Wednesday, November 23, 2016
WE ARE #2!!!
I know that I JUST posted that we were number 3 on the referral wait list, but to be fair that was old information when I gave it. We had an update call this afternoon and found out that we are number 2! Happy Thanksgiving to us!!
Sunday, November 13, 2016
In honor of Orphan Sunday...we are #3!
That is basically all I've got. We found out that we are number 3 on the wait list about a month ago and I just realized that I never updated the blog with our new number. We've actually got another update next week...wouldn't it be great to find out that we have moved up again?!?! I'm sure that's just wishful thinking. It's amazing how slow this process feels at some points and how fast it feels at others!
We have finally finished all of our paperwork updates...that was fun. More home study visits, reference letters, doctor visits (TB tests and blood draws...yikes!), fingerprints, background checks, notarizations, apostilles...glad that's over! Our dossier update was sent to RMI a few weeks ago so we are covered with most stuff for another year.
C and B are more excited than ever about a new sibling and are continuing to name him/her. Right now C is hoping for a boy...named Wrench Bow. Wrench Bow Bouchillon. We'll just go ahead and add that to the short list.
As always, in honor of Orphan Sunday we ask you to take a few minutes today to prayerfully consider your role in caring for orphans/foster children. If you aren't doing anything, you should be. If you don't think it's your place, it is.
Love,
Ellie
"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
We have finally finished all of our paperwork updates...that was fun. More home study visits, reference letters, doctor visits (TB tests and blood draws...yikes!), fingerprints, background checks, notarizations, apostilles...glad that's over! Our dossier update was sent to RMI a few weeks ago so we are covered with most stuff for another year.
C and B are more excited than ever about a new sibling and are continuing to name him/her. Right now C is hoping for a boy...named Wrench Bow. Wrench Bow Bouchillon. We'll just go ahead and add that to the short list.
As always, in honor of Orphan Sunday we ask you to take a few minutes today to prayerfully consider your role in caring for orphans/foster children. If you aren't doing anything, you should be. If you don't think it's your place, it is.
Love,
Ellie
"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
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Jalem...that's #5 in Marshallese!
Our most recent update was an exciting one...we are #5 on the waitlist now!
We know that things don't necessarily go in numerical order when adopting from the RMI but it is still nice to know that we have moved up. Things have be happening very slowly this year and only a handful of referrals have been made so far. It is comforting to know that things are moving (and hoping that they will speed up!).
The bulk of our paperwork was completed a year ago and is going out of date. According to Marshallese adoption law, everything has to have been completed (or updated) within a year of the adoption being completed. All of that means that we get to dive headfirst back into paperwork. It is crazy to think that a year ago I was relieved that the paperwork was completed but a little sad because it kept me busy...I felt like I was working toward something. Now I am DREADING it. So many tiny details that have to be perfect...just thinking about it makes me tired!!! Or maybe that's just the 3 and 5 year olds I live with...
Speaking of my people, we are having a wonderful time celebrating birthday week for little B! We love birthdays around here and one day of celebration is just not enough! He is a big 3 year old now, although he will argue up and down that he is only 2. I don't blame him. Stay young, sweet thing! ;)
Back to the adoption...we are beyond excited to see forward progress and cannot wait to meet the newest member of our family! We are blessed to have this opportunity to wait on the Lord's timing and are ready to see what He has in store for us during the rest of our wait. I know that my faith and trust in Him have grown immensely throughout this process, and that alone is enough reason to continue the wait with thanksgiving. Please continue to lift us up in prayer-for patience as we wait/dive back into paperwork and for our family as we prepare the boys (and ourselves) for the baby.
Love you all!
Ellie
Saturday, April 9, 2016
No News but a Shirt!
I'll just cut to the chase with this update...we haven't had one since January (at that time we were #8 on the list!) so no new news BUT we do have a super cute, really girly t-shirt if anyone would like to order one!
These shirts are Canvas brand again (because I have a slight addiction to the way too comfy shirts...). Adult shirts are $20 and kids are $15. The kids shirts will be regular t-shirts. Shipping is $4.
We are still saving/raising money so we are ready to go as soon as we get word from the adoption agency. Last weekend we had a rummage sale that went wonderfully!
