Baby Shower

My friends, family & church gave us a wonderful baby shower last weekend! We were again blessed beyond what we could have imagined by the generosity & love shown to our little ones! I wanted to download some photos but couldn't do it:( We just had a wonderful time together and we got so much stuff for the kids! I actually had to put everything in my husband's office at the church because our house is torn up with all the painting and construction going on! Hopefully most of it will be done tomorrow and I'll be able to start putting things back together. A good friend painted their room and is redoing our closets giving us more storage space so everything is pulled out all over the place!

I went and bought the cribs yesterday (they are also in the church as there is no room for them at home!) We're putting them in cribs for their safety and for their feeling of security.Having a child with who is legally blind, I know that a crib makes him feel more secure (and it sure makes me feel more secure too!!!) They have beautiful matching jungle themed crib sets that were handmade and soft blankets with the matching theme. I can't wait till they are home sleeping safely in their jungle themed bedroom!

I've bought them some toys that will be attached to the walls of their room and a ball pit. We already have an inside trampoline with a net, that Sam loves. I'm so excited about their room, it will be a sensory room! Lots of things to touch and listen to as well as do. Our local Blind Services has a room like that for the little kids and I am trying to some degree to copy it. Some days I just dream about how it will be to have them home and enjoying everything! I hope to have everything done by this weekend and pictures up-hopefully!!!!!

Everything is getting into place, hopefully that is a good sign that we are close to leaving to go get them!!! Please remember to pray for them and us! Thanks!

NEW VAN

Last Monday night we had just gone to bed when we got a phone call from a church member...as a pastor, you think the worst, someone is sick or has died....well our member said everything was fine and then just kinda waited...then he dropped the bomb...his family was buying us a new van!!!!!! We almost passed out:) We met him Tuesday night and picked up a brand new Kia van:) It's lovely:) You can see it above. I like the picture where it is with our old 2000 Dodge Caravan, big difference there! We are so grateful to our dear friends and overwhelmed by the provision of the Lord to us. Never did we expect this and are just amazed by how God is providing for us and for Sarah and Seth! They will be riding in style:) And I love that the windows are tinted, we plan on getting them eye surgery this summer and that will make it easier on their eyes while they are recovering. God is in the details and it is amazing!!!!!!!! I'm blown away.....

We are scheduled for our dossier to be submitted on Thursday so please pray for us that it will all go smoothly and we have our travel date within 2 weeks. It seems we are so close but still so far away!

As always plese pray for Sarah and Seth that God will protect them and keep them healthy!!!!!!!! Thank you all for your prayers!

Faithful God

Today we received a check for $7000 to complete our adoption! We are in awe of what God has done for Sarah & Seth! I am in awe of God's faithfulness. I truly believe God hears the cry of the orphan, the cry of loneliness that comes from their heart & He responds to it. Having a front row seat to this miracle for the last few months has been amazing. We didn't do any fundraisers (not that I'm against that) we couldn't even figure how to put the link to the ministry that has an account for them/us on my blog:) BUT God moved on people's hearts & they responded to his nudges...

The lady who gave today just unexpectedly lost her husband. But years ago she had a dream about helping two orphans & when she heard what we were doing, she felt the Lord nudge her to help us as the fulfillment of the dream. She hasn't let bitterness over her loss take over her life, she is trusting God no matter what she is going through. What an amazing example for all of us to trust God and not let circumstances steal our joy & trust in God. I am humbled by her example!

Thank you all for your prayers and support as we have began this journey. Please continue to pray for Sarah & Seth's health & safety and that all the very complicated pieces fall into place in the next month. Pray that despite all human reasoning that things will continue to go fast and that they will soon be in our arms. There are so many components of the adoption ahead & so many people within their government that we need favor from God as we move forward. Please pray for us that we will soon have them home:) Thank you all!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

I just got a shower gift from a family in Arizona:) How sweet of you guys! Can't wait to see them using it to hold on to as they relearn how to walk again:) What an encouragment!

Keeping the Faith

Today I woke to an email stating that there has been some changes to the way our children's country accepts dossiers. Right now our initial paperwork has been filed and the team was waiting to file our dossier till February 1, when the country reopened to accept dossiers. Now it seems each family will be given a date that our dossier can be submitted on. We do not know if this will affect us or not as our initial paperwork (it's called the CSP) has been submitted almost a month. We are waiting to hear. Even if it does affect us, it shouldn't add more than a few weeks on to the wait....not hard for us because we have been flying and have alot to do to get ready to bring two children home BUT to the children, this would be an awful hold up. They need us and they need medical care. Please pray that this will not hold up the adoption in any way!!! Thank you!!!!

