fighting.

Is it possible that I have a few quiet minutes to myself during the day? My husband took the big kids to AWANAS tonight and all three of my littles are asleep...which is glorious for me in this moment, but, it's also 5pm. Which means tonight may not be so glorious. But, I'll take it now!

Where do I begin? So many things and thoughts to process and ramble about. We have been so blessed lately by the generosity of the people who surround us. So many dear people who have given their time, their money, their homes, their resources, their support for us. It means so much. Adoption can be a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings and situations, especially when fundraising because the mountain that is in front of us feels so big. So impossible. It IS impossible for us to move it alone- and there have been weeks where nothing moves. And doubt creeps in. But then we receive a note of encouragement in the mail. We receive a free bed for O. Someone who reads this blog (who I don't know) gets in touch with me and donates to our auction. Little fundraisers are adding up. A few more envelopes are filled and each "small" thing just continues to fan the flame and keeps us moving and believing.

(warning, real human feelings below!)
We were approved for a Both Hands project, we were last time as well but we didn't have time to do it because we traveled so soon. Adam and I are reading it late in the week and it requires more help from our people, our community. And I sigh and feel like we've already asked so much of everyone. Can't the Lord just rain it down on our doorstep without us having to beg people and plead and sell things? But then I am reminded that this is warfare. Absolutely a spiritual war that makes adoption so hard, because the is nothing more that the devil wants then for us to give up. For Olive to remain an orphan and for us to go about our daily happy comfy lives. Because the enemy knows that adoption is the Lord's heart and that he is passionate about it- so he is going to fight us for all we have to get us to stop, and if he can use money(the lack of) he will try. He will try anything.

But we aren't giving up. My fingers may be sore from making signs for our auction, my mind may be partially fried after filling out over 100 pages of grant applications all asking the same thing in different ways and writing 5 different essays. My pride may be shredded to nothing after asking and asking and asking and begging and advertising and hosting trying to raise funds. We won't give up, we know that this battle is the Lords and that he's already won it. 

The Lord doesn't lose. Olive has a family and he knows how this will all come to be!

update & current fundraisers

We have a few different things going on right now, so I thought it would be easier to keep up with if I put it all in one central place :-)

Process wise, we are waiting. Here is a little timeline of how things happen and where we are:

Apply
Homestudy (can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks depending)
DSS Homestudy Approval Letter (Typical wait time is 2 weeks)*this is what we are waiting on*
Apply to Immigration (4-12 weeks from start to finish)
Send Dossier (immediately after receiving immigration approval)
File for Court (2-4 weeks to receive a date)
Travel

While looking at this list it looks like we have a long road ahead of us, but our estimated travel date is still in February and once we get into the immigration stage things start moving!

We have applied to 4 grants, one of them replied already and are no longer receiving applications this year. So we have three currently waiting to be reviewed. We are in the process of applying with three more that are very lengthy/time consuming, but we almost have those completed. Total once we have them all in is 6. We are praying very hard over these as grants made our previous adoption possible. However, we are working hard to not put all of our hope and trust in the grants- but in the Lord! We know that all of this is his money and he designates it where he wants it to go! (With that said, if the Lord is telling you to give to someone or something,  even if you think you don't have it or it doesn't make any sense, (in general, to anything! Not meaning just to us!) - do it! He works and accomplishes things through his people.

Also, here is a list of our current fundraisers. We have a few coming up that we are really excited about! I have also updated our thermometer :)


Saturday October 24th
Noonday Trunk Show

Beautiful handmade jewelry, bags, scarves and more made by real women in different countries. A friend of ours has a Noonday ambassador coming to host a trunk show for us at her home! We get 10% of sales, and we also get entered into a drawing to win $14,000 for our adoption. This will be a fun time! If you can't make it, you can still shop online and we still benefit!

https://www.noondaycollection.com/PWS/RebeccaGeddings/eventstore12899/AMUS/product/Tidepool-Earrings,2513,397.aspx

November 3rd-6th
Adoption Auction

We are gathering items now for our adoption auction! This is an online auction, it will be held on Facebook. We have many great things to bid on thanks to many generous friends and businesses! We are praying that this fundraiser brings in $2,000. If you have anything to donate we are constantly accepting items/services!

