"Blessings" in Liberia

W.A.L.K.: Sometimes You have to Wander Off the Path

2011-04-14T11:52:00.000-04:00

W.A.L.K.: Sometimes You have to Wander Off the Path: "This blog is about kids. It's about school. It's about sending kids to school in Liberia. I am passionate about this cause..."

Our Liberian Girls are Growing

2011-02-03T23:27:00.002-05:00

http://www.ourfullhouse.com/home/1-blog/137-our-liberian-girls-are-growing-.html

Global Orphan Outreach: Global to start up sawmill in Liberia soon...

2011-01-15T23:42:00.000-05:00

Global Orphan Outreach: Global to start up sawmill in Liberia soon...: "For sometime now, Global has been discussing ways that we could be more self supporting of our projects in Liberia. Really important as ..."

Fundraiser

2011-01-15T23:35:00.001-05:00

Thermal Tote Sale

Keep It Cool & Heat It Up with a Thermal Tote Sale!

Thermal Tote only $14

Small Lunch Tote only $12

Price includes embroidery, shipping and tax.

$3 from each tote will go to help fun the Redman Family Adoption.

Hurry sale only lasts until January 21st.

Go to www.OurFullHouse.com to order

Our Girls Are Growing

2010-12-17T19:12:00.001-05:00

www.OurFullHouse.com/home/97-our-girls-are-growing.html

New Pictures of the Girls

2010-11-15T09:35:00.005-05:00

Hosanna Joy

Hannah Faith

Adoption for our two girls still has not opened up. We continue to wait for the Lord to open the doors. Pray that the doors will open soon. Our girls are becoming more attached to their foster mom, as time goes on. Though they live in a very poor part of the world, they are comfortable with their foster mom and change will be difficult for them. They are fearful of strangers.

Our girls are healthy and receiving food. They do have parasite, that are causing their tummies to be distended. We were able to send them baby blankets and photo albums with pictures of our family. We have also shipped a box to them but have not heard that it has arrived.

Global Orphan Outreach: The Faces of Liberia

2010-10-13T23:48:00.000-04:00

Global Orphan Outreach: The Faces of Liberia: "We are headed to Liberia next week and looking forward to the many people and children we meet and fellowship with. I thought I would post s..."

Global Orphan Outreach: Winnefred

2010-09-24T23:30:00.000-04:00

Global Orphan Outreach: Winnefred: "Send your prayers out for baby Winnefred. We are working quickly to get her out out Liberia next month on a medical visa due to her need of ..."

Do Unto the Least of These...

2010-09-19T22:38:00.002-04:00

Global Orphan Grain Project. Take a minute to look at this post, including the video, to see how you may be able to help with this project.

http://www.ourfullhouse.com/home/37-done-it-unto-the-least-of-these.html

Girls may be home soon....

2010-08-31T11:29:00.002-04:00

We received more pictures of the girls this week. We were also told that this week adoptions are scheduled to open. Our family is so very excited!! We are starting to make plans to travel should things open up. The pictures of the girls are so amazing. These two little girls weighed 9 pounds at 18 months. I would venture to guess by the pictures they are at least close to the same weight and size as our little Abby, who is also 2 years old.

Pastor Peter in Liberia has commented on what a positive example the girls are for our sponsorship program with Global Orphan Outreach. Both girls were severely malnourished. We started sponsoring them by providing money for food, clothing and medicine. This small amount of money each month has not only kept these girls healthy and alive but has caused them to flourish.

Check out my ww.OurFullHouse.com for pictures of the girls!

Delta approved for flights to Monrovia, Liberia | ajc.com

2010-08-25T23:31:00.000-04:00

Delta approved for flights to Monrovia, Liberia ajc.com

New Website

2010-08-21T23:48:00.001-04:00

Check out our new home on the web!

www.OurFullHouse.com

We Have Hope

2010-08-21T23:38:00.002-04:00

The girls may be coming home! Tuesday morning the long awaited meeting finally happened in Liberia. We had representatives at the meeting and they were very encouraged with the news and direction of the Ministry of Health. Christina Tah has vowed to open adoption again and help the orphans.

Sadly we lost three more children from our orphanage last week. On another note we received the medical records for a boy named Joseph. Joseph has an absess on his lung and is in need of a shunt. There are no hospitals that are able to do the surgery in Liberia. We are working to get the surgery donated here in the US. If the surgery is donated by a doctor and hospital Joseph could come to the US on a medical visa. If you know any doctors that might be willing to help please let us know.

For more info on Joseph... www.globalorphanoutreach.blogspot.com/2010/07/joseph.html

After the Baby Conference

2010-07-29T09:44:00.003-04:00

The amount of laundry after being on the road for one week. Thankfully all our laundry was done before we left!

The

Meeting Postponed Again

2010-07-21T19:19:00.002-04:00

Please continue to pray. The meeting with the Ministry has been postponed yet again! In our home we are praying that the girls can come home in August.

By the way today is their 2nd Birthday! Happy Birthday Hannah and Hosanna! Daddy, Mommy and your brothers and sisters are waiting for you to come home.

Meeting Postponed

2010-07-20T15:52:00.001-04:00

The meeting scheduled for last Friday was postponed until today. We are praying that God will open the doors and allow our little ones to come home now.

Will let you know as soon as we hear!

Please Pray

2010-07-13T16:24:00.003-04:00

Friday three Liberian gentlemen are going to meet with the Ministry of Justice on our behalf. We are working quickly to get a few letters from our Senators and Governor to send as well.

Please pray that if it be God's will Christiana Tah would allow us to complete our adoption and go to pick up our children. This is a huge opportunity for us. Hannah and Hosanna turn two years old this month. What a celebration it would be for us to be able to bring them home to their forever family.

One amazing note...the Lord laid on our hearts last week before we left to contact the Ministry of Justice in Liberia. We emailed Christiana Tah and pleaded with her to allow our children to come home. Then a week or two later we hear that she has asked to speak with the adoption agencies in Liberia as well as adoptive parents that can make it to the meeting. We do not have the money for me to fly to Liberia tomorrow but with that said we have wonderful representation on our behalf!

Please pray!!!

Adoption Statistics

2010-07-13T12:36:00.004-04:00

"The Spirit of Adoption is the visible gospel." Doug Phillips

Haiti:

9.876 Million People

380,000 orphans

4 % of population are orphans

43% of Haitians are under 18 years old

Liberia:

3.793 Million People

270,000 orphans

7 % of population are orphans

68% of Liberians are under 15 years old

United States:

311.666 Million

2.8 million orphans

0.9 % of population are orphans

25% of Americans are under 18 years old

UNICEF Statistics from 2008

147,000,000 orphans world wide

Over 40 times God tells the Israelites to help widows and orphans

"If you really want to be blessed, be concerned about the things that God is concerned about." John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church

Monday's Drive

2010-07-13T12:09:00.004-04:00

Well Monday came and went before I was able to write what happened. At 8:00 Andrew, Jonathan, Jordan and Josiah met with AECT (www.aectceb.com) in San Antonio. AECT is a compressed brick machine company. Andrew and the boys have been looking into building us a home from compressed earth blocks. I am very excited about the possibilities of building a very large home from dirt blocks for very little money.

