ACTIVELY WAITING!

These last few months have been very difficult for us.  Throughout this adoption process, every time we have been given a task to complete, we have completed it quickly, believing that our efforts would help speed up our adoption process.  Unfortunately, we are now at a place where everything is out of our hands.  We are waiting for one last approval on the India side and then waiting for our case to make it to court (and there is no timetable for how long it will take for our case to be finalized).  We have now reached a place where all we can do is wait.  Thankfully, we are waiting and hoping in a God who is sovereign over all governments, government agencies and court systems.  We are completely confident that, “…none who wait [on the Lord] shall be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3). 

As we wait, there is one thing that we must continue to do: raise funds!  We are so amazed by how God has provided over the last year.  By His grace, and through so much support from others, we have raised over $26,000.  We still have around $5,000 to go, but we know that God will provide.  Yet we must thank all of those who have supported us through prayer, words of encouragement, sharing in our tears and giving for the sake of our son.  We have been so blessed in knowing that we are not walking through this alone.

We are excited to introduce a new fundraiser - one that we have been waiting to introduce for a while, but we wanted the timing to be right.  Although we are still waiting, we want to actively wait.  Therefore, we are starting a T-shirt fundraiser through FUND THE NATIONS.  This amazing company helped us design our shirt and ALL proceeds will help bring little “M” home from India. This shirt is unique to our journey because it has a heart in the area of India that we are adopting from and it also says the word adoption in our son’s Indian language - Marathi. 

You can order your shirt either unisex or ladies cut.  The shirts are $20 for adult regular sizes (small to extra-large); $21 for youth sizes (medium to large); $22 for adult plus sizes (XXL and XXXL).  There will also be an extra $3 charge if you need them shipped to you. If you need more than one shirt shipped, we may be able to combine shipping, so please ask.

To order, you can Pay-Pal the amount of your order to micahstrickland@comcast.net with your size and address or you can see us directly and pay by cash or check. Deadline to order is December 6. 

Just so you know…These shirts are soft shirts and are a tad less generous of a fit than a normal t-shirt…they’re a nicer, softer t-shirt…but if you are between two sizes we would definitely suggest choosing the larger! 

Again, thank you for standing beside us and praying with us throughout this journey.  We can't wait until all that we have hoped for and worked for becomes an absolute reality!  #ADOPTIONISREDEMPTION
 

HOPE IN WAITING

     "The adoption was challenging - the LOVE arrive instantly." 

 

It has been almost three months since we were matched with "M."  Since our lives were completely turned upside down on May 15 (the day we were matched with the most beautiful little boy in all of India), it seems like we have waited far more than we have worked.  For the first month after being matched, we had nothing to do except to look at the two pictures that we had of "M" and wait.  As we looked at those pictures, we wondered what his smile would look like and what kind of personality he has. We wondered about how he is being cared for and if he is receiving love and attention.  Basically, we endlessly pondered questions that were not answered by two pictures.  We asked questions to ourselves, yet their was nothing but silence.

 

One month after being matched, the silence was broken by paperwork from the orphanage.  Although adoption paperwork does not make a sound, I can assure you that it causes those who fill them out to make many sounds - mainly screams and sobs!  We filled out the paperwork rather quickly and returned it to our agency, only to be led back to a place of waiting.  

 

Then two weeks ago, we received the packet that we were waiting for - "M's" dossier.  In it we were able to read his story...a story that by God's grace will eventually end in "M" having a family and the Strickland family having a son.  No matter how difficult it is for us to read his story, we do so with supernatural hope knowing that God is going to redeem his story.  For what the enemy meant for evil, God is working it for "M's" good and for ours. The dossier not only included his story and so many medical files, it also contained a few more pictures, AND A 14:42 VIDEO.  From this video, we are able to see the way that his caretakers interact with him and the way that he learns and plays.  We were also able to see his amazing smile.  We have probably watched that video over 100 times between the two of us and I'm sure we'll watch a lot more in the coming months.  

     One of "M's" Pictures

 

This all leads to the question that we are asked the most: WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET HIM? Although I wish that we had an answer to that question, we don't.  We are praying and hoping that doors would open for us to get him before the end of this year, but that will not be up to us.  We would ask you to join us in praying for God's perfect timing for us and for "M."  All that we know is that we will continue to fill out every piece of paper and do anything that we are asked to do in hopes that we might be able to speed up this process.  We will do it all hoping that things will shortly begin to move in India and that we will eventually make it to the next step.  

 

Until then, we will continue to wait upon the Lord and know that He will hold and care for "M" until we are able to (and He won't stop just because we get him).  Although this process has not been easy, loving someone we've never met has been.  We are asking God to open up "M's" heart even now so that not only will he be able to receive the love that we have for him, but that he will one day be able to receive a greater love than what we could ever give him - the love of God.  Until all of these things become a reality, we will continue to wait and continue to hope.  In the words of the psalmist, "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?  My hope is in You" (Psalm 39:7).

