Monday, December 9, 2013

Looking Toward Bringing Kindu Home

**This is a very long post, so please bear with me.  Grab a mug of your favorite steamy beverage and settle in - it's important for me to know that those who are close to us have read the entire post - thanks**

Much like bringing home a newborn, bringing home an adopted child from a foreign country, I suspect, will be VERY similar.

With newborn KK, I didn't know how to meet some of her needs right away.  There were times that she cried when NOTHING I did could soothe her short of taking a 3am drive around I-270.  Yes, we made that drive...Khris and I each took a turn and once she was asleep, we just left her in the infant carrier the rest of the night.  We did NOT want her to wake up!

Bringing Kindu home, there's a language barrier, so I won't always understand his needs either.  I'm learning a little of his Amharic language and can sort of communicate with him to hopefully meet his basic needs.  Until he learns English, we'll be playing a LOT of charades!

With newborn Lily, she came out screaming 10 days early because just a couple hours before I was induced with her, she was breech.  This little one was set in her ways from the beginning.  She even screamed right through her first few feedings.  We had quite an adjustment as she grew accustomed to her new surroundings.

Bringing Kindu home, he will be coming into our family with nothing but himself.  He has no possessions - we even have to give back the clothes on his back when we pick him up.  He's coming into a completely different culture where everything will be very different - from table manners to holidays, his world is about to change drastically.  Yes, we are anticipating some screaming from him too.

With newborn Reese, I had a busy preschooler and a very mischievous curious toddler also in the mix.  Their needs were just as important as baby Reese's needs and I had to figure out how to juggle all of that and not lose my mind.

Bringing Kindu home, he's coming into an established household.  All of us have our roles to play - our own responsibilities - for this family to operate like a well-oiled machine.  ALL of the Rogi will be adjusting to new roles as sisters having to be more independent with their homeschooling, brother sharing a room for the first time, and parents of now 4 Little Rogi.

Khris and I will still be needing to meet ALL 4 Little Rogi's needs without neglecting each other's.  This is difficult enough without adding another child, newborn or not, to the mix.  Cooking meals, keeping up with school, not forsaking together time or individual time for each Little Rogi will be a challenge.

All this to say, there are some things we have yet to address with our loving family members and church family that we think are very important.  A lot of this I have been thinking about and haven't found very easy to articulate.  I love how my sweet friend, Annie, over at PennyPickles.net has written these things so I am using her post as a springboard for this one - with permission, of course ;-)  (Annie and her hubby, Ryan were our suite-mates at the guest house in Ethiopia for our court trip).  Also, Jen Hatmaker's post, "After the Airport" is quite helpful.

: : CLUELESS:  We have NO IDEA what to expect when we bring Kindu home.  Our hearts are prepared for loving on him, but we don't know what to expect as far as how he will respond to this BIG change.  We have read the adoption/attachment books, had training for interracial adoption families, and we have a support network through our fellow adoptive parents with our agency and locally.  We have played out worst-case-scenarios in our heads and we have met Kindu and spent time with him...in HIS country and culture.  Kindu was an easygoing boy who seemed to be rattled by very little.  Here at home, it could be a whole new ballgame.  Or not.  Thus we are clueless.

: : THRILLED: We are thrilled to be adding Kindu to our family.  We have followed the LORD's lead on this adoption and trust that He intends Kindu for our family.  Miracle after miracle has occurred for all the paperwork, logistics and funds to be in place.  Adoption isn't all rainbows and cotton candy though.  Kindu has endured much loss in his 6 1/2 years as well as trauma that no child should have ever seen or endured.  He is leaving everything he knows.  While we are very excited to welcome him home, please understand that we are embracing this change and will be grieving and coping, right alongside of our son, through all he's lost in order to gain The Rogi as a family.  As my pal Annie says, "It's nothing short of tragic."

