Letters to our kids

Dear Sophie, Brooklyn and Jaxon: I cannot tell you how thankful we are that God has chosen us to be your family! His hand has been in this adoption from the very beginning of time. We are ready for you to get to your new home in Oklahoma! We have friends and family that want to meet you so badly! We will stop at nothing to bring you home. We will fight for you and walk through fire for you! We pray for you everyday. We pray for God to keep you safe and for the adoption paperwork to go quickly. We pray for you to stay healthy and happy and for you to feel the love of God and the love of your family. We are so excited for you to start your life with us! Sophie, I love that you are full of energy, love and expression. You are so passionate and I can't wait to see you harness that passion and achieve the things in life that God wants you to. I love that from the beginning of the world, God knew that you were our daughter. I love that He even made you look like me! :-) you are so special and I know that God has a huge plan for your life. I love you so much, Sophie Girl. Brooklyn, your sweet nature and quiet temperate draws me in. I want to know what you are thinking. Your eyes tell a beautiful story and I can't wait to see the rest of the story unfold. You, my dear, are my miracle. As we waited to know if we would ever be matched with a baby, you were rescued. Heather knew that you were our daughter well before we did! But the moment I met you, I knew. Heather handed you to me and I felt as though I had just given birth. You were my daughter. You had always been my daughter. It was just right. I can't wait for you to come home and for us to see you come into your own personality. You have friends here already that carry your picture around! Jaxon, my sweet, sweet son. How I love you. You are so peaceful. It's amazing to me how you thrive in any environment you are put in. I always wanted a boy...and good luck, because you have 3 older sisters! You are so loving and such a cuddler. You were our confirmation from God that we were doing the right thing in proceeding with an international adoption. I know that your daddy can't wait to have a son to kick a soccer ball with and wrestle around with. You are so loved! I pray daily that God will continue holding you and comforting you. I believe that is what has kept you so relaxed so far. I know that God has big plans for you, son. I pray that you will become a strong, courageous man of God and you will be able to minister to the people of Haiti as an adult. I can't wait for you to be in your new forever home. Kids, we hope that you can feel the prayers and love that cover you on a daily basis. Please know that when we aren't there to hold you, your Heavenly Father is. He will hold you and protect you. He will wipe your tears and sing in your ear. He will tuck you in at night before you sleep and He will listen to your prayers. He will be there for you now in Haiti, and He will still be with you when you come to your forever home. We pray that you will always feel our love, but more importantly, we pray that you will always feel God's love. We are so ready for you to forever be DONAHO'S!!!!

Isn't it neat...

I LOVE watching God work. Like really work. And it's always really evident in the bigger than life-huge miracle that can't be explained-MAJOR areas in your life ways...but all too often, we overlook the little ways God really shows up and moves in our life. When we started this adoption process from Haiti, we had NO IDEA what we were doing...we just stepped in faith feeling quite alone...knowing that God was going to be there to catch us...and we aren't at the end of this journey! I'm sure there will be a TON of twists and turns in this road we call ADOPTION. But one thing I am SOOOOO thankful for is the people that God has put  in our lives to walk this road with us. Other moms and dads and siblings...waiting...waiting...waiting. Some how, the waiting seems a smidge easier when you aren't waiting alone. I am so thankful for the friendships that are beginning to form and I know it's just the start!

One family in particular, I am pretty sure was a completely God ordained meeting...Tracie and Kelly Ward had a failed domestic adoption last year and that sad, sad situation brought them to the exact same creche we were adopting from in Haiti. What's even cooler??? They live 15 minutes from us! And even cooler???This last time I was in Haiti was their first trip to Haiti and we got to really BECOME FRIENDS! Totally God Ordained. Well, the Wards are bringing home 2 kids and the Donahos are bringing home 3 kids...so math wizards...that's 5 HAITIAN KIDDOS finding forever homes right here in Green Country! It's also ALOT of money to bring that many home! So after much conversation, Tracie and I decided we could do bigger events as joint frundraising efforts and split the money! We are SOOOO excited about this partnership! Check out our facebook page at www.facebook.com/hopehappens.adoption

And stay tuned...events in the works include monthly "Night of Praise" events, a 5K and auctions galore!!!

