God has a plan....

March 19, 2013 was the first written prayer request I have in my prayer journal regarding adoption.  In this letter I bring my excitement, as well as my fears about the potential of adoption to the Lord.  In this prayer request, I ask him for guidance, wisdom, courage and strength as we were preparing to venture into a world completely foreign to us.  We knew that our lives were about to do a complete 360 and we were going to need God’s love, mercy, strength and grace more than ever in the upcoming months to face the trials that were ahead.   Looking back now, it is really amazing to think how much our lives have changed over the course of the past nine months since we began this exciting journey.  We have met so many new and exciting people.  When we first began this process, international adoption was an unfamiliar territory to us.  But once we began to really get involved and move forward with preparing our dossier, we realized there are so many other families in the United States who are walking the same path we are walking who were more than willing to lend a helping hand or ear whenever needed.  But even more amazing then the people we have met or spoken to online or over the phone, is how much our faith has grown over the course of 2013.  We have struggled along the way and at times we have fallen but our Heavenly Father has always been there to pick us back up.  He is our rock, our strength and our shield.

“the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my shield and the horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior.”

2 Samuel 22:2-3

Today was one of those days and I praise the Lord for perfect timing and a great sermon.  Today we had a guest speaker at church who did a wonderful job talking about the story of David and Goliath.  In this story, God hand selected an individual who was viewed as a “no body” by society and uses him to achieve great things.  Basically the story of David and Goliath is a perfect example of how God uses the weak to be the strong; that if we have faith in the Lord and his will for us we can overcome anything. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

However, just because we are called to do something by God doesn’t mean that life will always be smooth sailing.  Just like with David, sometimes we have to lean solely on faith and run full speed ahead into the battlefield when we are not 110% sure of the outcome.  Sometimes following a calling means stepping out into the unknown and believing that no matter what the outcome, GOD KNOWS BEST.

As many of you may not know there is a lot of debate going on in Ethiopia about international adoption.  Currently there are rumors floating around that they will be closing their doors as far as international adoption is concerned.  Right now these are just rumors – and until we hear word from our agency that Ethiopia is officially closed we will continue to move forward with our adoption process as planned.  I would be lying if I said that the thought of this happening didn’t bring me to tears.  We know we have a little girl half way around the world waiting for us to bring her home.  It hurts to think that it is possible that God’s plan for us has changed.  We do not have any intentions to make any changes in our adoption path – again the information circulating is not coming from a positively reliable source.  However, reliable or not, we are still asking for your prayers as time goes on….prayers that this information is false and Ethiopia has no intention of closing its doors….prayers that if it is in fact God’s will to close adoption in Ethiopia that he will guide us to what we are suppose to do next….prayers for patience as we wait for our agency to respond with a detailed explanation of what is going on….and prayers of peace.  We know that God knows what is best for our family and he HAS A PLAN. 

As always, we are very appreciative of your prayers and support.  If we hear any updates from our agency on the status of international adoption, we will pass that along.  God Bless.

And the wait continues!!! :)

Hello Everyone!

We hope to find everyone well.  It has been a while since we have written a blog update and I thought we were due for a new post to share with everyone what has been going on with our adoption over the past month.....and the answer is....waiting.  As you may have already read in previous posts, we are currently in the waiting process of our adoption - which is by far the longest part of any adoption.  Tomorrow, November 18th, we will officially be DTE (dossier to Ethiopia) for 1 month.  Right now, America World Adoption Association estimates that a family can wait any where from 30-36 months from their DTE date for an infant.  Lucky for us we have requested a little girl between the age of 0-4, so hopefully that will narrow down our wait a little.  But just like everything else in life, this will all happen in God's timing - not ours.  So in the mean time we wait patiently...or as patiently as we possibly can.  But just because we are waiting doesn't mean we can't think and pray for our little Amira every day.  Honestly, there is not a day that goes by where I do not think about her.  I cannot tell you enough how much I long for the day when we can shower another child - our second daughter - with more love than she ever thought possible.  But until that day comes, the only thing (and most important thing) we can do is pray for her. We love you princess pie and cannot wait to see your beautiful face!!

From a financial standpoint we are close to half way there.  Adopting from Ethiopia can range anywhere from $28,000 to $35,000.  As of today, we have raised and submitted over $15,000!!!  Only God could make that possible in such a short time frame, we must give glory where glory is due...thank you Lord!!!!  Currently, the only on-going fundraisers we are working on are selling Advocare products (health and wellness) and selling our Project Ethiopia Tshirts and bracelets.  Next spring, with the help of one amazing woman - Karen Williams, we will be planning a walk-a-thon/chili dinner/face painting extravaganza!!  For those of you who do not know Karen, she also planned and put together our Lasagna Fundraiser in September.  We cannot thank her enough for all of her hard work and continued efforts towards helping us fundraise!!  In addition to our walk-a-thon, we are also planning on having another fundraiser garage sale in the summer of 2014.  This past summer our garage sale/bake sale was a huge success thanks to amazing family and friends who donated items and helped set up and run the event.  Again I can't thank you enough for the amount of time and items that were donated.

