Fundraisers and Thank You's

I know it has been awhile since I last posted something on our blog.  I want to first thank Missy Roepnack for the beautifully written piece to our blog.  What a blessing to have someone who can write so eloquently and heartfelt on the issue of adoption to advocate for these two beautiful children.  I am glad she is our neighbor in the community sense, but also in the biblical sense.

We have had some wonderful help over the last couple of months with our fundraisers.  Our first fundraiser took place on August 18th with a yard sale.  We were blessed with donations from our Sunday School class and from neighbors.  We ended up making about $168, although we have earned an additional $330 from selling the nicer items on Craigslist.  

On Sunday, August19th, we had our first restaurant fundraiser at Moe's in Cary.  Paul Corbett was a very nice man who fully supported our adoption fundraiser and made up a nice flyer for us to pass along.  We are grateful for our friends who came out and supported this event.  We made about $94 from the percentage of sales.  That's a nice chunk of burritos sold!

August 25th was our big fundraising event with the silent auction from 9 - 2 pm at the Swift Creek Community Center.  We have to especially thank Danny and Sandy Barnes for bidding on many of our items, buying raffle tickets, etc... and for the help Sandy provided during the day.  Ruth Lineberger was also a great help and support of the auction.   Other members of our small group at Sunday School donated items for the auction - Sonny Wilson with the donation of 4 hours of IT support and Joshua and Angela Haddon with the donation of $500 worth of Budget Blinds gift certificates.  Even though we didn't have alot of traffic to the auction, we were able to bring in about $920.  God blessed us with great friends who supported us in an auction that exceeded our expectations. 

After a long day at the auction, we attempted a car wash at the McDonalds, but due to the overcast skies and later starting time, we didn't wash any cars, but did have a kind lady give us $10. The following Saturday, we held a 2nd car wash.  The skies were better and it was extremely warm day.  We did much better, raising $168.  It was uplifting when some came by and just gave us money without the need to wash their car, or donate $10, $12, or even $20.  Chantima Kurepong was a great help by showing up and helping us to wash cars for about an hour to hour and a half.  Otherwise, I thought we did quite well with Diana holding the sign on Walnut Street, while my daughter and I washed the cars.  We finished up at 2 pm, completely worn out from the heat and exhaustion.

On Labor Day thru Wednesday, Sweet Frogs was kind enough to hold a 3 day fundraiser, giving us 10% of all sales generated from mentioning our fundraiser.  $240 was generated from this event, but the owners were gracious enough to round up the amount to $40.  The total sales don't sound like much, but considering the average sale of frozen yogurt is probably $3-$4, it was a good number of people who came to support the event.

Our most recent event was the volleyball fundraiser at N. Cary Park on 9/15.  We had about 18-20 people show up for this.  Although I had hoped for a much larger event (sponsorships, raffle items, etc...), we ended up making about $660 from this, which again, turned out much better than expected.  We know that the prayers for our event and God blessing us abundantly that we made as much as we did.  Chantima again was a great help in encouraging friends and teammates on her volleyball team to come out and form a team to play a little sand volleyball and donate to our cause.  We couldn't have done it without so many people willing to donate $25 (or more)  to come out and play a little volleyball.

Our Adoption Story

Guest post for the Medlin Family from Missy at The Oasis.  

Let's talk about adoption blogs (and those who stalk them).  

There are SOOO many good ones out there...blogs that share the family's journey from application day to "Gotcha Day" in a way that keeps readers absolutely enthralled.  Readers check in every day for a new picture, an update, a gut-wrenching testimony...or a miracle.  And let's be honest.  The stories move us to tears.

But not all of us who are called to adopt have fancy blogs or stories that will make you weep into your keyboard.  At least not at first glance.

But then again, when a Christian family steps up to adopt a child BECAUSE they were adopted by Christ, it should make us all weep regardless of the details.  

It should make us weep with sadness that two children such as these fall asleep every night without a parent to tuck them in.  

That behind the face paint and the balloons, I see the familiar look in their eyes of two children, like mine, who carry the pain of being abandoned in their lives.  

