahead....and I'll try to do a better job with updates.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." Heb. 10:23

We've Been Matched!

Well, it's been a whirlwind over the past week to say the least. But, we have exciting news---we've been matched with a birth mom and she's having a baby girl, due in February!

Last Tuesday afternoon I was checking email and realized there was an email from one of the agencies we sent our packets to the previous week. I read over the potential situation, learning about this expectant mother--her medical and personal history and about her adoption plan. I called Josh at work and asked him to read over it as well. Sometimes you have longer to decide, but this agency was going to be presenting profiles to the birth mother the next day-Wednesday. So, after reading over it and praying, we decided to go ahead and give them the okay to present.

So, last Wednesday afternoon we were wondering when and if we might hear something, but since this was our first time presenting, we weren't quite sure what to expect. However, around 5:30pm I got a call from the attorney at the agency and she informed us that after having reviewed a total of 8 family profiles---she had picked US! I think my first words were, "Really? Wow!" She told us to call her the next day and she'd be glad to talk to us more and answer our questions. So, we did....because after 24 hours we had definitely come up with a page full of questions. Our conversation made us much more confident and excited!

Last Friday we got to speak with the expectant mother over the phone, and next weekend we'll be going to meet her in person.

We look forward to loving on her and making sure she knows that we are going to love her baby! This process definitely brings up lots of emotions. Our joy will be her pain, and we are just thankful that she has chosen the gift of life for this child. Even though her choices might not have been the best, her choice to carry this baby and then to make an adoption plan, shows so much courage and sacrifice. She's already teaching us so much!

Please be praying for us and for this expectant mother and her baby! We are praying for her health and that of the baby, for the rest of the funds needed, and for our relationship with her. We know that the Lord is in the midst of it all, and we are trusting His plan.

The Packets Are Out!

Wanted to provide another update...

We received our FBI clearances in the mail on August 21 & 22....it took a month. SO, not too bad for a federal agency. ;) At that point, I spent time putting our packets together. Tracie, our consultant, had talked with us back in July about agencies that they work with and which ones she would recommend us sending our information to. So, we decided to send them to 2 agencies and 1 adoption attorney, all in Florida. They work with agencies in other states, but Florida is the closest and would be easiest for travel purposes and to help cut down on the travel costs.
The packets consist of a copy of our homestudy and 2 copies of our profile, along with a cover letter from us. So, I got them all ready to send...and then we waited. Like I mentioned in the last post, Rachel started school and Josh started a new job pretty much right at this same time. So, we made the decision to wait about a month before actually mailing them out. It's so hard to know how things will go...we could be matched really quickly, or it could be a while...who knows? So, on Sept. 23rd after I picked up Rachel from school, we headed to the post office. Now's it's sort of out of our hands. We'll wait to hear from these agencies and when available situations come up that they think might be a good fit, they'll let us know. We'll have the opportunity to learn about a birthmother who has made an adoption plan and we'll decide if we'd like to have our profile presented to her. If so, we'll wait to see if she picks us and ultimately be matched!
We're excited to finally be at this point of the process and anxious to see what will happen next. We are trusting the Lord to work out all of the details and the timing!

A Progress Report...and Changes!

Just wanted to take a few minutes to provide another update on the adoption front.

During the month of June, I spent time working on our profile. This is like a photo album/scrapbook that tells all about us. This is what will be presented to potential birthmoms that they'll look through in order to learn about our family, ultimately deciding if they want to choose us to adopt their child.

I used a software program that our consultant Tracie recommended called, "myMemories Suite" by Polaroid. I love to scrapbook, but this was obviously all done on the computer. It took me a little bit to get used to the program and then to come up with the pictures and text, answering all of the pertinent questions that needed to be included. This is a service that our consultant can provide, but since I'm so familiar with scrapbooking, I felt confident that I could do it, and save some money. My goal was to complete it by the end of June, and I wasn't too far off. I sent it to Tracie to look over around July 4th and once I'd had a few days to tweek it, we got them printed. A big thanks to the UNCG Print Shop for printing them for us!