I know this really isn't much of an update...but there really is nothing new for us to share.  As the journey ventures forward we will continue to keep you updated. :)  As always, thank you for your continued prayers and support.

God Bless!!

A few Project Ethiopia God Moments...

As many of you may already know, Nic and I successfully submitted our dossier to Ethiopia on October 18, 2013.  In adoption lingo this means that on October 18, 2013 we were officially DTE (dossier to Ethiopia).  I cannot begin to describe what an amazing and wonderful feeling it is to have completed all of the necessary paperwork and finally be on the waiting list to be matched with our sweet little Amira.  Praise The Lord….and that is exactly what I want to do.  Throughout our short adoption process, The Lord has made himself readily available and known.  He has given us strength and guidance along the way as well as reassurance that we are fulfilling his will for our family.   I cannot emphasize enough that we could not be where we are today without his unfailing love and support.

Over the course of the past few months we have faced a lot of different feelings and emotions.  International adoption is a long and sometimes uncertain process.  There is a lot at risk when dealing with a third world country.  In addition to the emotion strains, there is the financial aspect too, adoption is expensive.  However, I truly believe that if we bring our prayers and petitions to our Heavenly Father, he will answer and comfort us.  He loves us unconditionally and He will not leave us or forsake us….

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither

angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,

nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything

else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the

love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

Over the past few months, I have personally brought several fears to The Lord and He has not only answered my questions but he has calmed my heart.  I, without a shadow of a doubt, know that we are walking alongside God throughout our adoption.  It really is remarkable how He has visibly shown his support throughout this process and how He continues to reassure us we are following our call.  Again I want to re-emphasize we could not do this without him.  Our God is an amazing, wonderful, compassionate God who is beyond worth of our praise.

Great is The Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

Psalm 145:3

Therefore, it is at this time I would like to truly thank and praise our Lord for his grace and compassion by sharing with everyone how wonderful He has been to us throughout our adoption. The following is a list of just a few wonders God has performed over the past 5 months:

1.)   When I first began having dreams about a little African Girl I had no idea what they meant.  After a lot of praying I discovered that this little girl, who kept reoccurring in my dreams, was not just a random little girl, she was so much more than that.  Little by little, she was showing me how I can love someone who I do not even know.  She was showing me the pain that existed outside of my little comfort zone in Chesterton, Indiana. Ultimately, I feel God was using this little girl as the starting point and introduction to the idea of expanding our family through adoption.

2.)   After I shared with Nic what I felt in my heart we should do, he agreed that we should check into the idea of adoption.  I quickly discovered, with the help of my sister in law Chami, an amazing Christian adoption agency – America World Adoption Association (AWAA).  After a little research, I found that AWAA held seminars across America to introduce potential adoptive families to the process of adopting internationally.  I immediately thought we would have to travel to Chicago or Indianapolis to attend one of these seminars and with Nic’s work schedule I knew that this would be very difficult to plan.  What I discovered next was too amazing to be coincidental…AWAA was planning a seminar that next weekend in the small town of Chesterton, Indiana.  I cannot emphasize enough that I know God planned this seminar in our hometown to give us the extra nudge we need to take the next step.

3.)   When we first began to share with everyone that we were going to be adopting a child from Ethiopia there was a mix of reactions.  Some people were excited, others fearful, and others were confused or concerned.  After a while I began to also become fearful of the unknown and I began to question our decision.  I started to research more and more about the possible outcomes…big mistake because it only made things worse.  Finally I took all my fears to the Lord and he answered me in a big way.  I was driving home from work and I broke down and began to pray and plead to the Lord.  I begged him to show me a sign that our adoption was what he willed for our family and if it was his will that he would give me the strength I needed.  Immediately and I mean immediately after I finished praying “Kings and Queens” by Audio Adrenaline came over the radio.  If you have not heard the song or seen the music video please google it.  God answered my prayers and he answered big.  The following are just a few of the lyrics from the song Kings and Queens:

****Every Child has a dream to belong and to be loved****

****These could be our daughters and our sons****

****Won’t you look around, these are the lives that the World has forgotten…. WAITING FOR DOORS OF OUR HEARTS AND OUR HOMES TO OPEN****

If that song isn’t an answer to prayer than I don’t know what is.  It was at this    point I finally was able to let go of my fears and trust in the Lord and our adoption.

