Let The Bidding Begin For Our Adoption Silent Auction Fundraiser! You Can Bid If You Cannot Be There!!!

Let The Bidding Begin For Our Adoption Silent Auction Fundraiser! You Can Bid If You Cannot Be There!!!

If you cannot make it to the silent auction, NO WORRIES!  You can bid ahead of time.  We will bid on your behalf.  We just need to know your minimum bid and maximum bid.  Here are the items up for bid that will help raise the funding necessary for 3 families to bring home 4 children from Eastern Europe.  You may email bids to service@doodlebuckets or call Amy McCoy at 919-434-6691 or you can comment below with the item title and your bid and we will bid for you!

 Donated by Doodlebuckets.com Baby Gifts:  A Baby Bunch Bouquet of Baby Clothes.  Useful, Practical, and Beautiful Too, this arrangement of baby clothes made into a beautiful "bouquet of flowers" is just precious! Contains one pink bib, one pink t-shirt, one pink hat, one white hat, two pairs of socks (one pink pair and one white pair), one pair of pink mitts, two white burp cloths, one pink one-piece and one pink romper suit. All clothing is super-soft 100% cotton and generously sized for baby girls 0-6 months, or up to 16 lbs. The clothing “buds” are encircled in pink fabric and wooden rosebuds accented with green leaves; save them to craft a lasting keepsake bouquet.
Retail Price:  $82.95

Donated by babygiftidea.com:  The Fiesta Baby Gift Basket.  Sophisticated and classy, this deluxe neutral-themed upscale baby necessities basket features several unique and useful products from the popular Baby Dry Goods essentials line. Included inside a reusable wicker basket are:

• A 100% cotton So Soft Stroller Blanket by Baby Dry Goods. 
• A Diapering Attaché w/Diapering Blanket by Baby Dry Goods. 
• A Cozy Burp Cloth Set by Baby Dry Goods.
• A Big Wipe-Off Bib by Baby Dry Goods. 
• Hooded Towel/2 Washcloth Set by Baby Dry Goods. 
• 4" x 4" x 4" Lil' Pudgy Soft Block by Baby Dry Goods. 

Retail Price:  $158.00

 

Donated by giftbasketdropshipping.com:  The Coke Works Gift Basket, what a great gift to send!  This basket is huge! Features the real thing, Coca-Cola...and everything it takes to turn a Coke into a celebration. Sweet and savory snacks of all descriptions abound in this large natural willow basket. Make any event a celebration with the Coke Works gift basket.

Includes:

• 6 Cokes
• 15 oz Rold Gold Pretzels
• Nacho Cheese Dip
• Hot Bean Dip
• Planters Peanuts
• Oreo Double Stuff
• 4 Microwave Popcorn
• 2 Peanut M&M's
• 2 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
• 2 Nestle Crunch Bar
• 2 Skittles/Plain M&M's
• 15 ozTostitos Chips
• Crunch & Munch Chex Mix
• Chips A Hoy Cookies
• Pretzel Flips
• Large Natural Willow Basket

Retail Price:  $109.00

Donated by Amy McCoy:  An Ecommerce Website.  Includes domain name registration if you do not already have a web domain, one year of hosting, setup for online receipt of payments, website design and graphics, up to 25 products added for you and training in how to run your site, get top rankings in Google and maintaining your business. 

Retail Price:  $1000.00

Donated by The Dewberrys from Fallenbutsaved.com: A Custom Skateboard, designed by Kolya Dewberry! With This Auction You Will Get A Complete Skateboard Deck Designed By Kolya To Fit Your Child's Personality That Is Christ Centered.  Each Board Will Include Wheels, Trucks, Bearings & Bolts.

Retail Price:  $175.00

Donated by Staker Chiropractic Center:  This auction is for (2) RBC Center Carolina Hurricanes Vs. Florida Panthers Hockey Tickets!  The Game Is For Saturday, February 25th @ 7PM.  They are third row seat tickets, Section 127, seats 6 & 7.


Retail Value:  $160.00

Donated by Kim Photography:  This gift certificate is for a 1 hour photography session (photo shoot), editing services and a picture CD with chosen photos.