We can't thank our friends and family enough for the support we have and are continuing to receive. and please, don't forget to continue to pray Sophia Jordyn Donaho, Brooklyn Rae Donaho, Jaxon Robert Donaho, London  Elizabeth-Joy Ward and Samuel Christian Ward HOME!!!!!

Mother's Day

As we walk down this road of adoption, there are definitely harder days and easier days. This weekend is Mother's Day (there's your official reminder). For some reason, I didn't anticipate that being a hard thing. But as I think about the fact that 3out of 4 of my kids are in another country away from their mother, it makes me sad. I'm really trying hard to soak up every moment I can with Raley while she's an only child, but I can't help but think of the fact that I am a mother to 4 kids, yet on Sunday, I'll only be spending the day with one of them. This is kind of a "woe is me" type blog, but guess what?? It's my blog and I can cry if I want to! ;-) all of this to say, I'm excited that we are potentially to the point where this COULD be my LAST Mother's Day without all of my kids. I'm excited that as holidays bum me out and seeing kids that are about the same age as my Haiti kids in bum me out, we are to the point where I can say, "this time next year...". I am also reminded to be thankful that i at least have my kids. There are some that i now who have lost children and will be reminded of that on this Mother's Day. I am thankful that i have my mother. Even though she is in another state, i have her. So many i know will be thinking about the fact that they dont have mother on this Mother's Day. I am hopeful. I am peaceful. I am thankful.

Miracles happen

Ok, my goal is to blog at least once a week. I have decided that it can really help me thought this whole adoption process. There are steps that are happening to bring Sophie, Brooklyn and Jax home, but still SOOOO many steps left. Currently, our paperwork is in pre-IBESR (IBESR is basically Haitian Social Services). This is where the decision will come on whether or not we need a presidential dispensation. We are PRAYING HARD for our paperwork to sail through this office without needi this presidential signature. This would be the difference in our adoption taking 8 months or 18 months...and we want them home soon! So, please join us in prayer that our paperwork would just fly through these offices. One thing that I LOVE about Giving Hope is the fact that they have made a private Facebook page for parents adopting through them. This has given us the opportunity to make friends with people who are walking through the exact same thing that we are. And when you are walking through fire, it's nice to be able to join hands with others and feel your way through the fire TOGETHER! I know the friendships we have made will be life long. It also gives us the ability to allow our kids to have life long friendships with their friends that they lived with in Haiti! How cool is that?!?! For those of you that know me well (and maybe even not so well), you know that I really like to have control of things. The crazy thing is, in adoption, especially international adoption, you relinquish ALL control. But luckily, as a believer,I know that my Heavenly Father has COMPLETE control! I'm so thankful for that! And don't think I don't have to give up my control on ALMOST a daily basis, because, goodness...I do. I'm thankful that Jeremiah 29:11 says that God knows the plans He has for me (and you, and Alex, Raley, Sophie, Brooklyn and Jaxon!) He knew this plan for adoption LONG before we felt the call. He had Sophie, Brooklyn and Jaxon picked to be Donaho's. I love that! It's all part of His perfect plan. As hard, painful, scary, crazy, miraculous and beautiful as this process is...it's ALL HIS PLAN.

Open the Flood Gates

"Adoption is a redemptive response to tragedy that happens in this broken world. And every single day, it is worth it, because adoption is God's heart. His Word says, 'In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will' (see Ephesians 1:5). He set the lonely in families (see Psalm 68:6). The first word that appears when I look up adoption in the dictionary is ACCEPTANCE. God accepts me, adores me even, just as I am. And He wants me to acccept those without families into my own." From Kisses From Katie

So, I am really bad at keeping up with a blog...obviously. and it seems like everytime I update this blog, we have a big announcement. Sooo, let me tell you a story:

I was told a few years ago, when we decided that we were being called to adopt, that once you answer the call to adoption, the flood gates will open. There are 2 people in my life who have adopted SEVERAL kids and this statement was coming form one of them. I laughed at her and said, "You don't know my husband...we will ONLY have 2 kids total." Already having Raley, that meant adding one by way of adoption. Well, its no surprise that we started the journey to intenationally adopt from Haiti and God led our hearts to 2 kids being added to our family. We just delivered our dossier to Haiti to start the legal process to make Brooklyn and Jaxon "offical" Donaho's. What we didn't expect, though, is the call to add one more Haitian princess to our lives. Yes...you heard right...We will be bringing home 3 kids! If that's not "flood gates opening", I don't know what is. Our newest addition will fit right in between Raley and Brooklyn. She  will turn 5 this Friday on May 4th. Many of you have heard her story. Her name is Sophia Jordyn Donaho (aka Sophie). Here is her beautiful face:

Seriously, how could you NOT fall in love with her!!!!

