COURT DATE!!

We are so excited to be traveling next month to meet our little boy and become his parents! It is beyond to overwhelming to finally get to this point after almost two years. I guess I feel like I am about 8 months pregnant and looking forward to meeting our child for the first time. Just speechless... Thank you all for your continued prayers and for joining us on this journey we were called to, God bless.

In the meantime...

It's been almost two months since we've seen our little boy's face. The time has flown considering the month of December is always crazy. And this month we have been looking forward to Jan 23 (our MOWCYA court date). We will be praying that a positive letter is written for our family. MOWCYA was behind last week on their letter writing so the families who had court dates last week didn't hear anything. Please pray with us that there will be big movement in Ethiopia this week! While we sleep Tuesday nite, the courts will be in session (they are 8 hrs ahead-see time travel is possible ;)) If the letter isn't there for Wed then it should be shortly thereafter. Once we get the positive letter we will be able to start planning our first trip to ET. We can't wait to see our little man in person!! We had someone in our adoption group travel this past week and she was able to take a video and get pics of Mr. T for us. Priceless. He is an adorable little boy with an infectious smile and bright eyes. In the video he kept waving, blew us a kiss and said, "Hiya Mama!" We have lost count of how many times we have watched it. We can not wait to share him with you all!! We have been learning a few words in his language to be able to comfort him and take care of his needs. It has been very interesting to say the least :) Please continue to pray for Mr. T and our family that the Lord would prepare our hearts for all that is about to happen in the next few months. Also be praying tomorrow that we would have a positive letter from MOWCYA to move forward with our court date. If any of you are led, we will also be taking donations for the orphanage there. Current Priority Transition Home Needs Child-sized cotton blankets Foam/Rubber (lightweight) soccer/playing balls for toddlers Diaper cream, specifically with zinc oxide (Desitin or Boudreaux's) ***HIGH PRIORITY Clothing and shoes for children ages 8-14 ***HIGH PRIORITY Warm clothing-sweatshirts, long-sleeved shirts, etc. Bath towels for children*** HIGH PRIORITY Antibacterial hand gel (40oz containers available at Wal-Mart for $5 and personal containers) Small sized diapers Baby bottles and nipples Vitamin D drops Unscented baby wipes ***please note, unscented/sensitive skin wipes are the only type used*** Orphanage and Transitional Home General Donation Needs Toothpaste and toothbrushes Scrubs for nurses and nannies Crocks for nurses and nannies General first aid items Powder-free gloves for nannies and TH doctor DVD and VHS children’s videos-especially Christian videos and/or ones with singing/dancing Crocs for nannies Toiletry bags (small) for children’s personal hygiene items (one per child needed) Puzzles for young children Toy cars and trucks appropriate for toddler aged children Iron drops Diaper rash ointment (A+D preferred) Paper towels Children’s clothing (new or slightly used); Boys and Girls; sizes 0-8 years. Clothing needs include day clothes (especially pants), pajamas, underwear, and shoes. Diapers for up to 30 pounds Toys to stimulate babies such as colorful objects, rattles, etc. that are appropriate for babies up to 2 years Unscented baby wipes ***please note, unscented/sensitive skin wipes are the only type used*** Powder formula with DHA/RHA A + D Original Ointment, Diaper Rash and All-Purpose Skincare Formula Hand Sanitizer Candles Children’s Notebooks Enfamil or Similac Lactose free formula. *the following Generic Brands with identical nutritional value to Enfamil & Similac are also acceptable: 1. Parents Choice formula from Wal-Mart 2. Target’s generic Formula 3. Kirkland formula from Costco Soy based or other special formulas are also acceptable as long as they are one of the brands listed above. Medications/Medical Donation Needs** o Multivitamins o Tri-vi-sol (o to 6 months) o Poly-vi-sol (6 months to 2 years) o Chewable multi-vitamin (2 years to 9 years) o Adult multivitamin (9 years plus) o Tylenol (acetaminophen) o Infants o Children's o Suppository o Syringes for giving medicines (5mL) o Plastic and Latex disposable gloves o Baby nose saline spray o Neosporin o Mouth and nose masks o Benadryl liquid/elixir o Permetherin for scabies o Lice kits o Toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss **Please check the expiration date on all donation items as expired items will be discarded upon receipt and cannot be used. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in donating. If you would rather make a monetary donation we can use that toward buying supplies while we are in country. Thanks so much for blessing these kiddos!