November 7th
Fall Craft Day

A sweet friend is hosting a fall craft day in her home. We will be making wood slice chalk boards, chalk board banners and practicing different lettering, breakfast munchies will be served! Cost is $25 and it includes your craft supplies, food and donation! Space is very limited, there are currently just 3 spots open for this day. If you want in, let me know!

Ongoing
Envelope Fundraiser 

We are still trying to fill all of our envelopes! It is getting harder to fill them as the majority of smaller numbers are taken, but we are not discouraged! We know the Lord will provide. If you and your family would like to claim an envelope, you can let me know by email, comment, text, message etc. You are also able to make a tax deductible donation, ask me how! The numbers in black are numbers that still need claimed. 

Slowly but surely the Lord will finish what he has began! In the meantime, please pray with us over all of these things!

Isaiah 58:6-12

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
    lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
    and remove the chains that bind people.
 Share your food with the hungry,
    and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
    and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
    and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
    and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

Then when you call, the Lord will answer.    ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
    Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
 Feed the hungry,
    and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
    and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
 The Lord will guide you continually,
    giving you water when you are dry
    and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like an ever-flowing spring.

Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
    Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
    and a restorer of homes.

A little bit of this and that.

-When I woke up this morning it was a beautiful 57 degrees outside! I ran around like a crazy lady frantically opening every single window in the house and then made coffee, because chilly weather is best when drinking coffee with it.

-My three big girls are in New York with my parents for two weeks. To any normal parent this would probably be too long- to a mama who has lived in Uganda for triple that amount of time away from her kids, we will all be OK for two weeks. But they should prepare to be smothered when they return!

-So I have my boys. Boys are so different than girls. So entirely crazily wildly different. Did I say wild already? They played outside for hours this morning, came in covered with dirt. Not just dirty hands and knees, nope. Dirty nostrils. Dirty ears. Dirt in between toes even though they had on sneakers. Straight to the bath,  then into super hero costumes where they jump off the coffee table and land on the couch, with sound effects, because that is what super heroes do. To eating a massive amount of food (I know, wait until they are teens!) and then finally the ring leader crashes on the couch with goldfish still in his mouth and the other two call it quits but decide on their beds over the couch or floor. Tomorrow more grand adventures await!

-I started T25 Beta this week and so far it is one of my favorites- I actually enjoyed it and then ruined it all with peanut butter! Of all things- peanut butter is my hardest. I can easily eat a days worth of calories in peanut butter- and is so fattening! I gained a little over 20 pounds the last time we adopted- just during the process and its not happening again. Nope. Just no. Paperwork is just as fun with water as it is with cookies....right?!

-So much is happening with our adoption process! The Lord is providing in big ways through an obedient and generous community of friends, family and strangers. Again, when we said "YES" to adopting, we had no money saved for it. In three weeks we raised enough for our application fee ($350), our home study ($1500), DSS to review the home study ($225), immigration fee and fingerprinting ($890), and $500 put towards our first agency fee (bringing the fee from $5250 to $4750).

That is $3,465 in three weeks! Only God.

I try to keep the thermometer up to date on here- it may be a little confusing because we've had different amounts on there. At first I put the total amount of the entire adoption, then decided to take it one fee at a time. So right now because all of the other stuff is paid for and out of the way, the ONLY thing any donations are going towards is the agency fee. Whereas some of the donations went to the home study, some went to the dss fee, some to the immigration fee (whatever was due at the time)- now its all going to the big chunk we need to give our agency.

Our agency really rocks and they are not harping us or calling us like bill collectors to pay them and they do not set a date that a fee is due on, but there will come a point where they won't be able to move anything forward until we do. I am praying and believing that our first partial payment of $5,250 will be paid for by November 1st. We are already down to owing just $4,750 of that, and we JUST watched the Lord provide $3,500 in three weeks. Will you believe and pray with us that $4,750 will be provided for by the first of November?

I dislike greatly that money is such a huge part of adoption and seems to be the only thing we talk about when we talk about it lately- it is the biggest hurdle to overcome for most families walking this path. But it also gives the Lord a huge platform to show his heart and goodness. I caught myself washing dishes a few weeks ago thinking about this very thing. I thought to myself..."what would this process be like if we were not literally dependent on the Lord to do this?" Would it even be the same if we could just cut the agency a check for the full amount and move on? Just swipe a credit card and not have to worry about it or ask or wait on the Lord to provide? I think we would miss out greatly. (don't get me wrong- if you have the money and don't need to fundraise, that just means the Lord has provided in advance for you, and that is not a bad thing!).