Andrew has been talking with a man at our church that started him on the idea a few months ago. A few days before we left for Texas Andrew found a company in San Antonio that manufactures machines that compress the dirt into bricks. So at the encouragement of us girls the boys made an appointment to meet with this company.

What we thought would be a short 30 minute meeting turned into over two hours time. They watched as the gentlemen at AECT built a brick, demonstrated the machines and walked them through the building process.

Two incredible things happened that only the Lord could have done. One when Andrew spoke with the secretary at AECT and told her we were from Georgia, she said," oh we just sold a machine to a man in Georgia." He is a pastor in Jackson, Georgia and purchased a compressed earth brick machine to take to LIBERIA to build houses for the people there. WOW ! How very exciting to see God's hand at work.

The other amazing thing was Andrew was chatting with a family at the conference who we greatly admire. Come to find out one of their sons has done great amounts of research into these block homes as well for possible use in humanitarian aid to Africa. Their son was also planning to meet with AECT this coming week for more information.

After we left AECT we headed to town to grab a little lunch and chat for a few minutes about what Andrew and the boys had learned.

We drove all afternoon and evening, with plans to stop in a KOA for the night. As we got toward the east coast of Louisiana we decided to stop at a hotel for the night. Everyone wanted to shower, I needed to wash a few clothes due to some outfits that got bloody due to an accident one little boy had, and we were just looking forward to a great nights sleep! So we found an inexpensive Comfort Inn and Suites. After we checked in the lady told us there was no laundry facility. Oh well...off to WalMart we go. Andrew and I ran in and purchased some cheap t-shirts, socks and undies for those who needed them. All things I would have bought anyway when we got home, but this saved from doing laundry! When we got into our hotel room they had not run the air in the rooms and they were steamy! Took most of the night to cool down the rooms, non-smoking rooms that smelled like smoke....now all my littles are coughing and wheezing. Not the best way to end vacation, but we wouldn't trade this trip for anything.

Saturday at the Baby Conference

2010-07-11T00:04:00.000-04:00

This morning we attended a session on adoption and Haiti. Several families spoke about their experiences with adopiton. It was a very moving part of the conference for me personally. I had to wipe a few tears as David Birdy and Doug Phillips shared about Rescue Haiti's Children. Afterwards I went up to speak with David Birdy. My desire was to see if he had any ideas on how to get our girls home, as he has just brought three girls home from Haiti. Sadly his circumstances were/are very different than ours. He was not able to offer any help but did get a group of people together to pray over me that the Lord would be with Hannah and Hosanna and bring them home safely and quickly.

After the morning session we spent quite a while talking with other families about adoption. I had the priviledge of encouraging other families who are just thinking about caring for orphans in a new way. We then decided to walk into town and grab an early lunch. While at lunch we met another family and visited with them for some time. Then it was back to the convention center for a 1:30 session.

We chose to hear Geoff Botkin and family at 1:30. Geoff spoke on "How to Practice Biblical Discipline in the Home". This session was a highlight for Andrew and I. Not only did Geof do a great job at laying out the Biblical reasons for discipline, his children spoke of how discipline looked in their home. All seven children rose up and blessed Mrs. Botkin for the job she has done in raising and disciplining them! Very convicting. Also a great look at why so many of the so called Christian methods of discipline are not Biblical.

At 4:00 Doug Phillips and many of the speakers from the week offered a few closing comments. There was also a time of testimony given for fathers. Many testified to God's grace in their lives. Several had vasectomy reversals, many had learned the Biblical view on the family. We were all sad that the conference had to come to an end.

Our family stayed around for hours visiting with many old and new friends. We have been invited to many homes...Texas, SOuth Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana...We will be attending another conference in San Antonio in October, at which time we will reconnect with many of these families.

Dinner was wonderful. We went to the Mexican Restaurant we visited yesterday. The waiter we had tonight came to our table to tell us in ten years he has never waited on a nicer family with more respectful children. As we were leaving at 9:30 group of Vision Forum employees came in to eat.

Well it is now midnight again...good news is we don't have to be at the convention center early. We are attending a church service for all the are still in town at 10:30 tomorrow morning. After church we will do a little sightseeing and relax. By the way San Antonio has good Mexican food but the city is not a great place to be. We were walking to our vehicle tonight after dinner and the children watched a drug deal happen, as well as the dress or lack there of is much worse than in Georgia. Well off to bed!

Friday at the Baby Conference

2010-07-11T00:00:00.002-04:00

Today was a wonderful day.

Our first session was at 8:30 am. Doug Phillips lead a panel of couples who all had large families in a question and ansrew time. THe Allens, Valentis, Carpenters, Chanceys, Botkins and Phillips spoke about what life looks like in their homes on a day to day basis .

OUr second session was by Geoff Botkin. Geoff spoke on the 50 year anniversary of the pill. He shared the history of Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood and how the pill has killed millions of babies over the past 50 years.

At 11:30 the girls and I went to a luncheon/tea with Michelle Duggar. Michelle spoke about her family, her new little daughter Josie, as well as many practical thoughts on raising children.

At lunch the girls and I sat with some old friends and many new ones. After lunch we walked down the Riverwalk to find the boys eating at Subway.

Andrew spent the afternoon chatting with men from around the country. He and the children rested for awhile, walked through the vending hall to speak with many vendors like Heritage Fund, a new legal organization designed to help families in a time of legal battle. They also spoke with Hope for Orphans, Samaritian Ministries, and more.

Rebekah and I went to hear Beall Phillips interview Michelle Duggar. It was very enjoyable. Michelle is such a Godly example to mothers! I was sooo encouraged.

Around 4:00 pm our whole family went to a session on BioMedical Ethics. Wow was that challenging. Do you know what your church teaches and believes about In Vitro, surigacy, H+, artificial wombs? Many of the new technologies are downright scary. Andrew and I are still working through what we believe the Bible teaches in some of these areas. Thankfully we have Godly men who are thinking through them with us to encourage us.

For dinner we ate at a local Mexican Restaurant located on the Riverwalk. Our table was on the water. We ate too much chips, salsa and cheese dip but oh was it good!

After dinner we headed back to the convention center for our evening session. The session was incredible. Michelle Duggar received an award for 2010 Mother of the Year. Michelle is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. She is humble, gentle and incredibly wise. The Lord has greatly blessed Jim Bob and Michelle with a family that speaks volumes about what they believe the Bible proclaims about children.