God's on the Move!

Wow, what an outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and strangers! (who are now part of our family!) Thank you all soooo much!! The ticker on our page is not accurate as people have sent checks as well as used Tiffany's paypal address which does not show up. We have about $1575 left with what has come in and what we know is coming in. We are doing an open house this weekend and our friend is taking Christmas photos for people and giving us the profit!! So hopefully we shall be closer after this weekend! Praise God!! Support has come in some pretty cool ways, from unexpected God-ordained contacts. We are so overwhelmed by how people have been touched by adoption and willing to give of their time, money, resources, and prayer for this little four year old boy who lives on the other side of the world and is in need of a family. Part of me is not surprised; the part of me that sees people bend over backwards for animal shelters, cancer awareness and feeding the homeless-why wouldn't they want to help a little orphan boy? Then there is the part of me that gets why people don't get it. I was one of them. I didn't realize that adoption was a mission, a calling (for most people anyways)! I didn't understand how just because YOU are feeling the need to adopt, how that is MY concern... Thank you Jesus for enlightenment. Thank you for teaching me everyday more and more about you. Thank you for showing me that adoption is the gospel! That we are one family, but many members. That we aren't all called to adopt, we aren't all called to be pastors, or missionaries, or teachers, prophets... But, we ARE part of the same family that supports all of those things. We are called to be a part of that family, if we believe in God and what Jesus did on the cross. With that perspective and with the knowledge that God had CALLED us to adopt which was something we didn't have the means to do on our own, we then realized what the family of God working together was capable of. We heard a great sermon this weekend on being "Traders"- it definitely spoke to both of us. We are trading in our comfortable little family life to bring in a child who needs a family - it won't be easy but we are being obedient. We have a great family now, three kids we love with all our hearts. A comfortable new house. So, of course it would be easier to ignore the call and NOT listen to what God has called us to do. Of course it would be easier to NOT ask for help and be completely transparent for the whole world to see. Of course it would be less scary than opening our family up to a potentially hard situation as this little boy will need a LOT of love from us all to really see that he belongs.... But, that is not what we are supposed to do. And one really big lesson we have learned is to put our trust in God, lean not on our own understanding, and that the BODY of Christ is every believer - and we are all supposed to stand together and support each others calling! Never again will we doubt the importance of ones calling. Never again will we underestimate the power of prayer. Never again will we underestimate how God can multiply even the smallest gift! WE are a blessed family. We are so excited to get this little guy home and show him hopefully just a touch of Gods love for him! Please continue to pray for us and support us. It has made ALL of the difference!

REFERRAL!!!

Yesterday was the day! I got the call around 11:30am and our adoption coordinator got Jonathan on the phone as well so she could tell us the news. We were so surprised as we didn't think this day would ever come. She told us his name and a few brief things about him medically. He is a very healthy four year old boy and his eyes just light up in his smiles. We are in love. There are no words, no logical thoughts that come into your head when you see the face of a child that God promised you over two years ago. The flood of emotion is overwhelming...for us, our family, for his birth mother that abandoned him as a baby. It's almost too much to bear. It truly brings to light the day we were pulled from the miry clay and became sons and daughters of God. How overjoyed the Lord was when He saw our smiles as we tried to grasp what our new lives in Him would entail. The only thing that stands in the way now is $5635 (within 2 weeks!). A drop in the bucket in God's economy. A huge mountain to us. From the beginning of this journey the Lord told us He would provide one step at a time. So we have obeyed, one step at a time. And He has provided, one step at a time. It is so awesome to see God do His thing, flex His muscles, in His timing, for His glory. We know God will provide this next step and we ask that you would prayerfully consider what He would have you do. Prayer support desperately needed!! Financial support desperately needed!! We would love to have you be a part of this journey to bring our son, T, home. We have a Paypal link on this page (which they take 3% of) I am setting up a Thirty One event. www.mythirtyone.com/tiffanystewart Just Love Coffee donates $5 to us for each bag of coffee you purchase www.justlovecoffee.com/thestewartclan I also sell Scentsy but do not have a website, contact me directly. We still have cookbooks (over 300 recipes) for $15/each. $20 shipped.