Since we started on this adoption in November, I've been totally focused on getting our paperwork done and getting all the money raised. We didn't research this country, we fell in love with two children. So as I'm reading in our FB group of all the things different families are facing and how long some are in country, it's overwhelming! At this point, we plan on taking Steve & Sam with us. We have no one to leave Sam with for so long and Steve is coming to help with Sam. (he's a great big brother) We can't take Sam with us to court or to the institution so Steve will keep him in our room/apartment. I'm so thankful for a dependable, mature. 16 yr old son! However we do have concerns about taking Sam out of the country. He is so much healthier than ever but he does have special needs and there are things that could go wrong...even getting food poisoning would be disastrous for him. But we have no one who could keep him for 4-6 weeks. Yes that is how long we will be in country....

I like to plan things...with this it is "just go with the flow" 100% there is very little that we have any control over. I've said a million times I'm sure that this is a total different experience than our Chinese adoption...that was smooth, step by step...totally knew what to expect in country, even knew where we were staying...not so here!!!! The group of parents that are there right now are having extremely different experiences...and I wouldn't say any one's experience was smooth at all! Some seem easier than others...but they all seem very hard & stressful!

This one thing I know is that GOD has lead us to this point. We were not a family that was looking to add anymore children! If you would have asked me last October if we were ever going to adopt again, I would have told you "NO" And had we been thinking of adoption I can assure you it would not have been this country from just the little I knew about the adoption process. We didn't research countries or try to figure which ways to go... God spoke to us and that brings me comfort when the way seems dark....I can see in my mind's eye, us walking down a dark path, a tunnel of trees in the dark, with just a little light with us. We don't know how long that path will be or what steps to take we just walk in the moment and in His light.....

I have to confess there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night and WORRY....and believe me there are SO many things to worry about!!! But all I can say is we are following God's leading & direction. When I can grasp that truth for a minute or so...I have peace... It's just hard to keep ahold of that truth!!

Currently my husband is having a rough time with 3 bulging discs in his back. He has had problems since July but it got 100% worse when we committed to adopt Sarah & Seth. He has had a treatment of an epidural into his back and it has helped some. He is getting another one next Friday and they hope that that will be the cure. If not it is going to be a very hard trip

When I think of all that could go wrong....it's overwhelming! Please continue to pray for us in this situaion! Pray that God will make the crooked path straight...thank you!

If you'd like to give

If you'd like to give there are two ways ....

http://reecesrainbow.org/28647/sponsorclanton


or you can mail a check to: Grace Church 7060 Berry Road, Zephyrhills Fl 33540 attn: Clanton adoption

Thanks!

Getting Ready

We are still waiting, our dossier is being translated and all kinds of details are coming together! We are hoping to be in the children's country by March 5th:) Everything is going wonderfully...had a small glitch in our immigration paperwork that was noticed as it was being translated but were able to get that fixed immediately and emailed over! We still need about $5000 to finish the adoption fees but I'm confident that God is well able to provide that!!!!!

The paint and wood is bought for their room. It's going to be a jungle theme and look amazing. We have a wonderful friend , Chuck, who did a great job on our church so now he has offered to paint their room and redo the closets in the house to give us all more closet space. My house is kinda a mess right now as I am going through everything but it is going to be great!!

Next week my friend are giving me a baby shower...we're registered at Toys RUs /Babies R Us if you are wondering:) I can't wait to get everything ready for them!!!!

I've just started buying some clothes. I love thrift stores and went to my favorite one over the weekend and found someone had just dropped off beautiful size 4 girls' clothes. The clothes don't look worn at all and are all name brands! I also bought her some leggings to go under some of the dresses. I got Seth a few things including a very nice Nike Gator jacket! I've got a lot of boy clothes...obviously but I want him to have some new stuff too. It's hard to decide what to buy since I don't really know their sizes. Everything I bought for Shad was way too big so I'm figuring the same with them.

We just want everything to be nice and ready for them. We can't wait to spoil them and hear giggles....

All my kids have been premature, Steve by a month, Sam by two months, Shad by a month....so it's our hope that they will be too:) We have been told that the earliest we could hope to go was the first of March...I'm hoping we'll have a ate by the end of February...what can I say, I've never had to wait for my kids to get here:) Even Shad was a month earlier than we'd expected and that was crazy times for sure:) I had 5 days to get my visa and leave for China.....whew!

Really want these precious children home, really want to start loving on them, can't wait to take them to get eye surgery and hopefully that will give them some vision....

Please pray that things will continue to go smoothly, that God will continue to show us His mercy. Please pray that they will stay healthy and that God will whisper peace into their hearts throughout their dreams...thank you so much!