We stayed around talking at the convention center with some friends of ours that live in San Antonio. We are planning to visit at their home in October. On the way back to our KOA we stopped to pick up ice at around midnight at a gas station in yucky town.There were three stray dogs living in the parking lot of this gas station that just ate the trash.

pics

2010-07-10T01:08:00.001-04:00

Tonights Message

2010-07-09T00:53:00.003-04:00

First of all I have been trying to post pictures for over 24 hours and can't get them to load.....internet too slow. So they will be on as soon as I can.

Tonight Doug Phillips spoke about children being a blessing. He also talked about how the pill has been used to kill more than 700 million babies, far more than abortion.

Becky Morecraft sung for us, which is always a treat. She told my little ones, who love her CDs, she sings with her sister Judy Rogers, to promote her music and she will make more for them. Abigail especially loves Judy and Becky's songs. www.judyrogers.com

Geoff Botkin spoke on embryology. It was incredible! He used clay to demonstrate how the Lord forms us and how the baby develops in the first 57 days, going from one cell to 1 million cells! I learned a few things that I will share tomorrow.

Now it is after midnight and I am ready for bed. Tomorrow we start again at 8:30!

Oh by the way we have connected with soooo many families that we know and have met over the years. We are tired tonight but having a great time.

Good Morning from Louisiana

2010-07-08T09:05:00.002-04:00

We all slept great last night! We pulled into the KOA a little after 9:30 pm. James, Noah, Gideon, Abigail and Eden were already asleep on the bunk beds in the back. When we arrived Jordan and Josiah showered in the motorhome, while Jonathan, Rachel and Rebekah went to shower in the KOA bathrooms.

When we finally settled in to bed it wasn't five minutes later and Abigail rolled off the bottom bunk bed with a thump! She slept with Andrew and I all night. Eden slept all night in her bed on the floor.

I set the alarm for 6:30 am but realized this morning when it went off that my blackberry does not change times zones on its own. So....we were up at 5:30 am Louisiana time. Andrew and I showered and were on the road pretty quickly.

The grass is so very green in Louisiana. Off to Texas....

Pictures of our Travels

2010-07-07T23:10:00.000-04:00

We are on the road

2010-07-07T22:01:00.005-04:00

Wednesday:

6:30 am - rise and shine! Today we finally head to Texas to the Baby Conference! We have been waiting for this trip for months.

7:30 am - We are leaving to go pick up the motorhome! Children are all eating breakfast and tidying their rooms.

8:30 am - arrive to pick up motorhome. Eddie was still getting a few last minute things repaired. Eddie is a neat Christian man and father of five. Andrew and Eddie had a great time chatting.

10:30 am - finally got everything finished. Andrew and I stop at McDonalds and grab a bite to take on the road, as neither of us took time to eat breakfast.

11:45 am - home to load everything into motorhome. Twelve people, clothes for seven days, food for fifteen meals, a double stroller, cameras, laptops, stuffed animals, blankets, pillows, sheets, towels, etc.

12:30 pm - on the road, gassed up and driving!

2:00 pm - beds made, everything put away in cupboards, little ones napping, older ones watching Roy Rogers on DVD.

5:30 pm - stop for gas and eat pulled pork sandwiches and pasta salad in the motorhome. Back on the road....

9:00 pm - stop for gas, cup of coffee for Andrew and a Dr. Pepper for me! Call KOA in Denham Springs to make a reservation. Will be nice to take a shower, plug in for water and electric. Motorhome has done great except the step won't retract when we close the door; boys will fix it tomorrow. Little ones are in bed and the big ones are watching Facing the Giants with me...I love that movie:)

Texas Here We Come

2010-07-06T20:01:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow we are heading to San Antonio, Texas. Our family will be attending the Baby Conference put on by Vision Forum Ministries. I will be blogging live from the conference for anyone that is interested.

Here are our plans....

Wednesday - pick up motorhome, drive as far as we can...Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana

Thursday - drive from Louisiana to San Antonio, Texas. We will check in at the KOA campground and then head over to the Henry B Gonzales Convention Center to register. At 6:00 pm we will hear the opening messages of the conference entitled "The Long War Against Babies" and "The Wonders of Embryology".

I will be posting pictures and notes as the week goes on. If any of you are also attending the conference send me a quick email and we will meet up!

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Fairview case draws scrutiny from Liberian ambassador | NewsOK.com

2010-06-30T10:24:00.002-04:00

Fairview case draws scrutiny from Liberian ambassador NewsOK.com

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Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform

2010-06-30T10:17:00.002-04:00

Here is a response to the last article written by PEAR.

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The Baby Business

2010-06-30T09:51:00.005-04:00

This article will give you the small glimpse into some issues in the adoption world. I will be following up this article with some responses from adoption advocates and agencies that work with orphaned children daily and see the devestation in foreign countries.

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Hannah is crawling!

2010-06-02T11:23:00.002-04:00

Heart Broken

2010-04-27T13:29:00.008-04:00

Well I have started this post several times and just can't seem to finish it.

Several ladies from Global Orphan Outreach visited our orphanage/foster families in Liberia last week. It was a wonderful time for them to see the children, put in a well in a poor jungle community, speak with the University about installing wheelchair ramps for the handicapped, taking the foster moms and children to the beach, as well as meeting with the Ministry regarding the direction of adoptions.

Visit their site http://www.globalorphanoutreach.blogspot.com/ to see pictures and read about the trip.

The news from the Ministry was not what we had hoped for. I was going to say the news was "not good" but that would be saying that God's timing is not right. I know He has a plan!! I just have to continue to remind myself of this...daily, hourly and sometimes every few minutes. Anyway I have digressed. The Ministry has said that they will not be completing any adoptions at this time. They are changing to a Hague country, meaning only one agency currently doing adoptions in Liberia has the accreditation to continue. There will be no private adoptions, which is what we were doing, with the Ministries blessing I might add. No adoptions will take place, period, until the Children's Bill is passed. Right now the Ministry is accrediting foster homes and orphanages. Once that is finished they will move onto accrediting adoption agencies. In all reality we are looking at the end of the year to travel to pick up our children and probably more money than we had planned.

If all of this was not enough, we receive word yesterday that our little boy has passed away. Solomon John died last week in his sleep. He was not sick and had been playing as normal that day. The next morning he did not awake. As you can imagine this is heartbreaking to our family. We have counted Solomon our son for a year now, just waiting to go pick him up. This has not changed our direction, only strengthened our resolve to bring Hannah and Hosanna home as soon as possible.

While we don't know why God has allowed our son to pass away, we do know that He has a plan. He who sent His own son to die for me because He loved me and chose me.

Why has this adoption taken so long. I really can't say. I may never know, but I do know that our family has learned many lessons. We have learned to love deeper, even when we haven't met. Pray harder, even when the answer is 'wait'. Trust more, because we know God is in control.

Please pray with us that God will allow our girls to come home safely and in His timing!

Maybe soon....

