when i grew up kent & i grew up our parents taught us to work for "things"...we weren't given "things" as kids are today...this fundraising reminds me of when i was a kid saving money for a stereo for my car, a new outfit or 8 track tapes for my car (now that shows my age)... it has been neat coming up with ideas to make items by hand to sell...it has been amazing watching natalie come up with creative ideas...kent & i have stuck to the same rules are parents taught us work for "things" you want they'll mean so much more to you...natalie sent our letters to family members and a few family friends asking for donations for her fundraising for her airline ticket to china...we've had mixed views on her sending out the letter good and bad...
some commented they felt the letter was natalie begging for money
some have commented she shouldn't have to raise her own money for her airline ticket
some have commented that it is a great idea that she's fundraising for her ticket
some have commented my kids expect everything...garrett & natalie expect "things" just like other teenagers do they do get some "things" without working for them...we're not perfect matter of fact far from perfect...we're doing the best we can as parents...we make mistakes like all parents do... we are just hoping to raise garrett & natalie to value hard work and to not feel as if they are entitled to "things."
yearly we receive between 4-6 fundraising/donation letters:
people going on mission trips
families adopting a child
medical reasons for fundraisers
when natalie asked us if she could send out a fundraising donation letter back in january kent & i at first said no...several weeks later she asked again if she could send out a letter but this time she came with a list of other ideas she had to raise money for her airline ticket...when we saw she's put forth effort to come up with other ideas we told her she could send out letters...if she only raises $500.00 and she's done all she knows how to do we will of course pay the rest...it's about putting forth effort.
these are the standards kent & i were taught as kids & young adults we've chosen to stick to those values with our kids...we do get comments from garrett & natalie every so often.
"mom so and so didn't have to pay for his/her own cell phone"
"dad why do i have to pay for my own car insurance when so and so mom and dad pay for his?" i'm proud to say that garrett & natalie have pride in their "things"
it will be so wonderful when we get to china and emma lael is handed to us knowing we all worked so hard to bring her home...was it a sacrifice absolutely...was it worth it 100%...would i do it all again, yes...do friends & family think we've lost our minds, yes...do friends & family think we're following our hearts, yes...do we think this will be easy, no...
this is what goes through my head daily...why should i/we live lives of comfort while 147 million orphans:
yearn to be loved...
beg to be held by someone...
wonder "why me"...
go to sleep hungry...
dream of having a family...
have never felt love...
cry themselves to sleep...
sleep in cribs with multiple children...
have never smelled puppy breath...
have never heard I LOVE YOU...
have never petted a kitten...
have never been rocked to sleep...
have never heard a bed time story...to name a few
here are a few of the fundraisers we've come up with here in the sisler household:
kent: putting on basketball camps
natalie: car wash, selling baked goods, baby sitting, pet sitting and picking up the neighbors mail & newspapers when they are out of town.
me: making t-shirts and dog biscuits, cleaning a friends house & subbing in the school nurses office.
garrett: well due to him being away at school he's not fundraising nor is he going to china with us because he'll be in college...when he works this summer he'll put some of his funds into the pot for sure!
Ecclesiastes 5:3 teaches us that we need to put effort into seeing our dreams come true. i hope you have a dream or a vision in your heart for something greater than you have now. though you will likely have to work in order to see your dream come to pass, i know that God is for you and He will help you. if you are not dreaming of anything, you are cheating yourself. we all need to think big thoughts, hope big hopes, and dream big dreams!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Emma Treat's
homemade dog biscuits
in the shape of flowers
1 dozen per bag
$5.00
all proceeds from the sale of emma treats will go towards our adoption fund.
if interested in ordering please email me at akgn1234@aol.com
Emma Wear
tanks, fitted t-shirts, regular style t-shirts & youth sizes.
$20.00 donation
all proceeds from the sale of the shirts will go towards our adoption funds.
shirts black...a cross on front and a heart on the bottom back right
sizes s,m,l,xl & xxl
material with inspirational sayings & a lady bugs (which is the symbol of chinese adoption)
when you wash your shirt the edges begin to fray giving the shirt a vintage look.
if interested in a ordering a shirt please email me at akgn1234@aol.com
when ordering fitted t-shirt please go up one size...the fitted t's run small.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
rest in God
waiting is never an easy process....we begin to dream about our child and fall in love with a person, whom we have never met...i will say that with waiting God has done some amazing work in our lives...God has taught us how to submit to His will, how to trust in His perfect plan for our life, and how to reach for His word during the hills and the valleys...always remember that others are watching you wait and you want to WAIT well by shining a light for the glory of the Father...i (copied from 147 million orphans)
isaiah 40:31 teaches us that waiting on God is expecting, looking for, and hoping in Him...it is spending time with Him in His Word and in His presence...
* we do NOT worry while we wait on God
* we do NOT get frustrated while we wait on God (this is something i need to work on yikes)
* we do NOT get upset while we wait on God
* we R E S T!!!
waiting for me is painful...why because i'm a control freak... i want things my way...during the past several months i've come to learn more about me that need changed...to learn to wait on God is the biggest lesson i will hope to learn during these next several months...i've grown closer to God during these past months than ever before...why you might ask? i've had to put my stuff in his basket i know He has the best plan for my family and myself and the little girl He's chosen for us...so as we wait a bit longer...to be honest as i look back to october when we began this process and it is now april OMG time has flown by quickly...the kids, kent & i anxiously to see what God has planned next for us...as of today we should travel to china end of october early november.
isaiah 40:31 teaches us that waiting on God is expecting, looking for, and hoping in Him...it is spending time with Him in His Word and in His presence...