She has one of the most heart wrenching stories I have EVER heard. A story that spoke right to my heart waaayyyyy before God showed us that she was ours. She is a "true orphan" meaning that both of her parents are dead. She lost them both in the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti when she was 2 years old...somehow, she made it and her parents didn't. She survived on her own for about 2 months as a toddler, in the mountains of Haiti living out of trash heaps and sleeping in the dirt. Then Heather heard about her and went to rescue her. She is now a giggly, thriving almost 5 year old...she is extremely active and friendly. She is passionate, fiesty, and ornery. She loves to swim and loves to play. She is trusting of others and loves making new friends.

I know that adopting 3 kids from another country, all at one time moves us from, "oh, thats sweet...they are adopting" to "HOLY COW!!!! THEY ARE ADOPTING THREE KIDS ALL AT ONE TIME...THEY ARE OFFICIALLY CRAZY!" in some of your books...but we are content and know this is what we are called to do. We welcome your prayers of support and would be happy to answer any questions you may have...we are thrilled to now be...DONAHO PARTY OF 6!

"Adopting these children is not optional. It is not my good deed for the day; it is not what I am doing to 'help out these poor kids'. I adopt because God cammands me to care for the orphans and widows in their distress. I adopt because Jesus says that to whom much is given, much will be demanded (see Luke 12:48) and because whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for HIS sake will find it. (See  Matthew 10:39)" - Kisses From Katie

FUNDRAISING INFO!!!!

Ok, folks, we are going to start fundraising full force to bring Brooklyn and Jaxon home. I had NO IDEA how hard it would be to get through the process of international adoption! I am a little bit of a control freak and not having control over what my children are doing, who is caring for them, what they are eating or what their daily schedule is is KILLING ME! I'm having to learn that as much as I love my kids, their heavenly Father loves them even more...and guess what?!?! He DOES have control over their day-to-day lives! So anyway, what I can do while I wait is raise money to eliminate some of the cost we will incurr.
Sooooo, we are going to have a Chick-Fil-A fundraiser meal on Saturday, February 18th. The exact time and place is still being ironed out. The cost of each meal is $6 and you can RSVP to donahopartyof4@yahoo.com. At this event, we will also have a silent auction being held with items donated. If you make any type of craft or sell any sort of item that you would like to place in the auction, please let me know! We will also have puzzle pieces available for purchase. Please see below the description of how this fundraiser works. This is also a perfect time for you to return your change baby bottles if you haven't done it by then...I don't have a to of extra time for big fundraisers, so this is probably the last BIG one we will do...We will try to do a few more little ones. I hope you will join us for this family event...more info to follow!




PUZZLE PIECE FUNDRAISER
I have seen this on several adoption blogs as a fundraiser people have done to raise money. We have purchased a 250 piece puzzle for Brooklyn and a 250 piece puzzle for Jaxon. The idea is that individuals or families can purchase one (or more) puzzle piece for $10 each. When you purchase the piece, turn to the back of the puzzle and write your name, family's name, a scripture reference, word of encouragement or whatever you want the kids to have as a memory. Then you leave the puzzle piece with us. When the puzzle has been completely sold, we will assemble it, glues it and frame it with the back displayed through the frame. We will hang these puzzles in their room so they will always remember how many people had a hand in them coming home. It will be a great keepsake for them always.

WE ARE PREGNANT...and expecting TWO!!!!

