Two things on Tuesday

There is a Tastefully Simple party going on right now and 25% of the proceeds will benefit Naomi's Fig fund. You can order some yummy mixes and Naomi's FIG fund can get some of the proceeds.  If you haven't read the story of Naomi you can go here.  You can order online and all of the details are found on her blog.   Would you please join us in praying for Naomi and her future family too? 

If you are a Mom of a boy there is a great June calendar from Brooke McGlothlin and the MOB Society.  The calendar is based on the ebook Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys by Brooke McGlothlin.  You can go here to read about the MOB society and here to print out the calendar.

Happy Tuesday!

Love

Tracy



July 10th

We had some great news this week.  Totally out the blue we got a court date! July 10th! The last thing we were expecting was to be heading back to UG this summer. We are still in shock but so excited! Once again, God is showing us that he is in control of this whole process and our job is to trust. 

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23



Please continue to pray for J, those involved in the case and for our appearance in court!

Love
Tracy

I believe

I believe in the Sun even when it is not shining;

I believe in Love even when I am alone;

and in God even when He is silent.

-Words scratched on the walls of a cellar in Cologne, Germany

by a Jew hiding from Nazi persecution.

This is one of my favorite quotes and I had no idea that  BarlowGirl had written a song about it!

Love

Tracy

It's happening right now...

The coolest silent auction is going on right now.  My friend, Megan, has put together an incredible auction to benefit Naomi's future family.  Naomi is a sweet little girl who has been waiting for a family to adopt her and my good friend Meg is working so hard to find her family!  Go over to The Sweet Naomi blog and check out all of the cool items.
Just check out a few of these items:

There are so many other great things up for auction like Ethiopian coffee, necklaces, and purses/bags.  Please go check it out.

Or you can  just donate to Naomi's FIG account.  Have you heard of a FIG account?  I didn't understand it very well until Meg explained it.  I have just copied her explanation because she worded it so perfectly.

So I realized I did not explain what a FIG fund was very well. The FIG program is a program through Project Hopeful. Project Hopeful educates and advocates for orphans with HIV, and other special needs.

FIG stand for “Family In the Gap”. We are committing to being that family for Naomi for a short time until her adoptive family finds her!

Zechariah 3:10 In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.

“Throughout the Bible, the fig tree is a literal as well as symbolic fixture. Its name, ‘Te-enah’ figuratively means to ‘spread out’, giving the sense of safety and security. In this same way the Project Hopeful FIG Program exists to provide safety and security for the orphan by bridging the gap between where the child is, an orphanage, and where the child yearns to be, in a family. Each

FIG member will cover their child in prayer, advocate for a permanent family, and raise funds to help make it possible

We feel a special responsibility to God to care for orphans and to support families called to the adoption of these children. It is our dream and vision that NO child affected by HIV or other severe special need is waiting for their forever home due to ignorance or lack of funding. By becoming a FIG member you join with Project HOPEFUL in refusing to forget the children left behind.”

We are committing to pray for, fundraise for, advocate for and educate for Naomi.

The FIG fund (or the fundraising piece) is set-up to help remove the barrier of finances from a family saying “yes” to Naomi! Finances are the biggest barrier next to fear in keeping children from being adopted.

Here is the link to donate to her FIG fund!









 

If you don't want to bid on anything from the silent auction, would you consider making a donation to Project Hopeful for Naomi?

Love

Tracy

Time for another book

It has been our tradition to buy J a book each month, as we wait for him to come home.  His stash of books is getting very large so, this month I bought a book for the whole family. I have been looking for a book that we could use together to learn about UG.  I came across this "textbook" and had to get it.

This book is part of a series by Scholastic called Enchantment of the World.  Uganda's history, culture and geography are explored in detail in this book.  The authors take you from the early days of Ug's history to British East Africa to Ugandan independence to present day Uganda.  It is a well written book and has a wealth of information.  The photography in the book is so vivid and beautiful. Jake and Elyse have loved just looking through all of the pictures.  We have enjoyed learning about Ug and look forward to being able to share it with J.

Have a great weekend!
Love
Tracy

 

Fingerprints (again) and a really easy recipe

We found out today that we have a  fingerprint appointment on May 25th.    To  apply for an orphan visa you have to go through a fingerprint clearance.  Our current fingerprints expire in July.  Obviously, we had thought our process would be over by now but that is not the case.  We are thankful we got an appointment so quickly! We wish everything could be done this quickly! :)

This brownie recipe was given to me by my Mom and it is so good and so incredibly easy!

Cake Mix Brownies
1 butter yellow or chocolate cake mix
1 egg
1/3 cup of water
1/3 cup of oil
chocolate chips

Blend the egg, water and oil into the cake mix.  Once mixed, add chocolate chips (I use about half of a bag).  Grease a 9x13 pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Love
Tracy

A small update

Good things happened in our case this week.  I wish I could share the details of the  last couple of weeks  but I can't at this point.  We are closer to bringing J home than we were at the start of this week and that is a good thing.  It is still going to be much longer than we wanted or expected it to be, but that is o.k.  Thankfully we are with an agency who wants to do things the right way.

Please continue to pray for sweet J!  Also, please pray for those handling our case that they would have wisdom as they work the case.

Happy Mother's Day!  I am  excited to not only celebrate Mom's day with my kiddos but I also get to celebrate 17 years of marriage to my best friend!!

Have a great weekend!
Love
Tracy