* we do NOT worry while we wait on God
* we do NOT get frustrated while we wait on God (this is something i need to work on yikes)
* we do NOT get upset while we wait on God
* we R E S T!!!
waiting for me is painful...why because i'm a control freak... i want things my way...during the past several months i've come to learn more about me that need changed...to learn to wait on God is the biggest lesson i will hope to learn during these next several months...i've grown closer to God during these past months than ever before...why you might ask? i've had to put my stuff in his basket i know He has the best plan for my family and myself and the little girl He's chosen for us...so as we wait a bit longer...to be honest as i look back to october when we began this process and it is now april OMG time has flown by quickly...the kids, kent & i anxiously to see what God has planned next for us...as of today we should travel to china end of october early november.
natalie's fundraising
natalie has began her fund raising...here is what she has thus far....i have no doubt by the time we travel she will of raised $2,000.00.
1) car wash april 24, 2010.
2) she's sent out letters to friends & family asking for donations.
3) monies she earns from baby sitting, pet sitting & picking up neighbors mail & newspapers all will go toward her airline ticket to china.
4) she's going to sell t-shirts that say 147 million orphans pick me...these t-shirts are really cool...(she'll order them from two ladies who have made these t-shirts up for families fund raising for adoption).
5) she's asked permission to sell bake goods during lunch at her school and to have a jean day and pay $1.00 to wear jeans...haven't heard back from the principal on these request yet.
oh yeah, my mom is traveling with us...i can't tell you how perfect this will make the trip having her travel with us...she's the BEST grandma ever and this is something we want her to experience with us.
GOD WILL FUND WHAT HE FAVORS!
1) car wash april 24, 2010.
2) she's sent out letters to friends & family asking for donations.
3) monies she earns from baby sitting, pet sitting & picking up neighbors mail & newspapers all will go toward her airline ticket to china.
4) she's going to sell t-shirts that say 147 million orphans pick me...these t-shirts are really cool...(she'll order them from two ladies who have made these t-shirts up for families fund raising for adoption).
5) she's asked permission to sell bake goods during lunch at her school and to have a jean day and pay $1.00 to wear jeans...haven't heard back from the principal on these request yet.
oh yeah, my mom is traveling with us...i can't tell you how perfect this will make the trip having her travel with us...she's the BEST grandma ever and this is something we want her to experience with us.
GOD WILL FUND WHAT HE FAVORS!
one step closer
today i sent our i-800 documents to our agency via over night fed-ex it was so exciting going to the mail box etc office today putting the documents in that envelope knowing that we are one step closer... the agency will receive the documents i sent today they will put them with our home study and send them to texas to the USCIS (united states citizenship and immigration services)...our documents will be in texas for 30-45 days approximately...nothing is 100% with the adoption process...then we'll receive our appointment to have our immigration finger prints done here in atlanta, ga...this will include garrett because he will be 18 when we bring emma lael home...this is a good day for the sisler family...garrett just asked me this morning when he called "mom do we know who we're adopting yet?" i told him "not yet" but the agency is sending our documents to immigration tomorrow.
one step closer break down: remember this is only an estimate
1) when we get our appointment for our immigration finger prints the next step is to have all our documents notarized, certified and authenticated this takes 2-3 weeks...life line children's services does this for us...which is a huge relief because i've heard from several adoptive parents this can be stressful.
2) after we get all the documents back notarized, certified & authenticated we will send our dossier (13 documents) to china it takes approximately 2-3 weeks to get your LID (log in date) when we get our LID we can be matched with our little girl...we are estimateing this will be sometime end of may early june.
3)generally you wait 3-4 months for your LOA (letter of acceptance) basically means CCAA (china center for adoption affairs) has approved you to adopt your child.
4)then we wait to get our TA (travel documents) and then in approximatley 2 months we will travel to china.
hope this makes sense to those of you who haven't ever adopted...hey, i am still clueless with all the terminology etc. thanks for checking in on our blog site.
James 1:27 “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for the orphans and widows in their troubles and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” (copied from the web site 147 million orphans)
one step closer break down: remember this is only an estimate
1) when we get our appointment for our immigration finger prints the next step is to have all our documents notarized, certified and authenticated this takes 2-3 weeks...life line children's services does this for us...which is a huge relief because i've heard from several adoptive parents this can be stressful.
2) after we get all the documents back notarized, certified & authenticated we will send our dossier (13 documents) to china it takes approximately 2-3 weeks to get your LID (log in date) when we get our LID we can be matched with our little girl...we are estimateing this will be sometime end of may early june.
3)generally you wait 3-4 months for your LOA (letter of acceptance) basically means CCAA (china center for adoption affairs) has approved you to adopt your child.
4)then we wait to get our TA (travel documents) and then in approximatley 2 months we will travel to china.
hope this makes sense to those of you who haven't ever adopted...hey, i am still clueless with all the terminology etc. thanks for checking in on our blog site.
James 1:27 “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for the orphans and widows in their troubles and refuse to let the world corrupt us.” (copied from the web site 147 million orphans)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
homestudy/waiting to be matched
homestudy will be done 3.15.10....
CCAA has changed matching rules you can't be matched with a child until your dossier is in china and you've been given a LID (log in date)....due to this we won't be matched until may or june....travel time estimated november/december time frame.
CCAA has changed matching rules you can't be matched with a child until your dossier is in china and you've been given a LID (log in date)....due to this we won't be matched until may or june....travel time estimated november/december time frame.
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