All Day, Every Day

This past Friday afternoon, we had an appointment at Dima's school. It was a day to meet his teacher, drop off his school supplies, see his classroom, and get his hearing & vision tested.

On the way there, I tried to talk him up. "Aren't you excited?"
"No. Not really." He said.
"Well, I think you are going to love it. You love exploring and meeting new friends." Silence.

So, we walked in to the classroom. He completely avoided the teacher at all costs and went straight to the floor and started playing with blocks. This is so unlike him. Then he was ushered out of the classroom by the school director to do his screening. When he returned the director said all he could talk about was his mommy. She would ask a question and he would say, "I love my mommy."

Then it was time for the nurse. "Why are there nurses here?" he asked.
"They are here to test your vision and hearing, like at the doctors office, buddy."
Still silence as he reluctantly went back with the nurse.

Again, when he returned, the nurse said all he could talk about was me. This is so strange. I mean, I know he loves me and I think it's sweet that he can't stop talking about me, but it is a bit out of character for him.

When I told him it was time to go, his eyes lit up and he hopped in the car.
"Mommy.." he said. "Where was my bed?"
"Your bed? For what?"
"To sleep in at night."
"Honey, you aren't sleeping at school."
"But, you said I'd be going all day, every day."

My heart dropped. My sweet, little boy thought that I was dropping him off...for good. I battled the tears so as to not make a big deal out of the conversation. I wanted him to see confidence and boldness in my response.

I went on to explain that "all day, every day" is an expression used in "school lingo" to mean that it wasn't just a half day like his pre-school. And "every day" means Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday. It doesn't ever include the weekends.

It is times like these that I am reminded of my son's past. Most kids do not come out of a context where there is even a possibility of ever being left anywhere. But in his little heart, it seems that there is still a glimmer of a former life. Perhaps remaining is a little fear that if he was dropped off for good somewhere once in his life, who's to say he won't be dropped off again?

We spent the entire weekend talking about time and the schedule of school. We put together dinner menus for the week and talked about what would be in the car waiting for him EVERY day after school so that he would know that every day he would come home. "The sun will still be shining and daddy won't even be home from work yet."

This morning Dima went to school for the first day of kindergarten. He was a different boy today than he was just three days ago. He walked into school smiling, having a confidence that we were coming back to pick him up THAT SAME day. A visible peace was over him. Never again will he ever be dropped off for good.

As I have been pondering and praying through this interaction for the past few days, I have been  reminded of the love God has lavished on me.

Never will I  leave you or forsake you.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
~John 14:18

These are God's words to ME. Promises to ME.
And how quickly I revert to fear and abandonment when I am put in a scary or uncomfortable situation.
How quickly I assume that God must be "dropping me off for good."
"Where's my bed?" I wonder. Because surely He isn't coming back.

And now I understand a little of God's loving heart towards me.

"Of course I am here, sweet child. I will never leave you. Your name is written on my hand and nothing can separate you from My love. No matter how scared you are. No matter how much it seems I am not there. You are MINE. I have adopted you as my child, my sweet daughter."

With this mindset, I can face the trials and uncertainties of life with confidence and peace in my heart. I may be nervous about the unknown, but never have to fear abandonment.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged; for the Lord YOUR God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

And it reminds me of our sweet precious daughter. Some day she will enter into our family...all day, every day. For good.

FINANCIAL UPDATES:

1) This is a fun story :) 

A few weeks ago, we walked into the room where our high schoolers meet on Sunday mornings and as I looked around, I realized that many of them were wearing the same shirts. "That's weird" I thought. But then I saw a girl turn around and the back of the shirt said, "TEAM GARCIA". What?? One of our students, Renee came up to me, smiling.

"What in the world??" I was laughing and smiling in disbelief. For the last month or so, she had secretly been designing and ordering T-shirts to raise money for our adoption. And she already sold quite a few to other students via facebook, and had them all wearing the shirts that morning. It was such an awesome sight to see a group of high school students jumping on board and being a part of "Team Garcia". They are SOO cute and we are over the top blessed and thankful.  So, we invite you too to be a part of "Team Garcia"!

