Wanting More Children

A friend shared a blog post (see link below) this morning on her Facebook and its message resonated with me in a profound way. People are often confused and bewildered by us. "More?!" They ask astonished. Its hard to explain just how much we long for another child.

I don't speak of it much, but I often grieve the loss of my uterus. I had to have an emergency hysterectomy when I was just 23 years old due to severe prolapse. In fact, my prolapse was responsible for my boy's premature births. After Benji was born (at just 26 weeks), there was no hope for my "baby maker." It would never carry a baby safely again. On Benji's due date - November 27, 2010. I had the heart wrenching procedure. I knew even then that I was not "done" having babies.

For those that know me well, know that "children are my lot in life." I was a bit confused as to why God had allowed me to lose our ability to have more children when we had such a desire to have a large family. Of course, we had always considered adoption.....BUT, would we have pursued our "Xavier" IF we could have more of our own?! Would we have the opportunity to help open a country up for international adoptions? Would we be seeking out an individual with special needs to come into our family?

We have come to believe that my hysterectomy (as heart breaking as it is for me) is a sign that we are meant to adopt. Our heart's desire to add to our family....I believe God placed that love and desire in our hearts. He has CALLED us to add to our family. And because of a rare, unfortunate medical complication, we have been asked to carry a baby in our hearts instead of my womb.

Check out the blog article here:
"Wanting More Children When Your Hands Are Full"

Author's Quote: "She still gets that ache when a friend announces her pregnancy. She still pauses in the baby section to gaze at the little nightgowns. She glances at the family portrait hanging on the wall and imagines another face in it"

T-Shirt Fundraiser!

*NEW FUNDRAISER* - Check it out everyone!!!!! I am so psyched about this! A dear friend who is a graphic designer created this shirt for us! We are so appreciative. Its just perfect. Please check it out! Share. And consider purchasing! Its a super cool color and design and its meaning is so awesome! Our goal is to sell 45 shirts! Available in both Adult and Child sizes!
 
Be a part of this story with us! This shirt not only communicates ministering in general, it also supports the *NEW* International Adoption Program we are piloting! Along with our amazing agency, we are helping to create a new program in Macedonia which will open the door for special needs children to be adopted into the USA! This is an incredible opportunity. Please come alongside us and support us and this opportunity! To not only open the doors for our "Xavier" but for many other children in the future!

Click here to order a shirt!  

$500 Matching Grant Opportunity!

  

We've met our goal for this matching grant! THANK-YOU so much!!!!!!!

Click Here to Go to our RR Adoption Fund!  

Why Are We Adopting?

We have always talked about the option of adoption, even before we were married. We see it as a ministry and feel as through God has called believers to care for orphans. People tell us we are crazy. But we feel very strongly that this is a calling and that we are following God's plan for our family. "If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do." - 2 Cor 5:13. In addition to having a heart for adoption, we also feel called to add to our family. We dreamed of having a large family and were very saddened when we realized Hannah would no longer be able to have children. (Hannah had to have an emergency hysterectomy at the age of 23). We love kids and feel as though our family is not yet complete. Adoption is the perfect option for us! We have the space, the time, the desire, and most importantly, the love to give. We have open hearts and arms and look forward to adding an addition to our family.       We have a passion to help those who are in need, and what could be a greater need than to love those who are alone? Those who have no family to love and care for them? Adoption has always been a consideration for us. We wanted to make a difference in the biggest way possible and we felt a distinct call to make a difference by adopting.       Beginning in May 2012, Hannah and I started this adoption journey. However, our story is more than just one of adoption. We wanted to pursue a very special kind of adoption. We have developed a tender-heart towards those with special needs due to our own experiences with our son Benji’s extreme prematurity (born at just 26 weeks) and Down Syndrome. We witnessed first hand, the daily struggles Benji endured and then watched as he thrived because of the love and support of his family. A family who loves him unconditionally. We want to bring that same unconditional love to another child with special needs, specifically Down Syndrome. We feel as though we are well equipped to care for another special child who may have some of the same struggles as our son.       During our time of waiting for a special match, an agency contacted us about a possible opportunity in Macedonia. However, there was a road block as Macedonia does not have an established program for international adoption – period. What could we do? Did this mean that the doors were closed? To make a long story short, the doors have been opened! We are now the pilot family for a new adoption program for special needs children from Macedonia. We are hoping to be the first family in the United States to adopt a child from Macedonia through the Hague adoption system. The program is not yet open to other families, but we are hopeful that we can help create a successful program that would assist in finding families for hundreds of precious children with special needs. In the past 13 months, we have connected with an outstanding agency to start a new adoption program (essentially opening a country for international adoptions), converted our home study from domestic to international, and compiled our dossier. It is currently being translated into Macedonian.  Its been a long year as we've waited anxiously for things to come together. Thus far, the doors have opened and we are pursing this opportunity with excitement and A LOT of FAITH!       Sometimes people ask us, "Why? Don't you already have your hands full? Do you really think you can handle it?" Our answer? "You think our hands are full? You should see our hearts!" We believe we can not only "handle" it, but that we would thrive! We feel as though adding a child with special needs would be like adding the missing puzzle piece.       We will admit that before Benji was born, we probably never would have considered adopting a child with special needs. But our world changed the moment we received the amnio results. Down Syndrome has changed our life...and for the better. We have chosen to embrace our new path and would like to invite another little blessing to share in our special-needs journey. We adore our children more than anything and Benji certainly is no exception. We love him unconditionally and sincerely hope to add another special blessing into our lives!       For us, our calling is to raise our children to LOVE God and others and help those who cannot help themselves. To us, that means a child with special needs. We have been called specifically to adopt. God has given us the capacity to love another child and until he/she comes home, there will be a void in our hearts.

