Puzzle Fundraiser - Help Us Bring Our "Missing Pieces" Home!!

It's Valentine's Day ya'll

What a perfect day to launch our puzzle fundraiser!  

God has given us an overwhelming love 

for three precious treasures from the Philippines (ages 17, 11, and 9)

Will you help us bring our "missing pieces" home? 

HOW IT WORKS...

1. Each piece of the puzzle costs $20 (you can purchase one piece or several pieces)

2. To purchase please click the paypal DONATE button on the right of this blog page OR you can
    email me (joyboutin@gmail.com) for our address to send a check in the mail. 

3. When pieces are purchased we will write your name on the back of the piece(s) to have a lasting

    memory of those who helped bring our sons home.

  

4. Once the pieces have been "sold" and the puzzle put together, we will frame it (double sided

    glass) and hang it in our home as another example of God's faithfulness.  We will have something

    tangible to show our boys all the wonderful people who gave generously to bring them home!! (we

    will include the donations that have already come in previously and write those names on pieces as

    well:)

5. We will update our progress regularly to show how the puzzle is forming!!

Because we are transparent and sharing this journey OUTLOUD...

Application/E-adopt fees: $350 PAID

Homestudy: $1,100 PAID

Dossier Fee: $1,000 PAID

Psychological update: $330 PAID

I-800A immigration: $890 PAID

The next chunk needed asap is $4,500 in agency fees to get our dossier to the Philippines.  We have paid $900 toward that fee so far:)

Our total adoption cost is estimated at $30,780.  

Although this amount looks ginormous...We know that we serve an even BIGGER GOD that places the lonely in their own families.  HE IS FAITHFUL and HE will move mightily to bring our boys home!!  

I have another request...

Would you consider sharing the link to this blog post on your blog, social media, or email your friend list??  We are hoping this will go viral and many will have the opportunity to participate in bringing three priceless treasures to their forever family!!

OH I CANNOT WAIT TO POST SOME UPDATES!!!!

A Hurting Heart

My Heart Hurts!

Not because of anything in my personal journey to our boys...

(God is doing the miraculous and we are so very thankful!!)

My heart hurts for

THOSE

NOT

CHOSEN!!

Even as we run forward to double the number of children in our family

I see and pray for hundreds of beautiful treasures

that still need a mommy and daddy.  

Our agency is hosting a Philippines Summer Hosting Program

There are 12 gorgeous, healthy children ranging in age from 7-14

that could come to the United States for a few weeks this summer.

Each child is legally free for adoption and longs for a forever family!

The deadline is Friday for families to open their hearts to these children.  

NOT ONE CHILD of the 12 has a family as of today!!!

Oh how my heart is breaking.  

Then there are children like little Ethan!

He is a BEAUTIFUL little 6 year old

that is fun loving, smart, social, well behaved...

he speaks fluent English and is on target developmentally and academically. 

Because of a discovery of Hep B on his recent physical

he does not have a forever family.  

 Hep B cannot be 'Caught' through daily interactions.

In the US we are inoculated for it...so this sweet boy cannot infect others he plays with.

He is a precious little treasure, who at no fault to his own, 

is carrying a a virus (that is treatable) in his blood.  

As I type this, 

I am looking at his cheesy grin 

and trying to understand why he is not being lavished with love in a forever family.  

I have come to terms with the fact that I cannot adopt them all (although I sure would love to!!!)

God has provided many opportunities over the past months for me to share our testimony and encourage others to step out in faith to bring sweet treasures into their families.  

But there are days

where my heart just hurts!!

God Sets the Lonely in Families

We feel tremendously privileged to be able to parent these silly treasures!!

And we are so very excited to be on this new journey to our boys!!

(oh how I wish I could share their photos)

I am speechless as I watch God's plan unfold before our eyes!!

We have wanted to grow our family...

We have fasted, we have prayed, we have cried out to HIM!!

And now our Heavenly Father is moving mountains!!!

We have filled out paperwork in record breaking time.  

We have submitted and/or requested 

all documents for our agency clearance and for our dossier.

