And This One Matters......

Sunday, June 3, 2012

BABY GIFT BASKETS FOR SALE TO HELP BRING TAYLOR HOME!

BABY GIFT BASKET TO HELP BRING TAYLOR HOME!

Proceeds from the sales of any of the baby gift baskets go to my friends, Joe & Nicole Dewberry's adoption of Taylor for the next two weeks before they travel to get their precious daughter. Our Coke basket is particularly popular, along with our baby gifts: http://www.doodlebuckets.com/have-a-coke-and-a-smile-snack-gift-basket-ultimate-size-1448 Please share to help us get the word out :)

IF YOU CLICK ON THE BABY GIFT BASKET BELOW IT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE WEBSITE TO VIEW ALL THE BASKETS!

www.doodlebuckets.com

GIVEAWAY FOR TAYLOR!

This is a giveaway to benefit Taylor, a 7 year old orphan from Eastern Europe that is HIV+.

Taylor's new family will be traveling to adopt her on June 16. They have 2 weeks to raise the remainder of the funds needed to adopt her. Right now they still need to raise about $24,500 to be able to adopt her. You can read more about their story here.
Over the years Taylor has asked other families, that have arrived at her orphanage to adopt children, when someone will be coming to adopt her. She is currently at a baby orphanage but because of her age, she is in danger of being transferred. If she is not adopted soon she will be transferred to an institution. She really is running out of time and needs to be adopted ASAP. The Dewberry's are very willing but need your help to do it.
So I have gathered some donations from some very generous people.
Take a look at the prizes.
Adorable Girls Skirts. We have two to give away. You get to pick the size up to 4T. One will be the blue/green combo and the other will be the giraffe/stripes combo. Please state your preference and size you would want.

Antique Book #1: "When a Man's a Man," Vintage novel by Harold Bell Wright. First edition! 1916. (from Allison's Attic of Rare Books)

Antique Book #2: "My Story that I Like Best," Vintage short-story collection. First edition, 1924. (from Allison's Attic of Rare Books)

Gorgeous Throw Blanket with 2 Matching Pillows From Sew Elegant (Retails for $85)

Beautiful Lined Baby Sling (Retails for $75)

Close up of sling fabric

8x10 Print from Andie Eggimann. We have 8 of these to giveaway. See some sample prints below or visit Andie's shop and let us know which one you prefer. You can visit her Etsy shop here. (These retail for $18)

Faithfulness

Mountains

Refuge

Satisfy

Fatherless

Self Control

Dwelling Place

Gently

Goodness

Brokenhearted

Knitted Aqua Beanie Cap for Baby

Knitted Red Sweater for Baby

Small Red Felt Tote

Little Girls Purple Felt Backpack

Purple Knitted Beanie Cap for Baby

Rainbow Knitted Sweater for Baby

Knitted Yellow and Purple Sweater and Matching Beanie Cap for Baby

Knitted Pink Stripe Beanie Cap for Baby

White Knitted Beanie Cap for Baby

Light Blue Knitted Bonnet for Baby

Blueberry Knitted Beanie Cap for Baby

Tomato Knitted Beanie Cap for Baby (2 available)

Strawberry Knitted Beanie Cap for Baby

Pumpkin Knitted Beanie Cap for Baby (2 available)

Pink Knitted Breast Cancer Awareness Scarf

White Breast Cancer Awareness Knitted Wash Cloth

Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Knitted Wash Cloth (7 available)

Pastel Stripe Knitted Wash Cloth

Pink ABC Knitted Wash Cloth

Have a Coke and a Smile Snack Gift Basket - Ultimate size. Retails at $127.99. You can see more details about this basket from Doodlebuckets here.

So how can you win one of these awesome prizes and help Taylor come home?

VISIT FOR DETAILS!:

http://onelittlestarfish.blogspot.com/2012/06/giveaway-for-taylor.html

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Can You Help Match This Grant To Bring Taylor Home? MATCH GRANT MET!!!!

MATCH GRANT MET BY $2140
IN 1-DAY! HEHA!!!! AS OF TODAY 6/3/12!!!

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PRAYERS!

