God, Grants & Giveaways

Every time I begin to think we are going in the wrong direction, God seems to show us He is in control. Two weeks ago we received a $1000 grant from an organization call Salvation International. It was super exciting as we are starting to get back into fundraising mode, to try to get to our last $12,000. Well surprisingly on Saturday, I received another email from Salvation International letting us know that we had been chosen to receive an additional $1000. So in total they were giving us $2000. I was floored. As soon as I want to say, I quit or maybe we need to think about a different path, God seems to speak up and say, NO I have a plan for you, don't give up!

We are super excited and can't wait for God to bring our child into our home. We are beinning to work on some new fundraisers to help us reach our $12,000 goal. Here is what is in the works!

Give-a-Ways - We are going to be giving away some items over the next couple of months for people who donate to our AdoptTogether page. Donations made to this page are tax deductible (please contact your tax consultant for details). Our first give-a-way is a $15 Starbucks gift card. We will give it away once we have reached $200 in donations on this site. The second give away is a Nook E-Reader (see description below) . It will be given away when the donations received on our AdoptTogether page reach $600. Each person that donates will be entered to win. Also any person that donates an item for us to give away will also be entered to win. We will have another give away at $1000. We are still working on that item.
You can make your donation by visiting our page at: https://www.adopttogether.org/lawsonadoptionjourney

Nook description: 6" touch screen, fast page turns with a touch, look-up words, bookmark and share reading with friends,download wirelessly with Wi-Fi,  Ink Pearl 16-level grayscale display for the clearest just-like paper reading-even in bright sun,multiple text sizes and styles, extra long battery life.

Thirty-One Fundraiser - Amy Bellamy has agreed to do an adoption fundraiser for us. They have some awesome new things in their spring catalog. We will have an open house party on February 9th at our home, but will also be taking orders via their website. I will have the link soon.

Valentines Parents Night Out - This will be a joint fundraiser between our family and another adopting family we know. The plan is to allow parents a night out without the kids. It will be $25 a child with siblings getting a discount. We will be open from 4-9. The menu is still in the works but  we will have valentine themed art project available, a movie and fun games for all ages. We are taking reservations as we only have a limited number of spots.

There will be more to come as far as fundraisers but we are going to hit the ground running and praying for God's will not mine! He has a path for our family, we just have to keep our eyes on Him, keep the faith and know He will bring us through it!

Faith worketh Patience

James 1:3-6 KJV says this:

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

We know that God has a plan for our family in all things. We trust in Him and lean on Him and know He will give us what we need, when we need it. Just praying for patience and faith this week. A group from a church we have attended before has a song that is call He Answers Prayers that says: Don't be discouraged. There is no need to worry, in His perfect time, your going to find He Answered your prayers. That is how I feel today. There is no need to worry because He is going to answer in His time.  He has a plan and will make a way, he will keep His word. He works a perfect work.

Today I am feeling:

Blessed, hopeful, happy, patient, strengthened, at peace!

God is great!

2014 is going to be a Good one!

It's a new year and we have renewed hope that 2014 is going to be a good year for the Lawson family. This adoption process has been long and difficult but we know that it will be worth it when a child is finally placed in our arms. We decided 2 years ago this month that we were going to start looking into adoption again. It took us 5 months to complete our paperwork, so our actual wait didn't start until May, but in our hearts its been 2 years since we began this process. It has felt long some days, but others we knew that God had a plan for our family.

If our little family crosses your heart or mind please say a little prayer for us. God has a plan for us and we know that in His time (not ours) he will bring a child into our home. He has the perfect child for our family and when the time is right, he will reveal his plan to us. We are hopeful that in the coming weeks and months we will have good news to share, but in the mean time, we are starting to do some fundraising as we still have around $11,000 to raise. We know it is possible and we know God will help us!

100 Good Wishes. We have started a new fundraiser called 100 Good Wishes. 100 Good Wishes was inspired by the Northern Chinese tradition called Bai Jia Bei, or "100 Good Wishes" quilt - a tradition which engages others in the celebration of a new life. I have seen quilts made by my family before where people do different blocks to represent a family or person. That is kind of how this works. You donate any amount you desire and you leave a Wish for our new child and/or our family. This is just another way you can help us raise the fees needed to bring our child into our home!

100 Good Wishes Fundraising Site

You can also help us reach our goal by making a tax deductible donation at Adopt Together. Visit our page at https://www.adopttogether.org/lawsonadoptionjourney/ . This organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works with adopting families. They accept online and mail donations and all the money is put toward our adoption. You will receive a receipt with your donation and will be able to use that donation toward your charitable contributions on your taxes (please be sure to contact your tax consultant.)  You can also make this donation anonymously if you so wish. Any donation big or small will help us reach our goal!

We are thankful for everyone who has donated their money, their time or said a prayer on our family’s behalf. You will never know how grateful we are to each of you. 

Looking forward to a REALLY GOOD year!