Well, friends...it's been a  long road to growing our family in the way that God has called us to, but it's finally here! My heart is pregnant with a beautiful girl...and a beautiful boy! I know, I know...this blog is called "Donaho Party of 4", not Donaho Party of 5! Just goes to show you that God knows more than we do! Let me start from the beginning...
As, you know, my friend Heather lives in Haiti caring for God's children there. She has over 70 children in her creche that are eligible for adoption. In September, Heather came to America and spent some time with us. Right before she came to the states, she rescued a 1 year old little girl. She called me and explained that she had a bond with this child that she had never felt before. Heather has adopted 7 times herself and is in process for a few Haitian adoptions, so I asked her if it was a bond like she was supposed to adopt her...she said no...I asked her if we were supposed to adopt her and she said she didn't know...this little girl just had a special place in her heart.
While she was here in the states, after several conversations, Alex and I began seriously talking about adopting a sibling group from her creche. We felt like that was what God was calling us to do...therefore, this little girl was out of the question for us. We weren't adopting a sibling group AND her! So, I felt like we were just supposed to seek God to find out which kids he had for us. I knew it would be clear when the right sibling group was available. However, this whole time, I just kept thinking about this special little girl...I prayed that God would pick her family and that Heather would know the right family for her to go to.
When Heather left Oklahoma, she spent some time in Virginia. One day in October, I got this random text from her telling me to check her facebook page and look at the new baby that they took in in Haiti. She called me then and said that the little girl's birth mother dropped by the mission and dropped off a newborn baby boy. My heart dropped into my feet! This little girl that Heather and I couldn't move past was a sibling group now! I was completely speechless at that point and I knew that God was confirming to me that these were our kids.
In October, I was able to go to Haiti and spend some time with them. This Christmas, Alex, Raley and I were all able to go spend 9 days with them. We had them in a hotel with us 24 hours a day and lived as a family for that week and a half. So now, we are OFFICIALLY MATCHED!!! They are our kids! They are now, 17 months and 4 months. 

Brooklyn Rae Donaho will be 2 on July 20 and Jaxon Robert Donaho will be 1 on August 31st. They are BEAUTIFUL, healthy and lovable babies. Brooklyn is SUCH a Daddy's girl! We couldn't pry her out of Alex's arms! Jax is so laid back and appears that he will be my mama's boy, but he is pretty content with anyone loving on him! We are SOOOO excited to welcome them into our family! If all goes as planned, we will have them in our home in 2012. We know it will be a looonnnggg year, but we also know that the blessing of being smack dab in the middle of God's will for our family is HUGE!!! :-) We know that there have been many ups and downs for anyone who has followed us on this journey, but we feel like we are without a doubt, on the road that God has called us to! There will be more info on them to follow...more pictures of them...and more trips to Haiti!

Thankful...

I am thankful for my loving husband and daughter. I am thankful that God as formed us into a family and that He has a perfect plan for us as one family instead of as 3 people.

I am thankful for a husband who is supportive of me and stands with me through thick and thin. I am thankful that he is a provider for our family and a spiritual leader within our household.

I am thankful that I have a happy and healthy daughter that God has entrusted into our care for a short time. I am thankful that she has a cheerful heart and a giving spirit and am proud of the young woman of God she is becoming.

I am thankful for those who stand with us through all the ups and downs of the adoption process...nobody can quite understand exactly what we have gone through or are currently going through, but I am thankful that God has put people in our lives to endure this journey with us.

I am thankful for a friend, who sacrifices EVERY American comfort she knows to follow God's call on her life to live in a third world country as a missionary. I am so thankful for the inspiration she has been to me and for the unbreakable bond that God has given us from now on!

I am thankful for God sacrificing His Son for the mistakes that I have made and will make in the future.

I am thankful for a warm house and 2 cars. I count myself extremely blessed to have the things we have been blessed with.

I am thankful for a job with a caring boss and friendly coworkers who make working a joy.

I am thankful for medical insurance...sometimes I gripe about how expensive it is, but I am thankful and count myself blessed, as I understand that not everyone has it available to them.

I am thankful for God's provision...even when we don't think we can see it, He will provide.

God's Grace

As many of you know, we have been working hard to get a baby from Haiti here to have life saving sugery. Yesterday, before she could get a visa, Baby Grace passed away. Our hearts are hurting, but we know that she has ultimate healing now.

About a week and a half ago, Grace got very sick. My friend Heather took her to the hospital only for them to tell her there is nothing they could do and she would die. They told her to take her home and that she would not make it through the night. The doctors in Haiti told Heather that they could "put Grace out of her misery" like she was an animal, and also that "this is why most of these babies end up at the bottom of the ocean." Heather took Grace home. We called and talked to Grace that evening. She was unconscious and barely breathing. She was oozing from her nose, mouth  and eyes. My accountability group and I met that night to pray. We prayed for healing and for God to work a miracle. We called Heather in Haiti and all prayed and sang over Baby Grace. As we went home, we figured out a prayer schedule and took turns throughout the night praying for her. At about 5:30am, Heather emailed me and said that Grace woke and was eating a bottle. I talked to her again at about 12:30pm and she said that there was no explanation, but that Grace had been awake all morning and was eating well. She wasnt' oozing anymore...WE SAW A MIRACLE! I had a friend tell me once that she prayed to see a miracle with her own eyes...and I believe we did that night. We continued to fight for the visa and stopped at nothing. We even had Congressman John Sullivan's office contacting the embassy on our behalf. Unfortunately, we lost her before the visa got issued...but our loss is heaven's gain!!

