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!!!

3 Bags; 3 Winners!

Thank you to everyone who gave and shared our Bags for our Boy campaign!
We are so thankful for you helping us bring Kohlby home!!!
Without further ado, here are the winners~

#1 ~ Kathy Roberts
        She chose 

#2 ~ Tara Harp
         She chose

#3 ~ Denise Poarch
        She chose

Thank you and congratulations!!!

Your bags will be shipped Monday!

TO HIM BE GLORY!!!

The Winner Is...

...my sweet friend, Elisabeth Schaap!

Elisabeth is known by many in the adoption community, and it is my privilege to call her friend!
Not only is she an adoptive mama, but she is brokenhearted for those left behind, and she gives immeasurably to families paperchasing for their children.
You can catch a glimpse of her heart on her blog HERE!

I want to thank each person who gave and shared.  Without your help, we wouldn't be able to move to the next step.
A special thank you to those who are praying us through our journey to Kohlby.  It is so encouraging to know we are being lifted to the throne of grace.  It is such a journey of faith, but we will not grow weary, for we know that He is always faithful, even when we are not, He finishes what He begins, His plans cannot be thwarted, and His promises cannot be broken!

We just learned that our paperwork is at the USCIS.  Now we await fingerprint appointments and then 800A approval.  And while we wait, we are preparing our dossier and applying for adoption assistance grants.

May the Lord be glorified in every part of this adoption journey!

Will YOU Win It Tomorrow?

We draw tomorrow, July 1!

Are you in?

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!

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!

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

The Winner Is...

Jodie Lund, you won the $500 gift card!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to every single person who shared and gave to our fundraiser to bring Khloie home.  We are completely dependent upon the Lord for this journey, and we give Him all the glory and praise.
This fundraiser brought in $257 above the cost of the card, and that will go toward our travel fees.

As promised, those who contributed $50 or more may select a pair of squeaky shoes from this post.
Jennifer FR
Laura M
Linda W
Sasha P
Elisabeth S
Maureen W
Ellen K
Mandi Y
Please email or leave a comment to let me know which pair.

Have a blessed weekend!!!!

$500 Wal-Mart Gift Card!

From today till December 1 we will have a giveaway opportunity for a $500 Wal-Mart gift card!

You could use it for your own shopping, or maybe you'd give it to a family in need, as two of our winners have done!

It's a win/win!

For just $10 you can enter to win, and you can help us bring Khloie home.  Win/win!!!

Our next set of agency fees will be due when we receive LOA, so that is what we are raising funds for.
God is faithful!!!

Here's how it goes:
You may use the Chip-In on the sidebar titled Khloie Coming Home, or email me for other options!
Runs from November 8 to December 1
A $10 donation gets you 1 shot
A $20 donation gets you 3 shots, etc.
A share on FB or your blog gets you an additional shot.
And I almost forgot, to sweeten the deal, anyone who donates $50 or more gets an adorable pair of squeaky shoes from our new selection!
If you share, please leave a comment or email me.

Thank you for helping us bring our girl home.
To God be the glory!!!

And the Pendant Goes to...

Casey and Carra! (please send me your contact information)

Thank you to everyone who shared! Stacy's fundraiser is still going on.

Have a blessed busy weekend!

kindle fire giveaway!

I love my kindle fire!
Here are some of the features:
·
Over 20 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, and books
·
Thousands of popular apps and games, including Netflix, HBO GO,
Hulu Plus, Pandora, and more
·
Amazon Silk - ultra-fast web browsing over built-in Wi-Fi
·
Free cloud storage for all your Amazon content
·
Vibrant color touchscreen with extra-wide viewing angle
·
Fast, powerful dual-core processor
·
Favorite children's books, graphic novels, and magazines in rich
color
·
Amazon Prime Members enjoy unlimited, instant streaming on
thousands of popular movies and TV shows.

This little gem is a great gift, for you or someone else. So let's kick off another fundraiser for it!
This will run till August 31, and the proceeds will also be dedicated to our 2nd agency fee and immigration paperwork.
You may use the kindle fire chip-in or email me for other options.
Here's the scoop:
~ Each $20 contribution gets 1 shot
~ Each $40 contribution gets 3 shots
~ Each blog or FB post gets an additional shot
Here we go...

Spread the word; get a necklace?!?

