Ready for Ukraine!

Ready for Ukraine!

Posted by Candace

Today is the day that our sweet summer guests arrive and we are so excited! We have their beds ready with gifts for them. We have fruit ready, in case they don't like American food. We have translators ready on our phones because we know very little Ukrainian. Now if I could just pronounce their names...

Stanislav and Danylo are 8 and 6 years old. We learned yesterday that the 6 year old had just turned 6 a month or so ago and in doing so, secured his trip here. For some reason the Ukraine was turning down the visas of children younger than 6 this time around for the hosting program and so several children could not come. These boys actually have only been in the orphanage since last summer so they are relatively new to the system. They are in one of the better orphanages in the Ukraine that is actually Christian, so they do get to hear about Jesus at home. I don't know any of the background that they came from, but the facilitators of the program said that many of these children come from alcohalic and abusive situations. Whatever the situation, we are super excited to have 5 weeks to love on them and enjoy them and pray that God will send them permanent homes, we hope right here in America.

We met several couples yesterday at the training that have been called by God to be involved with orphans. Several of them had adopted more than once. One family was hosting 4 girls through this program, already having 2 children of their own. Another family had 5 children and were hosting 2 other little ones. There were also 2 couples that were grandparents that are hosting children. The sacrifice of these people was motivating! I am excited to see all of them with their host children at the airport this afternoon at 4pm.

On the long road to adoption, full of uncertainty and waiting, this time will be not only good practice for us, but also a small amount of reprieve as we get to care for orphans directly and not just look forward to the day when we welcome our girls. We have no idea what to expect, but we know that God will be with us every step of the way. He has already been working to make this an easier transition. My dad and his wife came for an unexpected visit and she has been cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry while my dad has helped get and build furniture. I would have been crazy this week if they were not here. Also, we have the privilege of hosting one of the chaperones from the program who is bringing the children here and she knows English and will be able to translate and help the boys adjust to US craziness. We will have her here with us for a week, so even though at first the idea overwhelmed me, I am gratefully seeing it now as the hand of God. We could be bringing home two very homesick, tired, and scared little boys, so to have her here will lessen the strain a bit.

So off to the airport we go at 4pm! We will have our welcome signs and our smiles on (though we were told yesterday that all our smiling makes us look like "stupid Americans" to the children...lol. Being blonde, I am used to that anyway ;)). We are ready for the challenge that the next 5 weeks will bring. We have no doubt it will be life changing! And bottom line is that we only have this one life to live and it is passing us by fast, so no matter the sacrifice or the uncertainty involved, we are determined to make it count. These are some of God's children that will not be overlooked or unloved. We have the privilege of being a part of their lives and we are embracing that. And I am praying with all my heart that God picks parents out for them while they are here :).

This hosting program from the Ukraine is done every summer and winter. There are over 200 children selected for the program, but only 29 had available homes this time, so if you are all at interested in this program, even to present it as an option for ministry at your church, please let me know and I can get you the information. The Homes of Hope website is www.hohinternational.com .

One last little note, we sent off our first phase of immigration forms to the government last week as I finally received our approved home study. Once we get US approval back, we can finally send our docs to China and I am hearing that once they get there in two weeks we will know who our girls are! Thrilled!! Please pray that the beauracracy hurries our paperwork through as sometimes this can take 2-3 months to get back (which throws our whole timeline off).

I will post pictures on Facebook later of the boys' arrival! Yay!

Summer Daze!!

Summer Daze!!

Posted by Candace

Hot, hot, hot... words that describe just about every day lately! We need some rain to wash away all this dryness! Funny, how David and I feel that way even about our lives lately. The days lately have been a little dry for us. But not without cool drops of refreshing rain here and there. We find that rain in our friends and family. So many of you supporting us through this season in our lives. So many of you thoroughly interested in what God is doing in our family. So many of you faithful to help in as many ways as you can. Some of you supporting us even in spite of your own trials, pain, and busyness. We don't take it for granted... it doesn't go unnoticed! We pray every day that Christ will bless you beyond measure for the blessing you are to us.