Thanks so much to everyone who helped and donated their junk! We couldn't have done it without you!
We are hoping for an update soon so hopefully I'll have more information to share then!
On another non-adoption related note, DeeDee is not happy that she hasn't seen Touch a Truck pictures yet, so here you go!
Love,
Ellie
Friday, November 6, 2015
Officially a Waiting Family
We made it! The home study is finished and our dossier is complete. It is sitting in the Marshall Islands right now. How cool is that??? Now, we just wait until we get a phone call with our referral. Seems so simple, right? I guess in reality it is, but for now I get to live with my heart stopping for just a second every time my phone rings and wondering how long it will be until we get The Call.
As far as a time frame goes, we have no idea. It could be a year. It could be less than a year. It could be more than a year.......it could be enough time to drive me crazy waiting! Even though the wait will be longer than we want it to be (which is assured because I'm already tired of it), we are patiently-ish waiting and praying that we are receptive of what God has in store for us during this period. We have learned so much about His character as we have walked this journey and I know that He will continue to teach us more as we slow down and wait. I pray that we continue to seek His will and look to Him in the (relative) silence. With no more paperwork to do, no more meetings to prepare for and nothing requiring my immediate attention, I feel a little lost. I know that things are happening and moving on the country's end, there is just nothing left for me to do. When our social worker cleared our dossier and said the words, "It's out of your hands now," I thought it was the sweetest thing that I had ever heard - I had worked so hard to get to that point, for us to be deemed acceptable parents, to prove that our home was ok and safe for kids, for the government to make sure that we had no criminal records (multiple times by every level of law enforcement), to complete what seemed like the same forms over and over and over...the laundry list goes on and on. Now, the control-freak part of me desperately desires to take over again. I have to constantly remind myself that I'm not in control anyway and to let it go. The desire to control everything runs deep and is too often my first reaction to any situation but I'm working on that!
So, during our wait we will continue to save/raise money, knowing that with The Call comes the need for the largest portion of our expenses. All at once we will have referral fees, acceptance fees, attorney fees and travel. That fact is what motivates me to continue feeding my people more rice and beans than they would like ;), selling everything that doesn't move/serve some purpose in our home (and even some things that do), applying for every grant that I can, and baking all the cookies and cakes that y'all want! We will continue to pray for our family to be as prepared as possible for the new baby and for the family that we will forever be connected to. We will continue to praise our God that has brought us this far and will continue walking with us, even as we become more and more impatient with the wait.
On that note, if anyone would like some homemade iced sugar cookies or a sour cream pound cake, please let me know! The cookies are $12 a dozen and the cakes are $20. They are both delicious and are perfect for holiday gatherings!
We cannot begin to tell everyone how much we appreciate all of your support and prayers. It means the world to us that you love us so much! As we wait, please continue to pray for and with us. Pray for our patience, for us to continue to prepare the boys for the changes ahead, and for our future child and their birth family.
Side note: November is National Adoption Month and this coming Sunday (Nov. 8) is Orphan Sunday. Please take a moment to remember the millions of orphans worldwide and carefully consider your role in caring for them!
Love,
Ellie
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27
As far as a time frame goes, we have no idea. It could be a year. It could be less than a year. It could be more than a year.......it could be enough time to drive me crazy waiting! Even though the wait will be longer than we want it to be (which is assured because I'm already tired of it), we are patiently-ish waiting and praying that we are receptive of what God has in store for us during this period. We have learned so much about His character as we have walked this journey and I know that He will continue to teach us more as we slow down and wait. I pray that we continue to seek His will and look to Him in the (relative) silence. With no more paperwork to do, no more meetings to prepare for and nothing requiring my immediate attention, I feel a little lost. I know that things are happening and moving on the country's end, there is just nothing left for me to do. When our social worker cleared our dossier and said the words, "It's out of your hands now," I thought it was the sweetest thing that I had ever heard - I had worked so hard to get to that point, for us to be deemed acceptable parents, to prove that our home was ok and safe for kids, for the government to make sure that we had no criminal records (multiple times by every level of law enforcement), to complete what seemed like the same forms over and over and over...the laundry list goes on and on. Now, the control-freak part of me desperately desires to take over again. I have to constantly remind myself that I'm not in control anyway and to let it go. The desire to control everything runs deep and is too often my first reaction to any situation but I'm working on that!
