OUR KIDS

DON'T YOU THINK THIS LITTLE BODY........

WILL FIT NICELY RIGHT BETWEEN RYLIE AND COLE.........

I BELIEVE HE WILL FIT IN JUST PERFECT!!!!


8 DAYS UNTIL WE SEE HIM.........8 DAYS UNTIL WE CAN HOLD HIM.........8 DAYS UNTIL WE CAN TELL HIM WE LOVE HIM.........8 DAYS UNTIL WE CAN TELL HIM A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE LOVE HIM AND ARE WAITING FOR HIM TO COME HOME...........8 DAYS


THANK YOU SO MUCH FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT ARE SUPPORTING GABE'S ADOPTION.


THANK YOU LORD, FOR CONTINUING TO BREAK MY HEART FOR THE THINGS THAT BREAK YOURS........I AM NOT DESERVING......BUT I AM WILLING, AND I AM SO FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.

A PRECIOUS PRINCESS

This little love is Carrington. She is in Cook Childrens Hospital in Ft. Worth. I had the privilege of staying with her all Sunday evening and night. Just looking at the picture below brings tears to my eyes. One, because she is so so precious. Two, because the picture below doesn't even begin to tell the story.

                                          

You see, the story actually began 3 1/2 years ago in a country where a child like this is not acceptable. Even if her parents had wanted to keep her, chances are, they wouldn't have simply because they too would have been shunned. So, little Carrington has spent the last 3 1/2 yrs. doing nothing much but laying in a bed with little interaction. How she survived her environment is only by the grace of God.


But, survive she did. All 11 pounds of her.   Yes. 11 pounds........she is 3 1/2 years old.  Remember, I said the picture didn't tell the whole story. I'm not sure when this picture was taken, but I can promise you, her frail little body is nothing but skin and bones. When I got to the hospital yesterday, I was looking forward to meeting her mom Shelly, but we just missed each other. After I walked into the room though, I was glad she had already gone because I got pretty emotional when I saw this baby girl and I sure didn't want to upset mom with MY emotions. But, after the initial shock, the nurse came in and told me she was SO MUCH better than when she first came in. They landed at DFW and immediately went to the hospital with her. I just can't imagine that plane ride home. The fear of, would she make it or not.  But God is good, and she is doing better and has even gained about 1 pound I think. She is just beautiful. Big ole brown eyes, pretty dark hair, and pretty darn loud!  I spent about 15 hours with her by myself and she slept only 3 of those hours!! So, we had lots of time to talk things over, sing and play and got lots of rocking in too.  She is being fed through a tube that goes in her nose down to her tummy. After she gains some more weight and gets stronger, they will run tests to see exactly whats going on with her.  The road ahead is going to be tough for her but not nearly as tough as the one shes been livin for the past 3 1/2 years. I'm so glad Shelly, Carrington's mom, allowed me to stay and love on her baby. She just blessed the socks off me!(stole that from you jill!) Thanks Shelly, may God bless you and your family and may He continue to strengthen this little princess.


Now, guess what I got in the mail today????!!!!! OUR VISAS!!! WOO HOO!!!!
Our dossier is in Great Britain as of today and that means it should be in country tomorrow.
So far everything(today!)is on track. 

Gabe playing

11 more days and we see our boy!! I just can't wait! Thanks for continuing to pray for Gabe and us. We are blessed and we are so thankful.



DROPS OF BLOOD

This morning I started to post about our exciting news but decided I would do it when i had more time, but in the mean time I wanted to check Julia's blog to see if there was any word on the Davis adoption. This is the family who were DENIED their son with DS.  After reading Julia's blog, I knew my exciting news had to wait and what she had posted needed to take its place. Please read this post and remember these families, and these precious kids who desperately need our prayers.  Here is Julia's post.



Kirill

"Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. 

 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Luke 22

Drops of blood. 

What a picture of Sacrificial Love. 

 The Creator of the Universe kneeling in a garden - anguishing over us to such an extent that even before He was placed on the cross - He was shedding blood for us. 

Why do I share that?

