So Much News!

 I apologize for the delay in drawing and posting the winner of our giveaway!  Here's the thing ~ It takes Lifesong several days to post contributions, and we didn't want to miss anyone who contributed through the last day!

Once we knew we had all donors identified, we drew, and the winner was...

BRANDY PANCOAST!

So I contacted Brandy, and she surprised us by sharing her desire for us to keep the items and use them for additional fundraising!  Seriously?!?

And so here's what we did:

We already had a fundraiser dinner and silent auction planned for April 17, so we included the package in the silent auction!

We are so thankful for everyone who has contributed to our Lifesong matching grant!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

About the dinner.  We prepared food for four days.  We had decided we wanted to serve only the best.

We prepared enough food for 250 to 300 people.  Our menu was beef barbacoa tacos, Mexican rice, lime cilantro rice, refried beans, garlic lime cilantro slaw, all the fixin's and sheet cake.  The silent bake auction included coconut cream and pecan pies, brownies, chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls.

*A very special thank you to Kooper and Kayden for helping me in the kitchen!  To Francis for the tortillas, beans, rice and salsa!  To Ginna for organizing the silent auction, serving and baking chocolate chip cookies!  To Becky for running the kitchen and baking brownies!  To Abby and April for making salsa!  To Tina and Ladena for serving!  To Megan for printing fliers!  Amanda for helping clean up.  And to EVERYONE who helped, came to eat, prayed for us, or had any part in this mega event!*

Silent Auction

We had praised the Lord all week for whatever He would do with this dinner.  Once again, we were blown away!  Completely stunned!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  And to Him be all glory!!!

The grand total was $12,764!!!

Here's the best part.  Because we needed $2600 to fill our $5000 matching grant with Lifesong, that much was sent to them, turning it into $10,000!!!  That means that this dinner actually brought in $20,000 toward bringing our little Treasure home!  We are only $6-7,000 from being fully funded!

Speechless!  Thankful!  Totally in awe!

And now we are waiting on Travel Approval, which could come any day.

Little man, you are dearly loved!

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

I just love this color combo!  And I love 1 John 4:18!

I've decided to run this tee concurrently with the other one until December 16!  That's only one week to claim your shirt.  If it's a hit, I can always relaunch it, but in case you want it near Christmastime, I'm promoting it as a short run.

This tee comes in...

unisex

 women's fitted

 hoodie

 youth

 long sleeve

Place your order HERE.

You can still order this tee as well...

unisex

 women's fitted

You can order them Here.

December 16 is right around the corner!

And since you're still with me, why not some new pictures of our treasure...

TO GOD BE ALL GLORY!

More "Be the Change" tees!

"Be the change you hope to see in the world"

This really is our theme to bring Baby K home, so we've decided to add 2 new colors and more styles!

How about red and purple?!?

These two tees will run until November 1st.
Each color comes in unisex, women's fitted, long sleeve, hoodie and youth sizes.

*Women's fitted runs a size small*

Unisex - $18
Women's - $20
Long Sleeve - $23
Hoodie - $38
Youth - $18

To HIM be all glory!

Be the Change Purple

Be the Change Red

News and More News!

*UPDATE ~ we have a winner!

Again, thank you to everyone who entered and shared this giveaway!  It wouldn't be a success without YOU!  YOU gave 463.50, and paid $250 for the gift card, so we are now $213.50 closer to bringing Kohlby home!!!

Congratulations, Jo Moseley, on winning the gift card!  We are so thankful for you.  It should be in your inbox about NOW!!!

To Him be glory!!!

Before it comes to an end at 6 pm CT tonight, I want to thank everyone who has participated in our $250 Amazon gift card drawing!  There's still time until 6 pm tonight to enter using the PitchInBox in the upper right-hand sidebar of this blog.

*just click on "PitchIn!" in the lower left-hand corner of the widget to enter*

$10 for 1 shot; $20 for 3 shots.

The card will be issued in digital format TONIGHT!

Then our online auction ends at 7 pm CT!

If you haven't had a chance to check it out, you may do so at 

Bringing Kohlby Home

Elisabeth has done a fabulous job of adding items daily, and I am so thankful for her hosting this event for us!  Also, a big thank you to everyone who has graciously donated items, bid and shared our auction.