So, our next task was to get our fingerprinting done and sent to the FBI and SBI for clearances. We should have done this a while ago, but kept putting it off because we had to take time off work to go to the Sheriff's Department together. Anyway, we've gotten our clearance back from the SBI and are still waiting on the FBI.

Once this comes back, I'll put together packets to mail out to the various agencies that Tracie is recommending. We'll be sending them copies of our homestudy and profile. This will sort of be the official start to bringing our next child home. It will involve us learning about birthmoms and situations and deciding if we want to present our information...and then if so, waiting to be matched.

We also have plans to do at least 1 more fundraiser this fall. We've been continuing to save money this summer, but still have more that we'll probably need to raise prior to getting matched. We would appreciate your continued prayers and look forward to sharing more in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, we've got plenty of other things going on! Rachel starts Kindergarten next Monday, August 26th. She'll be attending Gibsonville Elementary School. And the other big news is that Josh is starting a new job! He'll be leaving the Dean of Students Office at UNCG and going to work at Elon as the Director for the Office of Student Conduct. While this move is a little bittersweet, he's excited for this new challenge and looking forward to new opportunities. I'm an Elon Alum, so I'm excited to have more opportunities to go back to campus. SO...this fall is going to bring lots of change. We're confident that the Lord is walking with us and will continue to guide our steps throughout this adoption process. We trust His perfect plan and timing!

Matching Grant Deadline...We Got It!

Today was the deadline to have donations sent in to Hand in Hand Christian Adoption for the Matching Grant we received. We are excited to announce that we raised the needed funds to get the grant matched, and even exceeded it! We needed to raise $2,500 to get $2,500 from Hand in Hand...and as of today we had gotten donations totally $3,170. So, that will allow us to now have a total of $5,670 to be used for our upcoming adoption expenses. We are so thankful that the Lord provided this grant and are so blessed that family and friends have been willing to give. We are grateful!! This isn't something we could do on our own and it's such a blessing to be able to have others walking this journey with us.
Our next step is to complete our profile with hopes to start presenting to birthmoms later this summer.

Adoption Matching Grant!

Several weeks ago we applied for a matching grant with Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc. And last week we found out that we got it!! We are so excited to be able to share this good news! The award amount is for $2,500 and if we can get that matched, then we'll have $5,000 to put towards our upcoming adoption costs. Wow!!
So, the important part is that we need help from family and friends--donations to help match what they are going to give us. AND...we have 6 weeks to raise this support. May 24, 2013 is the deadline to have donations sent in by and they have to be sent to Hand in Hand directly. They will keep us posted on our progress.
Another key part is that our name cannot appear on the check, but that our name IS listed on the outside envelope so they will direct the donations to us. All donations are tax-deductible.
So, we would love to have your help!! Any amount will make a difference and will help us in meeting this goal of $2,500. And ultimately, it's not about this small goal...it's about our big goal of being able to provide a home to a child. It's about being apart of God's bigger plan for our family.
Asking for help certainly isn't the easiest thing to do, but we know that God wants to use others to be a part of this story and we are humbled by so many that have already been so gracious to not only pray, but to give of their finances.

Thank you SO much!
Love,
Josh, Anna & Rachel

Here's the letter we've written that provides more information, along with the address of where to send any donations.

Grant Award Letter

Adoption Update...

We've gotten asked a lot lately...so how's the adoption process going? Well, we've been working on some things sort of "behind the scenes" and wanted to take the time to provide an update.
When we started researching various things related to adopting, one thing I was interested in was--can we find a way for our family and friends to be able to donate to our adoption and it be tax-deductible? I really wasn't able to find anything initially. However, once we started working with Christian Adoption Consultants, our caseworker Tracie invited us to join an online private Facebook site that is made up of other adoptive families. It was through this page that I was able to find families that had in fact found these resources.
So, after looking further into this, applying, setting up a profile, etc. we are happy to announce that we have a site with Adopt Together.

