The Best Gift of All

During this Christmas season we are constantly trying to remind our children that while receiving presents is fun, the most precious gift they will ever receive is Jesus. On Sunday my singing group sang the well known song, "Mary Did You Know". I was asked to introduce the song which made me have to really think about the words I was singing. Did Mary REALLY understand how unordinary her child would be? He was brought into the world in such an ordinary way (besides that fact that he was born to a virgin). Did Mary REALLY know that her child would give sight to the blind, make the lame to walk, and perform miracles that would be talked about forever. Did Mary have any idea that her child would make it possible for a very ordinary family to give an orphan a forever family. Did she know that her child would make it possible over and over again for a family to provide an orphan with a dad, mom, and even siblings. Did she know that her child would make it possible for an orphan child to change the life of a very ordinary family before even meeting. I am so thankful for the gift God gave. I am so thankful for His amazing grace that I can share with our children. I hope and pray that next Christmas we will be thankful for the gift of the Messiah, but also the gift of a very unordinary child brought into our lives through adoption.

Gabbie told me yesterday that next year she is sure our favorite present will be her baby brother. (I hope she is right).

New Number, New Niece!

Well a quick update: Our new number is not so exciting. We moved one number.


I knew last month was too good to be true. I guess next month can only get better.

Our new neice is much more exciting!!! Jason's brother and his wife just gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Her name is Amalia Nycole (I think I spelled in right). She is 7lbs 15 oz and adorable. We will travel to Fort Wayne, IN to see her this weekend. I am so excited to hold a tiny baby.

My Plan vs. God's Plan

I am not even sure where to begin this post except to say that God is amazing. It has been recent that I have had to priviledge of experiencing God's changing power. It has been recent that I have learned of God's work in my life. After finishing a 40 day Bible Study at church called "Life's Healing Choices", I have realized what God can do if you "let go and let God". It all began with our calling to adopt. I have said it before that this was not just an easy decision that was made overnight. Jason and I discussed it and spent our own time in prayer and meditation. God spoke very clearly to us not only through prayer but also by His people. I have always been a person who wishes to stay in my "comfort zone". I liked my security, order, and assurance of daily living. When God called us to adopt, it threw all of those things out the door. I was stuck in a rut of living life on my own and not really needing His help. I was so blind to the awesome work He can do if I let Him take hold of my life. Do not be mistaken, everyday I have to give it to Him, and sometimes numerous times. It is hard to finally allow God to use me "His" way instead of trying to live the Christian life "my" way. Even though His way causes me to have to fall on my knees more often, I am so thankful for those moments. The moments when he takes fear and turns it into trust, when He takes a selfish heart and turns it into a servant heart, when He takes the ill-equipped and promises to walk beside them, the moments when God's peace overcomes me and I know I have given to HIM. I know the life of trying to do it on my own with my own agenda; it is mundane, unfullfilling, and tiresome. The life of "letting go and letting God" is peaceful, fulfilling, and exciting. There are two songs that have meant a lot to me in the past few months. I will try to put the You Tube videos on, but if it doesn't work I will give you the names of the songs and you can listen to them on Youtube yourself.

November Number

Our new number is.........................

41

Sorry I could not get any images to load.

I am sure your jaw dropped as did mine. We moved 12 numbers in one month? HOLY COW!!!!! We are excited!

Family Update

Life is busy but good here in Boersma home. Jason is now done with his soccer season which means we get to have him home with us much more. We are so thankful that he is willing to coach in order to give our kids a Christian education. He is still very involved in Young Life, and will be doing "house projects" this winter while I have him home. I am still loving staying home, and am volunteering more at school.

Gabbie is still adjusting to life as a first grader, but loving the social life it brings. She just finished a great soccer season. Watching 6-7 year olds play soccer is just too cute!


Alexa is still home with me, but thinks she is in school. She asks to do homework everyday. I tell her she is going to school when we attend Bible Study at church, MOPS at a local church, and reading time at the library.


Maia continues to talk more and more, and loves being naughty. She may be Jason's payback for what he put his own parents through. She loves to play with dolls and watch her Elmo video. It is so great to see her little personality come through.


Church and school activities are in full swing and we are trying to figure out which areas need to give in order to protect our "family time". We have not decided on a name for our "little man", but we have agreed on a few options. We want the middle name to be his african name and the letter "J" (after daddy). If you have any great options that could work let us know. We are still in the waiting process of our adoption. I am peace with where we are right now. I love getting more one on one time with Maia, and know God's timing is best. Please continue to pray for those children who are still waiting for a home, or have been placed and are waiting to be united with their families.

Gotta Love Human Error

My previous post said that we were number 55, but our caseworker just emailed me and said they made mistake and forgot to take a couple families off the waitlist. We are now number:



Now we have moved 6 numbers. WOOHOOOOO!!!!

Courts have opened!

We are officially now number:




My husband is a huge Bears fan. We will see if he notices. I was excited to see that we had moved up 4 numbers. Only moving 1 number last month seemed a bit crazy, but 4 seems like a huge jump (even though it's really not). We also got an update that the wait time could be only 10 months now. They base the estimated wait time on those who have received referrals recently. It can change at any time.

We have not agreed on a name for our "little man". We have very few options, so if you have any names that you love feel free to share. I will do a family update soon with a few pictures. We are busy but feeling blessed everyday!

Why Blog?

Life has become very busy with Gabbie starting school, Jason coaching at Calvin, and lots of church activities. I have found that my time to sit down and have time on the computer is few and far between. I was contemplating getting rid of both of the blogs that I attempt to keep updated. After thinking about it for a few days, I realized I need to get rid of the decorating blog, but keep our adoption blog. I decided to keep our adoption blog for two reasons. First I want everyone to have a place to check up on our process and pray for us. Second I remember when we were feeling fear about starting this process and reading other people's blogs brought such comfort and excitement to me. I continue to follow many adoption blogs. They have been an amazing tool for learning about the process, and preparing for the unknowns of international adoption. If our blog can be this for another family being called to adoption then I am for sure keeping it going. The crazy thing is that it already has been this for a couple families. I have gotten a few messages on my facebook page stating that they had read my blog and are just getting into the process. It is amazing as I have said before the benefits and blessings of technology. I can't even imagine going through this without my blogging friends. Some of them I have never met, while some I met at the AGCI picnic. So after this long explanation, I am planning on keeping our adoption/family blog, but will be eliminating the decorating blog. I am sorry to those who follow the blog and enjoy it, but family life and sanity are much more important.

