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