Summer is definitely here, and we definitely feel a bit dazed! We are waiting on our approved home study to come in the mail, so that we can send off our I-800A immigration form. I check the mailbox eagerly once again. I thought it had come one day last week, but alas, it was just my boss sending me some more checks, so I could pay his bills...lol. Thankfully we are also waiting on the boys from Ukraine to join us and help our summer to go a bit quicker...not that I really want it to, but I also do, ya know what I mean? The boys should be here on June 24th and we hope to throw them a party in July as we are pretty sure they have never had their own party! So hopefully many of you will get to meet them!


We are still searching for a church, which is a bit difficult during a time when we could use that kind of a support system. But we are also excited about what God has in store for our family in the ministry of His Kingdom. We have visited the Orchard a couple times now and really like it, but we are taking our time in prayer and trying to make sure that wherever we settle will be where we are supposed to be for a while. We feel that God has some plans in the works right now, so we are just trying not to short cut the process. Impulsive me is starting to feel like my dog probably feels when I chain her up in the front yard...lol.


I don't know that life has ever been so unknown, but neither has is ever had so much potential. We are definitely learning patience, definitely finding ourselves continually on our knees, and definitely cannot say that we are in charge right now. Trusting in our big God to lead us through this summer daze :)!

New Day, New Opportunities...

New Day, New Opportunities...

Posted by Candace

2011 seems to be flying! The boys have one more week of school left and then they are out for the summer! Crazy... Even more crazy is the fact that Jordan will be in 6th grade next year...middle school! We're going to have a middle schooler and a football player. I am taking a deep breath even as I write this. I guess I just never quite thought it would happen. Kids grow up soooo fast. It seems like just yesterday I was helping my middle school brother with his homework, and playing Monopoly with my middle school brother-in-law, so I'm not quite sure how my son is now at this stage of life.

Admist this bittersweet time, we are more ready than ever to have our little girls here. Finishing our home study last week was a great feeling. One more step closer to having our children all under the same roof once more :). We are so excited! I am beginning work this week on our I-800 immigration form and as soon as we have our home study back, we will be mailing this out. The paperwork portion of this journey is just about over...for now!

We have had a new opportunity come our way through our adoption agency. Open Door works with a program called Homes of Hope International. This program brings over orphans from the Ukraine for 5 weeks in the summer and winter to host families, some who are interested in adopting them and some who just feel called to give them hope. David and I feel like we are the latter, so this summer we will be hosting 2 brothers, ages 5 and 8. In order to do this, we will need money for their travel and also to provide items for them to take back to the orphanage when they go home. We are planning some fundraisers right now to recoup these costs that we are paying out of our adoption fund. We are going to do a yard sale on June 3rd and 4th and maybe a car wash soon. We need donations for the yard sale, so if you have anything you are interested in giving, please let me know as soon as possible. I can come pick it up or it can be dropped at my house. I will be sending an email out this week that will give more info about giving monetary gifts. We are so thankful for everyone who is already supporting us through all of this and we ask desperately for your prayers in the days, months, and weeks ahead.

Our lives are quickly changing and sometimes it is overwhelming, but both David and I and, I think, even our children realize that this is not our doing, it is God's. The mission He has given us on this earth is not about us or how comfortable we can be... it is about building His kingdom and being His hands and feet to those around us. We have been prepared to walk this road, but we still have moments when it is very scary, so please pray that we will have courage, wisdom, and endurance for everything that God is asking of us. Not only with the orphans that our lives will touch, but in every area of our lives that He is changing right now. We know that the support of our friends and family is crucial to our ability to move forward...so thank you with all our hearts!

God's Timing is Perfect!

God's Timing is Perfect!

Posted by Candace

Wow! This process is just moving right along right now. We have had 2 meetings with our social worker and we have another one Friday and then the last one on Wednesday. They are going very well and we have connected with Charlotte (our social worker) on a personal level, so it has not even been uncomfortable. Once we finish the last visit next week, she will write up her report and turn it in to Open Door. I received great news this week in that the home study doesn't get sent off to the State of GA for approval... it only has to be approved by the adoption agency! This means a little less beaucracy and less wait time!! Yay! So here is the timeline that we are hoping for right now, and asking you all to pray for, according to God's will, of course...