Retail Value:  $100.00

Donated by Starbucks:  16oz. Dark Fair Trade Italian Roast Whole Bean Coffee, Via Iced Coffee 5 Pack, Via Veranda Blend Instant Coffee 12 Pack & Two Coffee Mugs.

Retail Value:  $50.00

Donated by Family Christian Bookstore:  Bible Edition Scrabble

Retail Value $30.00

Donated by Family Christian Bookstore:  The Courageous Collection.  The Collection Includes The Courageous Movie,  The Resolution For Women & The Resolution For Men.


Retail Value:  $45.00

Donated by Family Christian Bookstore:  Beautiful Framed Art With The Words Hope and Joy & Bible Verses Written Below These Words On Each Frame To Inspire You.

Retail Value:  $50.00

Donated by Great Harvest Bread Company:  2 loaves of their yummy bread, cake mix, jam and a gift card.

Retail Value:  $50.00

Featured is a red with white polka dots European-style market tote for the environmentally conscious. Easy to store collapsible basket perfect for picnics, gardening, pool, beach, grocery store, car and home storage. Aluminum frame with a soft foam padded handle and a zippered interior pocket. Velcro tabs unstrap for easy cleaning. Market tote will be personalized with initials or name to the highest bidder in their choice of color and font.  Matching ribbon will be added.   

Retail Value $40

Donations, descriptions to come:
Gift Basket Village Grand Gourmet Basket
Chocolate -covered pretzel gift from Delynn Lyczkowski
Fabric Bowl – Cindy Winter Hartley
Thomas Kinkade basket – Denise Collins
Omega sports
Jelly beans
Ice house
Harris teeter
Salsaritas
Lisa givens embroidery
Paws in the city
Ruckus Pizza Gift Card

Dinner & Silent Auction Fundraiser For The Collins, McCoy & Dewberry's Adoptions

 Please come join The McCoy, Collins & Dewberry Family for a Dinner & Silent Auction to bring Alex, Aloyna, Andriy & Sergiy Home!!!

Date:   Friday, February 3, 2012 

Time:  6:30pm until 8:30pm

Location:  Mount Pisgah Baptist Church @ 5309 Umstead Rd., Apex, North Carolina

Please come join The McCoy, Collins & Dewberry Family for a Dinner & Silent Auction to bring Alex, Aloyna, Andriy & Sergiy Home!!! This event is being held to help raise funds for the adoption of three families coming together. The families hosted orphans through NHFC and are now adopting these children from Ukraine. The McCoy Family, The Collins Family and The Dewberry Family. If you are interested in inquiring about New Horizons For Children, Joe & Nicole Dewberry are Regional Directors for Central, NC and will be available to discuss the program at the event. Dinner will include: Hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, chips, cookies & water. *Asking for a $5.00 per person/meal or $20.00 per family* If you have any questions about the event please contact Nicole Dewberry @ 919.834.5753 or ndewberry@newhorizonsforchildren.org Please visit our adoption blogs at: The Dewberry Family: www.andthisonematters.blogspot.com The Collins Family: www.onelittlestarfish.blogspot.com The McCoy Family: http://mammatomany-bringingthemhome.blogspot.com/

A BIG Thank You To All Your Prayer Warriors!

I personally want to thank any and all folks that read my last blog post about our prayer requests for Sergiy and ourselves.  At this time I am not sure how our boy is doing but we will try to call him Monday but I can tell you this your prayers are working for myself.  Today when I woke up Satan was waiting for my eyes to open to start attacking my mind with doubt.  I went into the kitchen and Joe asked what was bugging me he could see I was troubled and I explained all the doubts and concerns I had.  I then told him the doubts are only in my head not my gut.  Joe and I have been down this road before of knowing not to move or if we did with the bad gut it showed to be correct.  I told him this is different Satan cannot touch my heart but he can attack my mind.  Soon as I said that it was like all the doubts I had been having cleared my mind almost to the point I could not even remember what the doubts were.  It was the coolest thing.  I know the prayers are working unless it is old age...LOL!  But all day today whenever a moment would pop up and doubt would start to kick in is would quickly be replaced with me laughing or giggling at a moment I had with Sergiy where we would both be laughing or smiling because of something silly I said, he said or another breakthrough moment for us.