New Number and a Few Thoughts

This is our new number. I guess "one step at a time" needs to become our new life motto. It has been fun to follow a few other blogs who have moved into single digits on the waiting list.
Here are a few thoughts that run through my mind on a daily basis: (sorry they are a bit scattered)
- Should we pick a name now so we can call him by name already?
- I often try to picture what he will look like in my head.
- Will our two travel times be at times that work into our schedule? (silly I know)
- Has he been born?
- So many adoptive families homeschool. Is it bad that I will not?
- I am still amazed everyday at how God has provided finanacially for our family this year!
- Will there be any other major changes in our process?
- What will be his medical needs if any?

I am so thankful for all of the prayers that go out on behalf of our family. I still have fears that enter my head daily; but God's strength is amazing.

Bittersweet changes

She turns 6 and leaves for first grade all in one month. It is just too much for a mom to handle. I will honestly say homeschooling crossed my mind just so I do not have to give her up for the entire day. I am amazed at how fast 6 years has gone. God has given her so many gifts. She is sensitive, passionate, hardworking, organized (I love this about her), and a good leader (I see teaching in her future). We thank God for this beautiful gift.

AGCI Picnic

We attended the AGCI picnic this past Saturday. Jason couldn't attend due to soccer coaching, so I took my sister in law and niece Lily. There was snow cones, a blow up jumper, an animal balloon maker, bubbles, squirt guns, and great company. The girls had a great time! I enjoyed meeting other adoptive families. I even knew a few people there because I follow their blog. It was instant connection. I loved seeing all of the beautiful adopted children. There were three or four Ethiopian little boys there, and I couldn't help up get excited to have a cutie of my own someday. I also got to meet one of the caseworkers for AGCI and count it a blessing. I am thankful God led us to such a wonderful agency.

Officially Waiting

We are officially on the waiting list! I am going to copy other blogs that I have seen and update our numbers by using pics from the web.
We are officially #.....

on the boy's list.

I know this seems like a big number, but our case worker explained it to us this way:

1. There is only one list and there could be many families in front of you that could also be open to a boy and girl and even siblings. No matter what gender (or number) the child placed with those families that will positively impact your number. This is important to know because for instance, if you are #25 on the girls list then that does not necessarily mean that there needs to be 24 girls placed for you to be number 1.

2. Also, these numbers are a way for you to mark progress but also please remember that we do not always place in the order of the numbers. For each placement we will always look at many factors, health of the child, ages of children currently in the home etc. This is why we do share that it is important to remain flexible with these numbers.

These facts make the #60 not seem so far away. We did also hear the wait time has increased to 12-18 months. I will admit this seems like a long time, but I do need to remember it is God's timing not ours. As my blog description says, He already knows the child he has chosen for our family. This brings peace. I do understand this will not come without frustration. It will be interesting to see how the girls do with this long wait. When Jason and I found out our paperwork was accepted, we were jumping up and down. The girls immediately responded the same and yelling, "We are going to get our brother!!!" We had to explain to them that it will still be a long wait, but God is in charge and He will guide us to our "little man".

Great News!!!

Everything for our dossier is accepted!!!! We are so excited!!!! The only thing left is to get the home study notarized again (small mistake by the notary). I am hoping that we will be on the waiting list by Monday. I am not sure that is even possible. Thank you to all of you prayed. I know it is all in God's timing. It is definitely a weight lifted off my shoulders.

All we can do is PRAY

I am sorry it took me so long to post after we sent in our dossier. As predicted, we had three things that had to be redone. I did not feel this was too bad, except we were at a cottage with my husband's family which meant it was a bit difficult to get papers signed and notarized. I will say up to this point the past month has been the most stressful. Every detail has to match and be correct in order for the dossier to be excepted. My husband and I tend to overlook the details, so it is amazing we only had a few papers to redo. I am going to overnight the papers tomorrow and pray that all is well and we can be put on the waiting list. I am so ready to start the next part of this process, even if it is just waiting. Please say a prayer tomorrow that all is good and we can be one step closer to bringing home our "little man".

I can breathe...but only for a moment

Our dossier(a collection of papers giving detailed information about a person) was sent yesterday! I will admit it was a crabby mom day. I ran all over Grand Rapids to get this finally put together, and had to bring my three munchkins with me. My van is acting up so I had to fit all three girls in the back of the car. Cars are not meant for three car seats. The day consisted of buckling, unbuckling, wiping bloody lips, stopping for the girls to use the bathroom due to tickle wars in the cramped backseat, and lastly sweating constantly due to extreme heat index. I talked with our caseworker, and she informed me that it would be likely that some of the paperwork would have to be redone. As you can imagine this is very discouraging. I am definitely sick of the paper chase part of this journey. I am so thankful however, that our agency and caseworker take the time to look over our dossier carefully to be sure there are no mistakes. I would rather have this than for it to go got Ethiopia and be sent back. This means we are one step closer to being put on the waiting list. I love to hear people talk about what number they are on the waiting list. It will be great to be given and number and know we are at least in the running!

What I Have Learned

I am so sorry I have been such a delinquent. I am enjoying the summer, but finding it very busy at the same time. Maia still takes two naps, but Alexa and Gabbie keep me going 24/7. We have spent our summer days relaxing by the pool (except when I am chasing a one year old from the shallow end to the deep end), camping, and hanging out with friends. I am reminded often that hopefully next summer I will be chasing a 2 year old and almost 1 year old around the pool. We talk often of our little guy and pray constantly for him. We realize that he still may not even exist, but we pray for his birthparents and caretakers. Many African parents have to give up their children due to disease, death, or poverty. These children are not taken due to poor parenting skills, abuse, or other emotional problems. This makes it so heart wrenching to think that most likely the birth parents desire to raise him, love him, and provide for him. I thought I would make a list of what I have learned since starting this process.