I had this dream after our prayer time of her at about 3 or 4years old dancing barefoot on the beach in a little white sundress. She was completely healed. I had that dream again last night. I believe that she is running and dancing in heaven complete! As much as our hearts hurt now, we know that the pain is temporary. Her healing is eternal.

I am going to repost Heather's note about caring for Grace...it's complete with pictures. Enjoy.


Holding Grace by: Heather Elyse

At 7:11am our Grace went home into the arms of her daddy Jesus.  There are just no words that can quite express my heart right now.  She died in my arms and surrounded by my children and several of our older Haitian children that are being adopted.  Her skull caved in this morning due to all the pressure and fluid.  She died listening to worship music as we all poured our tears and prayers over her.   I will never forget the day I met Grace.  Her young mother was desperate and on her way to throw her into the ocean.  Her mother was just a child herself....only 15.  Grace suffered from Hydrocephalus.  I came outside and saw two missionaries and two Haitian directors deny Grace saying they couldn't take her in.   I of course was horrified that they denied her, and Scooped her into my arms and began to visit with the mom.  The very people that denied her told me I was crazy for taking in a child that would die.  They explained that I would be responsible paying for the funeral, medical care, medicine etc.  They tried to warn me saying that this mission would look bad having a child die.  I of course didn't listen to them, and told them they should remember why they are in Haiti, and what being a Christian really means.   I went ahead and made the decision to take her in with the mothers agreement that she would go before the judge, sign our creche requirements and papers, sign our integrity agreement, and provide a birth certificate.  The mother fulfilled her promise and was very grateful that we did everything we could to save her.  We have kept in touch with mom and have had the opportunity to minister to her on several occasions.  We had a mission team visiting us that day and they quickly began to clean her, feed her, and make her as comfortable as they could.  We took Grace to the hospital that day and we were told by the doctor that there was nothing they could do for her, and that she would die very soon.  They provided us with a medical certificate stating she needed to go to the US due to Haiti not being able to help her.  As we were in the hospital a little girl died all alone in the middle of a hallway.  One minute she was alive and we were loving on her, and within thirty minutes she died.  She had blood all over her.  She was filthy and was an orphan by abandonment.  She suffered from multiple things including Aids.  I couldn't help but touch her and whisper into her ears.... I so wanted to scoop her little body into my arms, clean her, wipe the blood, and just simply hold her.  No child should have to die alone in a hospital bed without someone mourning and pouring love over them.  So I wept for her that day.  I mourned for that precious innocent child that died all alone, in the middle of a hallway, in a hospital bed.  We ended up taking home another little orphan baby that day who we were told by the doctor, would die.  The doctor had heard we had just become a legal Creche in Haiti, and had asked us to take her.  She was six months old and only four lbs. Diagnosed with HIV, congested heart failure just to name a few.  After the medical director signed papers for us to get her, she was released into our arms. We named her Hope.  As we were on our way back from the hospital with our baby Grace and now our baby Hope, I had just gotten the call that my mother didn't have very long to live, and that I needed to come home.  So when we arrived back to the mission, we booked a ticket back home.  