• She is taking orders from now until September 15th. 
• The t-shirts are $16 each and if she needs to ship them to you, it will be $18 each. 
• You can place your order by emailing Renee: rbshaffer@yahoo.com
• (The t-shirts run a little large, so keep that in mind as you order).   
• $10 of each shirt bought goes directly to our adoption account!

Once she gets your request, she will submit a bulk order to the t-shirt company on September 15th and they should arrive in 2 weeks.

I am just continually amazed at who God uses to help bring our little girl home...like a high school student with a vision bigger than herself, who acted on that vision to bless our lives. I am very, very proud of these high school students and how their hearts are motivated towards action. If you ever want to see a group of passionate people who DO things with their faith, check out the high school students at the Chapel. So inspiring!!

2) People are asking where we are with our finances and where we need to be.

At this point, as a result of donations through this blog, personal gifts, two huge fundraisers, and the indiegogo campaign, we are at $14,478. So, so awesome!!!

• We have used about $6,000 of that money for our home study and agency fees.
• The next big chunk of money is due once our dossier is completed (which should be in the next couple of weeks). 
• This money is used on translation costs and agency facilitator fees. The total is: $8000. 

Once that is turned in, we will have a few costs here and there, but mostly we will be raising money for our international and travel fees. Those are the big ones! But, they aren't due until we receive our referral.

So that is the progress report. We are so grateful for what God has provided through so many people and we believe He will continue to provide the remaining $35,000!

This is a lot to pray for, and we cannot thank you enough for being a part of this with us!
Until next Monday...love, Kate, Steve & Dima.

Immeasurably More

Over the last year I have been in a small group Bible study with a group of 6 other women. We met every Wednesday morning to talk about God, our stories, our joys, and our pains. It has been amazing. For years I had been praying for this kind of group. A group of women to really live life with, to encourage each other, share in each other's burdens, and study the Bible together. "The Wednesdays" is what we affectionately call ourselves :)
(idea taken from a good friend who has a group called "The Tuesdays")

They've known for a while that Steve and I were praying about launching into a second adoption. When we finally and officially signed on with our adoption agency and set the course for Russia, the girls in my small group began secretly plotting fundraising ideas. They landed on the idea of a huge yard sale, with all proceeds towards going towards this adoption.

In the midst of their own busy lives, they began exchanging emails, planning meetings, and making phone calls to make an idea a reality.

The plan eventually came together with the goal of raising $1000 over the course of two days. Before long, people were coming out of the wood works with items they wanted to donate towards this fundraiser.

By Thursday the entire yard, driveway and garage were packed with things - all neatly organized and priced. Some of the kids set up stands selling lemonade and  sno-cones, all in an effort to help any way they could. It was such a beautiful scene.

Once we began, the yard was crawling with people. And each person that came was greeted by one of the ladies explaining the purpose of the yard sale. It was amazing. I spent most of the day, talking with person after person, many sharing their own stories of adoption. As word of mouth spread, more and more people kept pouring in, to support us and encourage our story.

There were so many incredible stories from this event. Here are a few...

A big, gruff looking man came passing by and noticed the yard sale. When he learned it was benefiting our adoption, he picked up a small item priced for 25 cents, came to the pay tent, and handed Carrie a $10 bill saying, "I was adopted. Keep the change."


A woman brought her adopted daughter from Russia to support us adopting a daughter from Russia.


Some people started to reverse bargain. One guy asked how much something cost. "Two dollars", I told him. "How about five?" He said.


A young mom from our church, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia showed up. In the midst of her own painful journey, she brought her family to the yard sale so she could be a part of ours.

A man I had never met before, but who has been following our blog, came at the end to help clean up because he wanted to support our story. He went on to tell me his story of how he was adopted at age 4 through the foster care system. A tough, tough story that God is using even today, 30 years later, to bless our lives. 

By the end of the second day, we looked around the yard in total amazement. God had already done immeasurably more than we could have asked or imagined. Even so, the girls wanted to extend the yard sale one more day. After two days of being in the sun, from morning to evening, without ever complaining, they wanted to do more. So, Saturday morning, bright and early we started on our third day!

