Now you can donate to our adoption and get a tax deduction by donating through the Eli Project!
Here is the link to our Eli Project page
I've spent a lot of today working on paperwork again. The next couple weeks will be full of that same fun, I can tell! I talked to our adoption facilitator a little more today and learned that we have to have everything in by November 27 to be able to go to Ukraine in January. Otherwise we will be going in April because the SDA (Ukraine adoption agency) doesn't take new applications for a couple months after November 27. While I am worried about coming up with the money and Ukraine would be a bit more pleasant in April, we need to get the girls here as soon as we can so they can start learning English and go to school here.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Exciting news! We were able to talk to L today on the phone. It was the first time we have heard her voice since she left for Ukraine. Neighbors of ours who speak Russian were kind enough to come over to our house this morning. We made a call to the orphanage and were able to get ahold of L. S and D were getting ready for bed and couldn't come to the phone. Next week we'll try an hour earlier and hopefully be able to talk to them too. We have never talked to D before, so that will be exciting. And I know S will be happy to talk to us also. L says that they have been receiving our letters and packages. I'm so happy those are getting through. I can't wait until we can actually hold the girls in our arms again. And meet Diana!
Yesterday we had our last yard sale and made $260. It was a lot of work, but we are happy to be that much closer to our goal. It's getting too cold to have more yard sales, but I am going to continue selling things online. If anyone has something that can sell well online that they don't need anymore and want to donate it to us, we'd be very appreciative of that.
Our cartwheel fundraiser story was written up about in the Daily Herald and then aired for a very short segment on KUTV Channel 2 News on Friday. That was exciting. Hopefully we reach readers and viewers who feel impressed to donate to our cause. I absolutely know this is what God wants us to do and I have faith that the way will be opened for us to adopt the girls. I know the orphanage workers care for the girls, but the girls need to leave the orphanage and live with a family, our family who loves them.
Yesterday we had our last yard sale and made $260. It was a lot of work, but we are happy to be that much closer to our goal. It's getting too cold to have more yard sales, but I am going to continue selling things online. If anyone has something that can sell well online that they don't need anymore and want to donate it to us, we'd be very appreciative of that.
Our cartwheel fundraiser story was written up about in the Daily Herald and then aired for a very short segment on KUTV Channel 2 News on Friday. That was exciting. Hopefully we reach readers and viewers who feel impressed to donate to our cause. I absolutely know this is what God wants us to do and I have faith that the way will be opened for us to adopt the girls. I know the orphanage workers care for the girls, but the girls need to leave the orphanage and live with a family, our family who loves them.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
You read the Daily Herald article and saw us on KUTV, now get the story from us!
We appreciate the Daily Herald and KUTV for publishing our story. Without a community effort we will not be able to help these three orphaned sisters by adopting them. We hosted planning to host only, not adopt. We choose to adopt when it became clear to us that the girls are adoptable and it is God's will that we do. Read more below.
A video a friend of ours made.
Jay and I (Arin) have been happily married for
21 years and have five children living at home. We also have a married son. We
enjoy doing things like camping, hiking, biking and playing games with our
family. We have felt that we have a good life and have wanted to do something to
help someone in a meaningful way. Last spring we discovered an orphan hosting
program and felt strongly pulled towards two sisters from an orphanage in
Ukraine.
Over the summer our family was blessed to host the two sisters ages 10 and 13. Originally we had been told that the girls probably weren't adoptable because of multiple siblings in other orphanages. That was okay, we thought we would give the girls as much love and good experiences as possible for the summer to help make a difference in the girls' lives. But from the first week the girls were with us, I strongly felt that the girls needed to be adopted. The girls were so good and happy and fit in our family so well. As time went on the girls showed much love and compassion for our family and others that they were introduced to in the community. Over the summer we were able to learn from the girls that they only had one other sibling eligible for adoption, a sister age 12 living in their same orphanage. Two older siblings were too old to be adopted and two others had sadly passed away. The girls spoke no English when they arrived and we don't speak Russian. But some things could still be communicated. The last week of the amazing summer stay, while at the dinner table, the two girls started listing all of the members of our family by name and then adding their names at the end. They were letting us know that they wanted to be a part of our family. On the hour drive to the airport the two girls cried over and over again, "Ukraina no, America yes." It was very hard to send the girls home and we miss them greatly. Friends of ours were able to contact the girls via phone recently. We were comforted to hear that they are doing well, school is going well and they are healthy. They really, really miss our family and America. They say that everything was so good in America. And they love our family. You can see the love between us in the photos on our Photo page.
We strongly feel that God wants the girls we love so much to come to our family and feel so blessed to be able to adopt the three wonderful sisters. I have felt that I have seen the hand of God in the whole process starting with finding the girls all the way through to fundraising for the adoption. Because we didn't host planning to adopt, we don't have the funds saved up and need others' help in raising the funds. We are trusting that God will touch people's hearts to donate and are very appreciate of the sacrifice people are making in donating to help get the three sisters home to their forever family. If you have the means, great or small, to help us bring our girls back home to stay, please donate.