It is a look my children no longer carry.

It is a look very similar to the one that we, as Christians, can recognize in the lost.  

It's the look of the Fatherless.

It should make us weep with grief to hear that this little girl recently wrote home from the orphanage to her new parents and said, 

"I hope you are happy, while we (her and her brother) are not."

It should make us weep with JOY that these two children from Ukraine are coming HOME to parents who love them so much already, that they have practically physically exhausted themselves trying to raise the funds needed to do so.  

...Parents whom I have watched wash cars, sell frozen yogurt, host volleyball tournaments, and humbly rally neighbors and the church to get behind them.  

...Parents who do not have a well-stalked adoption blog.  

...Parents who still have a beautiful story to tell.  

Diana Medlin grew up in the Ukraine with 8 brothers and sisters.  Stuart and Diana have dreamed of a large family, and have a heart to minister to orphans.  They have been involved with orphan hosting programs, and in one moment at a picnic, Stuart and Diana collided with their very own children, who were being hosted by another family here in the states, without even knowing it.  

They watched Snizhana eat Cheetos off another child's plate. Then they went home and went back to their daily lives, and Snizhana and Illya flew back to a Ukrainian orphanage.  

Stuart and Diana had talked about adoption, but after both parents felt called to adopt a different gender, they shelved the idea until they could agree.  

They were never going to agree.  They were both being called correctly.  And they had already met their children.

About 6 months later, Stuart saw Snizhana and Illya pop up on a Facebook post from the original hosting family who was looking for a family to adopt them.  

In Stuart's own words, "I believe this was God’s providence in action.  We have not known Elisa that long as she was the first person we met when we started playing volleyball at Hope Community Church on Sunday nights.  When I saw that a brother and sister was available for adoption, my wife and I felt this was the right situation and where God was directing us to adopt.  With my wife being from Ukraine, we felt we could provide them a good home and an easier transition to this country."

I have to agree with Stuart.  This was God's providence in action. 

Let's trace it backwards.  Let's go back to the Facebook post, back to the picnic, back to the volleyball league, back to meeting Elisa... and back even futher, to the day that a baby named Diana was born into a large family in the Ukraine and then grew up to be placed in a position to be a bridge for these orphaned children to come Home.  

Let's take a moment to recognize that the God we worship is The Master Craftsman, and that even when we do not have the eyes to see it, He is always building a masterpiece.  

And that every story that involves an act so highly symbolic of our own Salvation is beautiful.

I am guesting here today to ask my readers to come behind the Medlins, who happens to live around the corner from me and attend the same church.  Our church's adoptive community is growing, and it includes families who foster children, adopt domestically, adopt special needs children internationally, adopt HIV+ children, adopt more than once, encourage orphan hosting programs, child sponsorship programs, and more.  

All of these efforts need the support of the Body of believers, as we strive to bring glory to His name and demonstrate our own "adoption to sonship" within a tangible testimony. 

I am asking you to help how you may feel called.  I am not going to ask you each to give any specific amount, I am going to ask you each to give as God moves your heart to do.  The ChipIn button on the top right-hand corner of this blog makes donating through Paypal easy, or by using the Redline button to make a tax-deductible donation and designating "Illya/Snizhana" in step 2.  

I am asking you to reach out to this family and show your support when they come home in October.  I can tell you from a not-so-distant memory of my own adoption homecoming that physical, emotional, and spiritual support is needed.  

I can tell you that transitions are hard, and that a warm meal set on the doorstep sometimes allowed my family to eat while this Mom was hard at work trying to slay the dragon that is known as "Attachment".  

I encourage anyone who wishes to support the Medlin family, or any adoptive family, to read this pamphlet from Focus on the Family (free to download), and pray about how you might feel led to step up and support our newest little neighbors and congregants. 

And lastly, I ask you all to pray; because the God we serve is bigger than any obstacle that stands between these children and home.  

Praise Him for His providence.

Blessings,

Missy

www.roepnack.blogspot.com