So thank you all you prayer warriors!  I am not sure who all is but you know who you are so please keep it coming because the prayers are welcomed and working!

Coming Down The Wire!

With us coming down the wire to a matter of days, not months I am going to take my sis's advice and stick a "Chip In" box on the Sergiy's blog in hopes to help with Sergiy's adoption expenses.  I know God knows our needs and he already has it mapped out.  I am avoiding the thoughts of freaking out and knowing he has brought us thus far and resting in the comfort of his word through scripture and seeing all the mini miracles that he has continued to do for Joe and I.  And now being able to watch them at the same time happen for my sister as she moves forward to adopt Andriy the boy she hosted.  This is so incredibly cool to be able to experience this all with my sis. Nothing finer, not even a 49er.  My sis and brother in law were at a stand still to move forward because they needed the funds to pay for their homestudy all in one fell swoop today right after my sis put herself out there with a "Chip In"  box the exact amount needed for her homestudy came in.  Joe and I are not expecting that, shoot we don't expect anything but again it is totally cool to see the the blessings God is bringing to our loved ones.  So incredibly cool!

We talked with our kiddo 2 days ago.  He spirits were not as high.  I knew something was wrong.  With all his past hurts and broken promises just a week of not hearing from him put doubt in his mind we were coming for him.  He said he was scared when we did not call sooner.  So Joe and I not only are writing him but will be calling him twice a week now with the permission of his school.  The staff has been nothing short of polite and generous to us when we have called.  So we are hoping we can speak with him twice a week to keep his spirits up and knowing we are not going anywhere.  He said it had snowed and the kids had been playing football.  Now that he knows how to ice skate he tried to skate on the ice with his shoes.  LOL!  Gotta try somehow if it works.  Joe and I are prepping everything for the trip and getting his room ready to go.  Sergiy loves Parcor so we are rocking a skateboarding and parcor room.  It is actually coming along pretty well.  Never thought I could get that much furniture in that little room!  Good golly!

Our prayer requests.  Doubts am I doubting?  No but I know Satan wants me to.  Kolya our son is out there.  He will put himself out there on the line for all to see.  Sergiy on the other hand hold in everything.  Complete opposite.  There are so many years of empty promises, being alone, preparing to never have anyone and brave being independent as he is approaching timing out.  Being tough on the exterior so that he can defend himself.  Never letting anyone in to love him because of being hurt.  There are many wounds in this incredible young mans life and I know we have our work cut out for us and many chips to take down with Gods grace.  So doubt....I am not having the doubt in my gut that we are not to adopt him that you know is God saying "GET OUT".  It is all the fears that run through my mind that I have never had at any point working, fostering or adopting any child.  Being part of NHFC and the orphan ministry non stop you see satan working constantly to be a distraction.  So rather I know this is Satan working overtime in my mind to distract me and doubt.  Not even doubt anything in particular just doubt.  So with this I am going in full boar packing for Sergiy, writing him, calling him, praying for him and our family and getting his room ready.  I know Satan wants me to put on the breaks.  Won't do it.  I realize he wants my boys.  Both of my boys are saved, they both know him.  Since before Sergiy arrived Satan has been knocking at my door.  Well he always is but this time he is sleeping on my porch.  I am not going to let him in or even crack the stinki;n door for him.  So prayer.  I just ask for prayer for our boy first and foremost.  That Sergiy will feel the comfort of God in this time apart and find rest and security in him knowing he is bringing him a family.  But even taking us out of the picture that Sergiy will know that he is "His".  He is God's child and God has divinely created him for a greater purpose then being alone and an orphan no matter what he does in his life.   For any doubts Satan throws in my mind that our family and our minds will be protected and we can push those thoughts away.  For our son Kolya in our time away from him to go get Sergiy that his time with Grandma will be a blessing for both of them.  We thank you for all your prayers as we approach our take off date of Feb. 6th!  Whew wee, we are close!

Many blessings!!!!

Our First Phone Call To Sergiy!