It wouldn't be a success without YOU!

And finally, the reason we are working hard to raise funds ~

We have LOA!!!!

We received the call Friday, and it was overnighted to us but wouldn't arrive until today so we drove 2 hours to the FedEx hub and signed and returned it Saturday!

We are 2.5 to 3 months from holding Kohlby!!!

There's a lot of Christmas celebration, wedding planning, sweet corn prep and basketball between now and then :) 

We praise YOU, Father!!!

Our YouCaring Site

We've set up a YouCaring site!

I finally realized that our PayPal button isn't seen on many devices, so this will give easier access to those who desire to help us bring Kohlby home!

To Him be glory!

Bringing Kohlby Home!

Mums?

It may be in the upper 90s, but fall really is around the corner!

For several years our family has partnered with a nursery to get beautiful mums and offer them to you!

We will have a trailer load by September 15th!

They typically have huge buds but have not bloomed when we get them, saving the beautiful blooming flowers for you!

 (yellow, white, deep red and bronze)

Yellow typically blooms first, and the bronze variety (including orange and rust), are last to bloom.

At this point we can get practically any color you want!  We will have yellow, white, deep red and bronze, and if you'd like another color, just let us know before September 15!
2014 Mums
In two-gallon containers
$15 each
You get a beautiful plant, and you help us bring Kohlby home!

Transformer Fundraiser/Giveaway!

Well, y'all, I have been scratching my head.
Truth is, I detest the need to fund raise.
I LOVE the purpose.
But I hate asking and asking and asking some more.
We are completely dependent upon the Lord as our Provision.
He loves Kohlby even more than we do.
And we are committed to doing everything, through His strength, to get our son home.
We have a couple of large fees due.
My flesh wants to get really anxious.
But then I am reminded that the Lord has never forsaken us.  Never!
Because we must be so transparent about our fundraising, we are also accountable.
We are scrimping and saving every penny we can.
We are still asking the Lord for creative ideas to fund this adoption process.  And we are asking Him for direction as to when we just need to rest in Him and hold off on the fundraising madness.  Whether we are resting or acting, we pray that He is glorified.
Since the Lord is in the process of transforming Kohlby's life, we thought it appropriate to offer up an item with a similar name - the Transformer :)
So, here's the gig...

ASUS Transformer Book T100TA-C1-GR 10.1" Detachable 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop, 64GB

• Preinstalled Full License MS Office Home & Student 2013. Full Version Win 8.1.
• Includes keyboard dock with USB 3.0 port.
• Intel Quad-Core Baytrail-T Z3740 1.33GHz. 2GB RAM.
• Storage Capacity: 64 GB solid-state in tablet.
• 11-Hour battery life. 1.2MP webcam. MicroHDMI. MicroUSB. Bluetooth 4.0. MicroSDXC slot.

Seriously, it's a touch screen tablet with detachable dock!

*I want one*

If you'd like to get a shot at this ~

* $25 gets you 1 shot

* $50 gets you 3 shots

* Each FB or blog repost/share gets you an additional shot

* Runs from 6/18 to 7/1

* Leave a comment or email to let me know you've reposted

May you be blessed and God be glorified!

Congratulations To...

We have a winner, y'all!

First, I want to say THANK YOU to every single person who prayed, shared and gave!

This fundraiser would not be a success without YOU!

We praise GOD for your generosity.  Thank you for sharing our heart for the orphan.  May the Lord bless you beyond measure!

We received two surprise Facebook messages today that bring us a little closer to our home study fees ~ thank, You, Jesus!!!

And now, congratulations to...
JODIE LUND, who donated at 9:05 p.m. on 4/26.
Jodie has been notified, and her camera will be shipped tomorrow!!!

Tune in tomorrow for, you guessed it, pictures of Baby K!!!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Tomorrow is CANON Day!!!

Tomorrow, Sunday, February 17, we will draw for this beauty!!!

Features:

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera and DIGIC 4 Imaging with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

4.7 out of 5 stars in reviews

18.0 MP CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 Image Processor for high image quality and speed

ISO 100 - 6400 for shooting from bright to dim light

Vari-angle 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor (3:2) for shooting at high or low angles and 1,040,000-dot VGA with reflection reduction

Video Snapshot features for enhanced video shooting options

Comes with camera body, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Type II lens, eyecup, wide strap, USB cable, AV cable, battery, and charger

*You may use the Chip-In on the sidebar or email me for other options.