I received an e-mail this morning from Tesney Davis begging for prayers.  As I read her e-mail - as my spirit groaned for words to speak, knowing the utter anguish they are going through right now over Kirill - the picture of Jesus kneeling in the garden came to me.  Praying.  Wrestling.  Surrendering.   In anguish.  In utter sorrow.  Praying that God's will be done.  Regardless of the outcome.  Knowing that what He faced would ultimately kill Him. 

 But choosing Love.  For us.  So we could become Sons and Daughters of the King.

So that we can Love ourselves.

So that our lives - as His children - can be an offering.

He shed His blood for us so we too could LOVE in return.

Not for reward.

But because we first were Loved.

Adoption begins and ends with God.

The Davis family understands this.  The Hook family understands this too.  As does the Moreno family.

They understand that it is GOD who called them to adopt because He first adopted them.  They are securely in HIS grasp.  They know Him intimately and it is to HIM they cling in all the uncertainties that they are currently facing.

They are choosing to stand and fight a battle that may not be won this side of Heaven.

They know this.

They are fighting anyway.

They are fighting because the Creator of the Universe fought for them.  And won. 

They are now fighting for their children.  And the hundreds of other special needs children in that region who are voiceless and helpless.

It is beyond hard to love as they have come to love with the knowledge that losing is a real possibility.

They need us.

They need us to kneel beside them and pray with them.

We cannot sleep while they cry out in anguish for their little ones.

WE NEED TO BE KNEELING WITH THEM.

We need to storm heaven for the Davis family.  Pray for their lawyers, facilitators, the Supreme Court, the judge - the prosecutor. 

We need to cry out  for the Hook family.  The terror they are experiencing right now is beyond words.  Please pray for them.  They face this judge and prosecutor NEXT WEEK. 

The Moreno family - They just met their little one two days ago and are head over heels in love.   She's a spitfire.  She is ready to go home.  Today!

These families need us to be on our knees.

All the children in that region need us.

Pray that this case - these cases - cause an uproar that cannot be silenced. 

Pray for peace.  God's peace to fill each of their hearts.  Pray that He would be their Rock and Fortress.  That on Him they would lean.  Pray that His Presence would fill and sustain them as they walk through this dark valley. 

Pray so this little guy can come home.

PRAYER REQUESTS

The reason I started this blog was because of my passion for the unloved and unwanted orphans in this world. God has blessed my life by allowing me to be mom to one of "the least of these" kids. And God willing, we will be adding another one to our family in the next few months. But when I started this, I didn't know that part of the plan, but I did know without a doubt that I was suppose to do something. So, I decided the very least I could do was to try and raise awareness to anyone who would look and listen. Now, I will be the first to tell you that its hard to look at some of the pictures that I've shown on some of my previous posts. I've had people say to me, "thats just so depressing", or "it just makes me cry".......Yes, it is depressing and it makes me cry too. But, it also makes me know that I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. We are all called to do something for "the least of these."  I know not everbody is called to adopt, but I believe there are ALOT more people that God DOES call, but they look for, and find, excuse after excuse to not do it.  They just won't take that leap of faith, and by not doing it, they are missing the CHANCE OF A LIFETIME!  Just sayin.

Ok, on to the next VERY IMPORTANT part of this post.......PRAYER.  Not everyone can or will adopt, but everyone CAN pray, and that is what I'm asking from you right now. I know there are tons of needs right here in our own community, maybe right next door or perhaps right in your own home but I am asking, if you could find the time and find it in your hearts to please add  these families and their little ones to your prayer lists.


This is Kirill and his mom. This family has been trying to bring him home for months now and they finally got

their court date and everything looked good. After 5 hrs. in the court room the judge DENIED their adoption. The facilitators, the director of the orphanage, the parents and everyone else in the court room couldn't believe what they were hearing.........NO.    NO.  Adopt a healthy child, ok. But not this child. Not a "defective" child.