4.)   The day of our Bob Evans Fundraiser, Nic and I took Jaxon and Evy to Butterfly Park in Valparaiso to burn off some energy from all the syrup and pancakes they had that morning for breakfast.  After an hour or two of running around and playing on slides we decided to head home.  On the way home I remember thinking to myself about the fundraiser and hoping that the event was going well.  Once we got home we had the kids sit on the couch to take off their shoes and then took them upstairs to take a bath.  After I came back downstairs I discovered something on the couch that was again to amazing to just be a coincidence. A piece of shredded tire from the park had come home with us on accident…This may not seem like a very big deal but the shredded tire was an exact replica of the shape of Africa.  It was as if God was telling me that everything was just fine with our fundraiser, not to worry but just leave the details to him.

5.)   On May 24, 2013 we were accepted into the Ethiopian Program.  It was at this point and time we would begin the compiling the documents we needed in order to submit our dossier.  Just a reminder, our dossier is the extensive amount of paperwork that we had to gather on our lives that is review by both American and Ethiopian governments to determine that we are fit to raise an adopted child.  The initial email stated that AWAA anticipates that it will take anywhere from 4-6 months to complete this paper chase.  I remember thinking right then and there that I wanted to submit on an important day to our family…October 18^th.  But after reviewing the list of documents I concluded this probably wasn’t going to be possible.  There was a lot to do and at this point I was hoping just to get it all done before Christmas.  But once again the Lord answered and helped push every piece of paper through with no or minimal problems.  There are two major things that are really neat about us being DTE on October 18^th.  First, I didn’t know that AWAA only sends out dossiers on Fridays…October 18^, 2013 was a Friday.  When I submitted our dossier to AWAA on October 4^th, we discovered that one piece of paper was submitted incorrectly.  It was literally such a minor error I didn’t think it was going to be a big deal.  When I questioned my family coordinator about the error prior to her receiving our dossier packet, she said this would probably pushed our DTE back a week…October 25^th.  I was so bummed to be this close and to literally be a week off.  The next day our family coordinator emailed me to let me know she reviewed the error after receiving our dossier and determined we would be DTE October 18^th!!!  This may not seem like a huge thing but October 18^th is a special day to Nic and I and we were very happy that everything worked out the way it did.

6.)   When we were preparing to submit our dossier in early October, we quickly realized we had everything we needed with the exception of one thing…we were close to $1900 short.  We decided that we were going to write the check anyway and submit our paperwork.  This was on a Friday evening, so I knew that I had at least the weekend to gather the remaining funds to cover the check we mailed out.  So Sunday night rolled around and I decided it was time to start looking through our checking and savings account.  It didn’t take me long to find additional cash.  When we began fundraising, I decided that it would be best to open a second checking account to keep the money we fundraise separate from everything else.   I quickly discovered in our other account we had $1950…$50 more than what we needed to cover the cost of our check.  Therefore, I transferred the money to our “Amira Checking Account” and we were covered with $50 to spare…God has a sense of humor. J

7.)   Speaking of money and fundraising I want to talk a little about our fundraiser lasagna dinner.  I first want to say that speaking in front of others about personal topics is not my forte.  That courage and strength came from above.  I want to point out that every time I practice our testimony at home I cried, but when it came to talking at the dinner it was like second nature and I was able to keep my composure.  Thank you Lord for that.

8.)   I want to mention one more thing about our lasagna dinner before I close this blog entry. When planning and preparing for our fundraiser I decided about a week before that I wanted to record the event.  One reason being that I want to share every aspect about Amira’s adoption with her someday, our testimony being one of those stories.  The second was to share with friends and family who wanted to hear our testimony but couldn’t make the event.  After I had distributed a few DVDs to friends and family I received a text message from a friend….

 “Nicole, I just watched the video. Oh my goodness. Loved it, bawled  my eyes out, very moving very touching and I did notice something. Behind you were hands hanging on the clothesline or whatever. I noticed when you were at the podium and you were speaking two hands were enveloping you. Not anybody else that spoke just you. It made me think of the verse Psalm 91 He who abides in Me stands in the Shadow of the Most High.”

            I watched the video and my friend was right – I stood in a spot that if I stepped back, two hands would be on my shoulders.  The reason this seems so amazing to me is because it was confirmation to me that God is continuing to bless and support us along our journey.  He was reaching out over us…literally.

I wanted to share these moments with everyone because I think they are too awesome not to share.  Our God is amazing and he is everywhere.  I see him in every small detail and aspect of our life.  Whether it be reaching out over us at a fundraiser event or leaving little piece of Africa around our house he is there and he is worthy of our praise.

God Bless. 

The Ayres are DTE!!!!

We received the email we have been waiting for....Congratulations Ayres' Family, you are officially DTE (dossier to Ethiopia)!!!  After four solid months of extensive paperwork we are finally where we need to be in our adoption process...waiting to be matched up with our daughter who is living half way around the world.  I cannot describe how happy we are to finally be on the waiting list for our little princess.