So, during our wait we will continue to save/raise money, knowing that with The Call comes the need for the largest portion of our expenses. All at once we will have referral fees, acceptance fees, attorney fees and travel. That fact is what motivates me to continue feeding my people more rice and beans than they would like ;), selling everything that doesn't move/serve some purpose in our home (and even some things that do), applying for every grant that I can, and baking all the cookies and cakes that y'all want! We will continue to pray for our family to be as prepared as possible for the new baby and for the family that we will forever be connected to. We will continue to praise our God that has brought us this far and will continue walking with us, even as we become more and more impatient with the wait.
On that note, if anyone would like some homemade iced sugar cookies or a sour cream pound cake, please let me know! The cookies are $12 a dozen and the cakes are $20. They are both delicious and are perfect for holiday gatherings!
We cannot begin to tell everyone how much we appreciate all of your support and prayers. It means the world to us that you love us so much! As we wait, please continue to pray for and with us. Pray for our patience, for us to continue to prepare the boys for the changes ahead, and for our future child and their birth family.
Side note: November is National Adoption Month and this coming Sunday (Nov. 8) is Orphan Sunday. Please take a moment to remember the millions of orphans worldwide and carefully consider your role in caring for them!
Love,
Ellie
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Summer 2015
Ok, so our lives got flipped-turned upside down...sorry...channeling a little Fresh Prince there...
But seriously, our summer has been INSANE. Very shortly after my last post (wayyyy back in May), the paperwork end of our process got serious. We were accepted into the program for the new agency (you can read back for those details) and began our home study immediately. We were on a bit of a time restraint to get that finished due to all of our travel in July. We wanted everything as complete as possible when I started back to work. That is yet another example of God's hand in the schedule. We were given the opportunity to complete the entire home study and the vast majority of our other paperwork by the week we started back! Perfect!
For those who don't know, the home study involves a series of visits (at least one actually in our home) and way too many questions about our entire lives. If I got into a fight with you in third grade, the social worker probably knows about it. We also had to turn in every type of document you could ever imagine having that testifies that you are a real person and have not committed any terrible crimes, not hiding a secret family, or have a cold. Our social worker was wonderful and did a great job! We recently got our copies of the completed report...it is crazy to read about your own life like that. Kind of like reading a biography of someone else.
So, that is done. We are currently completing our dossier, which is the paperwork that will actually get sent to Majuro, RMI. We have had some issues getting some of that paperwork and, for today at least, that part of the process is stalled. Hopefully we will wake up tomorrow with news that everyone has decided to cooperate and will send us our stuff!
There is also one unique task for us to complete before we can send in our dossier-our profile book. Our adoption is going to be open, which means that we will have continued contact with the baby's birth family. This is very rare for an international adoption and was one reason that we ultimately decided to adopt from RMI. The agency that we are with now gives the birth mothers/parents profile books for them to look at to choose the family that will adopt their child, much like a domestic adoption happens in the US. We have poured hours upon hours and about a gazillion prayers into creating our book. We know that the family that God has for us will choose us, but it is so hard to put together a short book that really gives a good picture of your life. I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait to be finished with the book. I promised myself I would have it done by today but that hasn't happened.
All in all, that doesn't sound too bad for a summer, right? Just a lot of paperwork. But add in the super fun stuff we did and you can begin to see the craziness! We spent a week at the beach (thanks DeeDee and Papa!), spent way too many hours in the garden/canning/freezing food, and spent two weeks in the Dominican Republic (me and the boys...Brett only got to stay for one week). The trip to the DR was Caleb's first and he loved it! I still hear about the "Minican Public" daily. He can't wait to go back!
But seriously, our summer has been INSANE. Very shortly after my last post (wayyyy back in May), the paperwork end of our process got serious. We were accepted into the program for the new agency (you can read back for those details) and began our home study immediately. We were on a bit of a time restraint to get that finished due to all of our travel in July. We wanted everything as complete as possible when I started back to work. That is yet another example of God's hand in the schedule. We were given the opportunity to complete the entire home study and the vast majority of our other paperwork by the week we started back! Perfect!