Where is Macedonia Anyway?

We've had a lot of people ask us questions about Macedonia so I thought I'd write a quick blog sharing a bit about the country. We have certainly enjoyed our research. Macedonia seems like a gem! It has rich beauty and history and we are greatly looking forward to our visit.

Macedonia is often also referred to as FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). Apparently Greeks use the term FYROM as there is a region within Greece that is also called Macedonia. Who knew?! So that is why people open refer to the Macedonia we are talking about as "The Republic of Macedonia"

The capital of Macedonia is, Skopje - this is where we will fly into. 

Macedonia became independent in 1991 - Even though it has extensive history, it is considered a "young state."

Macedonia is surrounded by Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece.

                                                                    Macedonia Map

An advantage for us is that Macedonia is one of the most affordable countries to visit in Europe! A quote from one blogger who visited said; "The cheapest hotels start at around $7; nicer hostels were around $10" - SWEET! Definitely the right price for a 12 week family vacation, aye?! (One Macedonian Denar = 0.0184571 US Dollar)

                                                            Macedonian Flag

                                                            Macedonian Alphabet
  

Check out these links for more info! 

History of Macedonia

Macedonian Facts

Macedonia: This Magnificent Country Will Surprise You

Macedonian Language

Oh, and did you know that both Mother Theresa and Alexander the Great were from Macedonia!

Translation Underway

This aspect is proving to take a bit longer than we had expected. Apparently, there are not many Certified Macedonian Translators in the USA ;) Our entire Dossier (all 94 of our adoption documents) need to be completed by a certified translator and accompanied by a certification of translation. We were quoted.....drum roll please.......14 cents/word! Ok.....well clearly that will add up quickly! But there's no turning back! Trusting God to provide. We had budgeted $2,500 for translation and it looks like it may be closer to $4K. Thankfully, our initial tax workup looks like we may get a refund which we can put towards the translation fees. Who knew?! If you're looking for a career field, maybe consider translation!

Fundrasing

We are thrilled to have our *dossier complete! We sent it to our international agency the week of Christmas and they are submitting it for translation in Macedonian! Once the entire dossier is translated, our agency will send it to the Ministry of Macedonia where our "request to adopt" will be considered. If we meet their criteria, we will be officially approved to adopt and then matched with a specific child. We are hoping to me matched with "Xavier" (and its very likely we will be. However, we are still obligated to follow proper adoption procedure per the Hague Adoption laws).

We are anxious to have our dossier submitted to the country for review. Once we are approved/matched, we will re-submit an application to immigration (*USCIS) requesting permission to bring that specific child back into the USA. When we have this 2nd USCIS approval, we will then be given travel dates. We are sincerely hoping that the timing works out for us to travel in June seeing as how Macedonia requires a 10-12week adaptation period and Joe is free from his on-site teaching responsibilities. (He will have to continue his work as an online-instructor, but thankfully, he can do that anywhere in the world so long as he has internet connection!) We know its gonna be tight, but we're hoping to fit the adaptation period into the June-August summer recess. (Please feel free to make the timing a matter of prayer as well!)


Now that our dossier is complete and submitted, its time to crack down on the fundraisers. We have been gifted $571.88 on our Reese's Rainbow Fundraising page! Its such an encouragement to see the number increasing! PLUS, any gifts donated through this link are tax deductible! Click Here to gift a tax-deductible amount to Joe and Hannah's adoption! There is also a pay-pal link on the top, right-hand side of the blog. This is out private account which releases the funds to us to use an expenses arise. RR does not release funds until we have travel approval - that's the only draw back. We will of course need every cent to use towards travel, but we still have some hefty bills due prior to travel. So either way you chose to give, would be an immense blessing! 

We are not expecting (or even asking) to just be given the money. We don't mind working...and working hard.....to raise what we need. Joe works 2 jobs and Hannah babysits like a crazy lady. As a stay at home mom, Hannah does what she can to raise extra funds. She is responsible for brainstorming, planning, preparing, and organizing most of the fundraisers. Please help show your support by sharing and even getting involved if you are able. In the next 22 weeks (from now until we hope to travel), Hannah has determined to host a different fundraiser each week. Please stay tuned for them! We promise that we will do our best to return the favor in the future. Please help us get what we need to make this dream a reality. The dream of rescuing an orphaned child and making him ours! We can't do this on our own, and maybe....just maybe....God is planning to use YOU as part of His plan to provide for what we need. God said "adopt" and we have trusted and obeyed. We know He will provide. If you feel moved to share our story, donate items for the auctions/sales, volunteer for the fundraising events, or even give financially, please do. God will bless your gift!

Thank-you friends!!!!

Check out a current Orgami Owl Fundraiser hosted by a friend! Just in time for V-day!
Origami Owl Butler Adoption

Follow us on FB!
Butler Adoption FB page

(*A dossier is a collection of papers giving detailed information about a particular person or subject. In the case of an adoption, a dossier contains a completed home study, back ground checks, letters from physicians, bank statements etc)

(*USCIS - United States Citizen and Immigration Services)