$22,000.00 LEFT TO GO TO BRING OUR GIRL HOME!

A generous donor has offered a $2,000 matching grant! That means that every dollar donated from now on until right before the Dewberrys leave on June 16th will be matched up to $2,000! You're $25 will become $50! Will you please help us knock a $4,000 chunk out of our $26,000+ need? Even your small donation could make a big difference! We are running out of time, and any help with donating or sharing this news would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

Please visit to donate (tax-deductible): http://www.tenfororphans.org/ or you can donate on the Project Hopeful hand on the top right of this blog or Reece's Rainbow link with a photo of Taylor.

THANK YOU!

ALSO STEPHANIE COOPER HAS OFFERED TO DONATE ONE OF THESE THREE THINGS TO ANYONE WHO DONATES OVER $10.00 TOWARDS TAYLORS ADOPTION!

From Stephanie Cooper: We have a big mountain to move in the next few weeks, but this family has a BIGGER mountain and I just feel so burdened for them. They are relying completely on God, and I would LOVE to see them fully funded, by a miracle of God in the next TWO WEEKS. They have $26,000 to go! Please join together in prayer for this family, and for sweet Taylor, that the church would carry their burden and bring this little girl home before she would have to be sent to an institution. For everyone who donates $10 or more to Taylor's fund (donations are all tax-deductible) I will mail you a heart of God necklace, Webkinz, or natural glycerin soap until I run out. (I have 50 necklaces, 25 webkinz, and 15 soaps). Please send me your address via a PM message on FB after you donate and let me know which you would like....please share this on FB, and please please pray! If you would like to donate over $10.00 and receive one of these items from Stephanie she has mentioned she will give away please email her through FB or email me and I can forward you her email address. Thank you! www.andthisonematters.blogspot.com

I have 50 necklaces, 25 webkinz, and 15 soaps. if you donate $10.00 or more towards Taylors adoption and send me an email at rockgirlsteph@yahoo.com I can get you one of these three things I have available!

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Faith Of A Mustard Seed........

June 16th our family heads to EE to adopt Taylor!

In this time trust and obey circle through my mind over and over as everything has been kicked up a couple knotches. God is watching to see will we trust and obey and have the faith of a mustard seed. As in our previous posts we thought our expenses needed were going to be $26,000.00. Then we saw an increase in some expenses so it was bumped to $28,000.00. Then once more our need was increased to $32,854.00. WHY? With un-forseen things out of our control we are traveling in the heart of the summer for travelers to EE and when the 2012 Euro-Cup event is taking place so the airline tickets have doubled in price. What you would pay for a roundtrip is now a one-way. With Joe's work he has to travel twice so we have to pay the heavty air fares for him twice. So basically we have more travel with planes, trains and automobiles. Sorry I could not resist I had to say that. We are praying and not taking into consideration in the amount we need above the fact that we may get stuck in paying the large rates up to $800.00 for our apartment as we have been told may happen with the Euro event in certain parts we travel. That is a whole nother story and praying the Lord will help us avoid this somehow, someway.

We Have 2 Weeks To Raise The Funds To Bring Her Home!

THE FANTASTIC NEWS:

With us now needing to raise $32,854.00 the amazing part is we have raised $5966.98 towards this amount to go adopt Taylor! So we have $26,887.02 to go! Joe, Kolya and I cannot thank you all enough for everyone's prayers, support and donations for us to bring her home. COULD NOT DO THIS WITHOUT YOU!

If you would like to make a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation towards the adoption of Taylor please visit:

http://www.tenfororphans.org/?gallery=current-sponsored-orphan-taylor

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Let The Countdown Begin! UPDATE


Precious Taylor! PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR UPDATES!!!! WE HAVE A DATE! WE ARE FLYING FOLKS!!!

As of Friday (5/18) at 5:45PM our dossier update officially took off to Eastern Europe to meet up at with our already submitted dossier. So by golly it is now an official countdown on when we can travel. Although we sit here still fundraising for her adoption and yet being so close to leaving we still feel God telling us to push on and prepare basically the nest and our hearts to bring her home now and have everything ready to go. Our dining table is full and ready for take off of everything we need. As long as the Lord keeps opening the doors we will keep moving through them. We are thankful they have been opened wide!