So- for an adoption update outside of money...we are waiting. Our home study is complete, we reviewed it this week for corrections and are now waiting on the final copy. Once we have the final copy we can apply for immigration. Then we wait for a fingerprint date, then we send in our dossier once those clear, and wait for a court date! It's a hurry up and wait game. So right now we are praying that our completed home study will come in quickly.

**update!**

Social worker says next week she is sending it to DSS. So we should have it SOON! 

-We finalize the boys adoption on October 15th! Only 2.5 years later :-) 

-I'm drinking coffee regularly now to keep up with the kids, school, and paperwork, and I am so ready for FALL!

Envelopes for Olive

It has been 5 short days since we let a little group of our friends and family know that we are indeed, in the adoption process again. We have accepted the referral for a 5/6ish year old girl in Uganda, Olive! And we are happy, ecstatic, a little nervous but mostly ready and excited to watch how the Lord will pull this off, for a second time! And also- we're going to have 8 kids! Craziness. 

Five days ago we launched "Envelopes for Olive" and through a handful of wonderful people- we've raised $1,602! Enough for our home study & half of our DSS fee! The Lord never, ever ceases to amaze us. So next week is our home study, and because we have already chosen/have been accepted to our agency and committed to a referral, we already owe the big money. Our first agency payment of $5,250 is due now. Today. Yesterday. Last week when we signed the paper and sent it in saying "YES" to Olive. And because she was a "waiting child", this adoption is going to go just as quickly, if not quicker, than it did with the boys! (5 months total from home study to travel with the boys!)

A huge advantage of doing this a second time- we've seen the Lord's work. We know he's in this- we have seen him provide crazy amounts of money in crazy little time and we know he is going to do it again. Fundraising is humbling. It's not fun asking people for money. It is not fun to say "hey! the lord is calling us to adopt this child, buttttttt....we need your help because we don't have 30k". It stinks, but God uses it. Money makes people uncomfortable. People run when you mention money, and we totally get it. But, we will do what it takes because we believe that all of the money in the world is the Lord's and he will direct it to be used for his purposes. 

Before we begin, we want to say first that we don’t take this lightly. To be asking so many people to contribute and sacrifice again, we feel a great responsibility to honor you in the way we are spending our own money. We are pretty thrifty as it is but are being even more thoughtful about the dollars being spent every day. We know we are asking a lot, but we are stepping out in faith believing that God will provide. Would you consider walking alongside us in this journey?

Last week,  friends came over to help us label 200 envelopes for our first fundraiser:

Here’s How It Works!

We have a basket of 200 numbered envelopes (#1-#100 and a second set, #1-#100) that we’re praying will all be claimed.Here’s what will happen if you say “YES” to an envelope…

1. You will pick a number, any number 1-100. OR, you can ask us to choose one at random for you. 

2. The number you pick is the amount that you will fill the envelope with. So if you choose #37, you will put $37 in the envelope.

3. When you commit to an envelope, you have two options: 1) You can send the money for your envelope via paypal to our adoption fund OR 2) We will send the envelope to you(postage will be paid),  and you can fill it and send it back to us. 

4. Once you have completed your envelope donation, you will receive something sweet in the mail from us as a Thank You for coming along side us! 

 So, how do I get an envelope? 

-Easy! Just let us know you want one, and which number you want (or tell us to draw for you!). There are TWO of each number, so don't worry about picking the same as another person. We will also be keeping track and posting progress! 

You may comment publicly or email us privately (email or Facebook or text, however you want to get ahold of us!)  to claim your envelope. 

Make it fun! Pick your birthday. Your age. A special date. The age of your oldest child. How long you've been married. How long you hope to live. The most we are asking anyone to give is $100, and we know the Lord is faithful! Please don't be shy to pick the small ones! Envelope #1, #2 and #3 are JUST as important to us as #99. 

THE UNBELIEVABLE PART:
If all envelopes are filled,  it's $10,280!!!!! 200 people to give $100 and under will equal HALF of our agency fees!

We watched the Lord provide $15,000 in a day last time. $8,000 in one week, $2,000 in a fundraiser. We have peace and pray that you will consider helping us get our girl home! Here is what our chart looks like right now, the black numbers are the envelopes that are still available! This will be updated daily if new envelopes are claimed so the numbers here are current.