As of today, there is a tentative waiting list that was created and continues to be updated by adoptive families within our adoption agency.  As I mentioned, this list is very tentative because the only way to get on the list is to first be DTE and to also request to be placed on the list.  Our adoption agency does not use this list to determine who is next in line for a child, it is only for the use of adoptive families to have a general idea of where they are in their wait compared to other families who are DTE.  So just because we are one number today, doesn't mean that is exactly where we are in line compared to other families.  Either way, it is a very neat to see a general idea of where we are in our wait.  As of today we are 127th in line to adopt an infant girl, 89th in line to adopt a toddler between 19-47 months and lastly we are 55th in line to adopt a 4 year old little girl.  Nic and I wanted to be open to adopting a child any where from newborn to 4+ years old.  Our only desire is that Jaxon is the oldest child in the family.  Therefore, as our wait continues it is possible that we will extend our age range possibilities.  We want to be as open as possible to whatever age God has planned for our family.

Currently the waiting time frame for our adoption agency is anywhere from 30-36 months at the time of DTE.  This is the average waiting period for adoptive families...it could be shorter, but it could also be longer.  God knows exactly what time and date Amira will be LEGALLY an Ayres...in our hearts she already is even though we have never seen her face.  That is another thing I do not think everyone knows or may not understand completely.  As of today, October 18, 2013 - we have not seen Amira.  We do not know what she looks like or how old she is...all we know is that she is out there somewhere living half way around the world.

At this point, realistically I do not think that we will be adopting a newborn because of the waiting period.  Most families want to adopt a child when they are an infant, which explains why we are 127th in line to adopt a newborn compared to 55th in line to adopt a 4 year old.  Nic and I have both been blessed to live through two infant stages and while we would be excited to bring Amira home that young, we are perfectly happy if she is not a newborn when she physically arrives in our family. I honestly believe in my heart Amira will be around the age of 4 when she arrives in our family.  Based on the average waiting period of 30-36 months, that means today she could be around 1 year old.

Nic and I would like to thank everyone again for your continued support and prayers.  We are so grateful to be walking along this journey with such amazing friends and family.  Your prayers and words of encouragement mean so much to us.

Dossier to America World....

Hello everyone!!!

As you may or may not know we have a very, very exciting update....as of Friday afternoon we officially completed and mailed out our dossier to America World Adoption!!!  Thank you Lord!!! We are beyond thrilled to finally have completed this big step and to be progressing forward in our adoption!

So where do we go from here? Once our agency receives our dossier (which should be today) they will pass it through a two step check to ensure that all the paperwork is perfect and no additional paperwork is needed. Once it is given the final approval from our agency it will be shipped off to Africa and we will officially be dte (dossier to Ethiopia)!!! This is when the real wait begins. As of today America World estimates that a family can wait anywhere from 30-36 months before being matched with a child.  We are hoping and praying that it will not take this long. However, we fully understand that this will all happen in Gods timing not ours and we are praying that we learn patience along the way. 

So what do we do while we wait? Currently we are planning on applying for several adoption grants. We still have a long road ahead of us for fundraising and want to do all that we can to reach our financial goal. We also plan on having a few dine to donates over the course of the next few months. The holiday season is quickly approaching and we understand that Thanksgiving and Christmas are a very busy time of the year for everyone so we are keeping our fundraisers simple and few. 

Again we would like to take the time to thank everyone who has helped us along the way. We are so grateful for everyone who has donated because without your contributions we would not be where we are today!!!  We also want to thank everyone for your prayers and encouragement. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! :-)

We will continue to keep you updated as we wait for word back from America World on the status of our dossier. 

God bless!!!

Light at the end of the paperwork tunnel....

Hi Everyone!!

We have a few new and exciting updates to share….As you may or may not know, we received our approval letter last night from the United States Citizen and Immigration Services.  I was beyond thrilled when I first began to review the letter because this is a huge step in moving forward with our dossier.  However, I quickly realized that there was an error on the letter that was going to slow us down – the USCIS had forgot one digit in our address.  This may not seem like a very big deal, but when it comes to international adoption the paperwork has to be PERFECT.  I immediately tried to contact my agency but could not reach my family coordinator.  Because I did not think there was any thing else I could do until the next day, I set the papers aside and went along with my evening.  The next morning (today), I got up and planned on taking care of this issue sometime throughout my day but then I quickly learned about the government shutdown that had happened at midnight.  I am going to be honest - I was completely heartbroken with the thought that we were going to have to wait, we have been trying to get everything together for four long months and we are both ready to be submitted to Ethiopia.  So I prayed and ask for the prayers of others that, God willing, we would be able to get our paperwork fixed quickly.  We were praying that there might be a miracle in the works for us by the man upstairs and once again God answered our prayers.  The USCIS was open today and I was able to reach the officer assigned to our case who said he would correct and mail out a new letter today.  The USCIS operator probably thought I was a little loopy because I almost started to cry when I realized they were not part of the shutdown.