*Each $25 contribution gets 1 shot

*Each $50 contribution gets 3 shots

*Each blog or FB post gets 1 additional shot

   (Please let me know if you've done this)

Tomorrow is CANON Day!!!!

Tomorrow, Sunday, February 17, we will draw for this beauty!!!


Features:
Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera and DIGIC 4 Imaging with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
4.7 out of 5 stars in reviews
18.0 MP CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 Image Processor for high image quality and speed
ISO 100 - 6400 for shooting from bright to dim light
Vari-angle 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor (3:2) for shooting at high or low angles and 1,040,000-dot VGA with reflection reduction
Video Snapshot features for enhanced video shooting options
Comes with camera body, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Type II lens, eyecup, wide strap, USB cable, AV cable, battery, and charger


*You may use the Chip-In on the sidebar or email me for other options.
*Each $25 contribution gets 1 shot
*Each $50 contribution gets 3 shots
*Each blog or FB post gets 1 additional shot
   (Please let me know if you've done this)
Here is the original post.

Oh, One More Thing...

We have an unofficial travel update!  

And an extension to the Wild Olive Tees fundraiser!

First things first ~ Khloie!
Due to Lifeline staff taking a medical missions trip to China the first week of March, it is in the best interest of our travel group to wait till the second week.
Yes, I want to hold Khloie on March 4th!  And yes, I have faith that God will provide all we need, no matter when we travel!
But...since we will probably not know our confirmed consulate appointment until next Tuesday, (which means booking tickets 10 days before flights, which means higher prices)...we are okay with waiting one more week, having our Gotcha Day on March 11th!

In light of this, our Wild Olive Tee fundraiser has been extended 2 more weeks!  If you've been waiting to get your fabulous tee, now is the perfect time!!!  Among the adoption fundraiser tees are women's, children's and even a men's tee to choose from!  Just go HERE, select your tee(s) and when you check out, please use our family code: JOHNSON704.

To Him be the glory!!!!

Two Things...

We are doing one final push of Stacy's Jubilee's Jewels pendants to help bring Khloie home!  Stacy has been so generous to create these beautiful pendants, and one half the proceeds of every single sale goes to our adoption fund!  

For the rest of this week you can order the pendant and help Khloie come home.

Here's what Stacy says about the pendant:

Faith Hope Fundraiser
Price: $30.00 Availability: In Stock Product Code: FUND
My precious friends, the Johnson Family, are headed back to China to bring home another treasure!  $15 from each necklace sale will go directly to their adoption fund.  Stop on by their blog and meet this amazing family and follow their journey to their precious girl. 
This listing includes:
~one 1" silver/nickel heart pendant
~one fresh water pearl charm
~one 18" chain (varies)
Go here to order.

Second, about the auction ~ all vendors have been notified of your shipping addresses.  Those who won the beautiful Ugandan items likely have not received them because Mary is in Uganda right now!  But she has all the information and will ship your items as soon as she returns, I believe this week.  Regarding any auction item, if you have not received yours or heard from the vendor by the end of next week, please email me.  And I need to bump up the total auction proceeds to $2378!!!!

Okay, three things :)  The Canon fundraiser runs through this Sunday so get your shot now!  Thank you to those who have shared, those who have given through Paypal and those who have handed us checks!  We were blown away by the first day!!!

Oh, one more thing...I just heard from Amie at Wild Olive Tees that we sold 72 TEES!!!!!!!  Thank you so much for getting your verse on to help bring Khloie home!

Have a beautiful Tuesday!!!

Canon T3i Rebel for Orphanage Donation Fundraiser!

Look at this beauty!

Features:

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera and DIGIC 4 Imaging with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens

4.7 out of 5 stars in reviews

18.0 MP CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 Image Processor for high image quality and speed

ISO 100 - 6400 for shooting from bright to dim light

Vari-angle 3.0-inch Clear View LCD monitor (3:2) for shooting at high or low angles and 1,040,000-dot VGA with reflection reduction

Video Snapshot features for enhanced video shooting options

Comes with camera body, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Type II lens, eyecup, wide strap, USB cable, AV cable, battery, and charger

How about a shot at it?!?