Never before has a child with down syndrome been adopted from this region. And there are two other families in this same country, awaiting this same judge in just a few weeks. Their kiddos also have special needs . Needless to say, they are scared to death.
The Davis family is appealing this decision and will know the outcome in 2 weeks. But their hearts and spirits right now are shattered. They have held Kirill in their arms, they have kissed his sweet face and laughed and played with him everyday since they've been in country. They have held him in their hearts for months now while they have been separated by an ocean. I am asking that you would join me and others who are praying for this family and this little one. Pray that God will give them peace of mind while they wait. Pray that God will hold Kirill safe and sound until they can get him out. Pray for the judge and the prosecuter hearing this adoption case,  that their hearts will be softened and they will come to see that these littles ones are loved and wanted and that they have great value.


This little one is Carrington.

Right now Carrington is fighting for her life at Cooks Childrens in Ft. Worth. She and another precious treasure were adopted from EE by the Burmans. They got back to the US on March 17th and went straight to the hospital. You see, under those fluffy pjs, was this pitiful little body. Only after lovingly changing her to put on her new clothes to leave the orphanage did they discover just how tiny she really was. Carrington is 3 1/2 and weighs only 11 pds. She was clinging to life by a thread. They prayed she would just make it to the US, until they could get her help.

These are the pictures that are so hard to look at. These are the kids that are laying in cribs or beds, day after day, night after night, unwanted and unloved.

We CAN DO SOMETHING.

PRAY.  and then pray some more.

These kids are saved ONE AT A TIME.

I have heard so many times......."Kim, you can't save them all."

Well, I have a couple of come backs for that, but I'm going refrain from them right now. But we can pray. EVERYBODY can pray for these families and these kids.

Don't miss out on a chance to be a part of this story. Be a part of bringing Kirill home. Be a part of helping to pray Carrington back to life.

This is being a part of the BODY OF CHRIST.

Thanks and if they could, the Davis' and the Burmans would thank you too.

For more information on adopting one of these treasures or if you feel led to be a prayer warrior for one of them, oh how they need our prayers, or if you want to give in the way of a donation towards their adoption, please go to Reece's Rainbow.

Make a difference...........BE that difference.

WHEW!!

Wow, what a CUH-RAAA-ZY week. I took off work all last week to finalize more paperwork so I could make a quick run to Austin to get all the documents APOSTILLED. Every document we have filled out had to be notarized. But that wasn't enough, they then want to make sure the person who did the notarizing was legit, so you have to go to the Secretary of State's office and have all the notarized then apostilled! I left my house at 5 am on Thursday, picked up my sweet daddy in Seymour, and headed out. We were in front of the Capital at 10:00. Now, thats pretty good time! It took all of 20 min. to get the "official" seal on the documents that had taken me hours to complete. I thought they would put some kind of gold approval ribbon???? or something more.... official looking than just a little ole black ink stamp. Well, at least they are done and headed to EE so we can get registered and get our travel dates.........I can't believe we may actually be traveling soon! Pray that all the documents are alright and the radiation levels stay normal for where we will be traveling. 

Now for alittle more about our week, last week.

Cole comes in at one point and its evident he's been thinking.  He says, "Kim, I need ask you something.....when you go get Gabe, will Russia come out your mouth???"  I say, "will Russia come out my mouth?, you mean will I be able to speak Russian when I get there???"........uh, YEA! I wish!!!!!
I could sure use me some ROSETTA STONE!

Wednesday morning we got to keep a good friends little one for awhile. Rylie had been going to track practice in the mornings but since I still had paperwork I needed to do , she stayed home Wed. morning to play with Karson. He is so cute and such a good baby. At one point I was in the office working and I could hear Rylie in the guest bathroom which is right next to our office. I'm thinking....I wonder where Karson is if she's in the bathroom doing her hair. So, I holler,"Rylie, wheres Karson?", and she replies, "Coles got him.".............uh....excuse me. what??? oh, holy cow!  I hurried in there to see WHERE he had him and this is what I found....

Just watchin alittle TV!!

And then Cole built them a fort!.......in which Karson feel asleep in. I think he just played out!
I believe Cole is going to be a pretty good big brother to Gabe. I know there will be trying times.....lots of trying times..............I can hardly wait.

