Adoption Update: Not Much Happening...

Hello Friends!  Well, there's not much happening on our adoption, EXCEPT that we have completed our home study update and immigration paperwork renewal (yawn).

We've been DTE 14 months and our spot on "the list" has been on a yo-yo course.

As of today here's where we are for our request for a Boy 0-7 years:

Infant boy--> #49
Boy 19-47 months--> #22
Child 4+ years--> #10
(although on "the list" there are only 2 families in front of us requesting a boy in the 4+ category...so #3?)

So we wait.

In the meantime, we put puzzle pieces together for our Puzzle Fundraiser, continue with our homeschool year, and visit with friends.

We had such an opportunity just last week.

LtoR--> KK, Bonnie, Lily, Me, Marc & Reese

I took the kids down to the Leo Petroglyphs State Park to meet up with some good friends we met last summer.  After we checked out the rock, we went on the nature trail and shared a picnic lunch.

anyone else think this is random Native American Teenage Graffiti?

crazy pose

Uh, that's a BIG slug!

Our guardian and tour-guide from the neighboring farm

We met this awesome couple last June when they were stopping through in Ohio.  Marc & Bonnie are traveling the lower 48 states, sharing the gospel and serving the church.

Here's their blog---> THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE

(^^It's the post where they 

mention being here with us again)

And their YouTube channel---> TheUrbanPilgrims

When they were first in Ohio, they stopped in at our church on a Sunday night during the men's bible study.  Khris met them and invited them over to our Monday night bible study and they came!  (We weren't sure they would).  We got to know them a bit, found out they live in their van as they travel and offered them a bed for the duration of their stay.  They ended up staying 10 days (not even long enough) before heading off to Pittsburgh.

Since then, we have watched their journey around the country and have had the opportunity to see them again.  In January, they met up with us in Atlanta for the Passion Conference.  They were volunteering on the security team under Khris and we surprised them - the kids and I originally weren't going to go, but we R.E.A.L.L.Y. wanted to see them, as well as our awesome host family, the Bolton's.

We also stopped in Louisville, KY for lunch with them on our way back from Summit9.  Good times...

Marc & Bonnie so love the Lord... they're going across the country in obedience to the Great Commission

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen." Matthew 28:18-20

So if you feel the leading of the LORD to support their ministry, there's info on their blog on how to pray and/or donate.  Check it out on the upper right column.

They also love the orphan and want to help us bring ours home and make him an orphan-no-more.  They make and sell crocheted items and jewelry then donate their earnings to our adoption.  How cool is that?  What a blessing!

Here's their Etsy shop ---> FOR LOVE OF A CHILD
Bonnie says there's not much up there now, but will take requests.  Do yourself a favor, request one of Marc's tree pendants.  You won't be disapointed (=

There you have it... Tales of the Rogi at its finest!  Love to you all!

~Michelle

1 Year DTE :: by Khris

When the Lord has blessed us to be able to treat our kids to a special event, such as Great Wolf Lodge or a trip to Myrtle Beach, we spend weeks or even months planning it.  What we do NOT do is tell our kids about it as we plan.  We wait until the last possible moment to tell them, so that we don't get the 1001 questions like, "Mom, can we go to the store today to get a new bathing suit?" when our trip is still 75 days away.  In essence, what we are trying to avoid is the constant barrage of questions.

But it seems this may be exactly what the Lord may want us to do with Him.  God's desire for our lives is that we would live in such a way that we press into Him for our "daily bread".  He is gracious and compassionate to His children, and longs for us to come boldly before the throne of grace with our questions.

The Rogers family is one year DTE today, March 2, 2013.  That means we have had our paperwork submitted to the Ethiopian government for one complete year.  365 days of wondering if today will be the day that we get a phone call.

We know by the trends, that most families are waiting longer than this, yet not a day passes that we don't wonder if the phone might ring.