1. Home Study Approved by the end of May


2. Dossier document gathering and CIS application approved (immigration) by the end of June (this is sooner than average, so please pray)


3. Dossier certified by the state and US government by the end of July


4. Dossier sent to China by the 1st of August


5. Referrals of our girls (when we get the pics and make a decision on accepting them) by mid August/ Acceptance of referrals by the end of August


6. Travel to pick up the girls in December (What a Christmas present this would be!!!)

Of course, these dates are on the "hopeful" side of things, so please, please pray that God will grant us favor. Our coordinator says that right now immigration approval is taking anywhere from 4 days to 6 weeks, so we would really like to be on the 4 day side of things. The other time frame that has leeway is the certification of our docs by the US. Pray that we won't get caught in any red tape!

We are thrilled to think that we may have our girls by the end of the year, but also a little overwhelmed with the thought. Need lots of prayer in this area as well. This will be a huge change for our family...the best one ever, but the most challenging as well. We need the support of our family and friends like never before as God fulfills His purpose in us. Thank you so much for all you do to be a part of that. So thankful that we are not walking alone.

The waiting is challenging, so many things outside of our control, but somehow I am learning to like it. If I can't control it, it does no good to waste energy on it, so I have to consciously place it in God's Hands and utilize that saved energy on other things. Faith and Trust and Patience are all difficult lessons, but as we learn them, our lives become stable and healthy. If God is on our side, what have we to fear? His timing is always perfect!

Never Too Late to Get Back Up

Never Too Late to Get Back Up

Posted by Candace

Well, I talked to our social worker today and we set up an appointment for Saturday afternoon at 1pm for her to come do a walk through of our house. Do you think I will be cleaning this week? Unfortunately so... I am sure David will insist we pass the "white glove" test, even though I will do my best to try to convince him that they would like our house to look "lived in", not like the cover of Better Homes and Gardens. I mean do children really live in those magazine houses? Really? But anyway, I am very excited to start this last part of the home study process. Charlotte says we will have 4 visits with her as that is what China requires. I hope David and I can fake a happy marriage that long! hahaha...completely kidding!!! :). During this first visit, Charlotte will walk the house and make sure it meets with certain standards and guidelines. No idea what they are, so we shall see. But I am excited nonetheless.

Waiting has become the norm in life right now, and I am finding it a little bit easier. Though I want with all my heart to find our girls and bring them home as soon as possible, I also realize that God is preparing me for this while I wait. He is already changing my view of structure and my schedule and you wouldn't believe the practice He is giving us with chaos. Every time I think I get it all straight, He digs a little deeper and I find myself floundering again. Hopefully soon, I will be perfect and won't need all this work any more ;). Again, completely kidding, I am afraid He will be working on me for the rest of my living, breathing life. One minute I totally get it and the next I feel like I am in the middle of a forest with no marks on the trees. I thought it was only me, until I was reminded at a recent church service of the story of Peter.

Peter was Jesus' loud mouth, speak-before-you-think disciple. I love most stories of him in the Bible because I can completely relate. Peter followed Christ without fail for the full 3 years of His earthly ministry. He was one of the disciples who got to see the Transfiguration, most of Christ's miracles, and even walked on water with Him for a few minutes. When other disciples turned back because they couldn't handle Christ's declarations, Peter stood strong with one of my favorite verses in the Bible "Where would we go, Lord? Only You have the words of eternal life. We know that You are the Messiah." And yet after Jesus was arrested and was well on His way to being convicted, Peter denied that He even knew Jesus. Not only did he deny Him, but he actually cursed Him. You would think that this would seal his fate as much as it did Judas'. But Peter's heart was soft. His rashness and his mouth (wow, that sounds so familiar) got him into trouble many times, but his heart was for the Lord. Peter realized his sin and repented from the depths of his heart. He was a broken man... He had failed his Master and his Lord... I bet that he thought his relationship with Jesus was forever ruined. Christ, however, rose from the grave and I find it very interesting that one of his first appearances was to Peter. Peter was fishing and wasn't catching anything... Jesus appeared on the shore and told him to cast his nets to the other side of the boat. When Peter obeyed and pulled up his nets, they were full to the brim. It was then his heart probably sank. It was Jesus on shore. How on earth would he face Him after completely betraying Him? Gosh, I can't imagine the shame that must have engulfed him...to stand before the One he had called "Messiah" and then cursed as soon as life got rough. You would expect that Jesus might should give him at least a very good chewing out. But Jesus doesn't... He simply asks him 3 times how much Peter loves Him "You know that I love you, Lord." Peter replies 3 times. And then Jesus gives him something to live for... He says "Feed my sheep". Or in other words "Peter, accept my forgiveness, forget about yourself, and move forward in my plan." Jesus reinstated Peter in a way that Peter never could have reinstated himself. Jesus still trusted him with His church! He didn't take back what He said about "Upon this rock (Peter) I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." He still wanted Peter to be a crucial part of what He had done on the cross. WoW!