2010-04-09T00:08:00.002-04:00

Liberia has officially announced that adoptions are taking place!! Things have been moving slowly in Liberia since about December, but no official word was given until yesterday that things are moving again!

A few new challenges may be in our path. One, the government of Liberia is requiring that both parents travel and appear in Monrovia for an exit interview. While both of us traveling was our desire, the timing now will make it more complicated. Two weeks ago we had a little baby girl, our tenth child. The challenge will be taking her to Liberia with us (concern for her health) or leaving her for a week here in the US. Also in order to bring the triplets home we will have to travel with them on our laps on the plane, if we take the baby we will need more help in our travels.

We know the Lord has a plan and we are both excited to see what He does. We are also very excited about bringing home our little ones in the next couple months. One lesson I have learned is not to try to run ahead of the Lord. We are almost 2 1/2 years into this adoption process. I had my plans from the beginning. I was sure we would fill out our paperwork, obtain our approval and travel all before our ninth child was born. Well she is turning two at the end of this month. The Lord had other plans which we now see were for our good.

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Still Waiting

2010-02-28T16:38:00.006-05:00

This week we received word that our three little ones are growing well. They are eating well and gaining weight. So many things are happening with international adoption right now. UNICEF is doing everything they can to halt adoptions in Liberia, Ethiopia, Haiti and many other foreign countries.

This week Liberia has announced that they will be putting a hold on adoptions again, third time in two years. Two days later the Ministry of Health in Monrovia announced that adoptions will proceed again, though slowly.

Where are we at? We are waiting for the accredidation of our agency under the new laws. We also wait while Liberia continues to get their process ironed out. We will be sending paperwork over with our agency the beginning of April. Once our paperwork is accepted by the embassy in Liberia we will receive the children's visas, medical reports and the clearance for them to leave.

We continue to send support and pray for our little ones. We are praying they will be home before their second birthday in July!

Due to the fact that we do not have a travel timeline, we are waiting to see who will travel and when. The airlines will require three adults to travel to hold the children on the plane. Andrew and I would love to travel and as of right now that is our plan, but we have several options.

Ways you can help.....as time gets closer we will be taking donations of frequent flyer miles. We will fly from Georgia to Belgium and then into Monrovia. There is a possibility that Delta Airlines will open a direct flight to Monrovia from Atlanta, which would be wonderful! The airline will require the children to have tickets as well, but they are much cheaper than a full ticket, as they will be sitting on our laps.

So we continue to wait.

Homestudy....again

2010-01-05T13:03:00.002-05:00

Today we met with Kelly to do our home visit. Every twleve months a homestudy must be updated.

So far we have accomplished the following:

Application

Homestudy Agreement

Child Abuse and Neglect Background Check

Sexual Offender Background Check

Financial Forms

Tax Return

Criminal Checks - Local, GBI and FBI

HIPPA Forms

Federal Express Account Info

Septic Tank Exam

Address Form - past 10 years

Gun and Pool Safety

Self Studies

Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates and Passports

Copy of Health Insurance

Still need:

Employment Verification

Medical Reports - each member of the family

Pet Vaccines

Reference Letters

Change Address with the USCIS

Today the dogs go to the vet and tomorrow the family goes in for physicals. We are almost complete.

Names

2009-12-11T21:04:00.005-05:00

Have you ever stopped to think of what is in a name? Parents find out they are expecting a little one and they begin planning his or her future. But do we take time to stop and think about naming our children? Did you ever stop to think that your child's name will be the most common proper noun they hear in their lifetime. They will probably hear the name you choose for them an average of two to four million times. Even after they die their name will still be used.

In the Redman home choosing a name is a major thought process. Dad and mom pray and ask the Lord's wisdom in choosing a name that will glorify the Lord. The children offer input as well. Some of our children have gone a week or more without a name, much to the chagrin of the grandmas.

But consider what God's Word says about a name. Proverbs 22:1 tells us, " A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold."

Doug Phillips, of Vision Forum Ministries, puts it very clearly when he states," The naming of a child is one of the most important decisions you will make on behalf of your son or daughter, so be deliberate. Be biblical."

Is it your goal to name your little bundle of joy by the most popular name, a name to give him the competitive edge, to be different than everyone else, or to name your sons and daughters by names that will challenge them to live Godly lives for their Creator?

Here are the names of our children so far...

Rachel Anne - Little lamb, grace

Jonathan David - Gift from God, beloved

Jordan Daniel - The descender, God is my judge

Josiah Stephen - Supported by God, Crown

Rebekah Lynn - Captivating, beautiful

James Levi - To follow, united/joined

Noah Michael - Rest, like God

Gideon Eli - Warrior, Ascension

Abigail Grace - Father's joy, grace

And now our three little ones from Liberia....

Hannah Faith - Grace, faith

Hosanna Joy - Salvation, joy

Solomon John - Peaceful, gracious gift of God

And one more due in March...stay tuned for an update in the naming of the next generation of Redman arrows.

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We are still here....

2009-12-11T20:21:00.004-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Life is always busy with nine children, four on the way! Most days I am so focused on raising our current arrows, all the while dreaming and praying for our three little ones half a world away. We get regular reports about their health and progress, which is always so good for this mommy's heart.

When we began this adoption we never imagined it would take over two years to bring home our little ones. I, being a planner, like to think on my own time schedule. If it were up to me we probably would have adopted before Abigail was born, which means we never would have been matched with these precious babies. When will I learn to rest in God's timing.

Since it has taken so long we are now starting our homestudy process again. Wow, never saw that one coming when we did this just over a year ago. A homestudy is a written report about a family. A social worker prepares the report and it is sent to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Department as well as the country the children are coming from, which in our case is Liberia, West Africa. Today we went to the Sheriff's office for our FBI and GBI fingerprinting. Now we have to get eleven medical physicals done, our septic tank approved for fifteen people, new reference letters, employment verification, etc. Unfortunately it all costs money, but the Lord has provided each step of the way for this adoption.

We are getting near the end. The Ministry of Health in Liberia has stated they will be taking cases in January. I have been dreaming about traveling to Africa for a few years now. I pray that God will use our trip as a blessing to those we meet, those that need to see God's love, those who have so very little compared to us in America. May we be a light to Liberia, West Africa. I don't believe this will be our last trip to Liberia, but a beginning of a lifelong ministry.

Prayer Requests:

Health for the babies - they are severely malnourished, weighing less than 10 pounds each, yet they are healthy so far
Homestudy process - that all will go smoothly and quickly
Wisdom for travel - Our little one in the womb is due in March and we would prefer her to be born in America not in Liberia
That God would use the Redman family to bless many in Liberia

Thanks for your continued support for our family during this adoption process. We know God has great plans for each of our children, those born in America and Africa.

The babies are growing

2009-09-23T23:09:00.002-04:00

Excellent sermon

2009-08-15T09:57:00.001-04:00

Invest the time to listen to this sermon, as it cuts to the heart of what we believe:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=525091133123

More Pictures of the Babies

2009-08-14T23:22:00.008-04:00

Triplets!

