Why do I doubt?

When most people bring up adoption, finances are always brought up as well. Adoption is EXPENSIVE. There no other way to say it. We have heard countless adoption stories of how the Lord provided the perfect amount of money for people at just the right time. Hearing these stories makes me happy for these people that the Lord provided for them, but I doubted that something like that would happen to us. Sure, maybe we would be given money...but the PERFECT amount and the PERFECT time? Right. Well...it DID happen...to US! Why do I doubt that my God who loves me would choose to bless me in that way? We had to write a check this month for $5000. And yes...a check...no credit cards. We were scraping it together...literally. And stalling for as long as possible to send in the money. We really needed around $1500.

Brian went to the mailbox and started opening the mail (I was at my parents with the boys). He opened a card from a longtime friend of mine. A friend that I had recently been in contact with again, but really had not stayed in touch with for the past 10 years or so. This friend is newly married and I am sure could think of a million ways to spend their money. But the Lord prompted her and her husband to give...and they listened. In the mail, was a check for $1500. Brian called me with tears in his eyes (a rare occurrence) and told me. I was speechless, shaking, and in shock. That was the exact amount we needed! I didn't even have this friend's phone number to thank her "in person".  I seriously was going to have to send an email to thank someone who just blessed us like that?! When I tried to put into words what we were feeling...they were of course insufficient. But her words to me, have stuck like glue..... "No words are needed. It's all God's money anyways".   It is ALL His! The $30,000 we are going to spend to give an orphan a home....its GOD's....and THIS is how he has told us to use HIS money. Why would we choose to spend that amount of money on a child, when we can have biological children? Because one of God's dearly loved children is halfway across the world and has no one to love her....and He has asked us to go get her. We are so humbled and honored that Christ would call us to this great journey.

Home for the Holidays

I have been constantly reminded through this, that none of these fundraisers has anything to do with us....its has EVERYTHING to do with GOD and Him prompting people's hearts to give. We have been blown away by your generosity and how our family and friends are already loving on this little girl! I cannot wait to show her the names of the people that gave sacrificially and cared enough about her to help give her a home! "Thank you" does not even begin to voice how we are feeling. We are completely humbled at how you have blessed us! 

We had 348 entries for this fundraiser! WOW! The Lord has done so much in our hearts this month as we have seen donations come in. The generosity of others has confirmed again in our hearts that we are supposed to be doing this! And that the Lord is going ahead of us and providing for our every need!  Even though there were 348 entries, that does not include a very generous gift by someone that refused to be put in the drawing. This young family donated an amount that I'm sure could have been used for a million other things. The Lord prompted their hearts and they followed His leading! Again, this is all the LORD! Whether the gift was $5 or more, we were humbled by every donation that was given. The Lord used every giver and every donation to encourage us at just the right time. Through your gifts, we were able to conquer the first major financial hurdle (more on that to come). God has done so much and I know we will forever be changed by this journey and the generosity that you have shown.

Our Home Study

Last week we had our last interview for our home study. I was so intimidated by the home study process before we started! I imagined this mean little lady sitting across the table from us, asking all sorts of probing questions. When I walked into our first interview, my fears were immediately put to rest. Our social worker was our age, with kids the same ages as ours, so sweet, and someone I would be friends with. We enjoyed getting to know her throughout the interviews! The interviews were not what I expected....there were a lot of "get to know you questions", and a lot of questions about how we grew up and what our families were like. WHAT A BLESSING it was to get to say that ALL of our parents and grandparents are still married and to get to talk about what great homes we grew up in.

So now we wait until it the home study is written up and completed...hopefully just a few weeks.  Once it is completed we can start applying for grants AND send our dossier (lots of paperwork) to Ethiopia! Then we WAIT and wait and wait. Wait to get a referral and see her sweet picture, then wait for a court date, and then wait to go get her! Honestly though, I'm ready to wait. I know its not going to be easy...and I will become impatient, but while I am waiting I get to PLAN. Plan for a little girl to come into our home! I am so immersed in paperwork and what needs to happen next, that I haven't had time to really think about getting to plan for a little GIRL!  So, I'm excited about that:)

I am also so excited about getting to draw a name for who gets the "Home for the Holidays" gift basket! We will draw a name on Sunday. We have been completely overwhelmed at the generosity of our friends and family! We are so humbled at how the Lord is using people to bless us! I cannot wait to bless someone with lots of things for the holidays!

