Another mom owned business donates!

The owner of lil' outlaws, Jacklen, has decided to partner with us in our attempt to fundraise to bring Olive home.

She has created 2 scents specifically for Olive!

The two scents are Capri Olivo and Olive Leaves - and $2.00 from each product in those scents goes to Saving Olive!!

We have about FIVE THOUSAND!!! dollars left to raise - and we are hoping to sell approximately 75 Hat and Scarf sets to raise $1,000 of that.

Here are some of the sets that I've made:

Garage sale...

We're having a last-ditch effort on selling garage sale items before the winter.

We are going to be holding a garage sale Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-5, Sunday 1-5, Monday 10-4

We're praying for a good turn out.

We haven't had much luck with fundraisers so far.

Very precise Cardiology Report

Here is the information about Olive's heart:

Olive has Atrial Septal Defect with moderately significant LD shunt.

No medications were suggested.

No heart surgery was planned.

The next exam is scheduled for 11/13/2009.

That's all the information we've received.

I'm not sure what it means yet - but I'll be researching today :)

A little update about our progress:

We applied for my passport - it should arrive in 3-6 weeks.

We are waiting on our home study report for revision, and finalization.

We are sending in our USCIS paperwork next week.

We're finishing up the last few pieces of paperwork for our Dossier.

We have weddings we're shooting this weekend that are going to keep us very busy.

But we're thankful for them because all profits from them are going towards Olive's adoption.

We are going to be having another garage sale next weekend too.

We are going to be pulling the stuff out every weekend we don't have other obligations in hopes to sell it ALL and make as much money for Olive as we can.

We'd really like to raise all our funds this summer to be able to travel to get her as soon as her country will allow.

Home Study Visits Done

We are officially done with our home study visits!

We have to get a few medical releases signed, my birth certificates came in yesterday, and then we have all the paperwork she needs!

I found out good news that we can send out dossier over before our USCIS approval, and so our next step is getting that finished and getting the translation fee.

We hope to have a good garage sale this weekend, so prayers over that would be welcomed!

Done

A message...

So, I get these little 'messages' via an application on my computer daily.
They're from the book 'The Listeners'...
I swear it - God made the application just for me!

It's almost eerie with how accurate the 'word' is every day.
I don't know if it's self-fulfilling prophesy, or if God led me to hear from him in this way.
But EVERY DAY the word is applicable to my day.

Today's word:
"How often, when you little know it, I go before you to prepare the way, to soften a heart here, to override there"

Lord, please let this word be true of you! I'm praying it's true, and that you're softening the hearts of all the people involved in Olive's adoption, Amen.

No new news yet.
No call back from our social worker yet either.

But, our family profile has been set up on the RR site!
http://www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsormalefyt.htm

Here's what it says:
Karl and Ashley Malefyt are hoping to adopt little Olive from Eastern Europe. We are excited for her, as she has been waiting quite a while!
They had no intentions of adopting internationally being that they are foster parents for the state of Michigan. But God had other plans.
Ashley came across Olive's information on RR and couldn't help but be drawn to her name. Karl and Ashley had planned to adopt from the foster care system and name their next little girl Olivia, and call her Olive. They both felt they would 'know' when God had placed the right child in their home. Little did they know God wouldn't be bringing their child to their home, He would be sending them to her.
Karl and Ashley have two biological children born to them, Ethan age 2, and Evelyn age 1.
They are excited and hope to enjoy the journey of bringing their little girl home. Your financial gifts will be much appreciated!

Lousy fundraisers...

I am apparently a lousy sales person.
We haven't sold anything in the store for Olive, gotten any RSVP's to the PartyLite Party, or our Parent's Night Out.

We are fasting from fast food, we have switched to Aldi for our groceries, we have canceled cable, we are taking on weddings and photo jobs on the weekends and evenings, we are putting a minimum of $40 out of our budget towards her a month, plus I've picked up a weekly cleaning job that we're putting towards her as well. Not to mention we're wiping out all our savings, and all the time energy, and initial resources for fundraising. It's really frustrating to have no responses to fundraisers that I put a lot of my time in to.

But, even as I sit here typing this - I know that even if we didn't get not 1 more penny from all our efforts, the Lord will provide. I really do believe that.

Hope Community

We just got good news about our adoption process.
The issue we thought we were going to have to jump hurdles for - wasn't even mentioned in our first home study!
and isn't an issue at all!
Hallelujah!

That means that as soon as our Initial Family Profile is accepted by Olive's social worker in her country,
We can send in our commitment money, and officially start the process here!