We cling to these verses in our time of waiting to bring her home and also trusting in God that he can meet our financial needs. We are still in need of raising $28,000.00 to bring her home. If you would like to donate to her adoption fund for a Tax-Deductible donation please click on Project Hopeful Link, Reece's Rainbow Link or Eli Project on the right side of the main body of this blog. Thank you for all your PRAYERS it is so appreciated and much welcomed!:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9

Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. - 2 Corinthians 4:1

"If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it." - John 14:14

UPDATE 5/23/12:
Our dossier just arrived into Eastern Europe for translation and will be submitted with our already turned in dossier. We are told to expect to travel between June 7th thru June 11th for Taylor. So folks here we go! We have a long way to go in a short amount of time to raise the funds needed to get back to Taylor. But once again I keep hearing the Lord say to me "prepare" and remember John 14:14 "If ya shall ask anything in My name, I will do it". Joe, Kolya and I have been in prayer and are laying everything down at God's feet and surrendering to him, honestly we were too stubborn to do this before and leaned on our own understanding and funding with both Kolya and Sergiy. This time God is telling us.....not this time. We are learning to trust that God will meet this need and we have let go. As a dog trainer for so many years and Joe in the military we have learned to fight and never give up. Do everything you can then let go...so were letting go and letting God we have no choice. We believe this is right where God wants us. A place we have not been before.

Our family would be so grateful for prayer in this time for Taylor and again her health with having HIV that she will remain strong and healed. That she will not be re-located or moved until we can get there to her because of her HIV, she is of age to be moved (technically she should have been already). For our family to continue to grow in our faith together in the Lord and for us to be molded and changed in this process into what the Lord is calling us to be and do. For protection for Taylor is any discouragement she may feel at times not knowing she has a family on her way for her. That the Lord gives Joe and I the wisdom and skill to be the parents she needs medically, emotionally and physically. We feel very blessed God has chosen us for her. Then lastly that the Lord provides the funding needed to bring her home ($28,000.00). The Lord is in the miracle business and he is good at it. We have faith in that!

UPDATE 5/29/12:
We are traveling!

Our Appointment Date is 6/18/12!
We leave 6/16/12 for Easter Europe.

Our remaining financial goal we need to meet is $25,000.00 to bring her home.
To make a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation you can go to the link below to take part in helping there to be one less orphan! Thank you to everyone that is helping by lifting Taylor and us up in prayer and donating to bring her home. A special thanks to Ten For Orphans for sponsoring Taylor!
http://www.tenfororphans.org/

I Got A Bug!

I got a bug....yes indeed I did. Never did I think I would see the day. I GOT THE GIRL BUG! I have ALWAYS been a boy kinda gal. Even in all the years of working with youth if the girls weren't afraid to get dirty or they skateboarding in the skateboard ministry we started rock on but other then that it was it was like handing me a baby and walking away and I would say "Now what, High Five"? Babies and girls are foreign to me. Younger youth and teenagers I get but little ones I am good as lost.

So daily I go into what is soon to be Taylors room and just stare at it. It needed something. I have the black rug and black curtains in there that was what was going to be part of Sergiys's decor. It's one thing if we were bringing home a teenage girl but were bringing home a 7 year old. Pink is the deal with our kiddo. So I headed to Target and got her a pink rug and pink curtains to doll it up a bit and I even found a matching hot pink lamp! I mean how can you go wrong?

Now it looks like a little girl room!!!!

Taylors Room!

So my Kolya turned 15 years old on the 15th! I asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he said mum "I would like to adopt Tanya and go buy clothes for her". So by golly we loaded in the car and back to Target and Kohls and hit up the clearance rack shopping with Grandma for Taylor and the kids in her boarding school. I got heads up the kids love bubbles there so we loaded up on small bottles of bubbles and some outdoor toys for the kids to play with and lots of clothes for little ones. So the table is piling up now with items to take back! Grandma bought her a adorable little garden dress with ladybugs and flowers to wear to court should they not put her in a outfit. Some schools do and some don't. Rather go prepared then not.