For those who don't know, the home study involves a series of visits (at least one actually in our home) and way too many questions about our entire lives. If I got into a fight with you in third grade, the social worker probably knows about it. We also had to turn in every type of document you could ever imagine having that testifies that you are a real person and have not committed any terrible crimes, not hiding a secret family, or have a cold. Our social worker was wonderful and did a great job! We recently got our copies of the completed report...it is crazy to read about your own life like that. Kind of like reading a biography of someone else.
So, that is done. We are currently completing our dossier, which is the paperwork that will actually get sent to Majuro, RMI. We have had some issues getting some of that paperwork and, for today at least, that part of the process is stalled. Hopefully we will wake up tomorrow with news that everyone has decided to cooperate and will send us our stuff!
There is also one unique task for us to complete before we can send in our dossier-our profile book. Our adoption is going to be open, which means that we will have continued contact with the baby's birth family. This is very rare for an international adoption and was one reason that we ultimately decided to adopt from RMI. The agency that we are with now gives the birth mothers/parents profile books for them to look at to choose the family that will adopt their child, much like a domestic adoption happens in the US. We have poured hours upon hours and about a gazillion prayers into creating our book. We know that the family that God has for us will choose us, but it is so hard to put together a short book that really gives a good picture of your life. I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait to be finished with the book. I promised myself I would have it done by today but that hasn't happened.
All in all, that doesn't sound too bad for a summer, right? Just a lot of paperwork. But add in the super fun stuff we did and you can begin to see the craziness! We spent a week at the beach (thanks DeeDee and Papa!), spent way too many hours in the garden/canning/freezing food, and spent two weeks in the Dominican Republic (me and the boys...Brett only got to stay for one week). The trip to the DR was Caleb's first and he loved it! I still hear about the "Minican Public" daily. He can't wait to go back!
So that is the simplified version of our last two months. If you've hung on that long and read all of that, congratulations! You get the chance to buy a brand new t-shirt! Seriously, with everything moving along and us totally taking a break from extra fundraising, it is time for us to start again. We are selling our t-shirts again, in what we believe to be the most beautiful colors on the face of this earth...maroon and gray! Bring on football season!!! Hail State!!! Go Dawgs!!! Sorry, got a little excited there. Anyway, here is a picture. The maroon looks brown-ish in the pic but I promise it's not.
The shirts are Canvas brand (aka the softest shirt on Earth) and are both crew neck (that's the round neck for anyone like my husband who thought that meant v-neck). They are tri-blend maroon and tri-blend gray and come in Adult Small-Adult 2XL. Kids shirts will be regular t-shirts in the same colors. The adult shirts are $20 and kids are $15. $4 for shipping. We are very kindly offering the gray for anyone who has taken the wrong path in life and supports The School Up North ;)...and I guess for anyone who actually likes gray.
We also have a brand new, super special, incredibly-amazing-for-anyone-who-needs-help-waking-up-in-the-morning fundraiser coming in the near future. Stay tuned!
Love y'all!
Ellie
"It is important to realize we adopt not because we are rescuers. No. We adopt because we are rescued." -David Platt
#bcheadoptedme
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Just an Update...
Guys. There is literally no way for us to explain to you how blessed we have been in the past few months. It has been a long time since we have updated everyone on what has been going on (mainly because we can barely keep up with everything ourselves!) so I am going to take a few minutes to give an overview...
We have had lots of ups and downs recently but we can most definitely see God's hand at work in everything that is going on. We (read: I) have had to learn my lesson, over and over, that my plan is NOT always God's plan. It is awesome to see the work that God does through times that I feel like everything is falling apart. As my husband often (sort of jokingly) says, "You should just start every conversation with the assumption that I am right." I am often reminded that I should enter every situation with the assumption that God is right, that He has the situation under control.
With that said, since January, we have put our house up for sale, taken it off the market, are in the process of changing adoption agencies and have held a couple of (very successful) fundraisers, as well as lived the typical calm, serene life you expect with a four year old and almost two year old in the house....HAHAHA. RIIIIIGHT. Life has been crazy, Brett is currently working in a new position at work that requires some travel, went back to the Dominican Republic in February and is umpiring baseball most evenings. I have just made it through the busy season at work for me (IEPs...ugh...for anyone who knows what that's about) and we are wrapping up the school year...YAY!!!