1. Trusting God is the only thing that will get you through this process.
2. GOD WILL PROVIDE!!!!! We have seen this in more ways than just raising $11,000 at our fundraiser. This has been one of the best years financially for our family since I decided to stay home. Coinsidence?..... No God's plan. THANK YOU GOD!!!
3. There is a great number of families that have, or are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia in Grand Rapids, MI. What an amazing support system we will have.
4. I was so worried about how our girls would react, and they talk constantly about their baby brother from Ethiopia.
5. People love to tell you all of the adoption horror stories. I have learned to add them to my "could happen" list, and then remind myself that God is in control. He will give us what we need when we need it.
6. PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still have fears, and doubts about this process even though I know we are exactly where God wants us. I have fears of attachment, travel, future, and more. I always need encouragment to keeping praying and give my fears and doubts to God.
7. People feel passionate about adoption. Many who have desired to adopt but did not feel that calling have given us great financial support and prayers.
8. Patience and perseverance!!!

There is my list. If you are adopting and would like to add more to the list of what you have learned I would love to hear it.

Sorry is I spelled anything incorrectly, the spell check would not work.

Not so exciting update

I know it has been way too long since I have posted. Honestly there is not really anything new to update you on. The past month has been crazy with camping, VBS, Jason finishing up soccer, and adjusting to new summer routine. The most common questions lately? What do you do next with the adoption? Our next step is to do the dossier. The dossier is a collection of papers containing detailed information about a person. This is not as involved as the home study, yet still lots of running around to get things signed and notarized. I am beginning to get excited to get on the waiting list. Once we are on the waiting list we will be waiting to be referred a child. We will be waiting for a boy 12 months or younger. The waiting process from what I am told is the longest and hardest part of pre-adoption process. Please pray our last bit of paperwork comes together quickly and we can be put on the wait list by August. I will try to post pictures of camping soon.

Approved!!!

Our social worker called me tonight to let me know that our Home Study was approved. This is music to my ears. Now we just have to wait for copies to be made, and then Jason and I can start applying for a few grants. Every step closer is so exciting. Thanks for praying.

Home Study Review

Our Home Study is in for review! Please pray it gets approved, because if it does not we may have to wait to send it in at the end of July. The person who reviews all of the Home Study packets is getting married and will be out of comission for most of June. I am so thankful for our social workers who have done a rush to get all of this in on time. Our goal is to get the rest of the paperwork finished and be on the wait list in August. From what I am told this is the hard part. The paperwork is still in our control, when we are put on the wait list, we just have to sit back and let it all take place. The only thing that will keep me from thinking about it too often will be that it is all in God's timing. He knows when it is best for us to receive a referral. He knows the child that has been chosen for us. I am so thankful to follow a God that is always in control, especially when we have none.

Quick Update

I think I just finished the last bit of paperwork for our home study. The past few weeks have been spent taking 6 online courses that took about 2 hours each. We also finished our 173 page education workbook. As much as we hated writing out the answers to about 50-75 essay questions we felt we learned so much. I am looking forward to getting our home study approved and sent in. It will be one more thing to cross off the list. We just sent all of our checks from our fundraiser, and it feels amazing to know that we have a large chunk sitting there to cover upcoming costs. This gives us the chance to save up more for later. We continue to meet great people who have or are adopting. It is great to know that there is a large support system right here in Grand Rapids.

On another note:
My other three munchkins decided they wanted to jump into a 65 degree pool today. Maia obviously did not jump in but would have if I let her. It is going to be a busy summer by the pool with a 1 year old. They still talk often of their baby brother from Ethiopia. I heard Gabbie tell a friend of hers that she might marry her brother. She said she wasn't sure but that it might be who she marries. Alexa prayed for her baby brother tonight. I think of him often. What will he look like? Will he be healthy? Will he be a young infant or coming up into his toddler years? No matter the answers to these questions I know God will be faithful.

Thanks for checking in on us and supporting us.

Ethiopian Cuisine

I decided I wanted to try some Ethiopian cuisine. Jason is a picky eater and was definitely not jumping at the adventure, but decided to go to make me happy. We have a few Ethiopian restaurants in Grand Rapids. This was news to me. I guess we feel we are being adventurous to try a new item on the menu at Logans. We did take the girls, which was not a good idea. They did not enjoy the food, much like their daddy. I myself enjoyed the experience, but was not a huge fan of using bread with every bite. Here are a few pictures of the food (sorry I took it after we ate). Jason and the girls liked the juice and the environment. The owner was from Ethiopia and was very interested in our adoption process. I would go back there just to speak with him.

Blessed and humbled

Our fundraiser is over!!! What a weight lifted off our shoulders. I left church tonight feeling humbled and so blessed. We had so many family and friends come out to support us. I am pretty sure the number was around 200 people. The food was great, the carnival was crazy, and God was present. It was just another confirmation that we are exactly where God wants us. It brought me back to the thoughts and doubts I had when we were first deciding to adopt. This is what I wrote in an older post,

"Although I had a naughty child last night, much of my night was spent stressing over our decision for adoption. All night long the devil was working on my thought process. My thoughts ranged from "Why do I would I want to risk my "happy life"?, What if this affects my three beautiful girls negatively?, What if we adopt this child and God takes him/her home early?, What do I do with a boy? What if it is hard and Jason regrets adopting?, What do I do if I struggle to bond with this child?, Will this child be accepted into an all white community?, Will we not be approved because of our finances?, Why us?, Will he/she ever feel apart of our family? and so on and so on. Now you can see why I was not sleeping well last night. During all of this anxiety I prayed and asked God to reveal his plan for us. What is HIS will for us in this adoption process."

I know God's will. He pretty much took my doubts and threw them out the window. Tonight, because of the generosity and love of family and friends we raised almost $10,000. OH MY WORD!!!!!!!! I did say $10,000. This is almost 1/2 of the amount of money it takes to adopt internationally. I never in my wildest dreams imagined this. I came home and spent time thanking God and just meditating on the fact that HE IS FAITHFUL!! God asked us to trust, follow, and obey. We did this, and look how He has answered. Thank you to all who have offered your help with money, prayers, and encouragement. The only way I can think of thanking you is to pass this blessing on to our son, and someday to another family who may be adopting. Our road is still long, but to know that we have amazing family and friends by our side is such a blessing. Our "little man" has no idea how much he is loved.

Added to the list of silent auction items...

Some items on the list will need to have a minimum bid in order to be purchased.