This led us to the next step… contacting the Secretary of State to see if they were open or part of the shutdown.  Can you guess what happened next?  Yes, once again God answered our prayers and I was able to reach someone in the office.  Every state is different in their requirements for state certification and from what I read for Indiana standards I either had the choice of taking my documents to Indianapolis myself or mailing all of the original documents that I spent the last four months working hard to obtain.   Needless to say, I was planning a road trip.  However, I quickly learned that all I would be required to mail was the two documents that required the stamp.  I was literally overjoyed that I did not have to mail all of my original copies of my dossier and I could send the two originals out today rather than waiting until Friday to drive down!!!  Therefore, I made a pit stop after work and paid for over night shipping to get these two important documents where they need to be for the final approval. 

This is it folks.  We are literally so close to submitting our dossier and beginning the real wait.  Once we receive the corrected letter from the USCIS and get our two original copies back from the secretary of state we are ready to submit.  Well almost ready.  We are still short financially of what is needed to submit our paperwork to Africa.  However, I know that God will not forsake us.  He hasn’t yet and I know he isn’t going to.  I trust he will provide.  We have already raised $11,486 in four months!!!  That is a testimony in itself!!!  Currently we need to raise an additional $4093.  I have pasted the link below that shows the break down of the costs thus far:

https://www.youcaring.com/projectethiopia

I also want to share that we are hosting an orphan walk this Saturday at Coffee Creek in Chesterton.  If you are interested in walking please register at the link below:

http://theorphanmission.org/W4O_-_Registration.html

We are so excited to see what God has in store for us as we move along in our process.  He is constantly reassuring, guiding, and lifting us up throughout this process.  I mean look at today for example…what we thought was going to be impossible was possible with God.  All the Glory to him for helping us through today and getting what we need and All the Glory to him when we are holding our sweet daughter.  Thank you again for your prayers and support.

God Bless.

Lasagna Fundraiser

Good morning everyone!!

We wanted to take the time to thank everyone who helped make our Lasagna fundraiser last night such an amazing success. We are so grateful for everyone who helped plan, decorate, cook, serve food, babysit kids, make flowers and everyone who attended. We especially want to thank Karen Williams who put together the entire event. Everything was beautiful.  We could not have asked for a better evening. 

For those who could not attend our dinner I want to share with you the nights events...we were blessed in so many ways.  We were very excited for the large turn out and everyone's positive response to our testimony, it truly was encouraging and heartwarming. Speaking of our testimony, I was so nervous but once I stood in front of everyone and began speaking it was like second nature... Trust me, that was strength from above because I could not have gotten through that (tear free) alone. Thank you Lord for that strength!!!! I also want to take the time to thank the teens not only for serving but also for your selfless generosity.  After everyone left for the evening and we were cleaning up, all of the teens approached us with a gift... They decided to donate the tips they received for their youth fund through the evening to our adoption. Nic and I literally had our wallets out to add to the teens tip jar when they walked over and gave to us, without hesitation, what they had earned for the evening. Because of their generosity we were able to add $106 to our total amount raised for the evening. I love that our church is helping to raise (along with their parents) children who care so much about others and their needs. We hope our children will grow up with the same beliefs and morals. We were literally blown away and beyond grateful. Thank you so much. In addition to the teens, we also had another youth from our church empty her piggy bank to donate to our adoption. Again we were so grateful and blown away by the selflessness of a little girl. Thank you again so much.  I may not have cried throughout my testimony but the generosity of these kids brought tears that I could not fight back. 

We are happy to share that through the generosity of the youth, friends, family and church family we raised $1605.23 last night. We have now raised a total of $11,486 thus far for our adoption. We are hoping to submit our dossier in October which means we will need to raise an additional $4093. We are so close and we know that GOD WILL PROVIDE!!!! He has already proven that he will by helping us raise over $11,000 in four months time!!! What an amazing testimony in itself. Money is nothing to our God who created the universe.  Our adoption will happen and our Amira, where ever she is today, will be a part of our family. In our hearts she already is our daughter and we love her. 

Thank you so much for your support and prayers as we continue along our journey in bringing our daughter home. :-)

God bless!!!

Biometrics in the works!!!

We are excited to share that we have received our biometric (aka fingerprint) appointment yesterday in the mail!!! As of now we are scheduled for September 25 at 11 am. However, we have been informed by other adoptive families that it is ok to go in to the uscis office before our scheduled appointment to get this done. Therefore, Nic and I will be heading to the office this Wednesday afternoon to get our fingerprints taken!!! We are so excited to get yet another part of our paper chase completed! After we receive approval from the uscis, the last step will be to get our dossier state certified by the Secretary of State in Indianapolis!!! I want to say that again because it sounds so awesome...this is our last step!!!! 