Right now the only thing standing in our way to move forward is money.  

We have stepped out in faith by scheduling both 

our psychological update meeting (this Thursday the 23rd) and

our home study update visit (next Tuesday the 28th...My 40th birthday), 

without having the funds in hand. 

They are the last two things needed to be able to send our dossier and file with immigration!!

We truly believe that God has hand picked our sons to be in our family,

and therefore, we believe that HE will provide every step of the way!!

We have had folks ask how they can help us fund our adoption.  

We set up a paypal account "Bring Our Boys Home" that can be found on the right tool bar.

by clicking the DONATE button it will walk you through the steps to make a donation.  

In Psalm 68:6 has been so heavy on my heart over the past few days.  

For so long I took the verse to mean that 

God causes Families to have a lonely spot, a desire to welcome more family members.  

Today I decided to read it in in several different versions

it says,

"God Sets the lonely in Families..." (NLT)

"God settles the solitary in a home..." (ESV)

"God places the solitary in families and gives the desolate a home in which to dwell..." (AMP)

"God provides homes for those who are deserted..." (HCSB)

"Father of orphans, Champion of widows, is God in his holy house.  

God makes homes for the homeless..." (MSG)

"God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes..." (NET)

"God gives lonely people a family..." (NIRV)

It speaks directly to the orphan and widow friends!!

I love the versions that say...

God provides homes for those who are deserted

and

God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes

I love love that God has called us to be "their own home" for three more boys!!!!

They will know love and laughter

they will be allowed to be children

they will be treasured

They will be in their own family!!!

You may not be called to adopt...

but if God is tugging your heart,

would you help make a difference to these three?  

Ready? Set...GO!!!!

Ready?

Set....

GO!!!!!!

The email that will change our lives forever!!

In my last post...weeks ago

I wrote about a sibling group of three boys 16, 11, and 9.

I wrote to try to find a family willing to open their hearts and be their forever family.

What I didn't write was how torn my heart was.  

I could not take my eyes off of their beautiful faces.

I prayed for them night and day.

Although we have been chomping at the bit to adopt again this year, 

we knew the Philippines was off limits because of the two year nurturance law between adoptions.

Even so, the boys messed me up!

I would leave their photo open on our computer hoping my husband would see it and declare that they were our boys and we had to find a way to bring them home.  

Each time, 

hubby walked the other way...

the computer screen would go black before he passed...

or her didn't enter the room at all.  

Finally after a week of praying and doing the computer/photo dance...

I asked him to look at a photo.  

He said, they are great looking boys Joy, but we cannot adopt them.

I said I know....but I cannot stop looking at them and thinking about them and praying about them!!

He gave me that knowing look of his, and went on with what he had been doing.  

Later that week, our agency put out another notice about the boys and how the oldest was becoming dangerously close to aging out.  Their forever family needs to start the process immediately!!  

I contacted our Philippines adoption coordinator and asked her to please let me know when a family came forward for them.  I shared that I wished I could be their mama...but since that was not possible...would she please please let me know when God answered my prayers and brought them a family!!  

Our agency response sent me screaming, crying, and dancing around the house.  

I may have terrified Aaron for a minute...but the girls knew it had to be adoption related to get this relatively calm mama to react in such a way:)

They asked, If the ICAB would give us an exception to the two year wait...would we adopt the boys?

I frantically called my husband

I was hyperventilating and simply did not have clear speech!!

You see, God had done the miraculous in opening a door!!  

We impatiently waited for the boys files to arrive for our review so we could request permission to adopt.  We waited through Christmas...made the request on December 26...then waited some more!!!

Yesterday, January 10th, I got a simple email from our agency coordinator (whom I love!!!)...

Ready?  Set...GO!!!

WHAT????  Could this really be happening????

Does this mean what I think it does???

Of course I sent out a frantic phone call just to hear those words over the phone.  

So bloggy friends...

WE ARE ADOPTING AGAIN!!!!!

I cannot begin to tell you how very excited we are to 

be growing our family again through adoption!!!

We are at the very beginning stages of gathering our documents for our dossier.  