We have the commitment money for Olive,
and will be short for our Home Study Fee's
But, I'm confident that God will work it out.
Either by the many items we have to sell, a wedding contract, a forgotten rebate, extra money in the budget...
How ever He does it, it's always a surprise, and it's always so good, and so God!

Canceled Cable

We have canceled cable in our house.
It was a hard thing to do, because Ethan loves cartoons, and Karl and I LOVE the movie channels.
But, it was a good decision.
We want the kids to play like kids this summer, and not try and veg in front of the TV,
and it's saving us about $60 a month that we'll be able to put towards Olive's adoption.

We're waiting for a copy of our foster home study - to see what all it entails.
What's in it will determine our next step.

Please cover us in prayer.
I can't give real specific details, but if you could pray for protection over our process.
and wisdom in who we choose to help us do our paperwork.
That would be wonderful!

Gifts

Karl and I got to enjoy a night at his parent's cottage.
I spent a lot of the time reading "Gifts - Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives" by Kathryn Lynard Soper.
It is an easy read.
Anyone having a child with Down syndrome biologically would really enjoy this book.
A lot of it does not pertain to adopting an older child with DS - but it did reinforce my view of what a blessing it will be.

Adoption Networking Cards

I have made adoption networking cards for Olive.

8%!!!

We have reached 8% with the help of our garage sale and a few generous donators.
You couldn't know the joy I have writing that unless you've been where we are now, trying to raise an enormous amount of money to save your child from a horrendous fate.
We are waiting word from our facilitators state side and countryside on whether or not they are going to be willing to look at our initial paperwork.
Please help to cover us in prayer as things are still "in the air".
But we are walking in faith and completely trusting God in where ever he takes us in this journey.
I know some people have reservations donating to help us financially with our initial costs while things are still unstable.
So if that is the case, please consider the fact that no matter what happens, your family's donation will be used to help save an orphan from instutionalization. God forbid we're not able to adopt Olive fore some reason, all donations will be used to help us adopt from another (more stable) country. Should He close the door completely, all donations will be given to sponsor an orphan at Reeces Rainbow.
If you are wanting to make a tax deductible donation specifically to Olive, which stays with her irreguardless to who adopts her, please go to reecesrainbow.org and look for Olive's name under the European gallery found at the bottom if the home page.
I'd like to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has donated to and prayed for us.
It means so much.

2%!

We have raised 2%!

I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's a good start!

Although, I better kick up the saving efforts, and post some stuff for sale, because at this rate I'll take us 5 1/2 years - lol!

This touched me, so I wanted to share it:

"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed. We have refused to be instruments of love in the hands of God to give the poor a piece of bread, to offer them a dress with which to ward off the cold. It has happened because we did not recognize Christ when, once more, he appeared the the guise of pain, identified with a man numb from the cold, dying of hunger, when he came in a lonely human being, in a lost child in search of a home?" --Mother Teresa

When people get on my case about being that crazy lady who saves every hurt or stray animal, bends over backwards to help people in need, especially children, and sometimes even makes her family a little uncomfortable at times to serve other people - this is why.

See?

Life isn't all about YOU, is isn't all about ME, and it is most certainly NOT all about being COMFORTABLE!

Imagine where you would be if Jesus was all about living comfortably...

Trusting God...

Even thought the program is rumored to be open again this summer, we are so afraid to emotionally commit and put our hearts out there until the program opens.
But, in some ways we just have to... because not doing so suggests that we don't trust God fully.
And we do.
We are holding off on starting a home study and the paperwork still, but are preparing by flier-ing for our garage sale, and starting to work on our swamp of a back yard.
I've had strep throat the past couple of days, but I'm feeling mostly better today.

Our plan is to get the basement organized (full of garage sale stuff) and the backyard leaves removed.
If we have time, we'd also like to rent a pump, and start pumping out the swamp water.
I'm thankful that it's spring break for Karl and that I'll have him and my dad to help with this massive project.

Olive's 3rd birthday was the 5th. It's hard knowing that she's not having a 'proper' birthday party, like she could have had here.
But, soon enough!

While sick and laid up, I made some things to sell for Olive. I am going to wash them up soon.

We're praying that God will open doors like he so wonderfully did the first couple weeks, and that He will protect Olive and our journey to get her...

Great news!

Our coordinator said that they expect the program to be up and running at the end of the summer!
So - Goal for this summer?
Raise funds!
Also, pray pray pray that the devil will not be able to get his hands on this situation at all.
So, the Garage sale is still on!