Angels Around Us

WOW!!! Have you ever just talked and tried to explain something till your blue in the face.(or maybe RED in the face described me better!) I spent @ 3 hrs. off and on the phone yesterday afternoon with agency, DFPS, L1 Identity and Tx.Dept. of Pulic Safety trying to get something. I prayed and prayed to finally get a REAL person to talk to instead of those dang recordings and when i did get a REAL person, they talked just like the machines!  I am really NOT qualified to put all this together! But......while I was about to pull my hair out, I got the neatest message. Just what I needed at the time............THEY ARE HERE!!!! 

I JUST LOVE THEM!!!!

Thank you so much Kacy. Thank you so much church family for being the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you so much to everyone that has already said "I WANT ONE!."  We are "feelin the love" and we are just getting started!  Yep, I was needing something to break my bad, mad, way of thinking yesterday afternoon and this sure did it!!

Now, I wish I could say I got the answers I needed from the above agencies I was talking to, but I didn't so I will start again in just a bit. But first I have to tell you the rest of the story.

When Rick came in about 6 yesterday evening, I was still on the phone trying to work out some paper issues, but I saw when he walked in the door that he was pretty "frazzeled" looking. When I got off the phone, I stood up and pretty much just fell into his arms. He said, "sit down......I have to tell you something."I thought, "oh no...what now."

He began by telling me he had had a pretty bad day and how mad and upset he had been most of the day. And on top of a bad day at work, we had alittle(or big) mom,dad,kids knock down drag out at lunch yesterday! Oh the joys of modern technology.(new cell phone wanted) Anyway, Rick had a long, problem filled day and his attitude, he said, was not the best. And then he opened the mail.

A day filled with one problem after another.......a relaxed lunch(NOT) filled with wants and why nots, crying and hollering, an afternoon of more problems, and a man whos feeling the weight of a self owned business, lots of kids, a crazy wife and thats just the tip of the iceberg!!

AND THEN HE OPENED THE MAIL.

With tears in his eyes and in a soft, humble voice, he said, "Look at this", and handed me an envelope. Inside was a card some money. On one side it said, "LOVE GABE HOME", and on the other it said this:

The task ahead of us is

never as great as the Power behind us when

He is Lord of our life!

Wow. No matter what you face. No matter what kind of obstacles. The task ahead is never as great as the Power behind us when He is Lord of our life.

We just looked at each other with tears running down our faces. Neither one of us could say a thing.  We were so overcome with ......the very REAL presence of God. 

We don't know who sent us the LOVE GABE HOME love offering. But we know the love of God was behind it. And we prayed that whoever you are, that you will be blessed beyond measure, just as you have blessed us and touched our hearts.

We are so thankful.

I woke up at 4:30 with this scripture on my mind. So i will leave you with this thought,

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4

Hoping you have a day filled with peace!



BLESSED BEYOND WORDS

This little fellow doesn't know them yet, but he will.  Yes he will.  He will know every one of them and how they too, loved him, before he was even here. 

I am speaking of OUR CHURCH FAMILY.  What a blessing it has been for my family to become a part of this body of believers.  The first time we stepped foot in the door, they welcomed us with open arms and we felt as if we had always been there. 

Today, like every Sunday, LOVE filled the little chapel west of town  But today, that LOVE left me, almost speechless.  Childrens church today, was about a little boy named Gabe.  OUR GABE.  A storybook and a video, put together by a very talented and gifted member (thank you Kacy) of our church was shown, telling about the journey we are on to bring our new son home. And then after showing the video, our whole church all got up and gathered around us to pray for Gabe and all our family. I can't tell you how much that meant to us. You see our church family has put together a plan to raise funds to help us bring Gabe home.  Now, i'm going to be honest........this has taken me "out of my comfort zone" and I have really not known how to.....accept?.......this kind of love offering.......it just seems too much for them or anyone to do for us. Yes. I have had a hard time with this, but today......through my tears.....and their tears, I saw "their plan" in a whole new light.  You see, their plan, is not about helping me and Rick.  No.  It is not about us.  Their plan is, GOD'S PLAN. Its about love for one another. It's about "the least of these". It's about redemption. It's about THE CHURCH.......ONE BODY.......ONE GOD.   And everything we do......we do for HIM.