The house deal felt like a big hit to us, but like I said, God has been there the whole way. He has given me total comfort with staying where we are and making the changes necessary for the home study. We know that staying there is part of His wonderful plan for our lives, so we will be happy in our home until He tells us to leave!
A few months ago, we learned that the timeline for completing an adoption through our current agency had been extended by many, many months so we began researching the other agency (there are only two that are involved in RMI). We felt comfortable with them and began their application process. It is much more lengthy than the other agency and has required several interviews as well as a book report...before they even send us an actual application. I feel sure that this will be the easiest part of the entire process, so no complaints!
Now on to what tends to be a very touchy subject in the adoption world--cost. Until now, we have not spoken much to anyone about the actual cost of the adoption, but after praying about the subject, we felt led to let people in on what is really going on. Many of you have poured so much into our lives: praying for us, spending time helping with the various fundraisers, and financially by participating in the fundraisers as you felt led. There is no way to say thank you enough, and we feel it is only fair that you guys get a better picture of how you have helped.
As most of you know, adoption is expensive.** Period. Domestic, international, either way you go it costs money (and time, and emotional well-being, a little bit of your sanity...). We know the arguments for domestic vs. international adoption and the long and short of it is that God led us to this particular country so we will be adopting from there. We don't know His reason yet, and may never really know, but we are doing what He has called us to do.
Of course, our first question was, "How in the world will we pay for that???" And of course, the answer was (had to be) "God will handle it." He has taken care of everything so far and we know that He will continue to provide. He has allowed us to save, Brett to receive a raise as well as umpire, and His hand has been on every fundraiser we have done.
So as far as the actual costs go, we expect to need around $40,000. At this point, we have saved/you guys have blessed us with almost $15,000!!! We are beyond excited!!! Seriously guys, everyone who bought cookies, shirts, raffle tickets, gave us money just because you love us, or donated items to the rummage sale...you made this happen! We wouldn't be where we are without all of you! We knew that God would provide and He has. He has provided us with an amazing, generous support system that will not only help bring our baby home, but will also love on our baby and teach him/her about God's love. We really couldn't ask for more!
Our goals were exceeded with our most recent fundraisers (our new t-shirts and the rummage sale). Just to get a glimpse of how God has worked in these--for the t-shirt sale, we set of an overall goal of 91 shirts. That would mean raising $1,000 on these shirts. When I say overall, I mean that each time we sold shirts ADDED TOGETHER we hoped to sell 91. When I went to bed the night that orders were due for the FIRST order, 91 shirts had been ordered. Yep. What can you do at that point other than praise God?! I mean really. No one else could have arranged that.
As for the rummage sale, thanks to all of the wonderful people who donated items and worked their tails off, over $2,000 (which was our goal) was raised! We are still recovering from the sale but the work was totally worth it. We even had some left over and are planning another (much smaller) sale at our home over the summer.
These are a few pictures from the rummage sale. Caleb was a totally willing participant...until he learned that we were actually selling all of those super cool toys everyone brought!
We are currently planning on making a cookbook as a physical way for us to remember (and one day for our baby to know) how many people loved and prayed for our child before he/she was even born. We would love for everyone to participate. All you need to do is send recipes to me and they will be included along with your name in the book. They can be snail-mailed or emailed to me (ebouchillon@gmail.com) or you can get them to anyone who knows how to contact us and they will pass them on. If you can get them to me by May 22, that would be wonderful!
All of that to say, we wanted to give you a detailed look at what is happening because the more details you know, the easier it is to see God moving in every tiny area. God has a huge, amazing plan for our lives (as He does for yours!) and we appreciate your support, whether it be through prayer, time, or financially, more than you will ever know!
Love,
Ellie
**Many people don't realize why an international adoption is so expensive. I mean, shouldn't they just give those babies away for free so they can have a home?! Trust me, as much as I wish that were true, it's just not. There are administrative fees, attorney fees, background checks, reports written, often times a certain amount provided to the organization/person caring for the child, travel costs, etc. It seems ridiculous once it adds up, but we don't work for free and we can't expect anyone else to either.