1. Weekend at Bear Lake- value $150
2. Trailer Rental- 30' trailer with 3 bunks, queen bed, couch, table, and much more- value $150-$300 depending on how long
3. Dainty Daisy items- value $30 www.thedaintydaisyblog.blogspot.com
4. This n That baby items- value $30 become a fan on facebook to see items
5. Photography packages
6. Dessert a month (Jan Boersma) I promise these will be delicious!!!!!
7. Grill set
8. Beautiful bookshelf value $100 www.osterink.com
9. $250.00 worth of services from Jack's Lawn Service and Snowplowing ( Could be for lawn cutting, fertilizer/weed control program, snowplowing or any other service they offer)
10.Hair cut and color from Experience Salon (Amber VanderVennen's salon) $70-$80 value
11. $50 gift card to AJ Pinder Salon
12. Deck powerwashing and staining or painting by Jason Boersma and Jeff Krosschell- value- $250-$500 depending on size of deck
13. 1/2 hour massage session, retail value $30.00 Natural Massage by Rhonda Doll
14. Gull Lake Cottage Rental- Sleeps 7-8 More info at fundraiser- value $150-$300
15. Boat ride around Gull Lake with appetizers and wine (approx. 2 hrs)
16. Fishing on Gull Lake (more details to follow)
17. 2 hour decorating consultation (by ME) see www.designbyjillboersma.blogspot.com

COME ONE COME ALL!!!!!!

We have only one week before our crazy fundraiser day. My list of silent auction items keeps growing (see last post for list). The best thing is I did not have to work hard for any of the items. Church members, friends, and relatives have been more than generous; now I just pray we have enough people come to buy all these great items. I just booked a "bird" lady (I know it sounds weird). She travels to churches, schools and birthday parties and does bird shows. She said she we can pay her whatever we fell is necessary. She truly has a heart for giving. Her birds are great and she has them do really cool tricks. I also received from my cousin's rental company (sorry Kris I do not know the name) a big castle jumper, slushie machine, and popcorn maker. All of these and so many more games. I think the kids will have a great time. Even if you do not bring kids I know you will have fun socializing, eating great food, and bidding on great items.

If you want to come please remember to RSVP to jboers50@comcast.net. You are welcome to bring friends, relatives, grandkids, etc. We just need to know how many of you there will be.

Also don't forget to drop off any items for our garage sale on May 5 or 6. We will take any items besides mens and womens clothing. Those kind of items just do not sell. If you need to schedule a time please call me at 550-1173 or email me at jboers50@comcast.net

Our Silent Auction List so far.....

Some items on the list will need to have a minimum bid in order to be purchased.

1. Weekend at Bear Lake- value $150
2. Trailer Rental- 30' trailer with 3 bunks, queen bed, couch, table, and much more- value $150-$300 depending on how long
3. Dainty Daisy items- value $30 www.thedaintydaisyblog.blogspot.com
4. This n That baby items- value $30 become a fan on facebook to see items
5. Photography packages
6. Dessert a month
7. Grill set
8. Beautiful bookshelf value $100 www.osterink.com
9. $250.00 worth of services from Jack's Lawn Service and Snowplowing ( Could be for lawn cutting, fertilizer/weed control program, snowplowing or any other service they offer)
10.Hair cut and color from Experience Salon (Amber VanderVennen's salon) $70-$80 value
11. $50 gift card to AJ Pinder Salon
12. Deck powerwashing and staining or painting by Jason Boersma and Jeff Krosschell- value- $250-$500 depending on size of deck
13. 1/2 hour massage session, retail value $30.00 Natural Massage by Rhonda Doll
14. Gull Lake Cottage Rental- Sleeps 7-8 More info at fundraiser- value $150-$300

I am so amazed at the generosity of people. Everyone who has offered items, time, and help for our fundraiser has blown me away. I will admit I was hesitant to do a fundraiser, but a wise person from our church encouraged me that we need to give people the opportunity to give. I really never thought of it this way. I was so worried about asking people for money, or help; I needed to swallow my pride and admit to myself that there are many people who feel very strongly about adoption. We get many people who say they would love to adopt but are not able to, so they will support us instead. I will post all of the items up for auction so stay tuned.

We had our first meeting with our social worker on Tuesday evening. It went great! She is very easy going which definitely fits our personality. Gabbie and Alexa could not wait to answer any questions she had for them. Gabbie asked a few and answered her questions very well. Alexa on the other hand spent time telling her that she can ride a big girl bike, and jump from the couch to the coffee table. She really does not fully understand this process. It was precious to hear the girl's version of what is going to happen. We also realized that we are making progress on our paperwork. My mom offered to come up on Friday for the day so that I could go get birth certificates, social security cards, and finish a few odds and ends for our paperchase. Hopefully this will make another good dent in that huge binder.

Fundraisers

FUNDRAISER #1:

WHAT: HOMEMADE LASAGNA DINNER
KID'S CARNIVAL
SILENT AUCTION

WHERE: PROVIDENCE CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH

WHEN: FRIDAY, MAY 7 @ 6:00-7:30

RSVP- jboers50@comcast.net with the number of people in your family

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
We are looking for items for our silent auction. If you know someone who would be willing to donate a service or product please email us @ jboers50@comcast.net


FUNDRAISER #2

WHAT: ADOPTION GARAGE SALE


WHERE: OUR HOUSE
1116 Windsong Ct
Grand Rapids, MI 49508

WHEN: FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, MAY 7 AND 8. I know we are crazy to do these on the same day, but our neighborhood sales are this weekend and we wanted to get as much traffic as possible.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
If you have any items you want to purge or bring to Goodwill, bring them to our house instead. You can drop them off May 5 and 6. Thanks!!!!