Today was our first phone call to Sergiy at his boarding school.  The staff was wonderful to allow us to talk with him.  Joe had the phone first and got to speak with him.  Sergiy was so excited to hear dads voice.  Then Kolya and I pick up the other phone so we could all be on.  He sounded so cold, happy to hear us but sad. When he heard my voive he sounded so stinking happy which was awesome and he said "Ma". I about cried.  He said he was sad and missed us.  He missed Georgie and Otis (our cats who he adores) and our dogs Beau, Daisy and Charlie.  He had said "Ma I no smoke".  I was so proud of him.  I know many of his friends smoke because there is not much to do and him and I talked about it before he left.  He openly told me they would ask him when he got back and asked me what he should do.  So we talked about how to handle it without losing his friends.  I am so proud of him!  He loves to lift weights and he has been so I told him when you are tempted to smoke say a little prayer and go lift weights, remove yourself.  He said he still has his peanut butter and syrup I sent back with him.  I asked if he was sharing it and he said no, it was special.  LOL!  He brought back many items for his friends so this he is hanging on to!  He kept asking when we would be there for him.  Then he said the words for the first time "Ma I love you".  Whew wee!  I could hear the cold and sadness in his voice.  Kolya then told him that yesterday mum put pictures of him and us all over the house.  He got excited and said "Thank you ma".  Although we had a tough times during hosting that we were dealt to just hear him say he is ready to be home, he misses and loves us just confirmed we are moving forward as God intended for us and we are so thankful God opened the doors to have our dossier ready to go ahead of time.  That this time apart can strengthen us as a family.  Oh how I wanted to talk to him before the weekend to just hear his voice and let him know we have not gone anywhere and that we have not left him and we love him and it was so awesome that God honored that.  We all four prayed together on the phone and encouraged him to hang in there.  As hard as it was to hear the sadness in his voice I am rejoicing knowing another chip has been taken off his high and thick wall and for that I am blessed!

We now just keep calling and writing and await a date to travel!  Gods timing is always perfect so in that we rest.

Noonday Fundraiser for Andriy and Sergiy !

Here is our first fundraiser for our boy, Sergiy that will also benefit the adoption of Denise and Chris Collins adoption for Andriy.  Denise is my sister so I am blessed to be able to be in this with her each step of the way!

Denise and I are having a Noonday Collection Truck Show at my house on Friday, January 27 from 6:30-8:30pm. Their products are beautiful. Please bring your friends and let us know you are coming.  If you cannot make it please do not worry please see below how you can order and it still help benefit our adoptions!

Here is some info about Noonday from their website. "Our passion at Noonday Collection is to connect you with the lives of artisans struggling for a better future while styling you along the way. Fashion and design are a vehicle for opportunity and change. You, too, can be a voice for the oppressed!"

Here is their website: http://www.kristinharvey.noondaycollection.com/

Not only do we get 10% of the sales for our adoptions, but Kristin is also giving us her 10% commission. So Denise and I will each get 10% of the sales to help us bring our boys home.

If you would like to attend the trunk show send me an email and I will give you my address.

If you live far but would like to participate by placing an order please contact Kristin directly at lady_kris@hotmail.com or 919.815.5413. Orders placed directly on her website cannot be counted towards our fundraiser so please contact her to order.

Just to add some extra adorableness to this blog post remember this is who benefits from this fundraiser. Sergiy in the black sweatshirt and Andriy in the blue fleece jacket. Kolya in the red shirt we adopted last year. These are the three amigos, two in which you will be helping bring home forever!

One Miracle After Another!

So sorry for the long awaited writing.  Sergiy and the NHFC hosting families all arrived on December 13th into RDU airport.  Although I was there for all the NHFC families as the director I was also there along with all the anxiously awaiting families with all grins, nervousness, anxiety and joy all clustered into one awaiting seeing Sergiy again.  Holding my sign and bouncing all other the place for the best place to take photos and being there to share the excitement with all the families at the same time.  Joe and Kolya went through the gate to bring the kids and Viktor the chaperone down the escalator.  First ones coming down was Kolya and Sergiy.  Sergiy hands in his pocket and wondering probably what the darn did he get himself into.  Kolya with his hands in his pockets with a krooked grin leaning against the escalator all calm and cool like he has it under control.  He's already been down this road.  LOL!