"That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!"
Psalm 30:12
#bcHEadoptedME
We have had lots of ups and downs recently but we can most definitely see God's hand at work in everything that is going on. We (read: I) have had to learn my lesson, over and over, that my plan is NOT always God's plan. It is awesome to see the work that God does through times that I feel like everything is falling apart. As my husband often (sort of jokingly) says, "You should just start every conversation with the assumption that I am right." I am often reminded that I should enter every situation with the assumption that God is right, that He has the situation under control.
With that said, since January, we have put our house up for sale, taken it off the market, are in the process of changing adoption agencies and have held a couple of (very successful) fundraisers, as well as lived the typical calm, serene life you expect with a four year old and almost two year old in the house....HAHAHA. RIIIIIGHT. Life has been crazy, Brett is currently working in a new position at work that requires some travel, went back to the Dominican Republic in February and is umpiring baseball most evenings. I have just made it through the busy season at work for me (IEPs...ugh...for anyone who knows what that's about) and we are wrapping up the school year...YAY!!!
The house deal felt like a big hit to us, but like I said, God has been there the whole way. He has given me total comfort with staying where we are and making the changes necessary for the home study. We know that staying there is part of His wonderful plan for our lives, so we will be happy in our home until He tells us to leave!
A few months ago, we learned that the timeline for completing an adoption through our current agency had been extended by many, many months so we began researching the other agency (there are only two that are involved in RMI). We felt comfortable with them and began their application process. It is much more lengthy than the other agency and has required several interviews as well as a book report...before they even send us an actual application. I feel sure that this will be the easiest part of the entire process, so no complaints!
Now on to what tends to be a very touchy subject in the adoption world--cost. Until now, we have not spoken much to anyone about the actual cost of the adoption, but after praying about the subject, we felt led to let people in on what is really going on. Many of you have poured so much into our lives: praying for us, spending time helping with the various fundraisers, and financially by participating in the fundraisers as you felt led. There is no way to say thank you enough, and we feel it is only fair that you guys get a better picture of how you have helped.
As most of you know, adoption is expensive.** Period. Domestic, international, either way you go it costs money (and time, and emotional well-being, a little bit of your sanity...). We know the arguments for domestic vs. international adoption and the long and short of it is that God led us to this particular country so we will be adopting from there. We don't know His reason yet, and may never really know, but we are doing what He has called us to do.
Of course, our first question was, "How in the world will we pay for that???" And of course, the answer was (had to be) "God will handle it." He has taken care of everything so far and we know that He will continue to provide. He has allowed us to save, Brett to receive a raise as well as umpire, and His hand has been on every fundraiser we have done.
So as far as the actual costs go, we expect to need around $40,000. At this point, we have saved/you guys have blessed us with almost $15,000!!! We are beyond excited!!! Seriously guys, everyone who bought cookies, shirts, raffle tickets, gave us money just because you love us, or donated items to the rummage sale...you made this happen! We wouldn't be where we are without all of you! We knew that God would provide and He has. He has provided us with an amazing, generous support system that will not only help bring our baby home, but will also love on our baby and teach him/her about God's love. We really couldn't ask for more!
Our goals were exceeded with our most recent fundraisers (our new t-shirts and the rummage sale). Just to get a glimpse of how God has worked in these--for the t-shirt sale, we set of an overall goal of 91 shirts. That would mean raising $1,000 on these shirts. When I say overall, I mean that each time we sold shirts ADDED TOGETHER we hoped to sell 91. When I went to bed the night that orders were due for the FIRST order, 91 shirts had been ordered. Yep. What can you do at that point other than praise God?! I mean really. No one else could have arranged that.
As for the rummage sale, thanks to all of the wonderful people who donated items and worked their tails off, over $2,000 (which was our goal) was raised! We are still recovering from the sale but the work was totally worth it. We even had some left over and are planning another (much smaller) sale at our home over the summer.
These are a few pictures from the rummage sale. Caleb was a totally willing participant...until he learned that we were actually selling all of those super cool toys everyone brought!