And this is exactly where our loving God wants us, because all we can do is come to Him with our wonder and say, "when is it coming?"  And we press more into Him.  And we wait.  There is much growth to be had in waiting on the Lord.  We know that His timing is perfect.  We know that there is a sovereign plan that has been in motion since long before we began discussing adoption.  And we know that our God is good.

So we cling to the scriptures, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight."

And we wait....365....366....367....

Puzzling Update #2

I'm linking up over at #SpreadtheLove today to share our adoption story.  The idea is that this Valentine's Day, the challenge is to do the following:

• Pray for orphans around the world and the families that God has called to adopt them
• Read the stories on the link-up page and pray for those families
• Share the link to this post on FaceBook, Twittter, any social media, encouraging people to pray for orphans and their families
• Donate $14 on Feb. 14.  You can donate to us by clicking the AdoptTogether link at the top of the sidebar, or choose another adoption to bless on the link-up page, or another orphan ministry.

Puzzling Update #2

Here we are almost a year DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia).  We've changed our original request from Boy 0-18mos.  Now our request is for a Boy 0-7yrs.  In the list that the parents of our adoption program keep, we're hovering around #9 for a child 4+, but everyone we see in front of us in line is requesting either a girl or any gender 0-5, so we could potentially be the parents of the next healthy 6 or 7 year old available.

We pray for him often. Our prayer usually is that he has been fed and cared for each day, as well as asking the Holy Spirit to reveal His love to our little guy.

My kids and I just began praying daily for each member of our family, including our son in Ethiopia.  You can read my post about it on my other blog, My MommaLogues.  Prayer time with my kids has been a beautiful development in my children's discipleship.

Remember our End of the Summer Puzzler fundraiser?  It's been cruising right along.  We have the whole outline sponsored which ends up being 177 pieces of our adoption puzzle.  That was in the middle of January.

Completed the outline - 177 pieces - on January 19, 2013

Now in the middle of February, we have 205 pieces of the puzzle sponsored!

You can keep up on the puzzle progress over on the FaceBook event page.  AND if you'd like to be a part of the Rogers Family Adoption Puzzle, just click the AdoptTogther link at the top of the sidebar to take you to our fundraising page.  Be sure to comment with how many pieces you are sponsoring and what names you'd like on the back.  Thanks so much!!!

It's Been A While

So.... How was Christmas?  And New Year's Eve?  And Valentine's D...(right, not quite there yet *grin*)

For us?  I'm just going to keep it short and say, "We are so blessed!"  Christmas was a fun, week-long, celebration with family and friends.

Crazy Mustache Antics at the Very Scarry Christmas Party
(extended family on Michelle's mom's side)

Rogers, Burgess & Wallace families (Michelle's parents & sister's family)

Christmas morning: the kids taking turns reading the
Christmas Story out of Luke  1 & 2

Stockings!

We decided on Christmas Eve that instead of Khris going to Atlanta for the Passion 2013 conference alone, that Michelle and the kids would join him and stay at our hosts house while he worked the conference.  We are so thankful for our good friends, The Bolton's.  Matt & Julie, your hospitality is truly a HUGE blessing to us.

While we were there, our friends, Marc & Bonnie, and Russell joined us.  The three of them worked the Passion Conference with Khris.  Michelle and the kids had a bunch of fun while Khris and his crew were serving...

The Bolton's took us to their taekwando class...

We took Gabby Bolton with us to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History

oh. deer.

It's gonna eat meeeeeee!!!!!!!

Lily loves owls {0v0}

my 3 dinos

KK & Gabby

Reese & Lily

Genghis Style???

Mongolian Yert

Mongolian catapult

These girls had way too much fun in the Genghis Kahn exhibit

Fernbank Museum entrance

Then we went to The World of Coke 

The vault where the secret Coca~Cola recipe is kept

Have a Coke and a smile (=

 Well, that about catches us up.  We hope you all enjoy your Valentine's Day.  We'll be hanging out enjoying chocolate fondue... Yum!