Faces (Four) We Adore

We began the puzzle fundraiser back in June. I remember seeing the empty spot on our table. I remember smiling as the first few pieces took their place. I remember loving seeing Levi's face appear, then Noah's...but feeling a sense of great joy at the sight of Ruslan's face and waiting for what seemed like eons to see Andrey's face appear. Now that all faces (four) we adore are on the board, it is beginning to feel a lot like reality. We are waiting for word from Kiev about our dossier. We pray that it will be approved soon without trouble and that they will give us an appointment date very soon. The longer we wait, the longer they wait. The thought of Andrey in that orphanage is killing me. I feel very secure with where Ruslan is because I know the people who operate the TLC and they are wonderful, Christian people who truly care about those kids. If you haven't checked out jeremiahshope.org, you really need to. It's a wonderful ministry that I would highly recommend you become a part of in some way. Sponsor a child this year. The experience will be a blessing for both of you.

We are hoping to get the rest of Andrey on the puzzle quickly, as the bulk of our expense is coming up very soon, we hope (travel to Ukraine). Please consider buying a piece of Andrey today! It looks like there are about 28 pieces of him left to go. Once he is complete, we will put the rest of the puzzle "on sale." We hope to have this puzzle completed by the time we travel so that we can frame it and put it up in our home as a reminder that so many open hearts brought these boys home. We are forever grateful for the encouragement and support we receive from those near and far. I am overwhelmed by how God has blessed us. He continues to show His faithfulness to us each step of the way.

Yet ANOTHER way to give...or confuse you with a crowded blog...

Taking Pre-Orders On These T-Shirts NOW!!!



Don't you need this shirt? Original art by my guy and Chickasaw artist, Joshua Hinson. $15 (plus $5 shipping if necessary). Use the paypal donate button to the left and make a note of the size and shipping address. One more way to bring 'em home!

Let's Talk Tacos!

If you live locally, please plan to be at our Indian Taco Sale Friday, September 23rd from 11:00 to 2:00!


Asbury United Methodist Church
508 West 6th
Ada, OK 74820

We will be selling:

Indian taco, cake and drink ($6)
bowl of pishofa ($1)
Deliveries made to CNMC, HQ, and Commerce at 11:00, 12:00 and 1:00. (Minimum five per order.)

We will also be selling puzzle pieces, prints, raffle tickets and more at the church. Please spread the word and help us raise a good bit of our adoption costs this Friday. Everybody's gotta eat...so bring a friend! Bring two! Or twelve! And spread the word!

Pendleton Raffle

Win this beautiful Pendleton blanket, designed by the one and only Joshua Hinson. Tickets are:

1 for $1
and
6 for $5.

The raffle will take place October 10. This is a beautiful blanket, new in box. Help us bring our boys home! Pay Pal with a message that says "raffle tickets" or pay by check/cash in person or by mail to: 17559 CR 3518 Ada, OK 74820.

What's Cookin'?

Ruslan has graduated 9th grade and is enrolled in technical school this Fall. He loves to cook...and eat! So he has elected to study cooking! Tanya sent along these pictures of him on his birthday dressed in his Chef's uniform. We're so proud. We love the FOOD Network and can't wait to welcome our new Iron Chef into the family.

Dossier- Be On Your Way!

Three months of paper chasing...doing and redoing documents...pleasing officials and pacing ourselves...All I could think when that FedEx guy stuffed our dossier into the envelope was, "Hey, be careful with that! It's my BABY!" There is really no way to insure this document. Technically, it's worth the $230 it took to apostille each page and the value of the paper itself, but FedEx will only reimburse us $100 if it's lost. It should arrive in Kiev on Wednesday. Please pray that nothing prevents it from getting there. Once it arrives, Nina (our facilitator) will finish the translation she has already begun based on the scanned images we sent her of each document. When it has all been translated, she will turn it over to the SDA. Then we wait for our appointment date to be set. We are hopeful that this may be in November, but there are no guarantees. Thank you for checking on our progress, for caring about our boys (all of them) and most importantly, thank you for your prayers! We see God in motion throughout this process. Your prayers are being heard. God is great! We are so grateful for this opportunity to serve Him.

Chickasaw Art Prints to Benefit our Adoption

So for any visitors to our blog that might not know, I'm an enrolled tribal citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and in addition to my work with the Chickasaw Language Revitalization Program, I am also a tribal artist.

Here's an opportunity to help fund our adoption and get some great art prints to boot. Chokfi' (Rabbit) and Chakwihili' (Possum), 6"x6" image, signed giclee prints, 200 year archival ink on 100% rag paper - $25 including shipping to your door, $20 local hand-delivered. Follow the PayPal link, note which print(s), quantity, shipping address, pay with whatever method you care to and you'll have prints in hand in a few short days.

Don't use PayPal? Send a check with a note enclosed to our home address, 17559 CR 3518 Ada, OK 74820.

Chokma'shki / yakkookay (thanks) -
Lokosh (Joshua D Hinson)

A Small Price to Pay

Tomorrow, we will travel to the State Capital to have all our documents (the culmination of over three months of work) apostilled. There are 21 pages to be apostilled at $10/page. The cost to Fed Ex this group of documents will be well over $100. After it has been shipped, we will wire our facilitator the $600 she needs. It's a large sum of money, but a small price to pay for family. WE have made this decision. We are ultimately responsible and are working hard to bring these boys home. However, your prayers and support and very much needed and appreciated. Maybe you're adopted. Perhaps you have a heart for the fatherless. Maybe you've always wanted to adopt, but your spouse doesn't feel the same way. Or maybe you were blessed with an amazing family (like my husband and I were) and you need an opportunity to show your gratefulness and help someone who hasn't had it so easy. Prayerfully consider buying a piece of our puzzle for $25. We are also working on a t-shirt fundraiser (using Josh's art) and an Indian Taco sale later in the month.

Want to give? Use the pay-pal donate button on the right. (non-tax deductible gifts)

Want to give AND receive a tax deduction?
Mail a check made out to "Jeremiah's Hope" to us at 17559 CR 3518 Ada, OK 74820. Make no mention of our adoption on the check, simply include a note about the intent of your gift. We'll mail them to this wonderful ministry that put these boys in our path in groups of 10.

More importantly, please continue to pray for us. Pray that there are no issues with the apostilles. Pray that our precious documents arrive safely in Kiev. Pray that our dossier is well received by Ukranian officials. Pray for our family, near and far. Pray! Pray! Pray! We are so blessed by your prayers.

Happy Birthday, Ruslan!

Want to wish Ruslan a happy 17th birthday? Let's see if we can sell 17 pieces of the puzzle today! Click the donate button to use Pay Pal or if you want a tax-deductible donation, make your check out to Jeremiah's Hope and send it to us at:
17559 CR 3518
Ada, OK 74820
Leave me a message that you're buying a piece and we'll add your "birthday gift" to the puzzle!
We've got a long way to go to reach our goal. Thank you to all who've blessed our journey so far- by prayer and puzzle piece! :)