: : EXCITED: While we receive reports that Kindu is excited to join our family and is anxious for us to come get him, I'm pretty sure that if given the choice, he would choose his own birth family to remain intact.  We don't think that Kindu should feel grateful or lucky to be joining the Rogi in America.  Of course he will have some opportunities that he may have never been given without being adopted, but really, God's will for all of us is to have an intact, God-fearing family.  Because we live in a fallen world, this just isn't a reality for many like Kindu.  So, with his life taking a left-turn to America, we will be loving him through whatever may be difficult for him as he walks this journey.  So, don't assume he feels lucky or grateful, and please don't ask him if he's excited to be in America with a new family.

: : COCOONING: What's that?  This is a method of developing a strong, trusting, secure relationship between us and our newly adopted child (see more here).  Essentially, our plan is to lay low for a few weeks.  Depending on how Kindu responds to coming home, we plan to take a break from E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.  Well, at least me (Michelle) and the kids do.  You probably won't see Kindu and I at church or homeschool gym or (maybe) even the barn (unless it's an equine therapy emergency!).  I won't be taking him to the store or out to eat at any restaurants.  We probably won't welcome any visitors either for the first few weeks, but we'd LOVE to see you all at the airport when we arrive so you all can meet & greet him and make him feel special for those first few moments home.

: : HELP: Although I find it difficult to ask, let it be known, I. WILL. NEED. HELP.  With each newborn homecoming, people offered all manner of help, i.e. meals, cleaning, shopping, playdates for the older Little Rogi, etc.  I will definitely take you up on any of those offers once Kindu is home.  I have been the one in the past to coordinate things like this (or at least delegate the duty to someone else), but I'm NOT going to coordinate any of that for myself.  If you feel led to provide any of the aforementioned, don't ask, JUST DO!  Here's how Annie put it,  "I won’t turn you down. I remember when my mom was sick and dying and people would say to her and me – 'what do you need?' or 'please let me know what I can do' etc. You don’t take advantage of those things because really who wants to call a person and say – 'hey, I need a dinner, when can you make one for me?' I mean just sit on that one for a minute. I dare anyone to say they’d be comfortable making that call. No? It’s just me then, I’m not comfortable making that call."  Don't ya just love Annie's candor? I sure do! ;-) Please don't forget about me all holed up here at home either.  I can tend to become a homebody sometimes, but I also get to a point of stir-craziness. I will absolutely appreciate any emails, cards, texts, tweets, and phone calls, I assure you <3  FYI, coffee, chocolate and french fries are my love language - hee hee!

Our plan is to take each day as it comes, knowing that God's mercies are new every morning.  Please keep us in your prayers as we take on THE. BIGGEST. CHANGE. EVER. in the Rogi history and know we appreciate all your love and support as we have taken this journey.

If you would like to talk about any of this or ask any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me or comment below.  I'm open to continuing the conversation.

Love you all,


The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; 
his mercies never come to an end; 
they are new every morning; 
great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Update & a Little Song Dedication

UPDATE on the Rogi & Embassy:

Friday will mark 17 weeks since we passed court.  You may recall the timeline I listed on my last post.  It took several weeks for our case to be considered for submission to US Embassy and the "Trifecta" I mentioned concerning Embassy's requests:

1. Birth Father Documentation: Now we (by "we" I mean America World and whoever they have requested info/docs from) have now had a search done outside of Kindu's birth-city.  We learned that Kindu's birth-father was not found.  The local police are following up with their own investigation and we are hoping to get that document that Embassy wanted way back in September!

2. Document Inconsistencies:  AW and the translation office are working to correct these translation errors.  This should be complete very soon if not done already.

3.  Birth Relative Interviews:  Embassy interviewed the birth-mother on Monday this week - check!  The older sister has NOT been found to schedule an interview and we JUST heard that Embassy is waiving that request - Woot!

Progress!  We are thankful for these little progressions in our case.

