Financial Update for Those Who Have Asked

We have been asked to "Let the need be known" for our adoption.  I figured I'd stick it here in a blog post for anyone who is interested. 

So, here's the nutshell for those of you who want "Just the facts, Ma'am"
And I will give a more detailed account after that.

We need approximately $13,200

We owe about $21,900 coming up in the next few weeks. 

 

We currently have $8200 which has been donated to AdoptTogether

And we have approximately $500 left in our savings account.

 

We have invested $13,692 so far.

 

We have received $2650 from two grants, we applied for ten.

I want to begin by saying we have some of the best friends and family in the entire world.  Already, YOU have given about $10,000 (to AdoptTogether and personally)  That is TRULY amazing and we are so very blessed. 

Here is the breakdown if you are interested.

$11,400 Orphanage Fee Due 4/9  - ($5,700 x2)

$3,000 Airfare for Doug and I - ($1,500 x2)

$4000 approx. In-China travel (flights, hotels, food)

$1500 approx. Visas, Kid's passports, physicals, notary fees

$2000 Airfare for Kids coming home ($1,000 x2)

$5 eggrolls (for Doug) Kidding! ;-)


THANK YOU!  If you stuck with me to the end of this post!

And even bigger THANK YOU!!! to those who have given to us already.  We so appreciate your generosity.

If you know anyone who would like a proven, previously-loved, practical 33 foot travel trailer that sleeps 10 we would love to sell it! Contact me by email.

There are ways to give and I will tell you we are currently waiting to see if we can get a matching grant.  We applied in October, I called to follow up, they know our current timeline and are going to see if they can "do anything for us." I will post on Facebook and my blog when we hear back from them.

If you would like to give now, you can give to AdoptTogether.

So there ya have it folks, that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

We have a SPECIAL Birthday today...

Happy Birthday to You...

                        Happy Birthday to You...

Happy Birthday Dear....

ISAAC!!!!

 

 

Happy Birthday to You!

 

Dear Sweet Son,

 

Today you turn three years old.  You're becoming such a big boy!  This past year has held many changes for you and this year is going to hold even more.  Soon you will become an Audirsch and have a Mommy and Daddy and a bunch of siblings eager to love you and help you. Although the first three years of your life are full of questions, God knows those answers and He provided for you to be at a wonderful home where you were held and SEEN and loved that first year.  Your second year of life holds a little more mystery, but God knows that too and He promises that He is with you and He is a Father to the fatherless and a defender of the orphan.  In just a few weeks we will come for you and your life will change drastically again.  Our greatest hope for you is that you will come to know and love Jesus most of all. I pray that you are celebrated today. 

 

In the words of your godly grandmother:

 

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, may you find Jesus near every day of the year.  A happy birthday to you, a happy birthday to you and the BEST year you've ever had!

 

We love you son!!!

 

Mommy and Daddy <3



The FIVE Magical Questions

 

At this point in our adoption process our agency informed us that they will request updates from the orphanages in which our children reside and we can ask five specific questions.  No pressure, just pick the right questions.

Five.

Five questions of a million I have.  

Did anyone gaze into their newborn eyes with wonder or delight?

Did their Mama hold them close?  

Did she cry when it was apparent she would not be keeping her child?

Did she make this decision or was it made for her?

How can I step in this gaping hole?  Can I give them what they need?  Am I what they need?

How long was it before they stopped crying for their Mama?  

What is their favorite comfort? Does anyone comfort them?

What makes them happy or sad or afraid?

What makes their eyes light up?  

How big are they?

How much have they grown since our last update?

What do they eat?

What medicines do they take?

Who takes care of them daily?

Do they sleep hot?

Do they play with other children?  

How many words do they have?

Besides words, how do they communicate?

I could write questions all night long....

And then I found out  no one answers the questions you ask anyway.  They just tell you what they’re going to tell you and that’s it.  

So here’s what I know. I know GOD loves these kids. I know we will love these kids. I know He’s been with them all along.  I know He is a Father to the fatherless, I experienced that firsthand for the first nineteen years of my life. (I did have an awesome Mom though!)

We will pour love and prayer and delight into them.  We will partner with Christ as He does His work of redemption in their lives.

We will trust Him each step of the way, even with unanswered questions and impossible circumstances.  He’s teaching us that He kind of likes the impossible.

Oh Lord, prepare their little hearts as only You can do.  Amen.

We should be traveling sometime in the next 9-12 weeks.  There is an end in sight.  We may never have answers for them now, but we will discover the answer to all these questions and more as we journey together with these precious souls God has knit into our family.  He's so very good.

Rejoice with Us! GOOD NEWS!

I received this email at 5:15pm on Friday:

CONGRATULATIONS, Douglas & Stacy,

 

Here’s the news you’ve long been waiting for—your dossier was sent to China today (12/12/2014)!  J

 

After months and months of mailing documents hither and yon, waiting on signatures, paying fee upon fee, we finally completed our paper chase.  Our agency translated it and as we speak it's being hand-carried to the CCCWA in China.  Within three to five days we should receive notification that our dossier was delivered, then three to five weeks after that we will have our official Log-In Date.  We are still hoping to travel in the spring.  