When the yard sale finally ended, we began cleaning up when a woman walked up the driveway. She was there earlier, but came back to bring me a book written by her son and daughter in law, who are missionaries in Russia. She began to tell me about her son's work, telling me that they minister to young women in Moscow, trapped in the world of prostitution and sex trafficking, adding that  orphanages are breeding grounds for these things.

My eyes filled with tears, and I said to her, "this is why...this is why."

I know that trafficking and prostitution occur all over the world, including our own country. In fact, I am involved in a ministry here in Akron that works with women who are trying to escape prostitution. But to hear first hand stories of girls who grow up in institutions in places like Russia sobers me to the reality that there is not a great outlook for young girls who spend their lives in an institution.

And so right there, on the 3rd day of this beautiful yard sale in my friend's driveway, my heart became overwhelmed with passion for our daughter. Stirring within me were deep desires:

• a desire for a young, Russian girl to never, ever have to experience the first hand realities of sex trafficking or prostitution. 
• a desire for her to grow up in a home where she is loved and valued because she was created in the image of God...not because of something she can offer someone with her body
• a desire for her to know the love of a man: her dad, my husband...a love that protects and provides and respects.
• a desire for her to ultimately to embrace the love of God, our Father in Heaven - the Defender of the weak, the Lover of the oppressed, and the Writer of her story. 

So we that were remaining in the driveway, held hands and prayed for our little girl right then. With tears in our eyes, we pleaded with God to protect her and all of the girls across the world who are being raised in unhealthy environments.  We asked God to bring our little girl home soon.

Then the money counting began. Remember the goal of $1000? I love how God takes our man made goals and far exceeds them to the point where we can only give Him the glory.

$671 in checks.
$700 in 20's.
$200 in 100's.
$150 in 50's.
$160 in 10's.
$115 in 5's.
$a 2 bill.
$13 in 1's.
$57.75 in quarters
$11.10 in dimes
$4.60 in nickels
$2.39 in pennies

The grand total of $3205.84. Wow!

At a garage sale. God used a group of seven busy moms, offering their time, space and things to once again show us that He can do immeasurably more.

at the end of the pricing party on Wednesday

immeasurably more...

my hard working, sacrificial, loving "Wednesdays" :)

Until next Monday, love Kate, Steve & Dima.

Machu Picchu

I've sat here in front of the computer for a while, staring at a blank screen and wondering what to write. I have plenty to say about where we are in the adoption process, but feelings of insecurity combat my thoughts. I could write about the tedious paper chase we are working on daily, but that doesn't feel like a very exciting blog. How does one spice up the details of going to the county registrar to obtain a home deed or getting yet another background check?

I could also tell you about the amazing people who are leading fundraisers on our behalf. But then I worry, are you tired of hearing about fundraising? Are you tired of hearing about the money we still need even after the awesome fundraisers we've already had?

I shared these thoughts with Steve and he said, "well, there's your blog".

Donald Miller is the author of one of our favorite books, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." In it he writes about a time he decided he wanted to hike Machu Picchu, an amazing trail up a mountain in Peru. He talked about the intense 14,000 foot hike up the mountain, back down, then up another 12,000 feet to the top.

He wrote about the joy, awe, and fulfillment he experienced at the top of Machu Picchu as he looked across the majestic expanse all around him. He discovered something else about the top of the mountain: there are bus tours that take people right up to the exact same view. But at what cost?

The person who steps off an air conditioned bus gets to see the exact same view Donald Miller and the rest of the hikers saw, but can you imagine the difference between their perspectives?

A dirtied, sweat-filled climber who spent hours and hours pushing their body to the brink, must stand at the top of that mountain with a sense of wonder and appreciation. He has seen God's glory on display all the way to the top, through the pain and through the sweat. An experience that will change him forever.

Then there is the tourist who hops off of a bus. They may be filled with awe over God's beautiful creation, maybe they snap a few pictures, hop back on the bus, and update their facebook profile picture. Moved? Maybe. But not changed.