The reality is that we could be boarding a plane in 18 days!  It's possible we won't know for sure for another week.  One thing we do know for sure is that we still need to fund raise like c.r.a.z.y.  So while we're at it, why not add something sweet to the mix?!?

Clayton shared a brief testimony in church this morning about saying 'yes' to the Lord.  When I first approached him about specifically adding Khloie to our family, he emphatically said 'no.'  Then the Lord spoke.  And being the faithful, god-fearing man he is, my husband said 'yes.'  He said we would take a leap of faith and trust that God would provide all we need to bring Khloie home.  He said yes, knowing full well that we aren't capable of doing this on our own.  He said yes, with a million unanswered questions about her health.  He said yes, knowing full well we exhausted our savings many journeys ago.  He said yes, knowing that this life is not our own!  AMEN!  He said yes, knowing full well this plan would fail unless God Almighty intervened.

And God has done just that!  To our utter amazement, He has provided every dollar as we've needed it, from our pre-adoption medical visits, to our home study and immigration fees, agency fees and more.  And then He blew us away with a speedy LOA and an even speedier TA!  Only He can do that.  Honestly, we had our calendar marked for LOA next month.  But God!  He brought LOA December 21, after waiting only 22 days!  So then we had our calendar marked for TA the end of this month.  But God!  He brought TA on February 8, after waiting only 5 days!

Now it's nearly time to book tickets.  We know for certain that He has not brought us this far only to leave us stranded.  No way!  Our God is faithful.  He is good.  He loves the family.  He loves the orphan.  And we are willing to work our fingers to the bone because we love HIM!  We are humbled that He would invite us to take this adoption journey with Him.  We can't wait to hold Khloie in our arms, and all glory to Him, that will happen very soon!

So, we have several things planned for the next 18 days or so, starting with this Canon T3i Rebel!  This is one of the first camera models we gave away.  It has similar features and ratings to the Nikon D5100 we just gave away.  Here's how you can get a shot:

*Runs from today, February 10 to next Sunday, February 17.

*You may use the Chip-In on the sidebar or email me for other options.

*Each $25 contribution gets 1 shot

*Each $50 contribution gets 3 shots

*Each blog or FB post gets 1 additional shot

   (Please let me know if you've done this)

~I will let you know what date we fly out once our consulate appointment is confirmed.  That will also affect the scheduling or rescheduling of our Both Hands project.~

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1

And the Winner is...

...Amy Patzer!!!
Congratulations on winning an awesome camera!!!
It is on its way to you now!
Thank you to everyone who entered our Nikon fundraiser!!!
With the contributions that were mailed, those using Chip-In and PayPal, after the cost of the camera, we raised:
$2968!!!!

Glory to Him!!!

Auction and Nikon Update!

*update below about chip-in button*

I am so sorry for the delay in getting your auction invoices.  I've wanted to work on them ever since it closed Monday afternoon...but we've had major illness here.  Not to be dramatic, but I feel like I've got thistles in my throat, a base drum in my head, a truck with bad exhaust in my chest and Paul Bunyan beating on my back.

But...the show must go on!

We are posting the Nikon entries as they come in, and we will draw around midnight tonight as soon as it closes!

Also, some of you will begin receiving your auction invoices via email tonight!

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.

*for some reason the chip-in button is being cranky today and doesn't always show up.  So here's an alternate method to enter the Nikon drawing.
log in to PayPal, click "send Money," in the "TO" line use my email: cjohnson@pldi.net; enter the amount you wish to contribute, and in the "Message" section put "Nikon Fundraiser"
Easy peasy :)

Just a Reminder ~ Tomorrow is NIKON Day!

I know, I know, we've barely wrapped up the auction, I haven't even issued the invoices, and here I am reminding you of this beauty!

But we draw for her tomorrow, Wednesday, January 30!

So many of you have entered via the Chip-In link on the sidebar and others have mailed in contributions ~ thank you so very much!

I can't wait to see who the winner is!

$25 = 1 shot
$50 = 3 shots
1 blog or FB post = and additional shot
Leave a comment or email me if you have questions!