2009-08-12T15:11:00.007-04:00

We received an email today about triplets that need sponsorship in Liberia. Two little girls and one little boy!

All three are tiny, about the size of a six month old. They are getting teeth and are able to sit up, but they only weigh in at about 12 pounds each.

Our sponsorship will provide money monthly for food (particularly rice and protein) as well as any medical care they need. A nurse from the hospital checks on them and a Dr. is available as well.

Adoption Article

2009-08-02T13:10:00.003-04:00

Here is an article written by a Liberian man regarding adoption. Many of the Liberian people desire to see adoption opened again to help the children.

"Adoption, Politics and the State" by Francis Nyepon.

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Added Blessing

2009-07-23T11:41:00.003-04:00

God has blessed our family with another little one, not through adoption (yet!) but through birth. Our little one is due to arrive in March.

This week has been a busy week with four birthdays. Noah turned six years old, Jordan turned thirteen, Jonathan is fifteen and Rachel will be seventeen in a few days. Each year it is so fun to see the children grow and mature. We are all looking forward to God's blessings in our family over the next year.

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Delta to offer service to Liberia

2009-06-03T22:38:00.004-04:00

Today on the radio my son and I heard that Delta Airlines is trying to offer non-stop service to Liberia. This would be wonderful when we are ready to make our trip! Delta has stated that they are waiting for airport security to increase at Robertson Airport in Monrovia. Once security is increase Delta will begin flying into Monrovia as well as Kenya.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/10/20/daily47.html

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Donations

2009-06-02T13:49:00.003-04:00

Thank you to each of you who have donated to our adoption recently. We appreciate your support as we strive to bring home our three little girls.

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Update on Adoption

2009-06-02T12:33:00.003-04:00

Well there is no real news except that Liberia is still closed to adoption. I spoke with a very nice lady at the Liberian Embassy in Washington D.C. today. She said,"adoption is still on hold while they are still investigating."

I want to thank those in the Liberian community here in Atlanta for your support of our adoption process. We look forward to meeting many of you in person. It is our desire that our daughters become Liberian-Americans and retain their heritage. It is also our desire to travel back to Liberia with them as they grow older. We want them to know their roots just like our biological children know about the place in which they were born and have lived. We want to learn to cook our daughters national foods, teach them about their land and display their flag. Yes they will be American as well but they will always be Liberian.

When I think of Liberians I think of a people of hope and determination. It is so difficult to think about these children who have no parents, no home, no food all due to a war beyond their control. I think of parents who gave their lives for their children and those who gave their lives to bring about a peaceful republic. We pray that Liberia will begin to stabilize and get back on its feet. We pray that the government will make wise choices for the people and we pray for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Vice President Joseph Boakai.

Thanks to each of you who have continued to follow our long adoption process. The Lord knows the day and time in which these little ones will come home to live with us in America. Please continue to uplift us in prayer as we continue to wait patiently.

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Newspaper Interview

2009-04-15T15:08:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we received a call from our local newspaper. They wanted to do an article on our adoption. After the interview they sent a camara man out to take pictures. Andrew was at work so they only got pictures of me and the children.

Today when I took the little children to the library the lovely ladies at the counter asked the children if they had seen the paper today. They raved about what a wonderful article it was about our family and how much they enjoy having us in the community. The children and I ran to WalGreens on the way home to buy a few newspapers. The article is also online.

We are so very thankful that the story was positive and attempted to show our that "children are a blessing from the Lord!"

http://www.times-georgian.com/articles/2009/04/15/local_news/doc49e53ebd70b05957641707.txt

May God be praised!

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More Magazine Sales....

2009-04-05T19:53:00.002-04:00

We have sold a few more magazines which has helped bring in more funds. We are now working on our golf tournament. Pray the Lord will provide the needed $12,000 to pay for the international fees as well as the travel expenses. Also pray that the country of Liberia will open for legal and ethical adoption for the suffering orphans that are in need of a forever home.

On Saturday our I797 arrived in the mail. This is a huge step. The I797 is a Notice of Favorable Disposition concerning application for advanced placement of orphan petition. In otherwords it means that the US government has granted us permission to adopt three orphans from Liberia and the US will allow them to become US citizens.

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Golf Tournament

2009-04-01T21:26:00.003-04:00

Please join us for the Adoption In Liberia Golf Tournament on June 22, 2009. Come help raise the remainder of our funds to assist in bringing our little girls home.

We have a great day of golf at the beautiful Bradshaw Farm Golf Club in Woodstock, Georgia (www.bradshawfarmgc.com) The event is a 4-person scramble, lunch buffet and an awards reception.

Register now online and remember to invite your friends to play. We are also in need of sponsors. Large and small companies can participate. Recognition as well as free golf for the day will be included in each sponsor package.

Check out our tournament website. www.golfdigestplanner.com/11156-AdoptioninLiberia/

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Email from USCIS

2009-04-01T21:23:00.003-04:00

Today we received an email from USCIS (formerly US Immigration). We have received the US governments approval to adopt as well as our approval has been sent to the Liberian government. The recommendation is three children five and under!

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Thank You

2009-04-01T21:17:00.004-04:00

Last week we received another anonomous donation. I can't send a thank you but the Lord knows what a blessing this was to us. Thank you!

Today we received a letter from a dear family. They have a heart for missions and through Christ's bestowing blessing in their family, they in turn donated $1000 to our adoption. Thank you!

May the Lord bring the funds needed to travel to Africa in His time.

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Visit our Magazine Sales Website

2009-02-20T23:29:00.004-05:00

We are beginning a fundraiser to help with the cost of travel. As time gets closer to spring and summer the cost of airfare continues to rise. We are still working on "buddy passes" and frequent flyer miles, but because the only airline that actually flies into Liberia is Brussels Air we will need to purchase tickets as well.

So here is how you can help us. Go to our website www.magfundraising.com/AdoptAfrica and order or renew your magazines. It is very easy! The second thing you can do is let all your friends, family and co-workers know. The more subscriptions the closer we will be traveling to Liberia.

We are still waiting for the country to open up and provide us a referral. We want to be ready on our end to travel as soon as we receive the ok. We have wonderful friends and family praying all over the country, as well as over seas, that the Lord would provide the funds and open the door for our referral. Please pray also that our immigration paperwork at the USCIS office is completed soon. We are waiting to here from them anyday.

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Yes we're waiting....

2009-01-31T12:45:00.003-05:00

We have had the news confirmed by the Ministry in Liberia that currently all adoptions are on hold. Many orphanages have been closed, many children returned to their parents in Liberia. Liberia is saying that by February the new laws will be in place and adoptions will begin again. Our lawyer has offered a solution to the government in Liberia to help fix many of the issues they are facing. Our agency believes that adoptions will again be taking place, as many of these children need a home, but we are not holding our breath that by February it will all be resolved.