I love that story primarily because, I , like Peter, fail my Lord so many times... and I, like Peter, need Jesus personally to sometimes reinstate me, remind me, and motivate me to get back up and continue forward with the mission He has created me for. And He still does what He did back then... I may not be able to see Him, but I hear His voice in His Word or through another person or in my heart telling me that His grace is sufficient for me. He's a pretty amazing best friend!

Please pray for us, particularly on Saturday, that all will go well and we will mesh with our social worker. Hopefully soon, step 1 will be completely complete :).

How Long is This Going to Take?

How Long is This Going to Take?

Posted by Candace

Do you remember the movie "Madagascar"? Well, if you've seen it, you probably remember the scene where King Julian and all his followers are waiting in a tree for their new friends down below to fall asleep. After just a few minutes, King Julian yells "How long is this going to take?"

Yep, I'm a little like King Julian right now. The longer I live, the more that I am assured that I HATE waiting. It is one of the reasons I often rush headlong into things without a second thought and it is also a reason for building frustration when things seem to be taking a long time or I have to depend on others to get them done. Impatience is definitely NOT a virtue, and I often experience its rotten fruit. Right now for instance, I am waiting for one last piece of paperwork before I can mail in our home study packet and finally be moving forward again in this adoption process. This one thing seems to be taking forever, and every day that passes, I find myself getting a little more anxious and a little more doubtful about everything. Sounds exactly like God is teaching me patience, huh? I'd almost rather be learning Greek :). But for now, I will continue to let go of each passing day that seems to be pushing our dreams to far off land, and trust that Father knows best. I don't want any of this to go faster or slower then it should. Good things come to those who wait, and I am expecting that at the end of this long road there will be very good things. God, grant me the patience required for this journey...

Last week was Spring Break and David and I took the boys to Tampa, FL to visit Busch Gardens. It was a wonderful, short escape from the pressures of life and we thoroughly enjoyed each other. We spent 2 very full days at the theme park and the water park and besides being thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day, we had one of the best family vacations we have ever taken. David kept reminding the boys that they needed to enjoy it to the fullest because it would probably be a while before we would return...which brought visions of someday keeping tabs on 4 kids in the midst of crowds. Yeah, it really might be a while before we return :). We were very thankful to get this family time, though and we were made even more thankful for the time when we learned that a dear friend's mother moved to heaven last week, fairly unexpectedly. We were reminded that life is short and every moment counts. We all must remember to make the most of every opportunity and actively pursue and walk in the plan we were created for.

Which brings me to the last thing I wanted to write about today. I recently read a book called "The Butterfly Effect". The point of the book was the fact that everything you and I do, no matter who you are, matters. It gives several examples of how one man or woman changed history and changed lives, sometimes by seemingly insignificant right choices. But those small right choices compounded, sometimes several generations later, and led to big events that changed the world. Think about this... you may never be someone that influences the world... but what if tomorrow, you encouraged someone enough that they had the courage to become someone that influences the world. You may never personally rescue a child from the sex trafficking trade, but what if tomorrow you gave of what you had and a child was rescued and that child grew up to rescue more children. You may never be a teacher or a preacher, but what if you inspired your children so much that they became teachers or preachers and the people that they inspire became the same. Changing the world begins one conscious person at a time making one conscious right choice at a time. When your life on this earth is over, it is not your earthly legacy that will matter, it is your heavenly one. There, and only there, will it be revealed the incredible impact you have had on this earth... or not. No person on this earth is insignificant unless they choose to be, and no choice, good or bad, impacts only the chooser. Our lives matter and it is never too late to make a difference.