AdoptTogether.org is a non-profit funding platform helping families raise money to pay for adoption costs. 

Our specific page is located at: www.adopttogether.org/thegreens

So, if you would still like to partner with us in our fundraising, you can now do so and it will be tax-deductible. Of course, we have left the PayPal link on our blog, but this is another option that we think some may be interested in.

Any monies they receive on our behalf are held until we need them, and then we fill out a form to have them released to us for adoption-related expenses.

We are excited about each step we are taking to move us closer to bringing another child into our family. Thanks again for your love and support!

Raffle Fundraiser Winner!

And the winner is...Ben & Monica Mann!!! We hope you guys have a great time on your date night!

A huge thank you goes out to everyone that bought raffle tickets and supported us through this fundraiser!!

With your help we were able to raise $2,375. Wow!! We are so excited and are thanking the Lord for these funds that will go towards our overall goal!!

We are SO grateful to have friends and family playing a part in God's plan to bring another child into our family!

We also want to express our sincere thanks to Tonya Miller of Embassy Suites, as well as Tad & Rachel Engstrom of MJ's for their donations of the prizes. They helped make this all possible!!


(Sorry for the delay in posting this! We announced the winner via Facebook and email on Feb. 1st...but I've just been slow in getting this on the blog!)

Tracking Our Progress...

I don't know about you, but I'm a visual person. So, we've now added a fundraising thermometer on the side to help us track our fundraising progress. But first, I wanted to tell you what this amount represents...

Now that we are working with Christian Adoption Consultants, we have been advised by our consultant Tracie that we need to have about $15,000 in hand before we can start applying with the agencies that they work with and presenting our profile to potential birthmoms. She also advises that at that point we have a good idea of where the rest will come from. But for now, we want to focus on saving and raising the $15,000. This seems like a more attainable goal rather than putting the entire amount out there.

So, our raffle is under way and it's going great! I'm going to wait and announce the total raised at the end. But, it's not too late to still buy a ticket...or maybe even a few for your chance to win a great date night package. The deadline to buy tickets is January 31st.

Also, we've already started collecting items for a yard sale that we're planning to do in May. Plus, we have a few other ideas that we are working on...

Josh and I are going to sit down soon and come up with some deadlines and goals because that's just how our brains work. Although we willingly recognize that God is in control and we are trusting Him to provide for this adoption...we still feel like setting some goals will help us keep pressing forward.

Once again, we are SO grateful for the prayers and support thus far...I just can't express this enough!!

Our Next Adoption Fundraiser!

Green Family Adoption RAFFLE!

ULTIMATE DATE NIGHT PACKAGE:

-An Overnight Stay at Embassy Suites Hotel in Greensboro, NC (Valued at $140)
-A $50 Gift Card for Dinner at MJ’s Steak & Seafood Restaurant
-A $15 Gift Card for Dessert at Maxie B’s
-A $20 Gift Card to Carousel Cinemas
Total Value: $225

Please help us raise funds for our adoption by purchasing one or more raffle tickets. All ticket sales will end on January 31st at 12noon EST. The drawing will be held on Friday, February 1, 2013. Rachel will draw the winner and we’ll announce it on Facebook as well as via email.

RAFFLE TICKETS ARE $10 EACH.

Thank you for your willingness to support us in this way! All the funds raised will go straight to our Adoption Savings Fund, which will be used for all of the required expenses. We are excited about welcoming a new child into our home hopefully sometime this year!

To purchase tickets, email us at: ajgreen1@bellsouth.net

You can also leave us a message on Facebook for tickets or donate on our blog, specifying that it’s for the raffle.

Santa Baby...

Rachel got to see Santa last Saturday! Her Nonnie and Poppie took her to the mall for a special outing and after going to Build-A-Bear...where she created a "Happy Feet" Penguin with a pink and black Hello Kitty dress on, she went to meet Santa.