That morning my mother went home to be with Jesus, after a long battle with cancer.  I can't even begin to describe how my heart hurt and still does.  I told our staff that morning that we would open up a terminally ill  nursery for haitian children, and name it after my mom... And a week later when I returned to Haiti that is exactly what we did.  We have a full-time nurse that runs it, and we just hired a doctor. We are basically like a Hospice here in Haiti.  Grace was our first child in our nursery that now can care for terminally ill Haitian babies.  Someone asked me the other day why I would take a child in that is suppose to die and my answer is this:  I would not just take a child in that is suppose to die, but I would adopt one.  I will die trying to help save them.  I of course believe in miracles and have experienced Gods healing Power in my dear children's lives.  My Faith can move mountains.  We of course always believe for healing.   If the child is about to die, then at least that child will die having a family that completely adores them.  Grace died with a full belly, she loved her new crib,  new toys, her special pillow,  loved being touched, and she was completely cherished.  She loved it when we would sing over her, and one of her favorite nannies would dance with her.  Grace loved getting baths and loved her build a bear bunny that her family back in Oklahoma bought her.  She had a family in Oklahoma that completely adored her and considered Grace theirs.  This amazing family  had found a surgeon that agreed to give free surgeries.  This family had told the US embassy that they would be her host home and handle all the costs.  Grace was scheduled to arrive in Oklahoma next week on a medical visa.  Holding Grace when she died made me realize that .... She was worth it.  She was worth all the sleepless nights, major stress, work, research, time, money, and blood, sweat and tears... LOTS OF TEARS... and I would do it all again.  We bathed her one last time this morning, put on the most beautiful little dress.  She loves to have her feet washed and massaged...and special lotion.  So this morning we did this one last time pouring our tears upon her as we literally washed her feet.  We all our completely heart broken, but we choose to fall on our knees and worship our sweet Jesus.  Dear Father God, just as we washed Grace's feet this morning we wash yours.  I dry them with my hair and I minister to your heart.  We just want to touch and feel your heart beating, catch your tears,  and take care of your precious orphans.  Wrap your healing arms around all those close to Grace right now.  We are desperate for more of you and we are nothing without you.  Thank you for your Grace! We need your Grace everyday.  I know you are holding Grace right now and I thank you for the opportunity here on earth to simply be YOU in the physical.  Her funeral is scheduled this week here in Haiti.  Special thanks to Angel Missions who had worked so hard in getting a visa.  Mama V- you have helped save so many lives... Thanks for accepting and fighting for Grace.  Special thanks to Alex & Stephanie Donahue who fought desperately to get her the care she needed.  Thank you for being her family and loving her like she was your own.  I am praying for your hearts.  Special thanks to the surgeon who agreed to do the surgeries.  Special thanks to Mandy W. who also had found her a surgeon that would do it for free, as a back up plan in case we couldn't get her to the US.  Thank you PH-H for bringing a surgeon out to give her meds.  Thank you Pierre Payen hospital and all the help we received... and rides!  Thank you Jason and Ginger for helping me transport her to Port Au Prince.  Thank you to everyone who covered us in your tears and prayers.  It's never too late to start again, if you are reading this right now.....my prayer is that you remember that you were not put on this earth for yourself but for others.  God Needs you.