Over the summer our family was blessed to host the two sisters ages 10 and 13. Originally we had been told that the girls probably weren't adoptable because of multiple siblings in other orphanages. That was okay, we thought we would give the girls as much love and good experiences as possible for the summer to help make a difference in the girls' lives. But from the first week the girls were with us, I strongly felt that the girls needed to be adopted. The girls were so good and happy and fit in our family so well. As time went on the girls showed much love and compassion for our family and others that they were introduced to in the community. Over the summer we were able to learn from the girls that they only had one other sibling eligible for adoption, a sister age 12 living in their same orphanage. Two older siblings were too old to be adopted and two others had sadly passed away. The girls spoke no English when they arrived and we don't speak Russian. But some things could still be communicated. The last week of the amazing summer stay, while at the dinner table, the two girls started listing all of the members of our family by name and then adding their names at the end. They were letting us know that they wanted to be a part of our family. On the hour drive to the airport the two girls cried over and over again, "Ukraina no, America yes." It was very hard to send the girls home and we miss them greatly. Friends of ours were able to contact the girls via phone recently. We were comforted to hear that they are doing well, school is going well and they are healthy. They really, really miss our family and America. They say that everything was so good in America. And they love our family. You can see the love between us in the photos on our Photo page.
We strongly feel that God wants the girls we love so much to come to our family and feel so blessed to be able to adopt the three wonderful sisters. I have felt that I have seen the hand of God in the whole process starting with finding the girls all the way through to fundraising for the adoption. Because we didn't host planning to adopt, we don't have the funds saved up and need others' help in raising the funds. We are trusting that God will touch people's hearts to donate and are very appreciate of the sacrifice people are making in donating to help get the three sisters home to their forever family. If you have the means, great or small, to help us bring our girls back home to stay, please donate.
Home Study Done!
I'm so excited. Our home study is done as of today. We are working on the dossier. We can start applying for grants now! We should be traveling to Ukraine by the middle of February at the latest (hopefully!) We have three months to raise the rest of the money we need. If you can help us, we appreciate it so much. Even little amounts have made a difference. One of my favorite sayings that I tell my kids comes to mind right now, "many hands make light work." And that's true with fundraising too!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Cartwheels to Ukraine Contest is Here!
We are happy to announce that our cartwheel photo contest is up. Are you ready to join the cartwheel challenge? Here are the rules:
1) Donate $10 using the donate button on this blog and email a picture of you or someone you know doing a cartwheel to have a chance to win one of 10 prizes. Email your picture to: cartwheelstoukraine@gmail.com. You can enter different pictures as many times as you'd like at $10 each.
2) When you donate the $10 leave your email address in Paypal's comment section so we know which cartwheel is yours.
3) We will post the cartwheels on Triple Treasures Facebook Album.
4) Have all of your friends visit the album and "like" the cartwheel they like most (probably yours!).
5) The top 10 vote getters will win prizes (prizes to be announced as we accumulate them)! The winners will pick their prize in order of most votes.
Winning cartwheel photos will be announced on November 19, 2012.
1) Donate $10 using the donate button on this blog and email a picture of you or someone you know doing a cartwheel to have a chance to win one of 10 prizes. Email your picture to: cartwheelstoukraine@gmail.com. You can enter different pictures as many times as you'd like at $10 each.
2) When you donate the $10 leave your email address in Paypal's comment section so we know which cartwheel is yours.
3) We will post the cartwheels on Triple Treasures Facebook Album.
4) Have all of your friends visit the album and "like" the cartwheel they like most (probably yours!).
5) The top 10 vote getters will win prizes (prizes to be announced as we accumulate them)! The winners will pick their prize in order of most votes.
Winning cartwheel photos will be announced on November 19, 2012.
Adoption Blog Spotlights Our Story and More Updates
Visit this Open Adoption Blog to read the interview that the author, Kathryn LeBaron posted on her blog. We are excited about this and grateful to Kathryn.
The homestudy should be complete any day now. As soon as it is done we can start applying for adoption grants. And we start the dossier. I am excited to be at this stage!
We have received donations for several of our fundraisers. I have really appreciated the supportive comments that some donors have made. Thank you so much!
A journalist from the Daily Herald interviewed us yesterday along with a photographer from the Herald coming out and taking lots of pictures of me doing cartwheels. My leg muscles were pretty sore after that! That probably was the hardest portrait assignment that photographer will ever get!
The Eli Project, a charity that accepts tax deductible donations for adoptive families, has decided to continue providing this needed service. I have been busy filling out the application for us to be one of their families and will update this blog with that information when it is available.
We are starting the Cartwheels to Ukraine Part Two fundraiser really soon. I'm just trying to figure out the logistics of it. That's next on my list and I hope to have it up and running by tonight.
Thanks to all who help us and who spread the word of our cause. We still have a lot to raise, but know that adopting our three girls is what God wants us to do, and he will provide through wonderful people who donate and help us and who we are eternally grateful for!
The homestudy should be complete any day now. As soon as it is done we can start applying for adoption grants. And we start the dossier. I am excited to be at this stage!
We have received donations for several of our fundraisers. I have really appreciated the supportive comments that some donors have made. Thank you so much!
A journalist from the Daily Herald interviewed us yesterday along with a photographer from the Herald coming out and taking lots of pictures of me doing cartwheels. My leg muscles were pretty sore after that! That probably was the hardest portrait assignment that photographer will ever get!
The Eli Project, a charity that accepts tax deductible donations for adoptive families, has decided to continue providing this needed service. I have been busy filling out the application for us to be one of their families and will update this blog with that information when it is available.
We are starting the Cartwheels to Ukraine Part Two fundraiser really soon. I'm just trying to figure out the logistics of it. That's next on my list and I hope to have it up and running by tonight.
Thanks to all who help us and who spread the word of our cause. We still have a lot to raise, but know that adopting our three girls is what God wants us to do, and he will provide through wonderful people who donate and help us and who we are eternally grateful for!
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