We are currently planning on making a cookbook as a physical way for us to remember (and one day for our baby to know) how many people loved and prayed for our child before he/she was even born. We would love for everyone to participate. All you need to do is send recipes to me and they will be included along with your name in the book. They can be snail-mailed or emailed to me (ebouchillon@gmail.com) or you can get them to anyone who knows how to contact us and they will pass them on. If you can get them to me by May 22, that would be wonderful!
All of that to say, we wanted to give you a detailed look at what is happening because the more details you know, the easier it is to see God moving in every tiny area. God has a huge, amazing plan for our lives (as He does for yours!) and we appreciate your support, whether it be through prayer, time, or financially, more than you will ever know!
Love,
Ellie
**Many people don't realize why an international adoption is so expensive. I mean, shouldn't they just give those babies away for free so they can have a home?! Trust me, as much as I wish that were true, it's just not. There are administrative fees, attorney fees, background checks, reports written, often times a certain amount provided to the organization/person caring for the child, travel costs, etc. It seems ridiculous once it adds up, but we don't work for free and we can't expect anyone else to either.
"That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!"
Psalm 30:12
#bcHEadoptedME
Saturday, January 10, 2015
And the Winner Is....
The winner of the $220 cash prize (the profit was split due to raising less than $500) is...
Susan Ricks!
The winner of the $50 Wal-Mart gift card is...
Sam Childers!
CONGRATULATIONS to both of the winners and THANK YOU to everyone who participated!!! You have helped us get one step closer to bringing home our precious baby!
Love,
Brett, Ellie, Caleb and Brunson
"I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High." Psalm 7:17
#bcHEadopedME
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Merry Christmas!
A very MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of our friends and family! The past few days have been wonderful! We have enjoyed celebrating Christmas with each part of our family and our boys loved playing with their gifts this morning. Caleb is beginning to understand the real reason we celebrate today and it is precious to hear him sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and tell us that we give presents because God gave us Jesus.
Even with all of the excitement of the day, we are very aware that we are missing a part of our family. The newest little Bouchillon, who we don't even know yet (and won't for what seems like forever), is definitely missed but Caleb decided the baby needed a present anyway...
He still insists that the baby will be a boy named Hodge and loved picking out his gift. He wrapped it all by himself then graciously offered to open the present this morning! ;)
And a few more from this morning, just for fun!
We hope everyone has a nice, relaxing day celebrating the birth of our Savior!
Love,
Brett, Ellie, Caleb and Brunson
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
#bcheadoptedme
Even with all of the excitement of the day, we are very aware that we are missing a part of our family. The newest little Bouchillon, who we don't even know yet (and won't for what seems like forever), is definitely missed but Caleb decided the baby needed a present anyway...
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| Santa came! |
We hope everyone has a nice, relaxing day celebrating the birth of our Savior!
Love,
Brett, Ellie, Caleb and Brunson
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
#bcheadoptedme
Monday, December 8, 2014
Pay off your Christmas Bills and Help bring an orphan home for $5
We are a family of four in the process of adding to our family through adoption from the Republic of the Marshall Islands. For more information about our family and the adoption process, please check out the rest of our blog!
You have the chance to help an orphan join his/her forever family AND win $500!!!
Here's how:
Click below to donate $5
and get a chance to win $500
1st prize $500
2nd prize $50 Walmart gift card
Friday, November 21, 2014
"I'm overwhelmed by You" - Big Daddy Weave
Over the past month-ish we have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support from our friends and family, our support system as we call it. The support system has sold and bought t-shirts, cookies and cakes and some have even made generous donations. We cannot say thank you enough to these people. We knew these people loved us and supported us, so I'm not sure why we are surprised when we see them put that love into action. We are truly thankful for each one of them.
Ellie and I have been reading the boys children's books on adoption each night before bed. Caleb now asks every night to read a "ba-doption" book. He is convinced that we will be bringing home a little sister for him and he wants to name her Khan. If it happens to be a little brother, he wants to name him Hodge. No clue where he gets the names from! He is excited about the adoption and says he cannot wait to be a big brother to another brother or sister. We are thankful that he is learning about adoption at such a young age and that his heart is so open to the process.
