Roll Tide!

So the next step (and almost the final step in phase one of our adoption, the Home Study) is some education. With the money we raised from our most recent fundraiser, we have enrolled in the required online courses we have to take.

One of the classes we have to take is 12 hours of online reading and videos through the National Council for Adoption.

Our other class is a parenting class that we are required to take through the University of Alabama. So, this would mark the 5th institute of higher learning where I've taken classes in my lifetime.

I thought I was done with school. But, if it helps us bring our child home, I'm all for it. Roll Tide!

Wild China

In our quest to learn more and more about China, we've stumbled upon a really fascinating documentary. It's called Wild China, and was produced by the BBC. If you watched Planet Earth, Wild China is a lot like that. Incredible images of an incredibly beautiful country. Here's a shot of terraced rice farms from the first episode:

It is a fascinating country, full of much beauty. 

Watch all the episodes Wild China for yourself here:

Thanks!

We just wanted to say a word of thanks for your support through our most recent fundraiser. We were so excited to see so many of you shopping at delicatefortress.com and making a difference in the lives of so many women. And, the money we raised helps us accomplish our next step in our adoption process, which is awesome.

Let me encourage you to continue to shop at delicatefortress.com. Even though our fundraiser week is over, it is still a great place to shop where your purchases can help break the poverty cycle for so many people.

Also, if you would like to continue to support us, there are still ways to do that. You can see a full list of ways to help here. The easiest way to help is to buy things through Amazon, using the link on our blog (here). It doesn't cost you any extra money, but we get a percentage of every Amazon purchase you make.

So thanks again for your support. We are so grateful to each of you for your prayers and your contributions.

Delicate Fortress: Happening Now!

As our family has educated ourselves on issues related to adoption, we've quickly realized that it is a very complex issue. There are multiple reasons that people choose to give up a child, and this is especially true in developing world countries. The cycle of poverty leaves many women and children in precarious places where the only options seem to be submitting to the horrors of forced labor and human trafficking. 

As our family is on our own journey, we want to do what we can to help other children and women escape from the cycle of poverty and oppression. That's why we're excited to share with you about the work going on at delicatefortress.com. This organization gives women dignity and hope by providing them a chance to earn a fair wage. When you purchase the jewelry, clothing, and goods at delicatefortress.com, your purchase directly benefits local artisan women, giving them a fair wage for their work, and giving them a chance to avoid the trap of so many women and children in the world. 

If you make purchases using the coupon code HARRISON during the week of Oct. 10-16, a portion of your proceeds will help offset the cost of our international adoption. We are honored to be partnering with delicatefortress.com to make a difference for women and children all over the world.

Terra Cotta Warriors

You've probably heard of one of China's most fascinating archeological discoveries. The first emperor of China, the person who united seven warring states into one empire, was a little eccentric. A lot of wealthy people in ancient cultures wanted to be buried along with statues or other icons. The idea was that these statues would come to life so that the emperor would have soldiers or servants to wait on him in the afterlife. But this guy outdid them all. He commissioned the creation of 8,000 terra cotta soldiers, each standing six feet tall.

When Anne and I were in New York several years ago, we had the privilege of seeing some of these terra cotta warriors first hand at a special exhibit at the Guggenheim. One thing that is amazing about them, is that each one of the soldiers is unique. All 8,000 of them have unique facial features and unique details to their uniforms. It is simply amazing to think about how they were created.

Thinking about the terra cotta warriors, makes me think of the countless orphans in China. Each child is unique, loved by God, and in need of love from others. Just like you and me. Part of the emotional process of adopting has been reconciling the fact that we are not just picking one out of the thousands of orphans in the world, but we are uniting ourselves with an individual child. Just like these terra cotta warriors at first glance seem like just a faceless army, they are in fact all unique.

We are praying for all the orphans in China and throughout the world, but won't you please join us in praying also for our individual, unique child?

You can also check out this fascinating documentary about the terra cotta warriors:

Yard Sale Update

Well over 600 cookies, 5 dozen muffins, 30 loaves of bread, 16 families participating....our garage sale is over. To say it was a success is an understatement. I'm just gonna put it our there...we raised $1600. Now we've done garage sales before...I've never made over $200. We had some amazing people bring amazing things. Literally people were dropping things off and before it would get off the truck, it would sell. We were very open about why we were having a garage sale and people were genuinely supportive of our plans to adopt. Total strangers would pay with a twenty dollar bill and say keep the change.

Now to do our home study we needed $2600. So it seemed interesting to me that we would raise $1600...$1000 shy of what we needed. Later Saturday, a sweet friend called...the same friend who gave us $250 before...and our conversation went like this:

her: so how'd you do?

me: we did well...$1600! pretty incredible. I'm excited but I really prayed God would provide the $2600. We are $1000 short.

her: laughing, laughing, laughing...(this friend has a wonderful, contageous laugh)

me: why are you laughing?

her: Anne...I just spoke with my husband. We received an unexpected amount of money and we wanted to share with you...$1000.

Isn't our God incredible?! He provided, yes...but he provided exactly what we needed...not more, not less. Many of you know we also suggested buying coffee from Just Love Coffee Co the same day we did the garage sale. Guess how much we sold...zero...nadda...not one. Now I'm not saying this to make people feel bad...I don't even like coffee. I'm saying this because I want you to recognize with me how big our God is. He is the one who stirs the hearts of his people to be generous. He is the one who meets our every need. It is His Spirit that draws out good in us to serve others. It was as though God was saying..."Hey...we are doing this together. I'm gonna bless your socks off..each step of the way."

Friends, let me encourage you today, as I have been encouraged...our "God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8) Trust him. He is faithful today and he will be faithful again. 

Home Study Today!

Just a quick note to let you know that we are scheduled to have our home study this afternoon. A social worker will come to our house and inspect it to make sure we are fit parents for adoption. 

Needless to say, we are not too worried about it, but we do appreciate your prayers. The home study gets up one step closer to finalizing our adoption!

Papers Papers Papers

When I was in the fifth grade, we had a big project due. We had to turn in all our previous papers from the last 6 week period. They had to be bound nice and neat in a folder. The papers had to placed in chronological order, holes punched, and a neat table of contents. I can remember this like it was yesterday. . . everyone around me, quietly doing their work, and seemingly enjoying the project. And then there was me, crumpled papers falling here and there. I couldn't match the holes. I was missing half of the pages due in the project. The pages kept falling and falling and falling. I reached my boiling point. I stood up in the middle of the classroom, threw my papers in the air and screamed, "I HATE THIS!!" My teacher quietly looked up as papers floated to the floor all around us and asked what any teacher in her right mind would ask, "Anne Patton! What in the world is wrong with you?!"

I am not good with paper work. It's an innate problem in me and anyone that knows me, knows organization is also not one of my spiritual gifts. Nor is administration of any kind. I have worked through the emotional trauma this has caused me, and I am totally at peace that God made people like me to make people who are good at paperwork to feel good about themselves. And I'm OK with this. I am good at other things. My self esteem has healed. I have found peace. 

Guess what 95% of adoption is...yup...paperwork. Needless to say...we cherish your prayers. There are mounds and mounds of paperwork. And then there's more paperwork. I know this mountain before us is climbable. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. And I remind myself we can. I can because:

^"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." -Ephesians 3:20 & 21

If paperwork is a step...be it my least favorite thing to do...it is worth is to bring our baby home. And He who is able will equip me. PRAISE GOD! He will equip me.