On the home front here we continue to wait. We are not waiting on the government of Liberia but on the Lord. He is truly in control and in His time His will be done. Many wonderful friends have emailed and called reminding us they are praying with us and for us, but more importantly for the little ones in Africa.

So we are waiting...may I encourage you to also wait on the Lord? Whether your marriage is hurting, your finances are slim, you are in need of a job...wait on the Lord!

Psalm 27:14
"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

Psalm 33:20
"Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield."

Psalm 40:1
"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry."

Isaiah 40:31
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Lamentations 3:25
"The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him."

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While I'm Waiting.....

2009-01-31T12:34:00.004-05:00

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

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Sad News

2009-01-27T21:29:00.002-05:00

On Thursday I received news that the government of Liberia had closed down six orphanages because of misconduct. Our orphanage was not one of them and as of Friday things were still moving ahead although slowly.

Tonight I read a speech given today by the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Here is a quote,"The gross mismanagement of the adoption program (which aims primarily at placing orphans in homes in the United States), by both Liberian and U.S. personnel in the concerned NGO is the subject of a report by a Special Committee which I appointed for this purpose. Essentailly, we have discovered that many of the children in these orphanages are not in fact orphans but children taken from thier living parents on the promise of support and a good life in America. Morevoer, we found that young children were being sexually abused at some of these orphanages, while others including officials of government, have used the program to extort money from potential adoptors. We have thus suspended the adoption program until laws, policies, and proper guildlines have been estabished and we have asked our concerned friends and partners in the United States to be paitent as we try to correct the serious malpractices which exist. We expect the National Social Welfare Policy and National Adoption Act which will be submitted to you during the course of the year, will provide guidance and prevent such abuses in the future. "

I will be speaking with our agency tomorrow to gain a better perspective. One positive is that our lawyer in Florida has a very good relationship with the Ministry Department over adoptions in Liberia.

We will continue to trust the Lord! May His will be done! Please continue to pray for the healthand safety of the children in Liberia.

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Homestudy Arrived!!

2009-01-18T22:30:00.003-05:00

Friday our homestudy arrived from Options 4 Adoptions. We had a hold up on our employment verification letter. Now it is all complete and a copy has been sent to the United States Citizenship Immigration Services.

This week we will accomplish a list of items for our dossier. I also have to get a medical waiver to release me from the yellowfever vaccination. Because Abigail is still nursing we are choosing to ask for a medical waiver allowing me to be exempt from the vaccine. Andrew will still get the vaccine, but will also do as much as possible to boost his immune system before hand. We are working with our Doctor to do all that we can to keep us from getting ill while traveling.

We are still working on finishing our fundraising. We know that the Lord will provide the needed money.

Andrew went to the sporting goods store this week to check on prices of soccer balls. We would like to take some dolls and soccer balls to the children in the orphanage. If any of you know a store that would be willing to donate please let me know.

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New adoption timeline

2009-01-09T17:27:00.004-05:00

Those of you who know me know that I like calendars and organization. I like to plan and schedule. And those of you who have adopted know that plans and schedules are not very reliable in adoption. When we began this adoption I had all my ducks in a row. I had ordered everyone's birth certificates, made copies, lists of paperwork needed; but when you deal with a fourth world country you must be flexible. My husband has been teaching me flexibility for seventeen years! Now I get to practice it.

On the left you will see a timeline of our adoption process. I will be updating it regularly as we go along.

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Apostilles arrived!

2009-01-08T17:52:00.003-05:00

Today I received the notarized and apostilled birth and marriage certificates from California. For those who don't know, an apostille is a statement attached to a document verifing that the notary is a licensed and is official in that state. All of our documents going to Liberia will need a notary stamp as well as an apostille.

Our documents come from all over the country and half way around the world. Thankfully I was informed to start ordering these documents early. I sent Andrew's to England before Thanksgiving. I then had to send two of our children's certificates to Washington State, four to California as well as my birth certificate, our marriage certificate and Andrew's naturalization certificate to California.

Today I received the last of the certificates from outside Georgia. I will now need to get all the paperwork we have...physicals, financial documents, employment verification, and reference letters notarized and taken to Atlanta to be apostilled.

We are waiting for an appointment with the Immigration Services to get our fingerprints taken. After that we should receive the approval of our I600a, petition to adopt internationally. This and our other documents will be sent on to Liberia in what is called a dossier.

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Questions.....

2009-01-06T11:41:00.005-05:00

I have received a few questions from readers over the past few weeks.

1. Yes, our children have someone to stay with them in Georgia while we travel. Andrew and I do not want to leave our other children for a week but we feel that it is important to our new daughters that we both travel to Africa to pick them up, as we'll see their homeland. It is our desire to bring a little bit of Africa into our home, much the way we have done with Andrew's British heritage. Our children will be well cared for!

2. While we are planning on adopting two little girls from Liberia we have left our homestudy open to three children. Many times a sibling will come into the picture or a special child will touch the the hearts of those adopting....we want to make sure if that happens we will have all our paperwork in order, should the Lord choose.

3. We are very open to whichever children the Lord should see fit to bring into our home. While we as parents pray for healthy happy children, we also realize that most of the children in Liberia are not healthy due to lack of nutrition. Much like having a biological child we are waiting on the Lord as to whom He would have us bring into our home.

4. Yes these children will be our children forever. Adoption is a wonderful picture of how Christ chose us in our unworthy state to be His forever! We will raise these children as our own daughters. We will love them dearly. We will also tell them they are chosen. We will celebrate their African heritage.

5. Yes we are open to more biological children. This seems to be the most popular question lately. We are open to all the children God would chooses to bless us with, biological or adopted. Being in my early thirties we trust the Lord will bless us with many more children to raise for Him.

6. No, we do not live in a mansion and we are not rich monetarily. When we started this adoption last December we lived in a 2300 sq ft house with three bedrooms. We had six boys in one bedroom and the girls in another. We began to pray that the Lord would expand our boundaries and enlarge our family. In March we began looking at farm for sale. In April Abby was born and in June we moved in to a home more than twice the size of our old house. We have five bedrooms and four bathrooms, plus a huge unfinished basement! Two girls rooms and two boys rooms, plus a large master bedroom with room for several babies! As for the riches we are blessed beyond measure. Andrew works two jobs. During the day he works in corporate America. Evenings and weekends he runs our commercial poultry farm. We have five chicken houses and raise broilers for Pilgrim's Pride. Every eight weeks we get new baby chicks. The children and I help run the farm during the day. We are praying that God will allow Andrew to quit his other job this year and work from home full time.

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Happy New Year

2009-01-04T21:42:00.004-05:00

Our family had a wonderful Christmas. We are trusting this will be the last Christmas without our beautiful little girls from Liberia in our home. Next year we are thinking about celebrating the 12 days of Christmas, allowing each child to have their own special day to open a few presents prior to Christmas day.