Lately I have received very mixed messages from others about our adoption. I have had responses that range from, "It is so amazing you are adopting, I have always wanted to do the same.", to " I hope you know what you are doing and are not adopting some 5 year old kid who is rebellious and unable to attach." I am obviously struggling with the negative responses. I usually smile and give them a bit of background of our process. I have no other response than to tell them that I am only following God's leading and taking a leap of faith. As I said in my very first post, God did not call us to lead a life of comfort and ease. He has called us to sacrifice for Him, and be His servants. This process is not easy. I have asked God for His leading and strength everyday. It makes it especially hard when other people talk so negative. I am aware that there are definite struggles and hardships that will present themselves as we raise our children. We have no guarantees that even our biological children will not fall from God. The only hope that I have is that God is in control; although I need to be reminded of this EVERYDAY!!! This life is not mine. Every child deserves to be loved and raised by a family who loves them. Every child presents hardships and struggles. Every child is loved by God. Do I fear that our child will not attach or have medical problems that overwhelm me? ABSOLUTELY. Do I believe that God is faithful and will carry us through? ABSOLUTELY!!! I am thankful for this process and look forward to God stretching me and teaching me to trust Him.

Arizona

Here are a few pictures from Arizona
These are at Jason's sister's house. The girls spent most of the time in the pool and hot tub.






We also went to California and visited our good friends Dan and Sarah, Holly (who was visiting from Grand Rapids), and Jason's aunt Val. We went to the zoo and spent time hanging out.

Adoption "to do list"

We enjoyed a great week in Arizona with Jason's sister. The girls spent most of the time swimming in the pool and playing at the park down the road. Now we are back to reality and our adoption "to do" list. We are having a fundraiser on May 7 at our church (Providence CRC). It will be a lasagna dinner, kid's carnival and silent auction. I will post more details soon. We have so much to do for that. I contacted our social worker who will be meeting with us soon for home visits and interviews. Jason and I need to start our education part of the adoption process. This entails sitting down, reading through a great deal of information and discussing our answers together. Quiet time with 3 little ones is few and far between. I guess we should have done this in Arizona. My "to do" list goes on and on at this point. Please pray we do not procrastinate.

Spring Break 2010

We are enjoying spending time with Jason's sister and her husband in Pheonix, Arizona. We left Maia with grandparents and took Gabbie and Alexa with us. They spent most of the day swimming in the pool and hot tub. Even though it was only 69 degrees it felt like 80. I loved sitting and not worrying about the laundry that wasn't folded, the sticky mess on the kitchen floor, and the saggy diaper that needs to be changed. It felt like pure relaxation. We will be headed to Redlands, CA to see our GREAT friends Sara and Dan Schenkel and their two beautiful daughters. It will be a full house, and I am looking forward to every minute of it. Talk to you all later. I probably will not be updating until spring break is done.

Great Adoption News!!!!

Recently we had heard that the government was going to remove the tax credit for adoptive families. This would not be a good thing for families who were thinking about adopting and for families who like us are already in the process and planning on that financial help at the end. Here is the latest and greatest news. Again this is taken word for word from another blog. They seem to understand it better than I do, and are able to word it better.

"There is good news for newly adoptive families from the health care bill that was signed into law on the 23rd. The adoption tax credit has been extended until the end of 2011 and increased from $12,170 to $13,170 for adoptions occurring after January 1, 2010 (it's retroactive). Even better, the credit is now refundable.


REFUNDABLE MEANS THAT YOU ACTUALLY GET PAID BACK BY THE GOVERNMENT FOR THE FIRST $13,170 OF YOUR ADOPTION!!!!

USA Today's brief analysis:

"Taxpayers who adopt children: Effective in 2010, the bill makes the adoption credit refundable, increases the credit by $1,000 and extends the increased adoption credit through 2011."http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/2010-03-23-health-care-taxpayers_N.htm"


We praise God for this good news!!! He continues to take care of us and carry us through this process. When we first began this process I had no idea where the money would come from, but God is sooo good. Why am I surprised by this?

My heart was left in Africa

It was almost 3 1/2 years ago when I boarded a plane to Uganda, Africa with the group I sing in "Alive". I never knew how much that trip would change my life. We went there to work with a Pastor of a church that was striving to bring the word of Christ to the University students in Kampala (the capital of Uganda). We flew in late at night without the majority of our luggage, including our microphones. In my mind I wondered what God was thinking letting this happen when we were going there to use our gift of singing to bring His word to the students. We quickly learned He was trying to teach us to trust Him. I could go on and on about our trip and all of the amazing things God did during it, but I would be writing for hours. The people we met and the churches and groups we sang for were such a blessing. It was so hard to leave even though I missed Gabbie and Jason soooooooooo much. When I came home I felt as if part of me still wanted to be in Africa. This is so interesting when I think of where we are today. Never in my wildest dreams did I think God would call me to once again return to Africa and bring part of it home with me. Maybe God was preparing me 3 years ago for this journey that we are on now. Just as God reminded us to TRUST Him 3 years ago in Africa, He is constantly telling me TRUST ME through this process. I am so thankful for His faithfulness and goodness. I am sooooo excited to visit Africa again, but this time I will leave with one of the most beautiful things Africa has to offer.

KAMPALA PICTURES:

We are finally getting back to normal. Maia still is doing her breathing treatments every 4-5 hours, which means I get to have plenty of cuddle time with her. She sits perfectly as long as I have a movie on for her. As I sat and stared at her cute chubby cheeks, and long eyelashes, I realized that our little guy may not get to have cuddle time when he is a baby. Most of the time I am available to my kids when they need to be soothed from a boo boo, hugged for hurt feelings, or just kissed because I can't help it. Children who are born into an orphanage do not have these luxuries at their disposal. It does not mean their caregivers do not desire to give them hugs and kisses, it just means they only have so much time, and so many arms for so many children. I guess I am looking forward to giving him as much cuddle time as he will need. Like any woman who is pregnant and looking forward to meeting her baby, I too am looking forward to meeting our little man. I have the excitement of wondering what he will look like, but the anxiety of hoping he will love us and bond to us. I know all of these details are in God's hands, but sometimes I just can't help but wonder and even worry sometimes.

germs, germs, and more germs

The Boersma house has been full of yucky germs. Maia has RSV and has had 2 very sleepless nights. We are giving her breathing treatments 3-4 times per day. Jason had night duty last night, and was up for more than half the night. I have been blessed with the "crud". In other words, stuffy nose, coughing attacks, muscle ache, and you know the rest. Alexa's nose runs like a faucet and Gabbie seems to somehow have slipped by and remains healthy. In the midst of all of this our paperwork has had to take a backseat for a couple of days. Our social worker will hopefully be contacting us soon to schedule our first home visit. We will have several meetings with her. When all the paperwork is in and the rest of the visits are finished she writes about a 10 page report about us. I can't imagine writing 10 pages about a family I only know from a few visits. It should be very interesting. That's all for now I have a coughing, crying infant who needs to be taking a nap. Thanks for checking in on us.