Kolya shopping for the little ones at Taylors school!


The dining room table filling up! So I have officially been bitten by the girl bug. Oh No!!!!

Monday, May 14, 2012

A BIG Thank you!

I want to send a BIG thank you to Don Sullivan and all the folks sending along words or encouragement and prayers and also a HUGE thank you from our family to yours to those helping donate so we can bring Taylor home!

Today I received an email with just short and sweet encouraging words from Don Sullivan. He reminded me to hang in there and read verse Galatians 6:9.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9

This is now taped to her photo on our fridge!!!

What Does Nicole Mean By Advocating For Orphans?

So glad you asked! In Ukraine many hosting programs are shutting down. The reason being is boarding schools (orphanages) are being condensed the more the foster care system grows in Ukraine. This leaves the school Directors in fear of losing their jobs if they do not hold a specific number of children in their boarding school. Then the threat of shut down looms over their heads. The second reason is with hosting programs that means many children will find their forever families which means again the number of children falls under what is required for the school to remain open. It is a double edge sword. You have many Directors that want their children adopted but then they know if they loose their job they cannot support their family. It is not easy in Eastern Europe to find a job in a couple days. Especially with the current climate Ukraine is in with war at hand.

5 years ago Nicole started to notice the decline in hosting programs being allowed to continue to bring children over to America. With the adoption of their children, especially their 2 littles ones Nicole & Joe knew they did not have the allotted time needed to dedicate to volunteer with NHFC and not be able to give it their all like they had done in the past. They did not want to fail the NHFC team. So they resigned and Nicole went freelancing in Ukraine. On Gods timing, when she was able, wherever God lead and with the team God put together. On these trips Nicole, her son Kolya and/or the team would teach children English, teach them about Jesus, love on them and then fight for them. Meaning if a child or boarding school staff came to Nicole and said this child wanted a family Nicole would interview them and spend as much time with them as possible to get to know them personally. Nicole would do this in an effort to learn as much as possible to help advocate for the child in hopes their forever family would come forward. Nicole would learn the good and bad in an effort to be upfront and honest with a potential adoptive family.

Nicole is not an adoption agency, a hosting agency, nor a professional and she does not work for anyone accept God. She is a gal after God's heart and children, a stay at home Mama that has worked with teens for 20 years and this is her heart and passion.

Why Ukraine Nicole?

In Eastern Europe it is very different then America. In America if a child is in the foster care system they can remain with their family for care until they are 18 years old. In America there is opportunity for just about everyone even if it is working at McDonalds. You are not labeled as an "Orphan". In Eastern Europe an orphaned children is basically wearing a stamp his/her their forehead that says "Orphan". It is like a permanent tattoo that is with them for life and never washes off not only in their mind but to others. They are not wanted or welcomed in many cases. On a trip to Ukraine a sign was spotted that stated "No orphans allowed" that was posted up on the door of a store. At the age of 16 these children age out of their boarding schools and have a choice of trade school or the streets. Most of them have no family to turn to. So just imagine a 16 year old child left to their own with NO accountability. With the economic crises and war in Eastern Europe the children that have extended family like Grandpa, Grandma, a sister or a brother cannot afford to take in the child so they only visit. If the child should choose to go to trade school it generally consists of coal mining, hair dressing, etc. Even with that in school the kids again are accountable to themselves and if they do not hold up their grades they are on the streets. If they graduate they still are stamped "Orphaned". So should they apply for a job with many other folks they will be the ones tossed because of this label. So their chances of graduating trade school and then getting a job are slim to known unless they are one determined child. The trade school housing for the kids is old hospitals that are now used as dorms. If a child is not back to their dorm by 10PM they are locked out for the night and they will call the streets then bedroom. Many children have been noted to say that they are scared to be in the trade school dorms because of the violence, rap, prostitution, drugs and alcohol. One child was noted to say that he would find kids shooting up drugs in the hallway and passed out. He bought a gun illegally in order to be able to protect himself of the unknown there. Then you have the rebels that take the world on by themselves that either at this point in their life want to live independently and not report to anyone or just cannot handle the trade school life and want nothing to do with it. So they take the streets to make it. They generally fall into becoming thieves, go into prostitution or commit suicide in order to survive. No matter how you flip this coin the statistics are grim from these children. They are all survivors doing just that.......surviving.