We do have some specific prayer requests:
1. the police would complete their investigation PRONTO and write up the documents that Embassy has requested in order for us to clear.  **UPDATE 12/7/13** THIS is the LAST PIECE to embassy's requests.  It COULD be done for all we know, the powers-that-be have been unreachable all week to confirm the status.  Please keep praying!  **UPDATE 12/9/13** The police wrote our document! They should have faxed it to our agency on 12/10, translated (1-2days), then submitted to embassy.  We could clear THIS WEEK!!!!
2. for the translation office to finish our documents so they can be submitted no later than the police doc.  **UPDATE 12/7/13** We learned on Friday that this IS complete - Praise the LORD for answered prayer!
3. KINDU: he's asking after us...please pray for his sweet soul as he waits for us.
4. FUNDING: we are still accepting donations to cover our travel and post-adoption expenses. We are FUNdraiser-ed Out, so if you feel led, please feel free to use the DONATE button at the top of the sidebar or you can contact me for mailing address to send a check or whatever... talesoftherogi (at) gmail (dot) com.

This little ditty goes out to...

Our family is NOT alone in this stuff.  There are 4 other families from our agency that we have become close to who are dealing with hold-ups regarding US Embassy's requests for MORE info.  In years past, the evidence that all these families have has been sufficient to pass.  Anyway, please continue to pray for The Rogi as well as these other families who are *STUCK* in these delays...these kids just want to be home with their new families...





a song inspired by orphans in Haiti and the families hoping to adopt them

lyrics

Verse 1:
From sun's rising to its setting
Orphans call upon your name
Crying Abba, Saying Father
We trust you to make a way
For us, for love

Chorus:
Bring our children home
Bring our children home
We sing Abba, Father you are able
To bring our children home

Verse 2:
In the morning through the evening
Families pray and praise your name
Asking Abba to be Father
Rescuing the one's he's claimed
For us to love

Bridge:
When we cannot see you moving
When it seems the dark has won
May you find us still believing
That you want this more than us
You will finish what you started
And your plans for us are good
Help us cling to what you promised
You are faithful, you are sure to
(back to chorus)

credits

from No Double Yellow Line, track released 01 June 2011
Bring Our Children Home:
Words and Music: Cindy Foote
©2010 Centricity Music Publishing/Billy Foote
Songs/ASCAP

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Trifecta AKA Embassy-Triple-Threat

Yesterday marked 3 years since The Lord put it on both of our hearts that it was time to consider adoption.

It's been 2 years & 3 months 
since we began our paper chase.

1 year & 8 months since DTE - 
our dossier was sent to Ethiopia.
See that?  Paper-Pregnant!
Dossier ready to go!
We waited 15 months for a referral - 
that has been 5 months ago now.
Our very first picture of Kindu

13 weeks ago we traveled to meet Kindu 
and passed court.


9 weeks ago our agency, America World, attempted to submit us to embassy.

7 of those weeks were spent attempting to gather Embassy-requested documentation.

Now 1 week ago, we were Finally! 
submitted to embassy.

5 days since initial screening has been done and we have been awaiting news of whether Embassy wants additional documentation, corrections of current documents, birth family interviews, or that they would simply clear us.

TRIFECTA!
Not only did we NOT clear,
but we got the Embassy-Triple-Threat!
Whatchoo talkin' 'bout?!?
My sentiments exactly, bud!
1. We're back to square one with the birth father documentation. They want proof of a search or police document of his reported disappearance. Nobody reported him missing.  We need a plan B.
**UPDATE: I have written to 2 reps to congress and both Ohio senators.  I plan on being a squeaky wheel... Please pray this is effective.

2. The documents they DO have, show some inconsistencies, so they want those fixed. Ok.

3. They want a phone interview with the birth mother AND a meeting to interview his older biological sister. That will take time to set up.

PLEASE PRAY

Would you pray with us that this all goes quickly? We kinda had our hopes up that we would clear and be leaving early next week. Our hopes are not completely dashed but we are admittedly disappointed.

Perhaps this is a grace from The Lord, allowing time to raise the necessary funds for travel.  We have been praying for The Lord's provision to take the 3 Homegrown Rogi with us to Ethiopia, and the funds aren't quite there.  In fact, we really only have enough for just one of us to go. Khris and I both feel that neither of us want the other to travel alone.