So, here we are with our international adoption journey. In some ways I want to apologize to you for where we are. I wish we were at the end. I wish we could take a bus that transports us to the airport escalator with our new daughter in our arms. But the reality is, we have to hike the trail.

This trail is filled with paperwork and tedious hours of document filings. It's a trail filled with us asking you to join us financially and come to our fundraising events...and then asking you for more.

The path of international adoption is not for the faint of heart. We are in the season right now where our main focuses are getting our paperwork completed and raising money. That is just the reality of this leg. The next leg of the journey is the months and months of just waiting...and waiting...and waiting. But I believe that if you continue to walk with us, holding us in prayer and encouraging us with your words as you have been, through these parts, you will experience along with us a deep and powerful encounter with God when we reach our "mountain top" and will be changed forever.

Thank you for hiking with us. Let's keep our backpacks strapped tight and stay hydrated - we've still got a long way to go!

UPDATES:

• We finished our part of the home study. Now we wait for it to be approved and submitted to our adoption agency
• We now have officially begun the "dossier" - compiling and authenticating a huge batch of paperwork that will be submitted to the Russian court. Every document has to be precisely prepared and there is ZERO room for error.

FINANCIAL UPDATES:

• My Wednesday morning Bible study ladies are hosting a HUGE Multi-Family Yard Sale THIS Thursday and Friday from 9am-3pm. They have been working so hard collecting and pricing items. It is going to be great, with something for everyone. So come on out and invite your friends! Here is the ADDRESS
• A high school student in our ministry totally surprised us on Sunday morning with T-shirts she designed and is selling on our behalf- so cool! I will save the story for another blog, but look for a way to purchase one soon!
• When we complete our dossier, we will have to also submit our first big chunk of money that will go towards our agency costs and translation fees and submission fees. The total will be around $10,000. We are praying that God will give us what we need right when we need it.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please pray for us as we work on our dossier. There is nothing more frustrating that submitting paperwork and having it get sent back to do over because of a tiny error (we have experienced that before). Pray that our minds would be sharp and focused and make zero errors!!
• Continue to pray for our little girl, her birth family and anyone else who may be in her life right now - for her caregivers, (if she is in the orphanage) that she would be loved specially and cared for uniquely
• Pray for Dima and his heart as he intently watches us go through this process, that he would feel only love and not frustration for the errands he gets to take with us.

Until next Monday, love Kate, Steve and Dima

"For Next Time"

Three weeks ago I was checking my Facebook when I saw that I had an event invitation. The event was called "Garcia Family Adoption at Nectar". What?? Of course, I will accept this invitation :)

It truly was amazing to watch this event unfold. It started with 2 girls who work at a local smoothie and juice bar called "Nectar". One of the girls (Desi) just graduated from high school and has been a big part of the student ministry. The other girl (Christine) graduated high school a couple of years and was in my small group. When they found out we were adopting again, they immediately put their heads together and decided they wanted to do something.

Since they both worked at Nectar, they asked Desi's mom (Joyce, who is the owner of Nectar) if they can open the store on a day it would normally be closed, a Sunday, and hold a fundraiser. Once things started shaping up, they took it a step further by going around to local businesses and asking for donations to raffle off as prizes for the event.

I just couldn't believe they were doing this. I wrote Joyce just to say thanks in advance and her response blew me away. She told me that during our first adoption she prayed for us as she followed our journey through the blog. She said that every time she wanted to give financially towards our adoption, it was as if God was speaking in to her heart, "not now...next time." She almost wrote us a check after Dima came home with a note that said, "for next time", but just didn't feel settled about it then. So this fundraising event was "for next time". This was part of her message to me:

I'm not telling you this for kudos of any kind but to simply give you an encouragement. I know you have already had some hiccups in this journey, but I believe whole-heartedly that the Lord was stirring in the hearts of people way back when for this time now. He had a second little one already picked out when you were still in the thick of your journey with Dima. 