There is such a significant need all over the world even in America. Joe and I were foster parents and have served with youth in the US for our entire marriage and Nicole prior to marriage. God steered Joe and Nicole on a different path when they were introduced to NHFC and adopted their first son, Kolya from Ukraine. God has continued to call them to Ukraine in an effort to reach the voiceless and give them a voice, hope and love. God calls each of us to a specific place, time and season to do His work as Christians. God has shifted their call to Ukraine.....for the time being. Again they go where God leads where ever it may be.

Meet The Dewberrys

The Dewberrys came together as a family after hosting their now 18 year old now son, Kolya from Ukraine during Christmas 2010 through an International hosting program called New Horizons For Children, Inc.

In the midst of hosting Kolya, Joe and Nicole felt the Lord was going to lead them through more then just hosting in Ukraine. Nicole and Joe was were blessed to work with NHFC as a volunteer Regional Directors in North Carolina for the orphan hosting program. Nicole realized that in time there seemed to be a decline to host children from Ukraine with all the politics that was abounding in Ukraine. So she felt a lead to break away from hosting and go where God leads to travel to Ukraine and be wide open to God to lead her to orphanages to met children that could no longer be hosted and advocate to find them forever families that were aging out. For the last 6 years Nicole has been traveling to Ukraine several times a year to teach English in orphanages, teach the children about Jesus, show them the love of Christ and advocate for true orphans that want a forever family. Nicole brings aid to the Ukraine military, visiting the military in the hospitals as well as meeting active duty and on the field military and serving with mission teams the local folks that remain in regions that are devastated by war with her oldest son Misha. The Dewberrrys children have returned with Nicole to Ukraine on many occasions to serve the people of their country.

Kids are Joe and Nicole's love and passion. Nicole has worked with teens for 22 years. Joe and Nicole together have done mission work with youth and have specifically worked with at-risk youth and in church youth ministry for 17 years. The Dewberrys arms are wide open to show the love they have for the lost and forgotten youth.

The Lord lead them back to Ukraine in 2012 to adopt Tania, 10 years old & Stopha who is 8 years old and are HIV+. In 2014 the Lord lead the Dewberrys back to Ukraine to adopt Bogdan 12 years old who is HIV+ and Angelica 19 years old and Kristjan 16 years old. Then in 2015 the Dewberry's returned for Vova 16 years old and Viktor 12 years old. None of the Dewberrys children would not be home without the prayers and the hands of feet of Christ of folks coming alongside their family to see their children home and also all the mission trips Nicole has been on.

Nicole and her children continue to return to Ukraine to do mission work advocating for orphans that want forever families, teaching them about Jesus, teaching them English as well as doing doing mission work with the military and regions of devastation by serving those left behind.

With the greater increase in adoptions which is amazing there is also a greater need for support for adopted children and their families. Nicole is now working with Hope Connection International holding classes and support groups to teach pre-adoption classes, connect families that have adopted within the US and abroad and work with families in crises to help prevent disruption.

Our family prayer is to go where God leads.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27

About This Blog

This blog is dedicated to our heart and soul, the orphans that cannot speak out of Eastern Europe. This blog is about our journey of the adoption of our children, the mission work we do in Eastern Europe, advocating for orphans and wherever God leads our family.

This blog is also about the trials and tribulations we have faced with hosting, adopting, missions work already and yet to come. The grace, mercies and restorations of our hearts and minds. The incredible friendships God has provided along the way. About our missions trips to Ukraine working with orphans. The blessings of when Nicole volunteered with New Horizons For Children as Regional Director. All our crazy stories & adventures we have had along the way here in America and in Ukraine. And oh how we have adventures and stories! This blog is a dedication to our Lord and Savior encompassing the one thing he treasures more then anything, His children.....the orphans.