Sergiy our poor guy did not know what to do with the hugs.  He was distant and looked at us like we were literately nuts.  You would think hugs were a virus.  But over the time at the airport with all the families like Kolya did he eventually relaxed and realized we were not so bad.

Long story short in our 5 weeks time with Sergiy we were tested and we were tested.  Whether it be by Satan himself or by God allowing it to strengthen us as a family unit and it worked.   2 days shy of Sergiy leaving it was clear we were to return for him in a nick of time.  Very similar as Kolya's hosting being the last 4 days is when we knew and we were also very heavily tested as well.  We just cut it much closer this go round time wise.  Thanks to a dear friend who is a Russian missionary who we go to church with he dropped everything at a moments notice and came over to help clear up any translation issues and help us clear everything up to see if we truly could meet Sergiy's needs.  This was a big trust step for Joe.   That night Joe and I prayed and prayed before Dima came over that he would guide us and we both put our trust in the Lord that he knew what was best for Sergiy and our family.  And that trust Joe gave over came in an answered prayer of us reaching Sergiy and knowing we are to move forward and adopt him.  That was huge for Joe to experience and to see God's grace and blessings as well as myself.  It was clear as already preparing to be an adoptive family that many other friends of ours hosting and families we work with were being attacked spiritually with their kids.  It amazes me working in the orphan ministry how often you will see the war between Satan and God.  It is always big and you prepare for it to happen before the kids come and during the hosting.  That attacks are often and big.  The awesome part is seeing God's grace and mercy's along the way.  I love being able to work with the families and see even when the storm hits hard like their child they were going to host could not make it for one reason or another and they turn it over to God and know he is in control.  It is the coolest thing to be part of and take witness too.  It lifts your spirits.  This is one of the greatest things we can do as Christians is reach out to the orphans and oh how Satan is not pleased one bit.  I see it daily. 

So with all this said and God making it clear that we are to adopt and move forward to bring Sergiy home we are doing just that.  Our dossier has been accepted by the SDA office in Ukraine.  We have a court date just haven't been told the exact date yet because it has been a holiday in Ukraine (Their Christmas) so by the end of the week we hope to know when we travel.  We are preparing to take off for him the end of January the beginning of February THIS YEAR!

I now look back and see God's incredible blessings.  Sergiy our boy has spent his whole entire life in an orphanage he has never known any difference.  He family left him with broken promises the only two times he remembers.  In which on those times they said they would return for him and it never happened like so many kids all over the world that are abandoned by the ones that they are suppose to trust and love them forever.  We know we have a long road of healing with Sergiy.  His walls are high and thick because he has learned and has been taught to depend on himself and trust no one.  So we have much chipping away to do with God's guidance in this awesome 15 year old's life.  We have chipped away a little at a time and he has allowed it which is a miracle in itself.  Most of the kids his age we saw at Kolyas orphanage once they reached Sergiys age they would turn down adoption because they wanted to be independent and be on their own and risk it all because their hearts were hardened.  Kills ya.  Everytime we hit a hard time I found comfort in knowing we chip a peace of the wall and I would hear the song in my head "Now let the healing begin" over and over in my head.

I know without a doubt now why God allowed his birthdate to get so messed up that we thought it was April not July it forced us into fast mode to get his dossier done.  So we thought we saw all the miracles in how God allowed us to get the dossier done in 3 weeks was to beat his timing out which actually now we know that we would have been ok because his birthday is in the summer.  BUT this is where Gods grace and mercy is on and in this boys life.  With the shutdown and had we waited until February when the SDA reopened to do all the docs to adopt him we would have gotten there in the spring to early summer so we would have gotten there in time physically but we would have lost him completely mentally.  There is no doubt and no question in my mind.  I now know why God allowed something so impossible as the dossier being completed to adopt him in an impossible amount of time why it became possible.  Amazing how God works.