As we begin this New Year please partner with us in helping the children of Liberia. In February we will be hosting a golf tournament in Woodstock, Georgia. If you are available we would love for you to participate. The money raised will be used to cover the cost of the Liberia fees to bring our daughters home. We anticipate having corporate and small business sponsors as well as those participating in playing a round of golf.

If you would like more information about our golf tournament or to help us coordinate the tournament please email us directly. You will find our email address in the profile.

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President Bush Provides One Million Books to Liberia

2008-12-26T21:38:00.003-05:00

Monrovia — United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi E. Frazer has formally handed over 10,500 pieces of school furniture and one million books to the government and people of Liberia at the Montserrado County Learning Resource Center, behind the City Hall in Monrovia.

The donation of the books and furniture was in fulfillment of US President George Bush's commitment to providing Liberian schools with desks and one million books during his historic February 2008 visit to Liberia.

To read the entire story go to .....http://allafrica.com/stories/200812230909.html

Another Surprise

2008-12-19T21:15:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I picked up the mail while heading into town. While opening Christmas cards a very dear family to us sent a wonderful Christmas card and a check for $2000. My oldest daughter and I began to cry. This family is amazing. They truly have a heart for adoption. In the card it said that each member of their family (8 total) dug deep into their piggy banks to help bring home our little girls from Liberia. What a blessing!

I was able to sell ten goats and one sheep this week. I am a bit sad to see them go but so excited to see the money coming together to bring the girls home.

I spoke with our agency as well as our social worker on Friday. Our agency is very excited and expects, Lord willing to have us ready to travel within two months. Our social worker has sent our homestudy to our agency for approval. We are making a couple of small changes to our homestudy. It is a beautifully written twenty page document expressing our desire to adopt children into our family and show them the love of God. The changes will allow us flexibility as to the number, age and sex of the children we adopt.

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Thank You

2008-12-16T11:26:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went to the mailbox and found an envelope containing cash and a gift card. It came from California with only a note saying "Merry Christmas!"

I want to say thank you so very much to whomever sent the gift. Each and every bit helps to bring our little ones home from Africa.

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Liberian Dinner

2008-12-16T10:46:00.005-05:00

Last night we had a wonderful Liberian meal. We tried three new recipes. One we are going to have to change a bit (think one cup molasses, one cup oil, three cups sweet potato shredded) but the other two were new favorites in our home .

Stewed Mangoes with Cloves

A simple fruit might be added to the dinner or served later in the evening. You can make this with fresh or canned peaches or apricots if mangoes are not available. Use two 24-oz. cans of peaches or apricots for eight servings.

In a 1-quart saucepan:

Place 4 large MANGOES peeled and cut in large pieces.

Add: 1 cup SYRUP from a can of peaches and
6 WHOLE CLOVES.

Simmer for 15 minutes or until mangoes are tender.

Cool and serve.

Eggplant stew with ham and fish

2 pounds eggplant, thinly sliced*
4 to 6 tablespoons oil
1 pound white fish fillets, cut into pieces
½ pound cooked ham or bacon, chopped
2 ½ cups water
1 onion, chopped finely
salt and pepper to taste

* In a flat pan with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and gently cook the fish fillets until they are golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
* Adding more oil if necessary, cook the onion a few minutes and then add the bacon or ham.
* After this, replace the fish and add the water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then toss in the eggplant slices.
* Cover the pan and turn the heat to low, simmering for 20 to 30 minutes until the eggplant is tender and the flavors have blended.

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Liberia Movie

2008-12-14T17:12:00.003-05:00

Last night I watched a movie called Liberia: An Uncivil War. Two filmmakers from the US went to Liberia in 2003 to get a first-hand account of the war between Liberian President Charles Taylor and the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy. The movie was excellent. I was especially struck by how young the boys were that took up arms to fight for the freedom of their country. When asked why they were fighting many replied their only choice was to join sides or sit by and starve. As a mother of six young men I can't begin to imagine the pain these mothers endured. In the end the war was over and the young men on both sides shook hands and went on to help rebuild their country. The people of Liberia take great pride in their country.

Because of a war that some say went on for over 13 years, the country of Liberia is in shambles. Many children lost parents to stray bullets and mortars, others lost their job and home and can no longer care for their children. This has led to a huge number of orphans.

As we enjoy our warm homes, food and gifts this Christmas season, please remember that their are children around the world that don't family, food or a home.

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African Gospel

2008-12-14T16:33:00.005-05:00

Men's African Group singing a native African song "KUO"(The Devil is a Liar). These Christian singers have struggled as a group throughout Liberia, Africa during the civil war, and are now trying to come to the U.S. and share their song and stories.

"Kuo" means - The devil is a liar Chorus - The devil can fool you the devil is a liar and he will take you to hell if you are not careful

1st verse - During the time of the war nothing happen to us because the Lord protected us with His hands

2nd verse - I want you to know that the devil is defeated forever he can not save you

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Donations

2008-12-13T11:31:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was a little disappointing. We were scheduled to sell a good number of goats, with the funds going to our adoption. The lady that was purchasing them backed out last minute. We still have 14 goats to sell. As much as I enjoy the goats, we are happy to sell them to raise money for our adoption.

I have been doing some mystery shopping on the side to help raise funds. Thankfully the Lord has provided many shops available close to home. This last month I raised $700 by mystery shopping various companies around town. As soon as my check comes I will add it to the donation thermometer!

My children are so very sweet. They all desire to bring home their new sisters from Liberia. One of my sons came to me this morning and asked me to take money from his bank account to add to our adoption account. I am so greatful that my children know what many adults have yet to learn....children are a blessing from the Lord.

Well I trust you will have a wonderful weekend. Our family is spending time together both on our farm and off!

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Neighbors From Around the World

2008-12-05T23:08:00.005-05:00

Today while in Atlanta, I met a man named Mamadou. I asked where he was from and he said, "West Africa." When questioned further he shared that his home was the Ivory Coast. In excitement I shared about our girls in Liberia. He said, "then we are neighbors!" The Ivory Coast is adjacent to Liberia.

Andrew spoke with a lady at Starbucks this afternoon. She knows a large community of Liberians in Atlanta.

Andrew and I have had many wonderful opportunities to share our story with people, but more importantly we have shared about God's heart for adoption. I am ever so thankful that God chose to adopt me into His family!

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Praise

2008-12-02T11:32:00.016-05:00

Our appointment with Kelly went well this morning. Andrew and I shared our family history, a little about our biological children and why we feel God is moving us to adopt from Liberia.

Thursday morning Kelly will come to our home and visit. We will show her the sleeping arrangements and verify that our home is safe for children. We will have four childrens' bedrooms, two for the girls and two for the boys. This will mark the end of the homestudy phase of our adoption.

Next our paperwork will be heading to Atlanta to be processed for immigration. I will keep you up to date as we progress.

