Introducing "Hearts full of LOVE"

We will be meeting our newest princess soon.  We are excited about how our journey is progressing. We are so thankful for the multiple ways we have already been blessed, however, there are still many expenses left.  We could use your help!  We have been blessed with a $4500 matching grant from Chosen & Dearly Loved through Lifesong!

This time around we desired to do something different than the puzzle fundraiser we did last time, but still wanted a tangible reminder of those that play such an instrumental role in our journey.  We came up with the idea to make a piece of artwork that will hang in our two littlest princesses’ room.  We are calling this project “Hearts full of LOVE” which will help us raise the money needed to bring home our newest treasure.   

The beauty is that YOU can help!  You can be a part of our story!!  For every $15 you donate, we will write your name on the back of a heart and add it to our artwork. Thanks to our matching grant, that $15 becomes $30!  Every amount donated is doubled, up to $4500!! $4500 will be matched if 300 hearts are sponsored.  However, we really need to get to the $5000 donation mark and we can reach that if 335 hearts are sponsored. Thank you in advance for considering a donation to our project!! Donations go directly to our account.  These funds are sent to our agency to pay for adoption costs.

PLEASE do not think any amount is too small!  Those dollars add up!  Again, every $15 you donate means another heart on our “Hearts full of LOVE” artwork. 

How can you sponsor a heart?

Online (using a credit card):

1. Go to www.lifesongfororphans.org/donate
2. Direct your donation (from the drop down menu) to “Adoption”
3. FILL IN Family Account Number = 6216 and Family Name = Anderson
4. Click on "Other" under donation amount and enter the desired sponsorship amount.
5. Complete the online form

 Mail in (using a check):

1. Please make checks payable to: Lifesong for Orphans
2. In the MEMO LINE, be sure to write (Preference 6216 Anderson)
3. Mail check to:

Lifesong for Orphans

PO Box 40

Gridley, IL 61744

** BE SURE TO ALWAYS INCLUDE #6216 AND ANDERSON IN ANY DONATION! **

Individual donations $50 or more will receive a tax deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $50 will gladly be sent upon request. Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.

Thank you so much for playing a part in our journey and we look forward to seeing God work as you help us bring our daughter home!! Can't wait to start filling these boxes in with hearts!!

 

Provisions From God!!!

I had to take time to document God’s goodness, his provisions for us!  There were so many ways, both big and small, that He has, and continues to, supply the funds we needed for this adoption journey.

We started this journey earlier than planned.  The thought was to wait until this Spring and then begin the process again.  However, we saw this face… and the rest is history.  

We worked to acquire a loan in order to help with costs.  The problem is that adoption loans require a completed homestudy to finish.  Many of our fees were due before the homestudy was completed.  However, this didn’t stop God from providing.

• I ended up with a new student for the last few months of school.  This put me over the number of students I should have in my classroom, according to our contract.  The remedy is to pay the teacher a one-time lump sum.  This helped us to cover some of the early fees. 
• Our house addition was finishing up, but we still haven’t had our final closing.  During this time, I continued to budget for the new mortgage amount, but we were only billed construction loan amounts according to the draws made.  This freed up more money to apply to adoption costs.
• I was invited to speak at a ladies’ group at a family friend’s church.  They surprised us with a special offering.
• Near the end of school, my principal forwarded an email asking for summer school teachers.  Mark and I discussed it and knew this would provide some extra funds needed for the adoption.

Can you believe all of these little ways that add up?? How God provided in ways we might have missed?

BUT… IT DIDN’T STOP THERE!!

I was struggling a bit when I posted that we would still be short on funds.  Even with the loan, we were still going to need additional help.  I prayed a lot about a number.  I was sure God was laying on my heart to go BIG.  I admit, I struggled a lot.  What if it was too much??  What if we didn’t actually come up with that much??  Would people doubt God??

That’s where I stopped… I WAS DOUBTING GOD!  You see we have been blessed during our last two journeys.  You all helped us raise over $3000 for our journey to Addisyn and Ryan.   With a matching grant and your help, we were blessed with $8000 for our journey to Greyson and Kristyn.  But, the number in my head was SO MUCH BIGGER.  I took a deep breath and decided to go for it!  Our goal would be $15,000!!  It was a little scary seeing it in print. I filled our LOTS of grant applications and prayed. 

Then it happened…

• Rollstone Foundation awarded us $1000!
• Then, Gift of Adoption let us know they were granting us $3500!!
• THEN, Chosen and Dearly Loved (partnering with Lifesong) made the big announcement… They are giving us a $4500 matching grant!!!!!!  (They will match dollar for dollar everything we raise up to $4500!)
• Now, the fundraising will soon begin, so watch for details on how you can help and be a part of our journey!

There are still more grants we haven’t heard back from!   

GOD IS OUR PROVIDER!!!

So close!!

We just received word today that we are Out of Translation!!  Remember in an earlier post about LOA, I listed the steps: 
1. Login 2. Translation 3. Review 4. Matching 

Baby girl is studying our pics since we are getting crazy close!

The second step (translation) is the longest!  The last two steps seem to be taking between 2 and 14 days!  Then we get LOA issued!  You guys, this is the stage where we get REALLY EXCITED!!!  This is the step that varies the most.  For some it goes super quick, for others it can take over 100 days.  This might be under 30 for us!!  UNHEARD OF!!!  THANK YOU GOD!!!  We had a crazy long LID (log in date) wait, but this MORE than makes up for that! Thank you so much for all of your prayers!!  I will end up being able to get baby girl close to her 2nd birthday (just after)! We are getting soooooo excited!!!

Happy 3 Years Addisyn!!