So, if you feel led, would you please consider sending a donation for our adoption travel fund? You can use the donate button at the top of the right hand column using Paypal to donate directly. If you'd prefer, we are happy to take a cash/check donation. Email me to get a mailing address and or additional details. Talesoftherogi (at) gmail (dot) com

Let's pray this sweet boy home!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Finally!

This week's Rogers Family Update:

12 weeks since we passed court.

8 weeks since America World attempted to submit us to US Embassy.

7 weeks for additional documentation to come through.

We were Finally! submitted to embassy on Monday.  We are praising the LORD for this overcome obstacle.  Now we're praying for quick screening and clearance so that we can bring Kindu HOME!

We received an email today that the initial screening is complete.  We should hear by the end of next week whether US Embassy will request additional documentation, a birth family or "finder" interview, or clear us for travel.  This is a very exciting time!

We are also in the final crunch-time for raising the rest of our funds.  Depending on what Embassy says next week, we could be traveling as soon as two weeks from now - or sooner!

We prayed and asked the LORD for provision for getting our three bio-kids' passports.

God said, "Yes."

We prayed for His provision for the cost of travel vaccinations for them.

Again, God said, "Yes," and they are ready to go!

Lastly we are asking for His provision for the travel expenses so that we can travel together as a family to go to Ethiopia and welcome Kindu into our family... 

to make our family whole on the spot!

Our costs have been miraculously covered to this point and we believe that GOD WILL provide if it's HIS WILL for the first three Little Rogi to be there for Gotcha Day!

We have applied for a few adoption grants - maybe those will be part of that provision.

At this point, we are DONE with the FUNdraisers, so now we are just straight-up asking:

Will YOU partner with us ONE MORE TIME to UNITE the ROGI? To bring Kindu home forever?

We are estimating our need to be around $11,000 for all of us to go.  To you and I, that sounds massive, but if it is God's will - we know that
it will be accomplished.  

Please, don't look at that number and say,

"my gift is too small."  

Every dollar is significant, and every donation is noted by our King of kings.

Thank you for all you have done thus far, and thank you for helping us complete this journey.

Donations can be made to our Adoption Fund through the paypal link at the top of the right hand column.   We can accept checks or cash too if you're not too keen on the whole paypal thing.
Email talesoftherogi (at) gmail (dot) com for a mailing address.

"God sets the lonely in families..." Psalm 68:6


Sunday, October 6, 2013

Thirty-One Gifts Continues

I had SOOO much fun Friday night!  We had more than 10 lovely ladies over for the Thirty-One Gifts fundraiser to bring Kindu home.


Our fabulous Thirty-One sales rep, Cathleen, gives us the run-down
Some of our guests and Thirty-One fashion models-in-training
Some more of our lovely bag-lovin' ladies
Oh yes, there was chocolate - Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies
There was also some other delicious treats...apple cake,
pumpkin ganache cake, and spinach dip...you missed it!

Raffle Winner ---> Ruby Cordova was our first raffle winner on Friday night at the party.
Ruby's prize, the Party Thermal


There are still 3 bags to raffle off on Friday (see which bags are being raffled HERE), so get your tickets directly from me or purchase them using the PayPal link at the top of the right-hand column--->
Be sure to tell me in the "notes" section of your PayPal transaction that your donation is for the raffle (tickets are $10 each).  We will receive 100% of your donation to bring Kindu home.

The party is still open, so you can email me to place an order or go to Cathleen's Thirty-One site under "My Parties" to shop. 

Thank you all for all your love and support in bringing Kindu home.  If he only knew, he'd say, "thank you," too...
A little update: we are still waiting on an important document so America World can submit us to Embassy to get Kindu's visa.  Please keep praying for this document and our submission and a speedy clearance.
Isn't he so handsome?
Oh how we miss him...let's get him HOME!
PS, big thanks to the Bice family for this pic
and delivering that care package


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Thirty-One Gifts for the Rogers Family Adoption

Here it is & Just in time for some Christmas shopping!  We are hosting a Thirty-One Gifts party to raise funds for the remainder of our adoption expenses.  Would you believe we are *almost* funded?  We have about $9000 to go for final travel and post adoption expenses.  I see the light!