Please continue to pray that the funds will be available in God's timing. We are beginning to plan a fundraiser in January. If anyone is interested in helping me organize please let me know. We would be honored to have you as a helper!

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Finishing our Homestudy

2008-11-30T22:00:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday we will be meeting with Kelly to complete the paperwork side of our "homestudy". We have acquired birth certificates, a marriage license, dog vaccinations, proper security for our firearms, letters of reference, letter stating our septic is adequate, physicals for all eleven of us, employment verification, etc.

On Thursday we will meet with Kelly for a final appointment and a chance for her to walk through our home. She will take notes on beds, sleeping arrangements, and checking to see that our home is safe for little ones.

Once our report is written it will be returned to us. We will then send it on to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. From there the report will be approved and sent onto the Embassy in Liberia. At the same time we will be working on several steps here in the United States.

Together with our agency in Florida we will be collecting documents to send in our dossier to Liberia. These documents must all be notarized and apostilled (an official stamp from the state that the notary is registered).

At the same time Pastor Flomo in Liberia will begin to find children for us. The children will be staying with members of Pastor Flomo’s church until we have clearance and funds to travel.

Speaking of funds…each of these government agencies require money to do their job. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Office requires $1340 for investigation and clearance for us to adopt and $160 for our fingerprinting. The government in Liberia requires $6000 for all the work done on behalf of the girls in their country. Our agency here in Florida requires $2500 for the work here in the states. This is just to give you an idea of what we are in need of raising in the next month or two.

As soon as our funds are raised, clearance is given for us to adopt internationally and the girls are formally declared orphans, we will be ready to travel.

This week will put us one step closer to bringing the girl’s home. Please pray that all goes smoothly. Also pray that we will be able to raise the funds needed. We have seen the Lord provide each step of the way. May He be praised!

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Thank You

2008-11-25T23:23:00.006-05:00

Over the past two weeks we have been greatly blessed by so many people. We met a dear lady from Liberia, received encouraging notes from several countries around the world and accepted generous donations from family and friends. It seems everywhere we turn God is confirming Liberia, West Africa in our hearts and minds. We cannot begin to thank each of you enough for partnering with us to bring home our little girls.

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The Journey Continues…

2008-11-23T21:12:00.002-05:00

This past Thursday Andrew and I met with our homestudy agency. Kelly reviewed the paperwork that we completed for the meeting, informed us of the next steps, and educated us on medical conditions, bonding issues and other helpful information as we get one step closer to bringing our little ones home. We will meet with Kelly again the week after Thanksgiving to finish up our homestudy.

Today we were embraced by our church family. It is so wonderful to know that our children will be wanted and loved by so many in our church family.

Please pray with us as we continue to raise funds. We are also looking for frequent flyer miles or buddy passes to help lower the cost of travel.

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A Little Bit of Background

2008-11-17T20:12:00.006-05:00

I think it will be helpful to understand a few facts about the country of Liberia and some of its history, so I've put together a few details that I've gathered from numerous sources. Hopefully the following will give you a glimpse of the great many challenges that the country has experienced, and is experiencing even today.

The country...Liberia

After 14 years of civil war, Liberia is the second poorest country in the world. The war being the most deadly and devastating ever fought in Africa, has left nearly ¼ million orphans in a country of 3.4 million people.

There is no electricity, running water or mail service. Generators, wells and cell phones are a luxury. Unemployment is approximately 90% and illiteracy is 85%, yet there is still great hope for this nation.

Some history

Liberia was founded, as a colony, by the United States in 1822. In 1847, freed slaves (who were brought to Liberia) from the United States declared independence and founded the Republic of Liberia. In 1980, the government was overturned in a military coup, and from 1989 to 2003 Liberia was in a state of unrest, enduring the First Liberian Civil War (1989-1996) and the Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003).

Over the years the United States has played an important role in the continued economy of Liberia. In 1926 Firestone opened the world’s largest rubber plantation in the country. This plant employs around seven thousand workers that tap native trees to drain latex for the production of tires in the United States.

Another important role the US has played in Liberia was during World War II. The United States began giving technical and economic assistance by providing personnel to assist in building the Roberts International Airport and the Freeport of Monrovia.

In the early 1980’s, the United States paid Liberia $500 million for pushing the Soviet Union out of their country and allowing the United States exclusive rights to the Liberian ports for use in spying on Libya.

14 Years of War

The 1989-1996 Liberian civil war, which was one of Africa's bloodiest, claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and further displaced a million others into refugee camps in neighboring countries. Entire villages were emptied as people fled. Soldiers stole children, committed atrocities, raping and murdering people of all ages, in what became one of the world's worst episodes of ethnic cleansing.

Liberia's civil war claimed the lives of one out of every 17 people in the country, uprooted most of the rest, and destroyed a once-viable economic infrastructure. The strife also spread to Liberia's neighbors, contributing to a slowing of the democratization that was progressing steadily through West Africa at the beginning of the 1990s and destabilizing a region that already was one of the world's most marginal.

The Second Liberian Civil War began in 2002 and ended in October 2003, when United Nations and United States military intervened to stop the rebel siege on Monrovia and exile Charles Taylor to Nigeria. By the conclusion of the final war, more than 250,000 people had been killed and nearly 1 million displaced.

Facts about Liberia

Area: 43,000 square miles
Population: 3,489,072
Language: English
Capital City: Monrovia
Life Expectancy: 40 years
Infant Mortality: 156 deaths/1,000 live births
Unemployment: 90%
Illiteracy: 85%
Health Care virtually non-existent

Hopefully this has given you a brief glimpse into the challenges that are faced in Liberia. Our hearts truly go out to the people. When we reflect on how much we have, we're blessed beyond measure in comparison.

Carrie

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Our Quest to Adopt...

2008-11-15T22:05:00.008-05:00

If you've read the brief introduction about me and my family, you'll potentially be wondering why on earth our family would be interested in adopting. I can surely understand this thinking...I mean, the Lord has already blessed us with nine of our own children, and there is a strong possibility that He will bless us with more through natural child birth.

So why adopt?

Let's examine what God's word, the Bible says about orphans:

James 1:27

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."

It's true, the Lord has blessed us with so many of our own children already. But you see, there are so many children that don't have what our children do. It's for this reason and many others that we are seeking to adopt children from Liberia.

With that said, we hope that you'll join with us in our endeavor to adopt two beautiful children from Liberia. How can you join us? Well here are a few practical things that you can do:

Most importantly, become a "prayer partner" with us and ask that the Lord will bless our efforts to adopt these children.
Pray that the Lord will provide the financing necessary to enable the adoption.
Ask the Lord to bless you financially, and then pray about how you can help us with the resources that will be required to make this goal a reality.

We want to thank you in advance for your willingness to join us in prayer and, as the Lord leads, in other practical ways to help make our desire to be obedient to the Lord in this area of adoption a reality.

In Christ,

Carrie

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