COOKBOOKS ARE HERE!!!

Our cookbooks came on Friday and they look amazing!! There are over 300 recipes in there and there is quite a variety! The little boy we put on the cover is pretty darn cute too...so thankful for the Mama that let us use his little face. If you would like to order one, please let us know!! I will ship them for a small fee but they are $15.
So we are still #13 on the list. However I read that there are 40-50 kids in the transition home for our agency between the ages of 2-6. So we are praying that lots of referrals start happening.
Summer officially started here today :) So thankful the kids are out of school and we can just relax and enjoy. We are going to focus on selling our cookbooks and if we can get those sold we will have what we need monetarily to accept his referral, God is good!! He said He would provide one step at a time. And of course He has not let us down :) So thankful this adoption is in His hands otherwise I would be a complete basket case. He has given me such a peace about the waiting process-although the letter writing in Ethiopia isn't back up to what it was before (appx. 5 letters a day now as opposed to 30-50 before) I know that God knows and He has those kids' best interest at heart. He's the Father to the fatherless and loves them more than we do. We will continue to do His work while we're waiting. I am so excited about all that the Lord is doing in our lives...more about that later :)
Thanks again to everyone who is supporting us in prayer, financially or otherwise. It is truly appreciated. Happy summer everyone!!

2 months DTE...

We haven't moved on the list. We are hoping there are some referrals that come this week so we can move on down. I looked over the proof of our cookbook today, it looks great. Now we send it back and they will start printing them up. I can not wait to see them.
I have decided to do our yard sale the first weekend in June. There is so much going on this month!! Our women's retreat is this weekend as is my sister's college graduation. Next weekend there are 3 things going on in one day, I won't be doing them all! The following weekend is Memorial weekend and I didn't think that was a good weekend to do a yard sale. We will also be celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary on May 25, by celebrating I mean we'll give each other, well, maybe a card or something :) Life has been so crazy lately and we have a fair amount of stuff up in the air right now. I feel like we are just going day to day right now, I guess life is always like that though. We only have today and are not guaranteed anymore than that.
We have done a few things to save money lately too. We cancelled the cable as the price had gone up (we're not big tohellavision people anyways)and we got rid of our land line again. Also my husband traded in his car for something with a smaller monthly payment. We're excited about those small changes. I am also on the wait list to become a thirty one consultant. They have some amazing products and are a Christian company (based on the Proverbs 31 woman :)) Hopefully that will start up in August so I can make some extra money.
Life is sweet. We are truly enjoying our journey, God is good, ALL the time.

Cookbook

Well my friend and I have completed our cookbook. It should be published by the end of May/beginning of June and will be ready to sell!!! We have almost 300 awesome recipes in it and it has a gorgeous hardback cover. Someone from my friend's adoption agency let us use a picture of her little boy adopted from Ethiopia to grace our cover. He is precious! We called the cookbook Homeward Bound. I am pretty excited about it, they will be $15 each and we are getting 300 of them. Please let us know if you'd like one.
We've been DTE for a month and a half now. We are #44 for a boy under 12 months and #14 for a boy over 12 months. So we're still 3-5 months before we hear anything. I can't wait to get that email titled "Referral". We're using this time to prepare for life as a multi-racial family. There are lots of books out there with great advice for us, the children, and other extended family members. There is so much to learn about the right things to say and not say to people.
My friend ran the half marathon and raised almost $300 for us. Tonite she planned a fundraiser with Lia Sophia so we're hoping we get some people there for that. I have also started collecting items for another yard sale in May. So the fundraising goes on...
I have truly enjoyed watching the Lord work out all the details of this adoption. I love watching who's heart He moves and how. We are enjoying the journey knowing that He is in control and that this will all happen in His perfect timing. There is such peace in Him :)