-claim an envelope #1-#100:
email us at emailthepotters@gmail.com
Facebook us
comment on this
or click on the paypal icon on the right hand side of the blog (it's safe!) and it goes right to our adoption fund!

change, summer and other things.

It's late, late July and I am yearning for fall. It's not far off, as summer has already lost it's feel. Read, feel, not heat. Summer's heat is still alive and well. But there is a difference in how it the days feel, the breeze blows, how the evenings end and the mornings begin.  Ever so slowly changing.

A new school year is coming up, just like that. We have a little over two weeks so these days are spent buried with coffee, my planner and stacks of books. I do so love the planning aspect of homeschooling. Crisp new books and pencils, new boxes of chalk and crayons. I have three books to order, and a list of books to put on hold at our library which we will be using often this year.  If you missed it, I blogged about my curriculum choices for this year here.

Nine days until my parents make their big move and well, I'm just planning on keeping myself really busy to distract myself from the reality of it all. It's hard, but I have to remind myself over and over again that it's not about me. And that The Lord will make this work together for good.  He will. He will fill in the gaps and fill up my heart and provide in ways that I can't even imagine right now because he is faithful and he is only good.  Last week they took my big girls and headed to house hunt for a few days in NY, it was a sweet way for my girls to feel included in the big change and for them to get excited about all of the fun they will have when they visit. We will find our new normal and it will be good.

While they went to NY, I took my little girls and headed to Florida to see my best friend for a super short trip. The drive was long but oh so relaxing. My girls slept and I listened to David Platt for hours and spent time with the Lord that I have not been able to spend in...well, ever. We shopped, dipped our feet in the gulf, ate from food trucks, indulged in more chic fil a then I thought possible, and talked and talked and talked. Just what my soul needed. Props to my husband who held down the fort at home with the boys while I stole away- he is irreplaceable.

Tomorrow is Sams Day. Yep, Sams Club, it has its own day here among my crew because what child doesn't love passing aisle by aisle being fed samples? We load up and make a day of it, shakes at Steak 'n Shake are among one of the favorites for Sams Day, and tomorrow my mom will be joining us for the last time and we are all super excited about that!

Here is to the last few weeks left of summer- praying they bring peace, rest and new beginnings! 

Weekend Mashup

My parents are moving to New York in a few weeks, so we are trying to soak up all the time we can with them before they go! This weekend we all trekked to the "big city" for the water park. We are a water park loving family, and we try to go once in the summer every year. We'd probably go more if we lived closer.

This year was a blast! The park was the perfect size for us, small enough that we felt comfortable letting our big kids go to the some of the big water slides alone, but big enough that we didn't get bored with what was there. I will say...I wish the slides were bigger, but the kids had a blast on them as they were!

They had a big play structure for little kids, which was wonderful when you have lots of little ones- but my littles mostly loved the lazy river! There was a portion of it that brings you under a waterfall and through a little rapid water and each of my little ones squeezed in delight! Except Piper- she would lay her head on me as soon as she heard the rushing waterfall sound, smart girl.

Morris and Ava both surprised me by loving the big slides! They are usually my reserved, safe kids. But one time down the big slide and we could barely keep them off. I loved hearing Morris laugh at the top of his lungs as he neared the bottom of the slide, and I'm grateful they had an uncle and papa that took them down the slides over and over, and over and over. My big girls too, took a step and went down the slides in single tubes alone! Having bigger kids is a lot of fun, and as I think about the times that we are having now I pray that we will be able to enjoy these things together with them as they are teens.

It would not be a complete trip without  our sweet Adam shutting down the entire children's area by deciding it was a great place to use the bathroom. Yes, it definitely happened, because well, Adam. Lucky for us, my husband already snatched him up and had him in the bathroom by the time it was discovered and shut down, so it saved us from a lot of embarrassment and supplied us with some great conversation topics for later!

We ate a dinner of ice cream sandwiches and cereal, we almost slept in and were of course, in Potter family fashion, late for church the next morning. My kids are already asking to go back, and I'm already daydreaming of next years trip to a different water park. Also I might add, perk to having a large family: we qualified for the group rate which was a decent savings!

We are heart broken that my parents are leaving- but we are truly thankful for these weeks we get to spend with each other and the adventure of road trips, snow and mountains that are in our future!