Thirty-One Party Details:

When:  Friday October 4th
What time:  7pm
Where: My House!  (Please email talesoftherogi@gmail.com to request the address)

Fundraiser:

The fundraiser items are the listed October Specials.  Purchased at full price, we will receive the difference for our adoption fund.  This works best if you order from me directly instead of through the website, paying with check or cash (we can work out those details, just email me).

See the listed items here:
http://assets.thirtyonetoday.com.s3.amazonaws.com/monthy-specials/2013/October/october-special-flier.pdf
**If you're unable to attend, but would like to shop, go to
click the "My Parties" tab, 
then select "Shop Now" next to 
"Michelle's FUNdraiser Party."**

Raffle $10 donation: 

Our wonderful Thirty-One consultant has donated 4 items for the raffle.  We will receive 100% proceeds from the raffle.  If you're local, you can buy your raffle tickets directly from me.  For online raffle ticket donations, use the BRING KINDU HOME Paypal button at the top of the sidebar.  Please indicate that your donation is for the raffle and how many raffle tickets you are buying.  I will email you with your ticket numbers.

Here's what's up for raffle (*actual items may not be color/pattern shown):

Large Utility Tote
Medium Utility Tote
Easy Breezy Tote
Party Thermal

This is our gracious Thirty-One consultant, Cathleen.  
cathleens31gifts@gmail.com
Please contact her in the future to host your Thirty-One Gifts party! 

If you'd simply like to donate directly to our adoption fund, use the BRING KINDU HOME Paypal button at the top of the sidebar.

Please continue to pray for us as we await submission to embassy and clearance to bring Kindu home!  Thanks so much!

Monday, September 23, 2013

6+ Weeks Post Court + Coming soon: Thirty-One Gifts Party

Just a little update... we were hoping to be submitted to embassy 8/28, but it looked like our documents were not quite ready.  Then our hope was that we would be submitted to embassy on Sept. 4.  Here we are almost 4 weeks after that and no submission.  Between the Ethiopian New Year holiday on the 18th and now US Embassy asking for additional documentation (for something that is all over his file :-/ ), we have yet to be submitted for the final wait.

We're not quite sure how long it will take for our family to clear embassy once we are submitted.  We've seen a family clear in as little as two weeks.  We've also seen much, MUCH longer.  Would you pray with us that we would get this document and be submitted this week, AND that we clear and can travel back to get Kindu as quickly as possible?  Thanks so much!

While we wait, I'm planning a Thirty-One Gifts fundraiser.  If you are in the area, you are welcome to come!  If you are NOT in the area, and would like to support us by shopping through this fundraiser, look for an opportunity to shop online very soon!




Thanks so much for all the love, prayers and support for our family...  We are so grateful for each one of you!

Blessings in Him,

Michelle

Monday, August 19, 2013

Court

Wow!  I really need to post more!  When we heard about our MOWCYA court date being July 29th, we were merely hoping for our actual court date when we would travel to Ethiopia.  We didn't realize it would become a flurry of activity to get us there on very. short. notice.

July 17:  MOWCYA court date scheduled

July 29:  MOWCYA court date - we recieved our positive MOWCYA letter and birth parent consent to adopt "Little Rogi #4" (AKA LittleK)

July 31:  Court date scheduled for August 13th!

August 1:  Flights booked for trip to Ethiopia!

August 7:  Departing Columbus, through JFK then Dubai.

August 8:  Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!

August 8:  Meet LittleK

 


August 9:  Judge decides that since we were already in Addis Ababa, she called us in for court early.
WE PASSED!

Meet Kindu Rogers!
August 9-15:  Hang out with Kindu every day!









August 14:  First family outing - we got to take Kindu out to lunch

Yes, we are quite smitten <3

August 16:  We flew home...A.L.L. day and we have been back to life as usual (mostly) ever since.