The process often takes a year for a Filipino adoption.

My mother's heart is hoping/praying that somehow...some way...

our boys will make it home before our oldest leaves for a year in Africa.  

But I am trusting that 

the awesome...holy...faithful God that hand picked our boys for us

will bring all things together in HIS perfect timing and according to HIS perfect will!!!!

Wrecked...All I Really Want This Christmas

Maybe it is the fact that Thanksgiving is so fresh on my mind.

Maybe it is the joyous Christmas season of celebrating the greatest gift ever given

JESUS

and sharing priceless memories as a family.

Maybe it is the season where hearts are open to giving.

And where I am asked what I would like for Christmas.

Whatever the reason...

my heart, already wrecked for the orphan, breaks for those not yet chosen!!!

At times I wish God could place a viewfinder from my heart so folks could see the overwhelming love and pure joy that comes from adoption.  

I wish folks could truly see the priceless unconditional love that can come from welcoming an 

older or special needs child into your heart and home.  

How that love is planted, nurtured, and grows into something breath-taking.  

Oh how I long to remove the fear that holds so many wonderful families from stepping out!!

How can I better explain God's unwavering faithfulness

and that when HE places the lonely in family

HE will provide every step of the way as we step out in faith.

How do I help people understand why we are praying fervently for God to help us 

sell our beautiful home so that we can find something less expensive... 

freeing up finances to feed more treasures.   

I think the only way to express it is with the children themselves!

Have you gone to AdoptUSKids and looked at the GORGEOUS children who are 

legally free and waiting for a forever family??  

I can tell you...I have!  And I lose my heart each and every time!

If for nothing else, take the time to pray for each of these treasures 

to be placed in their forever family.  

When you realize how long it takes to say even a sentence prayer 

on behalf of each child in your home state alone....

then you begin to see the magnitude of children,

by no fault of their own, who wait for a family.

You can swing over to 

No Hands But Ours

to see treasures from China who are in need of a forever family.  

or 

Rainbowkids

Where you can see photo lists of children around the world 

longing for a forever family.  

There are many, many, many other places to learn of waiting children.  

But, I want to tell you about some beautiful faces that I have seen...

some I have wrapped my arms around...

who wait in the Philippines.

These are faces that, because of country restrictions, 

cannot have their photos on the web or social media.

Let me start by telling you about "J", a precious 12 year old boy 

that I had the pleasure of meeting and wrapping my arms around in January.  

This sweet spirited young man lives in an orphanage in the Philippines.  

"J" loves to run and play,

and has gentle eyes that can melt your heart.

Although he has some developmental delays...

his English is better than most in the orphanage!!  

He looked in my eyes, politely answered my questions, 

and was engaged for the duration of our conversation.  

Our oldest daughter, who also has a sweet spirit, 

was so very drawn to this young man!

They spent time talking and playing together. 

When I think of "J", and his tender heart,

I become overwhelmed with the reality that he has watched 

COUNTLESS 

children leave for their forever family!!!! 

Can you imagine waiting your entire life for something as important as a family...

and regularly watching others that you have grown up with...

leave for their family??

I know God has hand picked a Mommy and Daddy for this treasure.  

And I am praying daily that his family will boldly step forward for their precious son!

This week I learned about a sibling group (16, 11, and 9 year old boys).  

Yes, my heart is wrecked again!!

The oldest brother is tall (compared to his brothers that he has his arms around) dark, and handsome.  He has a genuine, heartwarming smile as well.  The middle brother (who turned 11 yesterday) has a shy grin, and the youngest pumpkin has a glowing smile and cute little glasses:)

These three are very bright, healthy boys that long to have a family, an education, and a future!!

They need a family to step forward for them immediately because the oldest boy will turn 17 in February.  My understanding is that he can only be adopted with his siblings up until age 18 (The ICAB gives two extra years for children that are part of a sibling group).  Because of the length of the process, they need a family to step up NOW!!

What I really want for Christmas this year?  

I want families that have a heart for adoption to not allow fear, or money to stand in their way.  