I have made a point to not ask her about what she wants for Christmas. I figure we'll get to that time soon enough where she'll be giving me a list. We try to focus on teaching her to give, rather than to receive. However, other people have been asking her what she wanted Santa to bring her. The first thing she came up with was an IPad. Well, we quickly informed her that Santa would not be bringing her this because it was too expensive and she was too little to have an IPad. The next thing she came up with when asked was a cheerleading costume. So, I think that's a little more doable.

However, when she got up on Santa's lap and he asked her what she wanted, she told him she wanted a BABY SISTER!! That was all she asked for...

When Josh's dad told us that was what she asked for, I immediately started to cry. She's been praying and asking for a baby sister for at least a year now. Not every day, but pretty often. And it's hard to answer her questions as to why her friends have sisters and brothers and she doesn't. It's hard to help her understand why God doesn't answer her prayers as quickly as we would like.
Although it's hard to really explain the details of this to a 4 year old, I encourage her to continue praying with us and that one day God will hopefully give her a baby sibling and that we're letting him decide if it will be a brother or sister. We've told her things like, God answered our prayers when he let you grow in Mommy's tummy, and we've told her that this time a baby won't grow in my tummy. We've talked with her about adoption and what that means. But, it's still hard because we struggle with it too.

I do wonder what she was thinking. Like, is Santa like God? Maybe if I ask him he'll help God out? Or, God isn't coming through...maybe Santa can?

Anyway, needless to say...I told her that Santa would probably not be bringing her a baby sister for Christmas, but who knows...maybe by next Christmas she'll have a baby sister?

Regardless of the fact that Rachel won't get a baby sister for Christmas, it's important to remember that God did send us a baby....Jesus! And what a gift that was!

Wishing you all a joyous Christmas!
Anna, Josh & Rachel


P.S. I wanted to add this link for folks to check out...just some advice on supporting adoptive families that I found to be beneficial. This is from the blog of Tracie Loux, the consultant we are working with.

http://thespiritofadoption.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/support-love-serve-and-celebrate/

Little by Little...

I'm not too good at updates, but here's a little bit of what's been going on with regards to our adoption and where we are headed.

During the month of November we sent out letters to family and friends asking for prayers and financial support.

Here's a link to our fundraising letter: Green Adoption Letter

We have received several donations so far and have reached our first goal...which was to be able to send in our application and fee to Christian Adoption Consultants by November 30, 2012. During the month of November they were offering a discount in honor of November being National Adoption Month. SO, if you know me, you know I'm all about getting discounts, using coupons---saving money! So, we mailed this in and were able to save $390.

We are now officially clients of CAC and have received an extensive packet of information to start looking through from Tracie Loux, who is our consultant.

Our main focus will continue to be finding ways to save money and fundraise. We've got a long way to go before we can actually get to the point of presenting our profile and waiting for a match.

We've also added a link to Just Love Coffee Roasters. If you click on this, you can go and buy coffee or other items and a portion of your purchase will be given to us to support our adoption. We've ordered coffee from them, in support of another family we know, and it is great coffee!

Thanks again for your support and prayers! We have been humbled and are grateful for the donations we have received so far and are daily leaning on the Lord to provide.

Let's Get This Blog Started...

I've never done a blog before, so I was a little intimidated about starting one. In fact, I've been putting it off. But, in the little timeline running in my head and on my to-do list, it's got to happen...and now would be a good time!

Over the past few years as blogging has taken off, I see the benefit in having one for various purposes and for such a time as this. So, what is our purpose you might ask at this point in time? Well, Josh and I are stepping out into a new and unknown adventure of adoption. So, the purpose of this blog will be to update our family and friends along the way.

I've spent time looking at other blogs, especially from other families who have adopted, and I always learn something and receive a blessing in hearing the stories of others who have walked this path. It's exciting, but it's also a little scary because of all the unknowns. However, we are trusting in God's plan for our family and pray you'll join us on this journey! We hope that our story will be a blessing to you! Thank you for your love and support!

Josh, Anna & Rachel