Now we await our embassy submission - hopefully August 28 or September 4 - then clearing embassy within a few weeks of submission.  Our hope is to have Kindu home by the end of October although SOONER would be nice!

Thank you all who have contributed... You are ALL part of the Rogers Family Adoption Story.  

We will continue to fund-raise to finish our international fees and purchase our flights back to get Kindu to bring him home.  If you feel led, any amount is significant and can be given by using the DONATE button at the top right column.  I plan to have a Thirty-One Gifts fundraiser in the next few weeks too - FUN!

Thanks again and blessings to you all!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Update: MOWCYA

UPDATE! 

We have our MOWCYA court date!  


The court in Ethiopia has subpoenaed MOWCYA for a positive recommendation letter for our family and the birth parent is requested to appear to give consent for the adoption.  All this is to happen on July 29th.  I asked if there was any chance we could get a court date and have to travel later that week and our coordinator said, "YES!"  We could potentially travel with only a one day notice.

Although there is also the chance that we will NOT travel, we want to be prepared, so bring those donations for the Transition Home and the Orphanages!

Like I said yesterday, we will place a box to collect donations in the church lobby or we will receive them at our house.  For drop-off details and a list of needed donations see yesterday's post.

We are also still raising funds for our travel.  If you feel led to donate financially for our travel to Ethiopia to make "K" ours, please click the DONATE button on the top right side of this page.


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Prepping For Travel

Since we received and accepted our referral for "K" we have been patiently awaiting news of court dates.  I asked our coordinator today if we were in the court system in Ethiopia yet.  She says our case is open with MOWCYA (Ministry of Women, Children, Youth Affairs) and the court system, and there is definitely still a possibility that we may travel before court closes for the rainy season (August 6 - October 1).

If we will indeed travel soon, we would like to collect donations to take over there while we still ahve a little time.  We will each be able to check (2) 50 lb. suitcases which we'd like to fill with donations (the things we need for ourselves we will pack into our carry-ons).

Below is a list of priority needs for our agency's transition home where our little guy lives:

  • Vitamin D drops
  • Coloring books
  • Crocs for children and nannies
  • Shoes and clothing (gently used are ok) for children ages 3-14
  • Foam/Rubber (lightweight) soccer/playing balls for toddlers
  • Diaper cream, specifically with zinc oxide (Desitin or Boudreaux's)
There are also other general donation needs and medical/medicine needs for the transition home and the local orphanages we will be visiting while we are there.  See the blog page titled AWAA Donations for a complete list.

Please know, although formula is on the list, it is bulky to travel with and can be purchased in-country.  So if you'd like to make a cash donation for formula, we will be happy to collect that and purchase as much as we can when we get to Ethiopia.

Regarding diapers, the orphanages prefer to use cloth diapers and there is a huge need for those that some recent traveling families have noticed.  So, if you'd like to donate diapers, please donate cloth.  Thanks!

Also, if you are a medical/dental professional or work for one, please consider asking for donations from those offices -- oftentimes, these offices are willing to donate boxes of sample medicines or toothbrushes/toothpaste.

We will place a large box in the church lobby for donations - open hours are 9a - 3p Monday through Friday if you want to drop those off outside of service times:  
Calvary Chapel Columbus
6075 E. Livingston Ave.
Columbus, OH 43232

We are also able to receive donations here at our house.  If you need directions, please feel free to email me at talesoftherogi@gmail.com

Thanks so much for all your love and support throughout our adoption journey!

Blessings,

Khris, Michelle, KK, Lily, Reese and "K"

Friday, June 28, 2013

Update #3: Funded for Referral!

I almost can not believe that we raised almost $5000 in less than 3 days!

How did this happen?  This is simply the Body of Christ in action.

All we did was ask.  God's people responded by Praying. They responded by Sharing.  And they responded by Giving.

Not only were there those who gave from their abundance, but there was "Widow's Mite" giving as well.  As on example, a 14 year old boy wiped out his savings and gave so we could be that much closer to bringing K home.