I want "J", and the three brothers, to have a family willing to call them treasured sons.

I want people to see that when we ask Christ to break our heart for what breaks HIS...

we become wrecked for good and are willing to pray one more treasure into his/her forever family!!!

Please take a minute to watch my new favorite song...

Steven Curtis Chapman-All I Really Want For Christmas

And think about what you really want this Christmas:)

Too Good Not to Share

As God continues to stretch and grow us, 

there are times when we look to others, in the body of Christ, for encouragement. 

As my heart longs to be a mom of many, 

I often look to seasoned mamas who walk their lives outloud

being real, giving all glory to Christ.  

Although I have only met her in the bloggy world, 

Miss Linny, over at A Place Called Simplicity   

is one sweet mama of many that blesses me so very much!!

Because of her encouragement I am going to choose to share a

Memorial Box Monday Post as well:)

I shared in earlier posts of how God was so very faithful 

in providing every last penny we needed to adopt our son, 

and how HE went above and beyond to bless our socks off...

just because HE can!!

Over the past several months, 

we found ourselves in a difficult position financially.

No, I am not just talking about adding a teenage boy that can eat you out of house and home:):)

In what felt like a very short time, 

we had preparation for braces for one child,

extensive dental for another.

There were physicals, specialist consults, ultrasounds, 

and a surprise surgery.  

We had a need for an orthopedic specialist,

and three batteries of allergy testing.

Quite frankly, it was the making of a medical/dental snowball 

that felt as if it could consume us at any given moment.

I probably should not admit this, 

but at some point...we stopped opening the envelopes.

We just filed them unopened into a plastic bin.

The enemy of our soul wanted us to feel 

overwhelmed...

hopeless...

irresponsible...

defeated. 

But the truth is friends...

We are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:37).  

We knew in Christ's strength we could open the envelopes and calculate the debt accumulated.  

We had to know the total so we could hand it over to Christ 

and trust HIM to lead us in how to meet the need.

We tucked our children into bed, and took out "the bin".  

Together hubby and I opened, piled, organized, and calculated.

We wrote that ugly number down, circled it, and started petitioning for God to intervene.

We prayed together, we prayed alone, we prayed with the kids for God to provide.  

We had no idea where the money could come from.  

We had already completely cut everywhere we could conceive with our human minds.  

But GOD!!!

Two weeks after writing that number down...

God provided in one lump sum...

from a source we would have never guessed...

JUST BECAUSE HE CAN!!!

Friends, 

I can tell you God does not always answer within two weeks,

and rarely in my experience has he answered in one lump sum...

But what I can tell you is this...

HE IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL

in each and every circumstance!!!

And each time he answers the petitions of our heart,

our faith grows to new levels and we have confidence to step out boldly for HIM!!!

A Time to Give Thanks

It is so very humbling to look back on all the ways 

Christ has stretched us as individuals and grown us as a family this year!!

We have so very much to be thankful for!!!

Often we share this special holiday with extended family or friends.  

This year we spent the day as a family of five.

Our newest treasure had many questions about 

what Thanksgiving is, what we will do, and of course...

what will we eat:)

He is not terribly fond of trying new foods 

so we decided to fill him up with some comfort foods for breakfast. 

(fried rice and toyu (salty fish cooked in oil)) 

I accomplished the baking yesterday.

(Homemade bread, Pumpkin Pie, and Lemon Sponge Pie 

(takes me back to my Pennsylvania roots and reminds me of home)

Today my hubby made the turkey AND the rest of the sides!

He is so very fabulous and blesses me tremendously!!!

The day was spent 

thanking the Lord for our many blessings,

making thankful crafts,

eating, eating, eating,

watching the parade on tv, 

playing board games,

watching football,

did I mention eating??!!??

And when it was time to go back for leftovers this evening,
our sweet boy asked if he could go back to his fish and rice:)
We all giggled until his fish fell into the cooling apple crisp...
life is never dull around here,
and we would never have it any other way!!!!

I pray that all of you in bloggy land had a 

blessed, Christ-centered holiday!

From our family to yours...HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!