 

It Finally Happened!

It has been a long time since we have updated the blog.  Since February, a lot has happened in our family, but not much has happened with the adoption.  We had an amazing fundraiser in March (The Freezer Pleaser Fundraiser) and we were able to raise over $2,000 for the adoption.  We are so thankful for all those who participated in that fun event (and congratulations again to Mike and Christina Hornsby!).  At the end of March, my father passed away after a two-month illness.  He was so looking forward to meeting his new grandson.  As our family grieved the loss of my father, we looked forward with anticipation to the day that we would get good news that would change our lives forever.

As April came and went, there was really nothing new to report on our adoption.  We continued to wait patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) for God to move in the situation and for Jynger (our case worker) to find the perfect little boy for us!

As we entered the month of May, we prayed, hoped and prayed some more that this would be the month that we would get a referral for our little boy.  As we waited, we were approached by some dear friends (the Dillhyon's) who wanted to do a Bar-B-Que fundraiser for us.  We had an amazing time at the event and we were so encouraged by all who came out to support us.

We also had another special friend who came out to share her adoption story.  Her story also led her to write two adoption books.  She sold her book and donated all of the proceeds to us!

All together, more than $3,000 was raised towards our adoption.  Words cannot even express how overwhelmed we are by the continued support of our family and friends!  The waiting can be unbearable at times, but God has sure blessed us with an amazing support system that always seems to make things go a little faster.

Oh yeah!  I almost forgot!  IT FINALLY HAPPENED!  In the midst of waiting, we received the email that we'd been hoping for.  An email that will change our lives forever.  We have been matched with the cutest little 2.5 year old boy!  We cannot give out much information on him at this time, but we are already in love with him!   No information has been given as to when we will travel, but the average time is around a year after matching.  Of course, we are praying that God will allow us to be an exception to this rule!

We are unable to show a picture at this time, but trust us, he is adorable!

Please pray for us as we begin the next steps of our adoption journey.  Also pray for little "M" (we will announce his name at a later date).  Pray that God will continue to hold him in His arms until we can hold him in ours.  Thank you all for your prayers and support and thank God for His amazing grace in and through this time!  AMAZED BY GRACE!  #AdoptionisRedemption

February Update!

It has been a while since our last update.  After finishing up our Home Study visits in December, the first part of January was quiet (too quiet).  On January 26 the silence was broken!  We got word from our agency that our Home Study had been approved.  On February 10th, we received our official copy of our Home Study documents.  This means:
     1) We are now waiting to get registered with CARA (India's Adoption Authority).  Once that takes           place, we will be one step closer to being matched with our son.
     2) This also means that we are now able to apply for grants.  We are praying that God will grant us           favor in these endeavors.
     3) This means that we are able to begin working on our dossier, which is a collection of        
         documents that are necessary to meet the legal requirement for adoption from a foreign country
         as well as the immigration requirement of the U.S. Government.  Basically this document is the
         presentation of our family to the Indian Adoption Authority.
     4) This means that a LOT of money is now due!  This includes:

• $3,500 for our 2nd Program Management Fee
• $500 for a Refundable Deposit to our Agency
• $1,250 for U.S. Government Fees
• $750 for our Dossier 

As we were celebrating the arrival of our Home Study Documents, we were quickly reminded of the financial realities of adoption.  $6,000 does not just seem like a hill to us, but like a gigantic mountain.  Yet in the midst of every worry and doubt, we have a promise from God that He will continue to provide.  From the very moment that we surrendered to the call to adopt, we have seen God provide in unimaginable ways.  We thank God for those who have locked arms with us through prayer, financial support and timely encouragement.  We are beyond blessed by the wonderful support group that God has given us. 

There are three ways that you can continue to support our family.  The first (and most important way) is through prayer.  Please pray that God would continue to prepare our family for the journey ahead; provide for the costs associated with this journey; and pray that God would continue to wrap His arms around our son until we are able to hold him in ours.  The second and third ways are financially. We will continue to offer our puzzle fundraiser until every piece has been sold. See the link below for more information.

 http://stricklandfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/2014/10/strickland-adoption-puzzle-fundraiser.html  

We also just began our 2nd Fundraiser: FREEZER PLEASER RAFFLE.  We are raffling off a brand new IDYLIS 5 CU-FT Chest Freezer filled with 30 meals that have been prepared by some amazing family members and friends.  We are currently selling raffle tickets for $5 a piece, or 5 tickets for $20.  We will hold the drawing on March 15th.  If you would be interested in purchasing a ticket(s), you can either contact us in person, on Facebook or by email (micahstrickland@comcast.net).  If you would be interested in helping us sell tickets please let us know.  

Again, we are so thankful for the amazing people that God has placed in our lives to walk alongside us on this journey.  

"Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute."

- Psalm 82:3