We met this amazing little girl 3 years ago on July 15th.  I cannot believe it was that long ago, at the same time, it seems like she has been a part of our lives forever.  The transformations in all of our kiddos have been nothing short of miracles, but in Addi, we witnessed a life-changing  metamorphosis.  

The shell of a girl that we met on July 15th walked up to us at Civil Affairs.  Once we got back to the hotel (tired and exhausted from the emotion of it all), we faced a shutdown that we hadn't experienced before.  Addi was completely silent.  She wouldn't move, play, or make any noise (other than an infant cry).  We were very concerned.  We had accepted, on faith, a little girl that had absolutely NO milestones on paper. I pleaded for some advice online from parents that had been there.  We prayed and then had a long talk.  We decided that God meant this journey for us and we were determined to make this beautiful little treasure an Anderson, no matter what it meant for the future.  We headed to Civil Affairs, 3 years ago today, to make it official.
 

Sweet Girl

With Ayi (nanny) and meeting Ryan

They LOVE daddy!

Still concerned, we hugged, cuddled, and loved on this little princess.  She soaked it all in.  Finally we went to visit her orphanage. Here's what I wrote about that visit... "Our other children were all from Half the Sky orphanages that get financial support that allows them to better care for the kids. I know her orphanage loves their children, and wants the best for them, they just don't have the resources. Her baby room (where she spent 2 years of life) contained about 12-15 cribs. Babies and toddlers were mostly laying, but a few were standing. Quite a few were crying and some were just staring into space. When you walked over to interact with them, some of them got the biggest smiles! Some never seemed to notice. I realized that she probably spent a large amount of the last 2 years in that crib. There are only 1-2 nannies in that room, and the needs are overwhelming (quite a few severe needs). It was a bit gut-wrenching, now that I have had time to process. Poor Little Miss is just adjusting to a COMPLETE change."
 

These two women took turns caring for the babies and older children.

The crib Addi spent 22 hours a day in for the first 2 years of her life.

The outdoor playspace for 60 kids.

The indoor playspace / therapy room for the 60 kids in this orphanage.

Building Addi spent the first two years of her life in.

I can never fully explain what that visit did to us, how it changed us.  The urgency we feel to provide a home to as many treasures as God allows.  You can never "unsee" the need.  There were 60 children in her orphanage and it is one of the smaller ones.  I've cried many tears over the years of the images in my mind when I think of those precious children of God that I visited, some of them seemingly locked away forever in their minds.  My heart breaks for the children that will never experience love.

This is what happens with love, these are my words describing the change in our sweet Addi after that visit. "She LOVES to be loved. She smiles the biggest smile ever and melts right into you when you give her kisses. She would love to just sit, be cuddled, and kissed all day long. Who could blame her? Tonight, all of a sudden, she began to come out of her shell a bit. She was on the floor playing and stood up from a seated position (I was convinced that she couldn't). Then, she crawled over to a toy. In about half an hour, she was literally bouncily running (still need to work on balance, but she just needs practice) and even uttered a couple of words!! She even drank out of her sippy cup tonight!! My heart is leaping! I cannot imagine life without these two precious children! God is so good!!"
 

Shopping and sight-seeing

I include this pic so you can see how skinny the poor girl was.  She had only been fed formula with a spoon.

What keeps us going back? This!  This experience and the five others that were so very different, but still so very sad when you think of the plan God has for us.  He designed family.  The metaphor He uses to describe His love is that of a Father (a perfect Father).  Praying that Addi's story touches you and that you pray for families to respond to the command to "care for the orphans".  Might it be your family that is deciding to fulfill God's plan for these children?

We love you Addisyn Zhen Anderson with all of our hearts!  We are so glad that God chose us and gave us the strength to discover the amazing little girl you are!  Happy 3 years!!

First Piece of Artwork in the Addition

We finally hung the first piece of artwork after finishing our addition.  Can you guess what we chose to hang first?  The piece that reminds us of the important part all of you played in our journey to Kristyn and Greyson.  We could not have brought them home without your generosity!  

This piece starts many conversations in our house.  Conversations about God's faithfulness and provision.  Conversations about family and friends and how much they love an support our family!

Most of all this piece serves as an encouragement to our current journey.  It reminds us that we are loved and supported and will meet our baby girl soon! :)

Ryan

Ryan has been ours and home for 3 years!  He is such a sweet, caring, helpful, and smart little guy!

I still remember the miracle when we discovered that not only had God made a way for us to bring home TWO kiddos, but the sweet little baby that had opened Mark's heart to adopting a boy would be our son!  This was followed with lots of updates, pictures, and videos from our agency and other traveling families.  We fell in love as we counted the weeks until he would be in our arms!  

We weren't sure what to expect, since his only need was developmental delay.  He exceeded our expectations when we met him.  He was so little and active.  He was also a little wary of us.

Our first glimpse of him

Fighting back more tears, but content on daddy's lap

We made it official the next day!  We were so ready to sign that we would love and cherish him forever!  Chongqing holds a wonderful ceremony, not all provinces do this.

This is the podium that they use to have us "sign" with a red thumb print (even Ryan).

We visited his orphanage the next day.  This was tough, he was VERY LOVED!  He did not want to leave his precious nanny and there were many tears when we left.  We were so thankful that he was taken such good care of.

His nanny using his book to explain family

Collapsed on daddy after a very emotional visit

The day after the orphanage visit, his personality began to shine through!  It was almost like he settled in and realized we weren't leaving.  He was silly and funny and so very sweet.

Playing hide and seek in his very favorite spot - this giant window!

Mr. Cool with his glasses

I thank God for his leading to this precious boy!  I never dreamed that this is where our journey would lead us.  As I often say, I am so very glad that God's plans are so much bigger and better than mine!!  

Happy 3 years Ryan Zhiying Anderson!