So as we took all the kids through security to their boarding gate it was so awesome to give my boy lots of huge and kisses and him not want to let go.  Hugs were no longer a virus.  He asked if we will write and call and I told him you betcha.  He wanted a photo album so I jumped on it and made him one of all our family photos and times together like I did with Kolya so he had something to hang onto.  I packed his backpack full of treats to tie him over and his suitcase full of peanut butter and syrup which he loved!  He asked if he can take some of his toys back for his friends and I said absolutely.  We bought some gifts for his teachers that he clearly had a good relationship with and everything had to be carefully chosen for each of them.  It was too cute!  So as the kids went through the gate Sergiy waved good bye to us until he could see us no longer.  It was the coolest thing.  It just warmed my heart.  I know it did my family and the folks that met him during our times together at the airport.

My sister, Denise and her husband hosted as a back up a young man Andriy and he won their hearts and they are now also on the move to adopt him.  He was the hard one to get through the security line.  The whole time he tried to break away to get back to my sister and would hang on anything and everything and calling out "Mama".  Thankfully he knew me from last hosting and also with him being with my sister he is already family to me so we struggled through the line together.  So he would at least hang on to me like he did last time but this time he really attached to my family so it made it extra harder.  But now my sister and I and our families are officially in this together.  It was funny because she reminded me the other day that when we were little we vouched when we both had children we would have them together so they could be the same age and grow together.  With both of us have fertility issues and neither of us having our own it is funny how God works.  My sister adopted my niece when she was a baby and now Danielle is Sergiy's age, 15.  We have adopted Kolya and the boys Andriy she is adopting is 14 years old.  So even though the way we thought we would have kids never turned out to be it still did but God's way.  Nothing finer!!!

So now we await for a date and put our trust in God that he will provide our financial needs for the adoption costs in this ultimately short amount of time.   It is really frightening to think how much to raise in the short amount of time but yet I am at peace.  I have seen God do so many miracles my faith is strong and he will provide as he has already has done along the way putting together the adoption for Sergiy.  So this is where we once again pray and put our trust in the Lord and see him rise to the occasion (which is so awesome by the way) like he did with Kolya, New Horizons for Children and also the Orphan Ministry with the Way of Gods Grace.  We got $22,000.00 to raise in 4 to 6 weeks.  So I am excited to see the Lord take us through this journey where we have to 100 percent trust in him start to finish.  HEHA!!!!

P.S. And yes in case you are wondering his mullet is gone!  He came to us mullet-less.  But he is loving his new dew and the hair gel to get his hair all spikey.  He came downstairs the morning we flew out with gel in his eyebrows and couldn't see because he got so excited about it!  LOL! 

We are doing a puzzle fundraiser for Sergiy like we did Kolya were we will offer up puzzle pieces asking for a donation of $10.00 a piece.  Kolya loved it!  What we will do is write your name on each puzzle piece on the back and when we go to Ukraine for Sergiy we will bring it back to him and put it together and let him see all the families that help bring him home to the US of A!  We have 252 puzzle pieces to offer up as a fundraiser to help bring our boy home.  The photo is of our family right here below this paragraph that you will be helping put together.   If you would be willing to help donate please send any donation to Nicole Dewberry at 5748 Olde South Rd., Raleigh, NC 27606 and in the Memo please write: FOR SERGIY! 

The Dewberrys!

Mum and her boys!

Ma and Sergiy! He calls me Ma.....like an Italiano!  Love it!

My Boys!

Mom and Dad

Pop and the boys!

Pop and Sergiy

The Dewberrys!

Our GQ family photo.....

This photo says it all to me about him.  Shy, always thinking, adorable and so stinking smart.

Sergiy flipping!

Our handsome feller Kolya

The Boys!

Sergoiy trying to hide from the camera.

Sergiy, Pop & Kolya at the airport before Sergiy headed back to Ukraine.

Ma hanging on to her boys for a hug before he heads back.  Gotta get all the hugs I can ya know!

 My giggling boy which is so awesome to see!

 Ma and her boys!

 The future brothers and cousins!
  Sergiy, Kolya and Andriy!

 Sergiy and Pop busing up!

The knucklehead family!

The future Collins Family with Andriy & The Future Dewberry Family With Sergiy!

 Ma and her boys in the truck on the way to the airport.  Funny thing is I finally smile without a funny face ( I do look a little like I am gagging though) and then both my boys do one!  NOT FAIR!

One last shot with my boy!

This is Andriy who my sis is adopting!  Gotta love this crazy kiddo! He fits in the family perfectly!