So with love and thankfulness in our hearts, we will graciously accept our church family plan to "LOVE GABE HOME."  And if God leads you to be a part of this, please know how grateful we are. You can visit Gabe's blog here or my blog right here. Thank you Believers Chapel.

 THE CHURCH............my CHURCH...............your CHURCH..............WE are the CHURCH.   I am so thankful to be a part of the FAMILY OF GOD.  

TRANSFERRED

Please meet Sasha and Nikolai.  Aren't they precious little boys! They are NOT brothers, but they were going to be and were just days away from meeting their mom and dad and then for some unknown reason, the family didn't come. Once again, they have no one to call their family.

SASHA

Sasha has a minor heart problem and probably FAS. I remember the first time I saw his picture on Reece's Rainbow. I knew before I even looked to see. I knew, FAS was going to be there. It isn't documented in his file, but listed on the site as "possible". Isn't he just precious! Somebody GO GET HIM!!

This is Niko

Just look at little Niko! He's almost too stinkin pretty to be a boy! Niko has a bladder condition that indicates an abnormality. He is also congnatively delayed and has a speech problem.

Both of these boys NEED families. They can be adopted together or apart, but the fact is, these little boys need a chance. They have both already been TRANSFERRED and the daily life they will be faced with now, will be much harder for them. As if the life they had wasn't already bad enough.

Both of these boys and many others are listed on Reece's Rainbow and or Project Hopeful. Both of these organizations are ministries that advocate for children with Down Syndrome, HIV and other special needs. They promote international adoption of these kiddos. If you haven't checked these out, go ahead and take the plunge! You never know what God has in store for you!

"I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ORPHANS. I WILL COME TO YOU."

John 14:18

JUST CHILLIN

Not much happening around here as far as the adoption goes. I had hoped to get some updated photos of Gabe but it doesn't look like thats going to happen just yet.  There are 2 families at his orphanage right now but Gabe's floor has been quarantined due to chicken pox. So, I don't know if they will be able to see him or not. But, on a good note....these 2 families had court last Friday, and everything went well. One of the families did get grilled for about 2 hrs.,  but then the other family was only in there like 30 minutes. Sure hope we are in the "30 min." category when we go!!!!  We are done with pre-dossier work and fixing to work on the court dossier papers. Its all coming together and I so hope we can travel soon.  It won't feel really "real" until I get on that plane!  Hope to know more this week and will share just as soon as I can. Please remember to pray for Gabe's health and for all the little ones that need a family to find them. Thanks.

THE COST

Seems like the questions that are asked most often about our adoption are these...... Why are you doing this and is it expensive.  Well, I have already answered the "why" question in another post, so I guess its time to answer the other one. Is it expensive??? Yes. Yes. Yes.  Will that stop us.......NO. NO. NO!  You see, the way I look at it, its like this......It's a life. As a matter of fact, its our son's life. If one of my other kids was being held hostage in another country, or heck, if they were being held just down the street, for a ransom, would I stop and consider how much it was before I would pay it?? No. I would do whatever I had to do to save my child. Now, I won't lie, for months while I was wrestling with HOW was I going to answer this call, I kept telling myself, "we don't have the money, we don't have the money." And, regardless of what my good friend Mike says(thats for you friend)....money does NOT grow on mesquites trees here on our place!!! But I will tell you this, for whatever the reason, Rick's work has been steady this winter and that is not usually the case. We have been very blessed with the work he has. Granted, he is draggin pretty bad, but its a "good" draggin. "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord".......most of you know the rest of that scripture. I believe thats why his work has been steady. God knew the plans He had for us, and He knew we needed all the extra work we could get in order to start this process.  I had also been saving up for my trip to Africa to help at an orphanage there. My plans were to go in late May or early June and I could hardly wait! BUT, God had other plans for me! Its a really neat story how this all came about. I will share that at another posting though. Anyway, back to the COST of this adoption. I know this is alot of money but like I said earlier......we are talking about a LIFE. You can't put a price tag on that. I have followed several families the past 9 months and I have watched God provide for them. Some have had to delay going to get their kids because they didn't have the money yet. But everytime, God. has provided a way.....they have all been able to go and get their kids and bring them home.
So, with all that said, I am going to give you a break down of what our adoption is going to cost. Keep in mind that, depending on which country you go to and which orphanage you go to, the cost can vary from @ $20,000 to $40,000 dollars. Here is the break down of ours:

Reece's Rainbow Donation                         250.00        
RR Voice of Hope Fund                               25.00        
Homestudy                                                  1100.00     
HAPS Russian Reg. Fee                              2000.00    
HAPS Agency Expenses                                 655.00
HAPS Homestudy Review                            600.00     
Foreign Program Expenses                          4000.00
(Gov.agency, filing fees, legal fees, escort and court translator in country, liaison work with Ministry of Ed., Ministry of Health, Court, Orphanage, translation of reports)
USCIS application fee for I600A                  720.00
USCIS fingerprinting per person                    85.00
Round trip airfare for 2(2 trips)                    3600.00-8000.00
Accommodations and food (26days)             6500.00-8900.00
Visa fee (child)                                                 404.00
Child Medical Exam for Visa                          150.00
Visas for parents                                             825.00  
Childs airfare                                                270.00-1800.00
Child's reg. w/country Consulate in US             50.00
Evaluation of child's information by med.expert  400.00-1000.00
Parents 8-point medical in country                    500.00-1000.00 per person

TOTAL EXPENSES                                    $32,564.00                                                                                

Not included in that are our physicals, and copies of B.C's, Marriage License, etc.  @ $300.00 


We are hoping since Rick won't be staying the extended stay on the second trip, that we can knock off some expenses there. Honestly, when I look at these figures, I am taken back abit.  Well.......actually, right now.......i'm taken back........alot! This was one of the first things we got (list of expenses) and I just stuck it in a folder and started filling out papers! Now, to see all these figures, its kinda breath taking.

Wait a minute.......thats not right.......THIS LITTLE GUY IS BREATH TAKING........Yep, every time I look at his sweet face, I know exactly why we are doing this expensive adoption. We will pay the ransom,  and we will do it with joy in our hearts because we know without a doubt, this is what we are suppose to do.

Now for the part that I don't know how to do. 

I layed awake last night for several hrs. thinking about this. The cost of this adoption and how to go about telling others or asking others to join in and help us bring this boy home. And then I'd think, NO, I can't do it. We took this on and I cannot......I will not ask for help from others. But then, I started thinking about something I told my grandmother. My Mama King can be a very stubborn lady and does pretty much what she wants to when she wants to and she doesn't like for anybody to have to do for her. Not long ago I was getting on to her because she said something like,"I don't want her doing anything for me." I told her that by not letting this lady help her, she was maybe DENYING that lady a blessing. The lady wanted to help her because she cared about her. Not because she thought she had to, but because she cared about her and she wanted to do something good for someone.

Reece's Rainbow is set up where you can make a difference even if you can't adopt. So many more families would step up if the money was there for the child they felt led to. If you haven't checked out RR, then do it now! And if you are familiar with the site, then you know that there is a Family Sponsorship Page where you can donate to families that have committed to a child and are in the process of bringing them home. Every little bit helps.
And if you would like to help "love Gabe home", on my right side bar at the top of my blog, there is a picture of Gabe that you can click on and it will take you to the Family Page, or right below Gabe's picture, there is a box for the Decker fund and you can click the donate button and go from there.

I've never done anything like this before so forgive me if I've messed up words here. We are so thankful for our family and friends that have been supportive to us. Thank you Waldo and Judy. You will never know how much your gift and your faithfullness and kindness has meant to us. Also, Gabe has $100 in his account and I don't know who put it there but God does! Thank you so much. Please continue this journey with us. We are putting together our dossier right now and our visas have been sent for and should be here next week.  I found out yesterday that 2 families are at Gabe's orphanage right now and were going to surprise us with photos of him but he's on the second floor (theirs are on the first) and that floor is quarantined because of chicken  pox. I guess my baby has the chicken pox!! Maybe they can sneak afew shots in. Please pray for Gabe's health, that he will stay strong until we can get there.  And please, please pray for all those that have no one coming for them yet. Thanks abunch.