 

There are two babies who will not grow up in institutions, who will know the love of a family, who will have a Daddy and Mommy, brothers and sisters.  And that makes my heart exceedingly glad.

 

 

 

For all of you who helped us with our expenses and work thus far, we extend a huge

 

THANK YOU!!!

 

If you wanted to help, but have not done so you can give to a 501c3 AdoptTogether, Paypal me at my email, or simply mail a check.

 

 

 

 

Buster's Brew Christmas Coffee Fundraiser Update

We are blessed! 

Our friends at Buster's Brew are passionate about adoption. Last night they opened their shop as a venue for a Christmas Coffee Tasting and Silent Auction. 

 

We had several friends and local businesses generously donate sixteen items for our auction; all except one sold and $692 was collected from auction items.

• Dannenfelser Chiropractic
• Tracy Jean Hair Styling at Moriri Town Center
• Young Living Essential Oils, Christin Pivero
• Good Life Goodies
• Take & Bake Meals
• Magnolia Acres Farm
• PylesofPics, Etsy Shop

The immediate need we are fundraising for is our 2^nd Agency Fee- $2,350 and  CCCWA (China Log-in) Fee- $1,290 = $3640.  This amount is due before December 31.

In all last night we received nearly $900.00

in ticket sales, auction items sold, and tshirt sales.

To date we have $2670 toward our goal. REJOICE WITH US!!!

P.S. If you missed the opportunity to give last night, there is still time!

You can paypal me at snaudirsch at gmail dot com

Or give here to the 501(c)3 AdoptTogether

If you would like to order one of my AWESOME adoption tshirts they are $20.  You can paypal me and tell me your size.

Finally, If you like coffee or tea or sandwiches or a cool local place to have lunch you should make Buster's Brew in New Caney your new favorite!

Update... Well, It's About Time!

I've updated FaceBook, but many of you stay in touch through my blog which has been sorely neglected the past few months.  After we moved into our house, it seemed as though someone hit the fast forward button and time to write was lost in the shuffle. 

Life has been full in a very good way and we are finding all our new normals just in time to upheave them again!

Most of you know, last April we officially started our adoption journey.  We were matched with a sweet girl who is six months younger than Caleb.

 

ISN'T SHE A DOLLY!!!

 

 

Well, a month or two ago, we were contacted by our agency with the news that this little guy was available too, so we decided to expand our family by TWO!  We are very excited about this amazing opportunity for our family.  

HE IS SO PRECIOUS!!!

 

 

This guy is six months older than Caleb. 

 

 

At this point in our GREAT ADOPTION ADVENTURE  we are about done with our dossier, in fact we have sent all but one document to our agency for final review.  After our dossier is completed and goes to China, hopefully by the end of the year, we hope to be able to travel to get these babies by April or May 2015. 

 

We are very excited about this.  And THANKFUL that God would choose to use us in this way. 

 

By the end of the year, when we mail our dossier to China, we will have $3640 in fees due.  If you would like to join hands with us and give toward these specific fees we would be so grateful.  We have a 501c3 ministry who is partnering with us where you can give easily online. 

 

I'm trying to figure out how to put their snazzy button here, but until then, you can use this link:

 

 

AdoptTogether Link

 

 



So that's what's new with us! We'd love to hear what's new with you.  Let us know and keep in touch.  Have a beautiful and blessed Holiday Season! 

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!  We are so blessed to have such a wonderful group of family and friends!

Love y'all!

Finding Gratitude...

Almost Thanksgiving, tick tock, tick tock time passes by. How can it be that I've lived almost a year with out my mom. I remember.

She loved the Holidays... I mean really loved them. Today I was in a store with my girls that was decorated exceedingly early for Christmas. I became excited with my kids, we talked about decor and lights and meals. But tonight, in the quiet, I ache. I miss her. I talked to my mom nearly everyday. I told her about all the little mundane details that no one else cares about and they mattered to her. She delighted in each of the kids and the little things they had said and done each day. 

I would tell her about the two little lizards Natalie and I almost sat on in the chairs, in the cold early morning while stopping at our friend's for a break from our morning jog. They were all curled up together as chilled as could be. Thankfully I saw them before I sat down, I picked them up and incubated them in my hands, hot from jogging. They were so still we thought one of them was dead until it started squirming. Then it ran away. She would've cared about that story. 

And then how I was putting a roast and veggies in the crock pot and decided to call some friends on a whim and invite them over for dinner that night. She would've cared about that. 

And this, she would want to see this silliness

And how Caleb has had a burst of words lately and can say difficult names like "Lily" but still does the sign for "please" and can't say the word. Then later she'd call me and tell me about a commercial she had seen or a show she had watched that had just the solution for his speech issue. BECAUSE SHE CARED. 

I miss her with all of my heart. We will meet again someday and I know that now she is ALIVE!, more alive than she ever was on this planet. When we meet again I plan to just sit and hold her hand and be there with her, maybe much like the last few days I had with her. So precious was the gift of those days God arranged for us last year. 

So as we approach Thanksgiving, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for a mom who loved Jesus and taught me to do the same. I'm grateful for a mom who chose a spouse who became my dad. And I'm eternally grateful for our living hope, Who makes all things new, and gives me the knowledge that Mom and I will worship Him together in eternity.