The News is In

We were unable to listen in to the conference call on both days. It was driving me crazy to not know what this "big" change was. I decided to look on someone elses blog and this is what I found. I am taking these words directly from another person's blog.

"We now must travel to Ethiopia twice. Yes. Two trips. There have been families that traveled to Ethiopia to pick up their child and then basically revoked their contract and wound up not adopting the kiddo. Can you believe that?! I don't see how anyone could do that... Anyway, this new policy is to help that to not happen.

How it worked before: You get a referral. You have a Power of Attorney who signs your adoption contract for you in Ethiopia when you accept your referral. Your case goes to court. After you pass court, travel arrangements are made and you go to Ethiopia and finally meet your child and bring him home.

How it will work now (or so we think so far): You get a referral. 2-3 weeks later you travel to Ethiopia and meet your child. You sign your adoption contract in person while in Ethiopia. You come home for about 8-12 weeks. During this time your case goes to court. After you pass court you travel just as you did before. "

This definitely adds to the amount of time from referral to homecoming. This also adds to the cost of adoption. Jason and I have begun to think about the best way to handle this. We are trusting God, and wil continue to keep this in His hands. There is nothing we can do to change this, so why worry. My only fear that I need to give to God is "How will I meet our peanut, and leave him in Africa?"

Conference Call today

We received an email on Monday inviting us to participate in a conference call for all Ethiopian families. There have been an few changes in the process due to some poor media on Ethiopian Adoptions. Please pray this does not affect our process too much. I am not allowed to give too much information. The email sent to us said that some of this should remain confidential until further notice.

I am headed to the doctors today to get required medical check ups for Alexa and Maia. It's amazing how every document has to be notarized. I am so thankful to our friend Crys who is willing to meet me at the doctor's office today to notarize our medical documents. Still paperchasing.......

My Little Artists

When the winter days get long I am constantly trying to find things for the girls to do. This week I outlined a body, and told them to make themselves. We filled the table with all sorts of craft items they could use, and they went to town. Thankfully they spent almost an hour creating themselves. I had to show off their cute artwork.

They are here!!!

THEY HAVE ARRIVED!!




We received our Home Study Binder, and Adoption Planner. What does this mean? This means lots of paperwork and interviews. I started looking through it last night, and did not even know where to begin. This next step with be exciting yet exhausting.

PRAY

A few nights ago I was wide awake in bed from 2:00-4:00. At this time of night when there is nothing else to distract you from your own thoughts, my mind begins to go crazy. I think of so much. My thoughts last night ranged from, "Do I have snack for coffee break tomorrow?, Why am I not tired? Why does Alexa keep yelling my name?, I cannot believe Maia has not made a peep since 7:00. What else should we be doing for our adoption?, Will everything in Ethiopia remain stable so our adoption can continue?, Maybe I should read a book. Why does Alexa keep yelling my name?" After these thoughts raced in my mind for an hour or so, Maia decided to wake up. Instead of dealing with trying to get her back to sleep I just got up with her and sat on the couch for a bit. As my eyes wandered around they became fixed on the word PRAY that is above my kitchen cabinets. I quickly realized that God had a sense of humor. So often I end the day and realize I did not take time out to kneel before Him in prayer. My excuse is almost always that it is not easy to find quiet time to pray when I have three munchkins running around. I think God taught me a lesson last night. If I cannot find time to put Him first during the day, He will make it possible for me during the night. Needless to say I put Maia back to bed and spent some time thanking God for His great idea. I thanked Him for the quiet time He provided for me and asked that He help me put Him first during the day. Why do I insist on trying to make it in life on my own? I am not capable of handling the pressures of life without Him. Thank you Lord for reminding me that you are with me and desire for me to seek you.

I can't say anything real exciting is happening in our adoption process at this time. We are basically filling out paperwork, making copies of our government documents, and getting lots of criminal background checks. Our home study will hopefully begin at the end of March and beginning of April. The girls still constantly talk about the little brother they will get from Ethiopia. I do not think they understand how long of a process this really is. I have begun to realize that our little one could already have entered this world. When we started this process I figured he probably was not born yet. I have started to pray for him, his birth mother, and his caretakers at the orphanage. I pray for simple things. I pray he sleeps well, receives a hug and a kiss, and is spared from disease and illness. I recently put a photo collage on our wall, and realized soon we may have to add a few more frames. I hope this happens sooner rather than later. Thank you to all of you who pray for us and follow our journey. I love reading the comments some of you leave.

Alexa took a great nap this afternoon. The negative was that she had a hard time falling asleep at bedtime. We heard her singing in the monitor, so I decided to go down there and lay with her for a while. Our conversation went like this:

Alexa - " Mom, you have blue eyes."
Me - " No honey, mom has green eyes."
Alexa - " Boys are more handsomer and girls are more pretty. Gabbie and me are pretty and daddy is kind of handsome."
Me - " Yes honey, daddy is kind of handsome."
Alexa - "God made all of us different. He had to make us different. It is good we are all different."

I sat and looked at her for a bit, and then she said this..
Alexa - "Mom, crocodiles can bite you and you should not go by them. They have teeth that could really hurt you. If you ever see a crocodile you should run away."

I laughed and gave her kiss goodnight. I love how a 3 year olds mind can switch subjects so quickly. It was one of those "your so cute I want to squeeze you" moments.

I just finished filling out a personal profile packet that was 51 pages long! I had to answer questions about myself and my life that I didn't even think I knew the answer to. If you are wondering exactly what your spouse thinks of you and your relationship just fill out this personal profile. Jason and I found out things about each other that we had never known. In addition to learning a lot about myself, I also realized that I have terrible grammar. I am sure many of you who read my blog already know this about me. By the end of the profile all of my sentences were fragment sentences and often consisted of one word. We only have a few more papers to get to AGCI so that our homestudy binder can come. Our social worker gave us a few items to work on while we wait. The list is long, but not too daunting. I will keep you updated.