Please pray that we get this home study sent off this week and that we can quickly finish up with our social worker visits and be approved by the state of GA. Also, please pray for the Peeples and Davis families as they lost a dear saint this past week and will miss her very much. Also, if you would be so gracious as to pray for David and I as we step out on faith in another area of our lives. We feel very called to something right now, but we are not so sure at all what that looks like. We recently left our church of 3 years to pursue whatever direction God intends for us, but doors have yet to open, and we would so appreciate prayers. Again, I find myself pulling a King Julian..."How long is this going to take???'

Waiting on You, Lord

Waiting on You, Lord

Posted by Candace

I haven't posted lately because I have just been swamped with this paperwork trimester of adoption. Seems I get one thing finished, or so I think, and either I didn't have it exactly correct or it needs some thing else added to it. Last week I visited 2 police departments, 2 doctors offices, DFCS, and an employer all in one day and came home with nothing completed to show for it. This week I am busy collecting everything that I distributed last week. As I type this I am waiting on a tax return from 2009 to print out that seems to be 1000 pages long. But all in all things are coming together and I should be ready to send back a mountain of paperwork sometime next week. This is just the beginning of the home study though. We haven't even had the first visit with a social worker, so hopefully this is the hardest part of what is in store.

In the midst of keeping up with 2 jobs and finding a way to get forms completed and notarized and turned in, I have also found myself searching for a way to keep up with things on the homefront. Any of you who know me, know that my homemaking skills are lacking :). I am a "fly by the seat of my pants" type girl who hates routine and struggles with discipline. Sometimes, believe it or not (for some of my OCD friends out there), this can be a good thing. I rarely get stressed with things that are last minute or spontaneous... it is the little mistakes here and there or the little whispers in my ear that "I should do this" and "I should be doing that",they overwhelm me... and I couldn't figure out why until a friend of mine put her finger on it the other day. "You're a perfectionist, aren't you?" and the answer in my head was that if you ever saw my house, you would never feel the need to ask that again. And then I took the time to think about it for a minute. Lately I have been feeling very overwhelmed, stressed, and pretty much like a "screw up". I've been on high alert to my mistakes in this adoption process, at work, with my kids and my dog, at home, pretty much everywhere. These were all piling up high around me yesterday when this question was asked. So here is the answer, Kelly, "Hi, my name is Candace and I am a perfectionist." I know, crazy, right? I can guarantee as my mother-in-law is reading this, she thinks it is (Love you, Mom). But I really do expect myself to be perfect. I don't hold that expectation for life or for anybody around me, but I hold myself to standards that I can't always meet. You never really have to get upset at me for a mistake...all you have to do is point it out and I am already beating myself with a baseball bat. So yesterday afternoon, as I was planning out how I was going to become super housekeeper on top of everything else, I pretty much lost it. I haven't cried in a while, so David was quite puzzled when I burst into tears. He, of course, was asking himself and me what he did (Poor guy. He has been the brunt of a good many crying episodes). And in that moment when the tears began to fall, I felt my Father in heaven put His arms around me and speak soothing words to my heart. "It's okay, Candace. I am here. I am the reason you don't have to worry about being good enough. I see your heart, Candace. Quit being so hard on yourself and just do the best you can." Well, perfectionist me is balling by now, thinking about how I don't even deserve for Jesus to be comforting me... I mean I haven't read my Bible enough or prayed enough or had enough quiet moments with Him. You know what, I am not good enough...but He still loves me. How in the world can we resist such love!

So today I have done as God requested, picked myself up and I am trying again, realizing that perfection is not an option. I may not ever have a spotless house... I may not ever be employee of the year... When my kids grow up, they may have some stories to tell about the mistakes mom made... and I may not ever reach even my expectations for myself... but when David wrapped me in his arms last night and asked what he could do to help, my answer was "you already have". I realized that David loves me just as God does... because I am his gift from God, not because of what I do or don't do right. I love my children here and in China because they are my gifts from God, not because they will never make a mistake. When we have the power of Christ living in us, this is how we should love, overlooking the faults of others. And when we are loved in such a way, we should NEVER take it for granted.