We have been working on ways to raise money for our last trip to Ethiopia for a little while now. Our first trip cost WAY more than we anticipated. Apparently, we flew during the "high" season. So, we knew that God was going to provide the last trip but we weren't sure how! :) So, I had a thought one day that I actually don't wear a lot of the jewelry that I own. I love jewelry, I really do but I tend to stick to a couple safe pieces that go with everything. Then, I thought well, I could sell some things and use it to donate to our last trip fund! That's pretty much how it started. Just me staring at my excess and thinking, "I don't need this....I need to get to Ethiopia."
So, I made some teasers and got some advice about sales and shipping from Ivey's Momma and from Kate from The Adopt Shoppe.
I had all of my pictures of items ready and I had priced everything. Brian made me a spreadsheet (I am completely illiterate at Excel...so much that he posted on facebook about how i called Excel "the place where you make graphs and use math and stuff."). Anyway, the day of the sale I was ready to go. At 4:30pm I went to a local neighborhood to help interpret and invite kids for an after school program that our church does. We were there talking to people and having a great time and I looked and realized it was 6:30pm!! Somehow we finished everything in time and I came straight home and managed to post everything pretty close to 7:00pm EST. I was SO amazed at how many people were buying things! Everything in the store except for maybe 1 or 2 items sold within an hour, maybe even 45 minutes!!!! I COULD NOT believe it!!! YOU ALL have helped in a huge way to help us get to our baby girl! The amount that we made was around $350! That would pretty much cover our guest house fees for our housing while we are in Ethiopia! Seriously, y'all are SUCH a blessing to us and our family! I can't tell you how grateful we are that you would support us and our journey to bring our baby girl home.
Keep praying for the US Embassy to process her case quickly. It has been 7 weeks since we passed court in Ethiopia and 3 weeks since our case was submitted to the Embassy. Our agency told us that almost all the agencies are seeing a SLOW DOWN right now because of new paperwork that was instituted on Sept. 1st. Thankfully we don't have to complete that paperwork because we were submitted before that but since they are now processing new stuff plus the old style everything is slowing. :( We were really hoping to get to Ethiopia this month. There is definitely still a chance so I'm still hoping!
OH, AND I have one more amazing fundraiser coming up to finish this whole adoption journey out! God has been working on this one for 3 years, seriously, 3 years!!! That's the same amount of time we've been waiting to bring Lucy home! I am SO excited! STAY TUNED!!
The love, faith and strength you guys have shown over the past 3 years has been inspiring. I knew you when we were just "kids", and the people you have grown into are such compassionate, loving, children of God. Lucy is so lucky to have you as her family. When I saw family's out and about with their adopted children and biological children and wondered how someone could possibly love an adopted child like their own. But your journey has shown me that you really are her parents, and love her as if you had carried her in your womb. God really is amazing. I know it is hard waiting, but your family will be complete soon. Also, Isabel is going to be a GREAT big sister. I can see her excitement in your pictures. Love to all!
ReplyDelete