Surrender

The devil has been hard at work here at the Boersma home. However, do not worry, he has not distracted us from our calling and our dependence on God. Last week our toilet broke and ruined our bathroom floor in the basement. I am so thankful to my brother who came over and fixed it. He is always helping us out of our plumbing problems. Our next step will be to find cheap flooring to replace the ruined. In addition to the toilet, our van needed a new battery. Not a huge expense, but one that was not exactly welcomed. If this was not enough, yesterday Jason was on the phone with our bank because our credit card number had been stolen and used in Florida. They had successfully charged almost $800.00. I am so thankful to Lake Michigan Credit Union for closing our account when a few of the transactions were declined. The devil may feel that he has stressed us out, but through all of this I felt such a peace. I know that God is incontrol. If this would have happened at the beginning of this process, my reaction may have been one of anxiety. God is definitely working on me. I have always struggled to surrender ALL to Him. Why do I feel the need to hold onto the things that I cannot control. It an odd sort of way I am thankful for the events of the past few weeks. I cannot honestly say that I have given ALL to Him, but I have definitely made great progress.

It is amazing how many people have commented on my blog that I have never met. Other families who adopt must be similar in the fact that they all look for other families who have blogs that are going through the adoption process. I admitted in one of my earlier posts that I am a blog stalker. I love to find blogs of families adopting from Ethiopia. I have learned so much from these families. I also am amazed how many of them are Christian families. Satan seems to use the internet all too often to get his work accomplished. We forget how it also can be such a great tool for our God to overcome the work of Satan. What a testimony this process can be to following God's leading even when it is scary and unknown. Thank you to all of you who follow our blog and continue to pray for us. Your prayers are felt daily.

Finding treasures for our baby boy already!

I found this great rocking chair at a thrift store for only $10.00. I recovered the seat and added a pillow. I think when our precious boy comes home it will have to be moved into his room. For now I want to enjoy it in our family room.

It's Official

It's almost official!! We sent in our contract and more paperwork to AGCI. We also sent in a big fat check. Jason did all he could to be sure a child from Haiti wasn't an option before he parted with our first large payment. We were told the process through Haiti will probably be longer now than it was before. Our next step is to begin our homestudy. A home study or homestudy is a screening of the home and life of prospective adoptive parents prior to allowing an adoption to take place. Gabbie informs me that when the social worker asks her questions she will tell them what a great big sister she is. I am not sure Alexa will be able to brag about the same thing. She is very loving, but in a dominant sort of way. I often find her with her hand on Maia's head trying to lead her around the house. Maia is not a fan of this method of affection. I am looking forward to this part of the adoption.

Quick Update

I know I have not updated everyone on where we are in this adoption process. We are sending in our contracts tomorrow and hopefully starting our homestudy soon. I am very excited about this process. The girls still tell everyone that we are adopting a baby from Ethiopia. I wonder how long until they get tired of waiting. Gabbie seems to think that our little one will be here soon. We have had some wonder why we wouldn't consider hurrying the process along and adopting a child from Haiti. I guess my answer would be that I stil have a nine month old and am not ready to to have two of them. I honestly do not feel God leading us that way.

Jason and I will be sending in our fingerprints soon. We were told this can be a long process. Please pray this process goes quickly and all is well. I might have a few outstanding Calvin College parking tickets. Do you think those will come up? Ron, if you are reading this, please have mercy on me.

He Knows My Name

Today in our church service we sang the song "He Knows My Name". These are the lyrics:

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

This song carried a different meaning for me than it had before we started the adoption process. I love the fact that even though our child may not exist yet, he is in God's hands. Even though we may not meet him until he is a bit older, God will never leave him. God already knows his name. I love this. What a peace this brings to a mother's heart. I am so thankful to belong to a God that knows our every thought, and sees each tear that falls. I would pray the parents of our child will know our Lord. I pray they too can have the peace that their child is forever in His hands.

We have had an interesting couple days in the Boersma house. It has been very quiet. My mom took Alexa and Maia home with her for a couple days because I was totally out of commission. I went to bed on Tuesday night with some pain in my neck and upper back. During the night I woke up and nudged Jason to let him know he had to put Maia's pacifier in. I was unable to move without extreme pain shooting through those areas. Jason ended up writing lesson plans and dropping them off at school at 4:00 am. I tried to sleep sitting straight up on the couch. Needless to say neither of us slept well. In the morning I was only able move in small increments, or my muscles would spasm. To make a long story short, after two trips to the chiropractor and one more tomorrow I am told my spine is messed up and needs major help. I guess I should have done my back physical therapy when I was told. I am feeling much better today. I had never been to a chiropractor, but they might have become my best friends. This did short stop to anything getting done for the adoption this week. I think we can finally get back on track.
Please pray for those families who have traveled to Haiti to pick up their children. Praise God that the government is trying to make the process go quickly in order to get these orphans a home.

Fairytopia or Ethiopia?

Yesterday Alexa was trying to choose which movie she wanted to watch. One of those was Fairytopia. She said, "I want Fairytopia because that is where my baby brother will come from." I realized that she was getting Fairytopia and Ethiopia mixed up. I will admit Fairytopia sounds like a much more glamorous place to travel to.

There is not much to update you about with our process. We are at a stand still until we receive our paperwork for the homestudy. I am spending most of my time talking with other families about thier adoption process. I am learning so much. I also spend much of my time watching You Tube videos about Ethiopia adoptions. Of course I am usually crying at the end of them.

Please continue to pray for the mother of our child. She may or may not be pregnant at this time. Pray for health, strength, and that she will know the God that is so present and powerful in our life. God is showing himself faithful in this process everyday. I am amazed at the support and encouragement we have already received.

Joys and Sorrows

I was so excited yesterday to find out that someone I had met through this process just received her referral. They had been waiting for a year. It's basically like having a baby but not being able to see, hold, hug, and take care of that baby. You receive a picture and some information about your child. This is their first child. He is only 4 weeks old. She said this is the youngest baby they have ever had. GOD IS SO GOOD! I couldn't stop thinking about their family the rest of the day. I asked her what her next steps were, and it sounded like more paper work (ugh), and then wait until they are given a travel date. Please pray that everything goes smoothly and they are able to bring their precious boy home soon.
Amid this excitement Jason and I were reminded of the devastation in Haiti. On 20/20 last night they were saying some people who have been in the adoption process for 3 years and were about to receive their children will maybe have to wait another two. There were so many documents lost in the rubble. This means there will be thousands more orphans, and the orphans who were going to have a family will need to wait. We need to pray for the orphans of Haiti. We need to pray that lost documents are found and children can be placed in families quickly. I know God is present in that country and he can turn around the corruption and devastation even in the midst of this awful tragedy. Why not pray big. Who are we to put limits on the power of God?