Little Amira you are that much closer to be in my arms. :-) 

Thank you again for your continued support and prayers!! We will keep you updated with our progress!! :-) 

So Blessed

Nic and I are excited to share about a letter we received today from a friend of a friend of Chami's.  Chami's friend Bethany, who she had attended school with at Ellerslie in Colorado, has a friend who recently heard of our adoption and wanted to do something to help us out.  Bethany's friend, who is originally from New Hampshire and some one we have never met, has been working to raise money for a mission trip she was planning this year.  She heard through the grapevine about our adoption and decided that she wanted to be a part in helping bring our Amira home. So along with a very nice letter was a check for $790!!!  We are truly amazed by the generosity of a person we have never met.  Furthermore, I just learned that this amazing individual is still in the process of fundraiding for her own trip. Therefore, she is giving us a gift that she could still use for her own call.  What a remarkable act of kindness. Thank you so much!! I hope some day we can meet face to face and I can thank you in person.  We are so grateful!!!  Best of luck to you on your mission trip, we will be praying for your journey as well!!

It is so unbelievable the people God has been and still is placing along our path to help us bring our daughter home.  Whether it be through donations, sharing our story, encouraging words and support, and/or sharing their story of adoption, we feel so blessed.  I want to take the time to thank all of you again, we appreciate all you have done.  :)

A little update on where we are today...after sending off our i600A, we are still waiting to hear back from Immigration.  I have been told that this process can take as little as 6 weeks to complete but this is if the government does not request additional information which can extend the process to up to 12 weeks.  We are eager to continue and complete our dossier, so we are hoping that we are on the shorter end of the spectrum but we know these things take time and just like everything else in life, this will happen all in God's time not ours.  Patience, Patience, Patience.  :)

From a fundraising standpoint...September 28 is our lasagna dinner.  It is at this event we will be sharing our testimony - what led us to adopt, the trials and tribulations - all the glory to you Lord, the process and where we stand in the process.  We also have a little something extra we will be sharing at the end of the dinner that I am very excited for. :)  The deadline to sign up for this dinner is a week from today.
We also have our orphan awareness walk October 5th at Coffee Creek in Chesterton.  If you are interested in participating in this event, please click the link below to register:

http://theorphanmission.org/W4O_-_Registration.html

Please choose that you are walking for Nic and Nicole Ayres.  :)

We want to end this tonight by again thanking everyone for their support.  We will continue to keep you updated on our dossier, fundraising events, and best of all our God Moments as they unfold before us.  God Bless and have a great week!!

Project Ethiopia Update

Good afternoon!!!

We have some exciting news to share...We received word today from our social worker that our home study has officially been approved by both our home study and adoption agency! Our social worker said she has finished her part in this process by signing and sending the copies off to our home study agency in Indianapolis. She estimated they will receive the paperwork by Monday which means we will hopefully have our home study in hand by this time next week.  This is exciting because that means we are back on track and we will soon be able to submit our i600a to the United States Immigration and Citizen Services.  This will be for "preapproval" of Amira's citizenship.  It is at this point our final background check will be completed as we will be required to get fingerprinted.  We are looking forward to get this next step done as I have been told it can take up to 6 weeks to complete.  Hurray for progress!

I also wanted to take this time to thank James O'Connor and his karate school as he has offered to display our fundraising items and promote the concept of having compassion for others at his next belt test.  I think this is amazing for a few reasons, one being that word of our adoption is continuing to spread over northwest Indiana.  As more people hear of our story, the stronger our prayer chain becomes.  Not only are others hearing our story but they are hearing about the orphan crisis of the world.  Sometimes it is easy to ignore what we cannot see or maybe we don't even realize the problems that exist in our world today, but the reality is out there.  There are children who need us.  Whether that be through adoption, sponsorship, mission work or prayer, they need our love and support.  Lastly, I think it is amazing that Mr O'Connor is promoting the concept of having compassion for others to the youth of his establishment.  It is obvious many of these children look up to him and value his opinions. Training children young to have a heart for others is an amazing life lesson, something we are teaching our children and its great to see others value it as well.  So a big thanks to you!!  And best of luck at your belt tests this weekend.

It never ceases to amazing me the people God has placed in our path along this journey.  We are truly appreciative of everything everyone has done for us.  Whether it be helping with fund raisers, buying a shirt or bracelet, making a donation or praying for us, our journey, and our daughter half way around the world, we are so grateful.  Your acts of kindness and compassion are more encouraging than you may think.  So thank you. :-)

We will continue to keep you updated as we venture down this road we call adoption.  God bless!

Project Ethiopia Gift Shop :)

I know we have a lot of things going on with fundraisers and I thought it might be helpful to put on a blog what we have that we are selling to raise money for our adoption.  Each of these items are still available for purchase.  If you are interested in any of the following please email me at nayres19@comcast.net

Thanks again for your continued support and prayers!!! :)


Project Ethiopia T-Shirts.  Available in Gray and Orange.  $20 Each.