Every dollar is significant.  We are grateful.
And we are slack-jawed-in-awe of our Mountain-Moving God!

He has a heart for the fatherless,
and His people respond.

God has revealed Himself in a BIG way, not only through this fundraising, but also as we grieve our beloved Pastor Dave's passing.  The Body of Christ has rallied around our family like no other time before.

The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the Name of the LORD.  Job 1:21 (NASB)

I know you're thinking, 
"Now you are accepting your referral, so what's next?"

Travel.  America World is working diligently behind the scenes to expedite our referral and get us submitted to court before the rainy season closures on August 6.

"But you didn't have all of your referral funding, 
how will you fund travel?"

Funny you should ask...  First off, we are applying for some adoption grants through Lifesong for OrphansGift of Adoption, and possibly ShowHope.

On top of that, my friend Christie of Satisfaction Through Christ has a HUGE HEART for adoption.  She's adopted two little girls herself and has seen God move in a big way when she had 10 days to come up with $10,000 for her most recent adoption.  Check it out below:


Knowing full-well how God can move, Christie and her BIG HEART are graciously featuring our family today on Satisfaction Through Christ in order to continue our fundraising so we can travel.  I told her I was trying to come up with the most eloquent, meaningful, gracious response to this.  I had no words aside from
"Glory to God!"  #thisistheBodyofChrist 

So head on over there and check it out:
Operation #Adoption - Help Bring K Home

Again, Thank you all for being the Hands and Feet of Christ this week.  Please keep Praying and Sharing so the Lord can use more of His people to bring one precious little boy home to his forever family.

God sets the lonely in families... Psalm 68:6 (NIV)

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Update #2: A Call to Action

First of all....
THANK YOU! 
To all who have donated to our adoption fund!

Day 2 wasn't as busy as day 1, BUT the Lord is stirring hearts and the funds are trickling in.  As of 11:30 this morning, we are just over $2000.

We are rejoicing in the Lord!  

We are so grateful for all YOU are doing to pray, share and give to bring home our Little K.

Here's the link to the blog post for you share again:
A CALL TO ACTION


Please continue to PRAY, SHARE & GIVE as you feel led.  

Blessings ~Michelle

A Father to the fatherless, a Defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.  

Psalm 68:5 (NIV)



Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Update: A Call to Action

We are overwhelmed by the love and support of our friends, family and church family!

In 1 day, you supported us for over $1800!
ONE DAY!

Our goal was between $4-5K.  We REALLY want to accept this referral for Little K as soon as possible - before July 1 if we can - so please keep praying for God's provision.

Also, please keep sharing yesterday's blog post via email, facebook, twitter, your blog, whatever!  Just share!

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!  ~Michelle

God sets the lonely in families...
Psalm 86:6 (NIV)

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

A Call to Action

Well ladies and gentlemen, it's GO time.  After the events of the last 2 weeks, the passing of our beloved pastor and friend, we thought we might be settling back down.   The Lord thinks otherwise...

We received a phone call last night from America World - they have matched us with a child!  Praise Him!  God is good, and though the timing has us reeling, we are trusting in Him.

Now here's the thing:  in order to accept this referral (and we REALLY want to  do that), we need the funds to do so.  Also, in light of the recent changes in Ethiopian adoption we have less than a week (before July 1 to be exact).

There are three things you can do: Pray. Give. Share.

Pray for the Lord's provision.  God is already on the move.  He has provided every penny we have needed through this adoption as we have needed it and we trust that He will use many on behalf of our orphan-no-more.

Give  Use the PayPal link at the top of the sidebar to donate directly to our adoption fund.  We need $4,000-5,000 more to accept our referral.  Any amount helps and we are eternally grateful.

Share On top of praying and giving, would you direct your family and friends to help too?  Share this blog post on your facebook wall, on your twitter feed, link this post up on your blog... get the word out!  Many hands make light work.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  May God bless you. ~Khris


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

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

Saturday, March 2, 2013

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....

Thursday, February 14, 2013

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.

#SpreadtheLove

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!!!