And This One Matters......: We Got Our Date Time And Preparing For Blast off!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

We Got Our Date Time And Preparing For Blast off!

Here the Dewberrys go preparing for blast off for the boys, Murray and Anthony. 1 month from their dossier submittale they got a date to fly. So awesome! Nicole will head out April 14th traveling light and planning and praying to come back heavy because she will be bringing back these two boys in tow!

The Dewberrys are just in prayer for all of Ukraine without ceasing as this is their second home and where they do their mission work. Hard for them to see all that is going on but they are so darn proud of the Ukrainians standing up to gain their freedom, rights and their God back. Oh how awesome it has been for them to witness how courageous the Ukrainians have been and the Dewberrys pray they succeed in their battle for their home the freedoms and rights.

The Dewberrys table is getting full preparing for take off. Nicole is hoping to be able to do as she normally does on mission trips and pack light caring all her loot on her back because she will be ping ponging all over. The boys are in different regions although close. So much travel on this trip will be involved and tests needed with them both having HIV. Nicole will be working on her sleeping ability on trains. She has never learned this ability. Maybe she will this round. She does not know all to come but God does and that is what is most important. She is heading back with eyes wide open to what God needs her to see and do.

With the boys being in separate boarding schools, courts, SDA's (DAP) there is more cost involved so they are close but not funded for Nicole to get back there and complete the adoption. There is still a needed amount of $8,700 to be completely funded. Can you help the Dewberrys pray these funds in. This is there last dossier, there last adoption trip in Ukraine and they are laying this all down at Gods feet to see them through. As most know the young man they prepared their dossier for, Brodie decided to stay in Ukraine for reasons beyond what Nicole & Joe could provide him that he has wanted. With this Joe and Nicole had to make a decision to pull the plug on the adoption or bring a child(ren) home with their already submitted dossier and over half way funded for one. So they decided to put away the losses of their heart and do this one more time to bring home children with special needs that no war or no war will have an extremely difficult life with an uncertainty of its ending, these two HIV positive boys. With their two children at home already having HIV this was a no brainer for them. With all the unrest and ready to be home with their family they know they have this one last time to head back there other then mission trips.

So folk the Dewberrys as for your prayers for Ukraine, the many adoptions in route now and soon to come with the unrest in Ukraine, for the saftey of ALL the families in travel to and from Ukraine and the safety and success of the adoptions of the children coming home.

Thank you!
Joe, Nicole, Kolya, Tania and Stopha

Here are some current fundraisers the Dewberrys have going on to bring the boys home!

"MAKE ME AN OFFER AUCTION"

Items Are From Ukraine And Abroad. Come Peak At The Items & Make Nicole An Offer She Cannot Refuse! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.651088048282060.1073741829.650279741696224&type=3

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Please come join us this month on March 27th at 6:30pm to kick off the 1st Bunco event in! There will be local sponsors at the event along with prizes and appetizers! Fun night for everyone!

The March Bunco event all funds raised will go to help with adoption expenses to bring home 3 children from Ukraine.

The LaRoque family is adopting and aging out teen named Erik whom spent time with them this winter through a hosting program.

The Dewberrys whom are traveling to Ukraine April 14th to adopt two children with HIV named Murray and Anthony. To read their story please go to:
http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=dewberry

Please come join in on the fun and fellowship to help bring these boys home! Space is limited! There is a $15 entrance fee and 100% of that goes towards the boys adoption. You can pay online or directly with the sponsor who invited you! Here is the link where you can register to attend! http://www.bunco4acause.com/

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The Dewberrys dear friend Katie Saak Steinke
is holding a 31 Party to help bring home the boys!
Please come shop away and take a peak at the items!
https://www.facebook.com/events/217814741747663/?notif_t=plan_user_joined

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POWERFUL ENCOURAING
BRACELETS! WE HAVE A FEW TO SELECT FROM. FOR A $25.00 DONATION YOU CAN PICK THE BRACELET OF YOUR CHOICE. AWESOME REMINDERS FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS TO LOOK DOWN AND BE REMINDED! TO VIEW THEM ALL PLEASE GO TO:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.673500552707476.1073741833.650279741696224&type=3

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"Hand Made", "Made With Love" Necklaces To Help Bring The Boys Home! Please Come Take A Peak At The Necklaces We Are Making To Help Raise The Needed Funds To Bring Home The Boys!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.673490229375175.1073741832.650279741696224&type=3

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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.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

We Got Our Date Time And Preparing For Blast off!

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