  

Believe Bracelets.  $10 Each.  Part of the proceeds from these bracelets are used to help provide people in Africa clean drinking water and the other part is used toward our adoption.  A win/win for everyone!!

Haiti Bracelets.  $10 Each.  These bracelets were made in Haiti and each one tells a story - each bracelet has a picture of the individual in Haiti who made it and a little background on their life.  Part of the proceeds from this bracelet are sent back to Haiti to help with the citizens there.  Another win/win situation. :)

Last home study visit!!!

We had our fourth and final home study visit with our social worker last night!! We are so excited to almost have another thing checked off our to do list for our dossier. During our last visit, we read over our home study report to check for accuracy, answered a few more questions and diagramed our support system. I have really enjoyed working with our social worker; she has been very helpful at answering a lot of questions and helping us to feel comfortable during our meetings. 

So where do we go from here?? We wait. Half the challenge of adopting internationally is waiting. Over the next week (or two or three), our home study will cycle through the necessary checkpoints to get approved and finalized. Our social worker will make the final changes and revisions and forward the report on to our home study agency. Our social worker is hoping to have her final copy ready for the home study agency by this wednesday.  On Wednesday, our international coordinator at St Elizabeth will review the packet. Once she has approved everything, she will send it off to our adoption agency to review and approve it as well. Once everyone is in agreement that this report meets Ethiopian expectations, it will be signed and notarized. This is a big step to get completed and we are so excited to almost be done!!  :)

At this point we are pretty much at a standstill with moving forward with our dossier paperwork.  However, we still have lots to do to keep us busy. We are currently in the process of applying for grants which require lots of essays and my favorite part... MORE paperwork!! We are also working on several fundraisers and preparing a detailed testimony of what has led us to adopt, how God has been involved, where we are to date and adoption success stories. We are also putting together a presentation on PowerPoint with pictures and videos to go along with our testimony. We also have an orphan walk to prepare for as well as planning a possible chili dinner around November. We are also working on selling t shirts and bracelets.  If anyone is interested in any of these events and/or interested in purchasing a t shirt or bracelet, please let me know. :)

I would also like to take this time to ask for prayers for families who are planning their trip to Ethiopia this month. As you may or may not know, the embassy closes for a few months in Ethiopia due to severe rain. The rain is so intense that it leaves roads untravelable.  Please keep these families in your thoughts and prayers as they quickly piece together the last things the need to travel, as well as booking their tickets before the courts shut their doors. 

We want to thank everyone for their support and prayers. Your encouraging words mean a lot to us. Through Gods strength and grace we will soon be a family of 5!!! God bless!! 

Dear Friends Of Adoptive Moms (and Dads)

I found this article online today that was posted by a fellow adoptive mom.  She was writing this letter to the friends and family of adoptive moms (and dads) to help explain some of the emotions we go through during the process of adopting internationally. It is truly amazing how much I can relate to all of her points... 

Dear Friends of Waiting Adoptive moms:

1. Your friend is not crazy. (She is adopting.)

There is, I will admit, a fine line between those two but still it’s good to remember. The international adoption of a child requires enough paperwork to kill a small forest. And more governmental red tape than you can believe. Imagine your longest, most frustrating trip to the DMV. Now quadruple that, add in twelve more governmental agencies in two countries, and remember it’s not a driver’s license you’re waiting for but the final piece of paper that says this family you’re creating can finally, finally be together. Yeah. Not crazy. But close.

2. She loves a child she’s never met.

It’s possible. So possible. It’s irrational and crazy but it’s reality. Does she love them like she will once she gets to know them? No. But she loves them. She wakes up loving them and goes to sleep loving them. She drives to the grocery story and aches to have them safe and snug in the carseat waiting for them. She pushes her cart around the store and hears a child cry and her heart pounds wondering if her child is crying? Alone? Hungry? She might even have to leave an entire grocery cart full of food in the yogurt aisle to go home and cry because it just is too hard. Way too hard.

3. It’s difficult having your heart on the other side of the world.

To people on the outside they don’t look like our kids, on paper they might not be our kids yet. But in our hearts we love these children like they are and yet we’re not together. We’re moms without children (Or moms missing a piece of our family in our case). It’s an ache that doesn’t go away. It starts before we see their faces and only ends when they’re in our arms. So we walk about with half our heart missing. It’s hard to breathe, to think, to speak. Something always feels missing. Because they are.

4. She is addicted to her email.

It’s okay. This is a temporary condition and most make a full recovery. It can be diagnosed by refusal to allow separation from her smart phone, or glassy-eyed concentration as she clicks “refresh” over and over and over on her computer. Other signs may include: waking up in the middle of the night to check because it’s X time over there, and muttering aloud “must get home, must check for update, must get home” while out in public.

