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

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

https://www.mythirtyone.com/ckellar/, 

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!

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

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!

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.

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"

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 Orphans, Gift 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:

Operation {Adoption} 10:10:1
{10 Days, $10, 1 Baby}

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)