a typical night for us... oh how we loved gathering around her, taking turns holding her, singing over her, pouring tears and prayers over Grace.
Grace loves having her feet massaged
precious little feet

Grace has the strongest grip! I know for a fact she is now gripping Jesus' fingers as he holds her.

This picture was taken two weeks ago... Grace is wearing the bracelet that her host family is selling to raise money for their adoption. We love you Stephanie Gamble Donaho]


Grace just got her first phone call from her host family all the way from Oklahoma.

Friends from the states singing and praying over Grace..... priceless memory. She loves getting international calls from all HER prayer warriors.
Our sweet Grace


Our sweet baby GRACE loves her new pillow and special thanks to her host family in OKLAHOMA for giving her a build a bunny....
We named her Grace..... because oh how we need HIS GRACE! ...so thankful we were able to rescue her



Our Baby HOPE getting ready to leave the hospital. Only four pounds at age 6 months.
Busy day full of loving, holding, and a hospital visit.

It's been a while!

So...it turns out that I am not very good at keeping up with a blog! Quite a bit has happened since I have last posted. We have had some adoption possibilities, we have had those doors close. Currently, I am focusing my attention on a baby in Haiti. I know some of you have read about her on facebook, but I thought I could tell a little of her story on here.
My dear friend, Heather, (Who I must say is SUCH an inspiration to me!) moved to Haiti several months ago to start her dream...she opened an orphanage. A little about her and her being an inspiration...she is a single mama who has single handedly adopted 7, yes 7 kids from the United States before moving to Haiti..most of them through the foster care system. She has such a heart for the Orphan. When she moved to Haiti, she felt called to adopt 2, now possibly 3, beautiful Haitian girls! So, you do the math...1 single mama and 10 kids!!! Not many people I know can do that!!! We all know her kids have the BEST Daddy because she is raising them to be strong Christians who turn to their Heavenly Father for ALL of their needs!Anyway, knowing that we were planning on adopting, Heather emailed me to let me know about a baby that they rescued about a month ago...as unfathomable as finding babies in trashcans and just getting "thrown out" is to us, unfortunately, it is not an uncommon event in Haiti. This baby was getting "thrown out" because her 16 year old mom couldn't handle her condition. She has SEVERE hydrocephalus and I am pretty convinced that it is a miracle that she is even still alive! Well, this teen mom went to a hospital and 4 orphanages and was turned away by everyone. Nobody wanted this baby because her condition was so bad. Heather took the baby in and we have been working to find her care here in the states so that she can live! Today, I found a neurosurgeon willing to do her surgery for FREE!!! Praise God! We are going to host this angel in our home while she is in the states. It's the least we could do..."Take care of the orphans and widows in their distress..." God Himself has called us to do it!! anyway, please pray that a facility lines up for her so that we can get her here quickly. We don't really have any idea how much brain damage has already occured. I have only seen pictures, but I was told that on her little 3 month old body, her head is about the size of a soccer ball, she is in constant pain because of the pressure and she could possibly have already lost her sight. She needs to get here SOON. Also, please keep Heather and all the kids in your prayers as a tropical storm is looming on the coast of Haiti.

FUNDRAISER INFORMATION!!!

We have our family picnic fundraiser set up! Mark your calendars now...Saturday, May 21st from 5:00pm-8:30pm. Our neighborhood, Renaissance Park, has an awesome park with soccer fields, a baseball diamond, a sand volleyball court, a basketball court and a couple jungle gyms, so come ready to PLAY!!! We are having Chick-fil-A cater with boxed meals and are asking a suggested donation of $6.00 per meal. If you need to pay less, let us know; if you can donate more, thank you!!! Bring chairs or picnic blankets for your family. Because we don't want to waste food, we need to have as accurate a count as possible...please RSVP to donahopartyof4@yahoo.com to let us know if you are planning to attend.
Also, TONS of compliments on my adoption bug tshirts...make sure and order yours...www.adoptionbug.com/donahopartyof4

Blessings

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

�Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
This song has spoken to me on so many different levels...I had to share the lyrics! When going through this adoption process, I have had moments where I "just knew" that we were getting a certain baby...then the door would shut. Through all of that, its hard to remember that God is in complete contol. I'm reminded of an analogy told by Mark Hall of Casting Crowns when telling his own adoption story. When they brought their 3 year old daughter home from China, he was warned that it was very hard for these babies to form bonds with their dads because they were not around men in the Chinese orphanages. He said it took weeks for her to even look at him...the only physical connection he could get with her was she would take a cheerio from his hand. After a couple weeks of her only coming to him to take a cheerio, he got angry with God, asking why God let them go through this whole process if all she was going to do was come to him for cheerios. He said he heard the voice of God say, "How does it feel?"
So many times we go to God only when we need something from him. He wants us to have DAILY interactions with Him...not just coming to him with our hand out. This is something that I am working on in my life right now...and hopefully this analogy will help somebody else who is reading...more later. :-)

Adoption

Well...here we go...the first blog! I created this blog to keep everyone in the loop on how we are moving along in our journey to adoption. We are confident in God's plan for us and know that f we continue seeking Him, His will for our family will be revealed. We are in the process of going through a private attorney to adopt. We created our life book and she has been showing it...As of now, we are not using an agency. We are filling out all of our background check paperwork for our home study! I'm so excited to see where God is going to lead us, and I feel Him building a testimony in our life. I know that no matter what heartache and pain, ups and downs, laughs and tears, that it is all for His glory and He will use OUR story to help someone else in the future! That makes the hard stuff a little easier...not easy...but easier.
We are beginning planning for fundraisers. he two that we have going now are a tshirt fundraiser...visit our site at www.adoptionbug.com/donahopartyof4 and purchase cute tshirts where a portion of the proceeds will come directly to us to help fund our adoption. Also, we are going to have a Chick-fil-A picnic in the park in our neighborhood, and because of a generous donation from Arthur at Chick-fil-A Eastside Market in Tulsa, ALL the money collected at this picnic will go directly towards our adoption! More info on this to come!