Yard Sale/Bake Sale Update

We've been having a lot of fun with our yard sale/bake sale update. We've got fresh goodies for you to eat, and fresh coffee brewed. Not to mention all the stuff for sale!
Speaking of coffee, I wanted to share with you one more time how you can help, even if you can't come out to the sale. 

We've partnered with Just Love Coffee Roasters, a great company that sells fair trade, organic coffee and coffee related merchandise. If you start buying your coffee from them, through the link below, then we get a portion of the proceeds. It's easy, safe, and the coffee is delicious. Just click on the image below to start shopping:


Check out our store here.

Thanks!

Got Questions?

  
We've encountered quite a few questions from different folks as we've announced our adoption plans to our friends and family. We'd love to be able to answer them all, at least as much as we can. (We're beginning to realize that the more we learn, the more we see how much there is to learn about adoption.)

If you've got burning questions, leave a comment below. In a future post, We'll do our best to answer them.

Yard Sale/Bake Sale This Weekend!

Just a reminder that we'll be having our garage sale and bake sale this Saturday, September 28th. Be sure to stop by and check us out if you are in town.

If you are not in town with us, then you can still show your support. We're asking everyone to buy some coffee from our partner site on this Saturday, September 28th. For everything you buy, we get a portion of the proceeds. It's easy, safe, and anonymous.


Check out our store to shop for great coffee and supplies. Just click the green button on the left side of the page.

Drink Coffee, Change Lives

I am super excited to share with you one of the easiest and yummiest ways that you can partner with us. Those who know me know that I love coffee. That's why I was overjoyed when I encountered Just Love Coffee Roasters. They are a roastery that makes fair trade organic coffee. The best part is that when you buy coffee, mugs and accessories, and apparel from them, a portion of the proceeds go to support our adoption.

Here's what we're asking everyone to do: on Saturday, September 28th, we'll be having a yard sale and bake sale to raise money for our adoption. If you are local, come on over and join us. If you live out of town from us, we're asking that everyone buy some coffee through our link. It's an easy way that you can show your support, and you get great coffee. Even if you don't drink coffee, you can always buy a mug or a t-shirt. So mark your calendars for September 28th. If you are in town, stop by for our garage sale and bake sale. If you are out of town, stop by the online coffee shop and help us bless our Chinese child.

Check out our store to shop for great coffee and supplies. Just click the green button on the left side of the page.

Tax Deductible Donations

Just wanted to let everyone know that you can make tax deductible donations to help support our adoption. If you are interested in making a donation, simply write a check to:

Trinity Baptist Church
595 Abbott Rd.
Walla Walla, WA 99362
509-525-3032
Indicate "adoption" in the memo line of your check.

Thanks for your support, and especially for your prayers. Let us know if you have questions. 

God Said "Yes!"

I don't know about you but sometimes it's hard for me to know for sure if God wants me to do something. It's like "OK, God...I'm gonna do it now...I really am...I am gonna do it...OK. I'm serious. I really am..." All the while waiting for Him to say "STOP!" That's kind of how it has been with this adoption idea. It is something that has been on my heart for years but only recently did Kris and I feel like we were on the same page. But even as I filled out our application I felt nervous. Nervous about our country choice, our family's readiness to do this, and even our ability. As I finished the last bit of paperwork for our application, I prayed, "OK, God. If this is what you want make it happen. We're ready." I set down my pen and ran an errand. While I was out...not an hour later...I got a phone call from a dear, sweet soul sister. I told her our decision, told her that I had finished the application, and that I was waiting for God to provide the first $250 we needed to turn in the application. Our conversation went like this:

Her: "What did you say?"
Me: "Yeah. It's $250 just to turn in the application."
Her: "HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"
Me: "Why are you laughing?"
Her: "Anne, I called you to get your address. We have a check on our counter I wanted to send you for...$250."
Me: crying crying crying

So it was like God was like: "GO! I got your back! Let's make this happen."

And so here we go. We are gonna have a baby!

Shop Amazon, Change Lives

As we've gone through this process, we've tried to find some creative ways that people can contribute to our adoption. Here's one of the easiest, where everyone wins:

If you are like us, you shop at Amazon. If you are like us, you shop at Amazon a lot. We've got a link that allows you to shop at Amazon, just like you normally do, but in the process you contribute to our goal of bringing our child home from China.



We hope you take advantage of this opportunity. If you have questions, let us know.

You Can't Make this Stuff Up

I was having lunch with a guy recently, and we met at Panda Express. I don't eat there very often, but this time in particular, I was thinking about China, about Chinese food, and about our adoption plans. All those things were rolling around in my mind when I opened my fortune cookie. Here was my fortune:

As you might imagine, I was pretty freaked out. What kind of a fortune is this, anyway? 

As I reflected on this statement, though, I thought, "Really, this is what we want to do." I don't mean that we want to adopt out of charity, or because we feel bad for the 150 million orphans in the world (although we do). That is not the mentality that has led us to this decision.

We want to adopt because we love. We love our kids. We love that our kids are so loving to others. And we want to share that love with more and more people. It is weird to think that we can already love a child that we've never met, but that is how we feel. We are excited about what God is doing in our lives, and we're excited to share it with you.

Our Big News!

There is a Chinese proverb that speaks of an invisible red thread connecting people across time and across distance. No matter how separated people might be, the red thread forms an invisible connection between them. For some time now, we have felt just such a “tugging” in our lives. 

That’s why we want to share with you exciting news about our family. We have begun the process of adopting from China. We feel that God is leading us to grow our family, and we are excited to see what He will do in us and through us as a result of this process. We know that this decision will affect not only our immediate family, but you as well. We know that the adoption journey is an adventure with many twists and turns, and only God knows what lies ahead. 

That’s why we’re hoping that you will join us in this journey. There are several ways that you can partner with us:

First, you can pray along with us. The international adoption process is full of paperwork, waiting, and navigating the red tape of two different governments. There are many things that could go wrong, which means that there are many ways that God can come through in the way that only He can. Will you commit to praying regularly for us? We’ll be posting regular updates right here, at harrisonadoption.blogspot.com. Every time you read a blog post here, you can stop and pray for us and for the child we will one day bring home. It is almost overwhelming for us to think that there is a child who has already been born in China waiting to be united with his or her forever family.

Another way that you can begin to support this child is through words of encouragement. We’d love to hear from you ourselves, but as you begin to open your heart to accepting this child, you might consider writing a note for them. The child we adopt will more than likely be a toddler by the time they are home. They will have already been through more change and tragedy than could fill a lifetime. However, what a joy it will be when, as this child begins to wrestle with their own identity, they could know that a huge circle of friends and family is standing behind them in love from before they were known in person.

One final way that you can help us weave our red thread is to contribute financially. Adoption is a very expensive process, and we know that God will provide for us. But we also know that God stirs the hearts of people towards generosity. Our blog will show you some creative ways that you can donate, such as donating Frequent Flyer Miles, buying t-shirts we’ll be creating, etc. (Be sure to check out the link to fair trade, organic coffee. When you buy through our blog, we get proceeds, you get great coffee). We’ll be starting some other fundraisers soon (see the tab on the right), doing everything we can to raise the needed money. If you are interested in partnering with us, the simplest way is to donate through PayPal.

Thank you for the love and support you have already shown us. Again, we will be updating this blog regularly with pieces of information about China, adoption, and the adventure we are on. We look forward to the journey ahead, knowing that you all are with us, along for the ride.