*Note to self* I might have bitten off more than I can chew this week month!  Our Both Hands project letters need to go out this week, we need to square away the auction...and we are in the throes of illness here.  Thank you for praying for our family!  We just want to get Khloie home, and it is completely realistic that we would travel in 5 or 6 weeks!

One Week!!!

We will draw for the Nikon one week from today, January 30!

Here's the deal:
$25 gets a shot
$50 gets 3 shots
A post on your blog gets another shot
A post on FB gets yet another shot
You can use the Paypal button on the side bar or email me for other options.
Good luck!!!!

Auction Coming Soon ~ Help!?!

My sweet friend Elisabeth, who has done so very much to help us bring Khloie home, is now helping us put together an online auction!

We will be posting the date soon.

Because we are expecting travel approval within weeks soon!

Our girl will be an orphan no more (thank You, Jesus!)

And now for the hard part.
We only have a few items to offer.

Would you or someone you know have something you'd like to donate to the auction to help our Treasure come home?

It is so hard for me to ask that.

But knowing that it is an investment in the life of our daughter makes it easier.

Khloie (Nicole ~ yes??) needs to come home!

She needs to see a team of doctors.

But most of all she needs the unconditional love of her family.

And someday she will know the love of the Father.
He has loved her from the beginning of time, and one day she will know that!

I love the David Crowder Band song, How He Loves:

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realise just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me
And O how He loves us
Oh, O how He loves us
How He loves us all
We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way

Ohmigoodness, He loves us like that!

And if we can pass on just a portion of His love, how blessed we are.  Lord, I am overwhelmed by Your goodness!

If you would like more information on the auction or have an item to donate, please leave a comment or email me.

To Him be the glory!

One Down...a Million to Go

Things checked off my to-do list, that is.

I sent the visa apps today.

And I've emailed NVC to request a copy of our cable to China but haven't heard back yet.

Cool story.  Yesterday afternoon I got into the Beast to go to work.  Okay, I usually drive the suburban when it's just me because it's so much smaller, but yesterday I drove the Beast. *important to note*  I drove to the mailbox, got out to check the mail, got back in, and as I put it into gear, I noticed something tucked under the windshield wiper.  It was an envelope with several of these:

!!!!!!!

This is amazing on so many levels!  First of all, it was in a tithe envelope so it must've been placed there during or after church on Sunday.  Secondly, it didn't blow off as we drove home in the extreme north wind.  And finally, it was a complete surprise to us!  

So, to our anonymous angel, whoever you are, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for investing in Khloie's life and helping bring her home!  May God bless you abundantly!!!

Next up, more plans for Both Hands and a reminder of some of the cool things on our side bar.

We've sold 67 of the most amazing tees ever!  Our Wild Olive Tee fundraiser is still going on, but we'll have to end it soon so the funds can be sent to Lifeline.  There's still time to order!  Our family receives $10 toward bringing Khloie home for each tee sold!!!  If we sold 100 tees, that would be a smooth thousand!  That's only 33 more tees.

If you'd like to check them out, go to the Wild Olive Tee Adoption Fundraiser page, select your tee(s) and upon checking out, please use our family code: JOHNSON704.  Thanks!!!!

And then there's this baby!  We draw for it in 15 days!  You can check out the details in this post!

Now, back to work for me...

Nikon D5100 Up for Grabs!

***Since Chip-In is being cranky and not showing up on the sidebar, here are alternate instructions for entering the Nikon giveaway***
Log in to Paypal, then press "Send Money" and in the "TO" section use my email address, cjohnson@pldi.net;
Then enter the amount you wish to contribute, and in the Message section, type "Nikon".  Thank you!!!

Wow, following our glorious, unexpected news of LOA, we are even closer to travel than we thought!

We've got some exciting things in the works to raise funds, including three grant applications and two Both Hands projects!

But in the meantime, let's have a camera fundraiser/giveaway!!!!

This is the Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

Details~

*Runs from December 22 - January 31

*Each $25 contribution gets one shot

*Each $50 gets three shots, etc.

*Each FB or blog post gets one additional shot

*You may use the Chip-In on the sidebar or email me for other options.

*Please leave a comment if you've posted.

God is so very good!

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.  

Malachi 3:10