We are one step closer to Kimmie!
We've finished our home study visits and are now waiting for the report.
That means we have more fees due.
God is faithful to provide, and one of the ways He is providing is through Stacy's Faith/Hope fundraiser for Kimmie.
Stacy handcrafts these beautiful pendants, and our family receives $15 for each one purchased!

Since you have been so generous to us, I would love to give back by giving one of these away!

All you have to do is share!
Grab the photo of the pendant, write up a little piece, linking to my blog or directly to Stacy's page, leave me a comment or email, letting me know what you did, and on August 31 I will draw the winner of this beautiful pendant! Easy peasy!

The squeaky shoe and the Wild Olive Tee fundraisers are still going on as well. Thank you for blessing our family's journey to Kimmie!

The Pendant Winner is...

Rebecca Speight!

Congratulations, Rebecca!

Please leave a comment or email me so I can confirm your contact info with Gayly!

THANK YOU again to all of you and to Gayly for holding this fundraiser! The jewelry is beautiful!

Beautiful Pendants..for a Purpose

We are so humbled by our sweet friend, Gayly, and her generosity! She is making these beautiful pendants and donating the profits to help fund our trip to BG Center (the guys leave early Sunday the 13th and return late Wednesday the 16th).

She's set up a website with all the details, order and payment information here.

This beautiful brass pendant with freshwater pearl charm will be given away after the fundraiser which ends November 17.

There are several ways you can enter to win this beautiful pendant:

For every necklace you buy, you get 5 chances

For posting on your blog, you get 1 chance

For posting on Facebook you get 1 chance

For being a follower on my blog you get 1 chance

Here are samples of some of the pendants available.


It's no coincidence that these pendants say HOPE! The Lord has given Dr. Gindis the skills and experience to equip families, and we are praying for HOPE to be restored to our Teen Treasure.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for joining us in this journey of HOPE. And, Gayly, we thank you for your sweet and generous heart!

The pendants are available from today to November 17th, and the website is here.

Please leave a comment or email me if you've shared this on your blog or Facebook.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Heb 10:23

Sneak Peek ~ Christmas Shopping for a Cause!

A sweet friend is putting together a short-term fundraiser for us.

She makes beautiful pendants like this one~

And to sweeten the deal, you can have a chance to win this very pendant!

I'll post the details soon...but in the meantime one of the simplest things you can do to get a chance to win this pendant is to be a follower on my blog.

Then get your Christmas shopping list ready :)

iPad Winner!

is JOHN WESTROPE!!!
John, congratulations!!! Please contact me so I can get your iPad to you before we leave!

I want to thank each of you. You have been such incredible support and encouragement. We've never taken for granted that our drawings would be successful, but each of them has been, because of you! Thank you for loving our girls and helping us bring them home. We appreciate your emails, comments and text messages.

Thank You, Lord, for placing such dear people in our lives!

Drawing Tonight, Ya'll!

Around 8 pm CST we will draw for this bad boy! If you haven't seen the original post with the scoop, it's here. We are so humbled and grateful! Have a beautiful Saturday!!!

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, May 14, is the day we draw for the iPad! There's still time to get in!!!

You can see the original post here.

Another Matching Grant!!!

Not only did we get TA yesterday...

...but we got another matching grant!

The same family who offered the $5,000 matching grant added $1,000 to it!!!

Seriously!

We think we will travel in less than 2 weeks, and we still need $7,900. To us that seems impossible. But we are trusting the Lord who has provided $40,000 in the last 9 months...so what's $7,900 in 2 weeks?!?

Our family wants to THANK YOU for your incredible response to each of our fundraisers. The Lord has blessed us beyond our imagination, and He's used YOU! We couldn't do this without you.

So...for every person who contributes to our matching grant we are offering the opportunity for this iPad (First Generation) 16g.

Each $25 contribution = 1 opportunity.

Each $50 contribution = 3 opportunities.

Each FB or blog post = 1 opportunity. Please leave a comment or email me if you do this.

You can use the ChipIn in the upper right-hand corner or you can mail your contribution to our church using the address above.

But you have to hurry because this only runs till May 14!!!!

GOD IS GOOD!!!

And The Winner...

...after a scientific drawing...

...is DIANE DOWNING!
Congratulations, Diane! You win the Xoom! Please contact me!

THANK YOU ALL!

We are so grateful for your generosity and investment in our girls!

May the Lord return the blessing to you!!!!