Its official....

It's official....we have a walker! Levi is walking everywhere now:) He is so proud of himself and such a happy boy!

Levi's stats

Levi went in for his 1 year checkup yesterday....yes, he is 13 1/2 months old. He weighed 23 lbs (50th percentile and was 31 inches tall (75th percentile).  Levi is quite the momma's boy and his doctors appointment was typical Levi.....the child screamed his lungs out when he was getting weighed, screamed when he had to lay down on the table to get measured......but sat perfectly still and did not shed a tear when they pricked his finger and drew blood (because his mommy held him for that). Yes, thats my boy. No fear, as long as mommy's holding him! Oh, and a side note: Levi's height and weight at 13 1/2 months old is the exact weight Brody was at 10 months. Levi is not little...Brody is a giant:)

The Weight Of It All

I think everything is  finally sinking in... There is no doubt that adoption is a calling for our family from the Lord. We know that He has already begun a work and is continuing that work in us through this process. Now that we are actually in the process, the weightiness of everything starts to settle in. This by no means diminishes our passion and pursuit of this calling for our lives, it just means that we are more aware of all of the struggles and obstacles that come along with it. I explained it to someone like this... If you've ever prepared for a camping or hiking trip, your bag feels great when your still in your living room. You pack everything you need, put it on to make sure you can handle it... and think, this won't be too bad. Then... the hike actually starts. You get a few miles down the trail and start thinking about how long the trail actually is, and then start contemplating what you might be able to do without. The weight of your pack sinks in and you realize how long of a road you might be on.

Before we began the actual process and everything was still in the "one day" stages, adoption was no big deal, with no paper work to wade through, no waiting lists to get and stay on, and no checks to write. Everything has changed! I can honestly say however, we have never been as excited about adoption. The more we get into it, the more we understand God's heart for orphans and understand the role that church can play. We are so humbled by fact that we get to play a small part in His big story. We are really glad that our children get to be a part of this story as well. Brody asks so many questions now about Africa, and orphans, and clean water... He regularly counts his change in his piggy bank and offers to share everything to get his "baby sister". His eyes are being opened and his heart warmed to something other than the American dream and selfishness. Its got me thinking... maybe this adoption is just as much or more for us as it will be for her...

How you can help!

Even though everyone is not called to adoption, we are all called by God to take care of the orphans. The way you care for them can look different in each family. Here are some ways that you can be a part of our adoption story and help bring a little girl to a home where she is loved and cared for.....

1) PRAY PRAY PRAY! There are SO many ways you can pray for us during this journey.
*Our little girl is being carried by a woman who may or may not care for her. Pray for her and her mother's health.
*Pray that our process would go smoothly. There is a mountain of paperwork that has to be completed and delivered and accepted into the right hands.
*Pray that our baby girl would be well cared for while we wait to go get her.
*Pray for us as we raise funds. This is an expensive process and money is due all along the way. We are trusting the Lord to provide it at the exact right time!
*Pray for patience as we wait:)
2)Host a yard sale or have a home party where the proceeds go to help our adoption!
3) Donate frequent flier miles or a plane ticket to help with our travel. We will be traveling to Ethiopia twice.
4)Donate to help pay for our travel expenses, visa fees, in country medical visits, etc. by donating to our Paypal fundraising account. Just click the “Donate” button above to the right. Or you can donate by mailing a check. Email us at janakohout@hotmail.com for our address.
Adoption is expensive! But we feel called by the Lord to do this and we know he will provide. Here is a breakdown of the expenses that we will encounter along the way....

Expenses so far: $22,278

Application Fee- $300
Home Study- $1,534
Doctor Visits/Medical clearance- $100
Police clearance- $34
Agency Fee- $5,000
Dossier document collection- $150
Dossier Fee-  $1,000

USCIS- I-600A (application for advance processing of orphan petition)- $720

Fingerprinting- $170
GOA grant application fee- $40
Program Fee- $10,000
court trip (air fare, lodging, visas, etc) $3,000 - thanks to frequent flyer miles!
Fee for child visa- $230

Expected Expenses: $6,130

Air fare pick up trip- $3,700
Food, lodging, transportation costs in Ethiopia ($160 per day for 8 days total)- $1,280
Gifts for staff- $400
Follow-up home study fees for first year home- $750

GRAND TOTAL- $28,408