5. Her child has been through trauma.

If she’s like a lot of moms she won’t be advertising that fact everywhere because she respects her child’s privacy. But children don’t come to the place of needing a second family because they were placed in a cabbage patch by unicorns and leprechauns. Adoption comes from loss. Loss she will see in her child’s eyes and in their heart. Loss that as a mama can make your soul curl up in a ball for an ugly cry. So don’t tell her the kids are lucky. You wouldn’t tell a person who lost an arm that they’re lucky to have a prosthetic one would you? I mean yeah, they are lucky to have that replacement. But you know what would be luckier? Not losing that arm in the first place. So please be understanding. Also, maybe instead of asking for her child’s story outright ask “are you sharing about his history before you?” That gives her a chance to either answer you or bow out graciously.

6. Adoption isn’t pregnancy.

It just isn’t. Well, it is in that at the end of it the hope is to have a new son or daughter in your arms. But I’ve yet to meet a pregnant woman who wonders how old her child will be upon entry into the family. Adoption is different. There is no due date for us. Let that sink in. No due date. And even given preemies and late arrivals with the baby by stork method you have a narrow months-long window of time in which the baby will arrive. That brings us to point number seven.

7. She probably doesn’t know when the child is coming home.

And she has probably been asked this approximately twelve times that day. Because you, her awesome friends, care about her! (And also you secretly worry she’s going a little nuts, see point #1.) And I get it. It’s hard with adoption because you don’t know what to ask. I feel that way with pregnant ladies, like what am I supposed to say? “Your ankles really don’t look that bad do they?” Recently I learned the always safe phrase “you look great – how is baby doing?”, the adoption equivalent is “I know you must miss your kiddos, how is the adoption going?” Or, if you don’t have time to have her break down and cry all over you try the even safer “can I see your latest update pictures?” and then ooh and aww over their cute faces. Even if the pictures are horrible say something positive. I mean I don’t tell people that their sonogram pictures sometimes look like aliens made of bread dough. 

8. She isn’t sure they’re coming home.

This is the part of the adoption process that makes you want to crawl under your bed and not come out until it’s safe again. This is the part that tears you soul in two. This is the part that you wake up in the morning remembering and going to bed at night fearing. Because there are no guarantees. And that’s hard. No, not hard. It’s gut-wrenching. It’s not just the fear that your child might die before having a family, it’s that this child you love with every ounce of your being might grow up in an orphanage, on the streets, or worse.

9. Your friend is kind of stupid.

I know. That’s harsh. But it’s true. You try operating on a daily basis with only half your heart and half your brain, because that’s what it’s like. ‘Cause they other half of you is wrapped up in a tiny person who is half a world and what feels like a lifetime away. Also, because of the time zone difference it means that half of you is awake pretty much all the time.

10. She doesn’t need to hear your HAS (horrible adoption stories.)

Yes, I know, everyone knows of someone’s uncle’s neighbor who adopted a child and then the child burned down the school with the power of her mind after her classmates dumped a bucket of pigs blood on her. (Oh wait, that’s the storyline of “Carrie” isn’t it?) But sharing these stories are the equivalent of telling someone hopping in a plane for their first sky-diving session “I watched this video on youtube where a guy skydived. He died. And his body was all smashed and stuff.” Maybe it’s true but it’s also not overly helpful. Unless you’re the kind of person who also goes up to pregnant woman and says “I read a book about this lady who got pregnant one time, she gave birth to a kid who became a serial killer and sewed a suit of clothes out of his victims skin. (Shoot, that’s the storyline of “Hannibal” isn’t it? Well, I tried.)

Do “Adoptive Kids” sometimes grow up and do horrible thing? Yep. You know who else grows up and does horrible things? “Vaginal kids.” So really, the warning should be more along these lines: “You’re going to be a parent huh? Good luck with that.”

11. She has probably done her research

Don’t assume she’s going into this because of a driving urge to be mistaken for Angelina Jolie. Unless she is also demanding everyone call her husband “Brad” it probably comes from some deeper place. Or you know, her husband’s name really IS Brad. Chances are she’s read books on adoptive parenting, has agonized for hours over which adoption agency to choose from. Made a decision. Then agonized some more. She’s thought about the ethical questions. And if you don’t think she has then maybe ask. “How did you pick your agency?” “What led you to X country?”

12. She looks brave on the outside, she’s brave on the inside too. But she’s also a mess

Which, I think is what mothering and loving is all about. Being a mess. Throwing your love out there and not knowing if you’re ever going to get it back. It’s scary. It’s vulnerable. It feels like you can’t breathe and when you can it hurts to do it. And you don’t want to complain about that because you picked it. So you pick up the pieces of your heart and you keep going. You keep going because at the end of the day what you go through as an adoptive mother is nothing compared to what children go through when they live their life without family. And that’s what this journey is all about.