Our Conference Call

We had a 1/2 hour conference call with AGCI today. It's definitely a lot of material all thrown at you at once. Jason and I were a bit overwhelmed but realize this will not be the last time we feel this way. I am so thankful for a Christian organization and for the support and encouragement they have already given us. Our next step is to start some paperwork and then into the homestudy. They told us right now it is about a 12 month wait for a boy from Ethiopia. We thought that meant from the time our paperwork was finished, but she informed us it was from the time you start the process. Obviously there are many things that could cause it to be longer, but that definitely got my heart beating quickly. I am excited for that and a bit nervous at the same time.
Today I was on an African Name website, and started reading a few names to Jason. Alexa gave us her list of names she liked for a baby brother: Julie and Sally. I guess she has been surrounded by too many girls in her life, she can't even come up with boy names.

God's Peace

There are so many people adopting from Ethiopia in Grand Rapids! When people find out we are adopting from Ethiopia they all know someone else who is doing the same thing. This gives me such peace to know that there is such a great support system right here in Grand Rapids. If you know someone who has a similar blog, I would love to get their names and blog address. You can also pass our blog on to anyone who would benefit. I thank God for a peace that is beyond understanding in this process. He continually brings to mind Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

We have been accepted

I received a call yesterday that our application was accepted and we are able to begin the full process. I am not sure what that means. I do know that Jason and I have to have a 1/2 hour conference call with AGCI next week.
The girls have been very excited about this process. A few weeks ago I heard Gabbie in the monitor praying for God to give her a baby brother. Alexa asked, "Are we going to get a brother?"
Gabbie responds, "Yes mom and dad are going to adopt a baby brother for us." Alexa then asks, " Will we adopt him from church?" Gabbie says, "No he will come from a place far away."
Alexa says, "Oh."
I wish I could have pressed record on the monitor. Who wants to be the one to invent that cool baby gadget?

We have decided

We just sent in our application. We have decided to go with AGCI. I love the fact that when we accept a referral our child will live at the Hannah's Hope Home. The philosophy of Hannah's Hope Home is that a child's development goes beyond just basic needs. Children at Hannah's Hope receive stimulus on all sensory levels along with the very best shelter, medical care, education, food, clothing, spiritual guidance, and love. The best part is that the home is run by AGCI employees.

Deciding on an agency

I thought I would give you an update on our adoption process. I will say I still feel a strong sense of God's calling; however we really need your prayers. As of now we are deciding between two agencies. Our two options are fantastic and either one would do a great job. Our choice probably will come down to price. Our options are Bethany Christian Services, and All God's Children. We have great connections with both agencies.

While this process is very exciting is also is still very scary. I am not doing a very good job at believing Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Jason will testify that I have become an extreme penny pincher in the last week. It is definitely causing friction between him and I, and above all giving Satan exactly what he wants. I remember when we first told people about this decision I said that the finances did not scare me. Well I am finding out that the finances scare me to death. My biggest fear is that if people donate money they may be looking at every cent we spend. It may seem silly, but it is a true fear of mine. Please pray for God to give me his peace. The peace that transcends all understanding.

While I know there are so many uncertainties in this process the one thing I know for sure is that God is with us and will never leave us. In one of the pamphlets for AGCI it says, " If God has called you to adoption, he has chosen a child for your family. God already knows your child by name and will guide you on your journey to find them." If that does not bring me peace I don't know what does. I am so thankful for a God who is in control. As I cried myself to sleep last night all I prayed was for God to take this anxiety from me. Please pray that I let him take this burden and that I surrender this entire process to him. Thanks for your prayers and support. Hopefully the next update will not be so heavy.

From the beginning

If you are not aware, Jason and I have decided to start the adoption process. We have felt several pokes and prods from God in the last few months. We have been praying for God's leading and voice. This Sunday God hit us over the head. It was National Adoption week, and Renee spoke in church and showed a short video. I was crying and feeling chills throughout the video. Jason and I both came home and knew that was God's clear answer that we need to at least explore this option. I am sending you all this email to explain my recent journey and to please be prayer warriors for us in this matter. I apologize ahead of time for my poor grammar and punctuation. I am writing this quickly because I only have short time before children wake up.

Although I had a naughty child last night, much of my night was spent stressing over our decision for adoption. All night long the devil was working on my thought process. My thoughts ranged from "Why do I would I want to risk my "happy life"?, What if this affects my three beautiful girls negatively?, What if we adopt this child and God takes him/her home early?, What do I do with a boy? What if it is hard and Jason regrets adopting?, What do I do if I struggle to bond with this child?, Will this child be accepted into an all white community?, Will we not be approved because of our finances?, Why us?, Will he/she ever feel apart of our family? and so on and so on. Now you can see why I was not sleeping well last night. During all of this anxiety I prayed and asked God to reveal his plan for us. What is HIS will for us in this adoption process. Why wouldn't God want us to adopt? We would be bringing another child to know Christ. At coffee break this morning Delores started off the devotions by reading Phillippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." THANK YOU LORD!!!!!! Why am I always amazed at how He works in my life. The devil thought he could win, but God always prevails. I know God will lead us down the path he wants. I know this journey means there will be hard times and good times. I know I was put on earth to serve God, not to live this easy comfortable life. After all Jesus came to earth and lived a life of pure sacrifice. Why should I do different? I know God will see us through this. I am willing and ready to surrender this to God and his will. He has to be in the drivers seat, because only he knows the direction we are going. we are just along for the ride. This may all sound like a jumbled mess, but I am so thankful for a God who never leaves us and always answers our prayers. Please keep praying for us as we determine what God's will is in this process. I admit I am still scared, but I know that God calls us to do things that are difficult in His name. I am so excited to see what God has in store for our lives. I know if we follow His guidance he will bless us.
I love all of you and covet your prayers and encouragement,