I was ecstatic when Desi told me you guys announced on Facebook that you were starting the journey of a second adoption and knew it was time to get involved. Desi and I immediately started weighing options on what we could do to help. I don't know how financially successful this will be, but I can assure you that it will trigger many people to pray for you, your growing family, and your new little girl that is waiting just as you are. You may not know them all this side of heaven, but they are interceding for you guys now.

I love the line she wrote, "the Lord was stirring in the hearts of people way back when for this time now. He had a second little one already picked out when you were still in the thick of our journey with Dima." Wow. 

So, here we were on Thursday. 3 days before the fundraiser. Steve was not going to be able to be there because he already had an event scheduled in West Virginia with the gradated seniors. I was praying about how I could be "present" at the fundraiser while also being a good mom to Dima. I knew it would be difficult to ask my son to stay with me all day at this event, because I really wanted to be there.

At 11:30pm, Steve and I were watching the Olympics and we heard a loud noise from upstairs. We ran up to find MY PARENTS (all the way from North Carolina) walking in the front door. My dad said, "we came up because we wanted a smoothie." Parents have a way of knowing what their kids need, even when they aren't asked, and I am so thankful that I have parents who make such sacrifices to meet those needs.

The following Saturday I was telling Dima about the fundraiser coming up the next day. I said, "Dima, tomorrow we are going to a big party and everyone who is there is helping bring your little sister home." His eyes got big and bright and a huge smile crossed his face. He replied, "My little sister is coming home tomorrow?!?!" Oh, my heart. I have to be careful about how I word things around this little one.

Sunday was an amazing day. Dima, my parents and I got to Nectar around 11:45 and the place was already busy. When I arrived I was handed a $50 gift card to Nectar that was purchased by my cousin who lives in Georgia - what a surprising and encouraging start to the day!

Between 12 and 1, it was standing room only. The workers at Nectar, who were volunteering their time, were busy making smoothies, paninis, salads, and sandwiches. It was such an awesome sight! Friends, strangers, Nectar regulars, people from the community were all coming to support our cause. It was beautiful. It was encouraging to see fellow adoptive parents there with their families and I was able to meet others who are in the process of adoption themselves.

At the end of the day, I sat with Desi, Christine and Joyce as we collected and counted the money. Their personal goal was to be able to put $500-$800 towards our adoption. As we did the math, we all had smiles on our faces and tears in our eyes. The total raised was $1800.00!!!

God, again, blew away our small goals. On top of this, Nectar had a record selling day. And in just one HOUR, (12-1pm) more money was brought in than what is made in an average DAY. Wow!

God is so creative. He used 2 young girls with a desire to bring glory to His name and bless our lives. They offered God what they had (a job at Nectar) and He used it to bring a community together to support a cause.

I am learning more and more that God is not in the business of us doing something big and great for Him, but for us to bring to Him what we have and letting Him do something big and great. 

I am so thankful. The event yesterday was another reminder of His hand of Provision in our lives through this journey. Dollar by dollar. Smoothie by smoothie. We are bringing this little girl HOME!

Thank you for all who came and supported us. Thank you for the words of encouragement and just your presence there was such a blessing and reminder to us of our need for people's support through this journey. Thank you to Nectar and those who donated their time working so that they could give a  full 50%. It will be a day I will never forget.

Here are some pictures from the day...

the start of the 12-1 crowd

talking with people outside as the line was out the door

Dima getting his face painted

Dima's best buddy, Trenton and his sister Elliana enjoying the day

UPDATES:

• Our home study requirements are complete along with the initial registration paperwork for our adoption agency
• Once everything is received and we are given the green light, we can begin tackling the mountain of paperwork known as our dossier

FINANCIAL UPDATES:

• Our first fundraiser was a success!! Thank you! Thank you!!
• My friends from my Bible study are hosting a huge multi-family yard sale on Aug. 16th & 17th in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. 
• Click HERE and check out the event page on Facebook. There will be something for everyone!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Continue to pray for our little girl, that should would be specially loved and uniquely cared for.
• Pray for diligence and wisdom as we fill out paperwork. We want to make sure it is correct the first time so we don't have to do it over. 

Until next Monday, love Kate, Steve, & Dima.