Our house looks like Cookie Central now and Caleb has been great with not eating every cookie he sees, although he would like too (I know this because he told us he would)! Through all of the chaos that is our house and baking and icing cookies, sorting t-shirts, and making items to sell, often late into the night, I found myself thinking, "This child better appreciate what we are doing for him or her." As soon as I thought that, God hit me with a ton of bricks. He asked me, "How much do you appreciate what I did for you when I adopted you into my family?" With my mouth dropped to the floor I had nothing to answer but an apology to the One who gave His son so that I may be adopted into the only true forever family.
I have learned a lot about adoption over the last month. Ellie and I have researched adoption for several years now and over the last month I have learned more than during that whole period. I have come to realize that the doctrine of adoption is not one aspect of the Gospel. It is the Gospel. The whole of the Gospel hinges on this one thing. I could not receive salvation without God paying the price to adopt me. And that price was high.I have learned that adoption is costly. The process is expensive. We knew this coming in. The cost can seem overwhelming. But I look at the projected cost of our adoption vs Jesus' life. Which is more precious? And, what is money to the maker of the universe?
Adoption is messy. It's chaotic. Our lives now center on getting ready for a new baby in our home, raising and saving money and preparing our children for what is about to take place. We don't expect to receive a "perfect" child. We pray for the child that God is placing with us. Just like Caleb and Brunson are not perfect and are sometimes whiny and annoying, we still love them and we will love this child as well.
Adoption is transformational. The whole process transforms us as a family. It transforms us as parents. It will also transform our support system. We have seen this first hand in our great friends who adopted a child from Russia. Adoption also transforms the child. The child from Russia who sat in a tiny crib all day, everyday for the first 14 months of his life, who didn't know how to smile when came home is now Caleb's best friend. That child is completely transformed. He is an amazing blessing that I cannot imagine my life without. And, by the way, he now has a smile that will light up a room.
Adoption is what Ellie and I are called to do. We do not believe everyone is called to adopt. However, we are all called to care for widows and orphans--"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. It is up to us to prayerfully consider what this means to our individual families.
We are glad to answer questions. We know that a lot of people do not know how the adoption process works. We didn't. Just know that when you ask, you are asking about our child that we love.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. Keep them up. The journey has just begun.
Brett
"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." Galatians 4:4-7
#bcheadoptedme
Thursday, November 6, 2014
T-shirt Time!
We are pushing forward with our cookies and cakes and never fail to be amazed at how much we have been blessed in such a short time! Remember to order some sweets for your Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings!
I'm excited to announce that we have a second fundraiser started! We have a super cute t-shirt designed and are ready to take orders. Order a shirt--not only will you look fabulous :), you will help bring awareness to the multitude of orphans across the world.
I'm excited to announce that we have a second fundraiser started! We have a super cute t-shirt designed and are ready to take orders. Order a shirt--not only will you look fabulous :), you will help bring awareness to the multitude of orphans across the world.
The shirts are available in both short and long sleeve. The short sleeve are from size Youth XS and the long are from Youth S. Short sleeve are $15 and long sleeve are $20.
We will be happy to ship shirts anywhere, with a $4 shipping fee. Please contact us (or anyone who knows us) to order.
This week we were blessed to talk with two other families who have/are adopting from RMI. They were such an encouragement to us and it was reassuring to talk to people who have gone before us. It was so neat to make those connections and see how small the world really is! It is amazing to see God's hand working in their lives through adoption. We are excited to see Him continue to work in their journeys, as well as our own!
As always, THANK YOU for your prayer and support!
Love,
Ellie
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17
#bcheadoptedme
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Cookies, Cakes, Details and Thanks
First off, we want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us in our cookie and cake fundraiser! It has been amazing to see God move in such a huge way in just under a week. We will continue to sell the goodies as long as people will buy them, so plan to include some yummy desserts in your holiday get-togethers! The homemade sour cream pound cakes are $18 and the iced sugar cookies are $12 a dozen. After Thanksgiving we will switch to Christmas cookie designs. Between our family and the Weeks family, we will be traveling the state almost every weekend from now until Christmas and we will be happy to meet people to deliver the sweets along the way!
"Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!"
Psalm 106:1
And a HUGE thank you to Annie Weeks for being so generous to be our baker for this endeavor! You are amazing!!!
I promised more details about our new addition, so here you go…
· We are adopting from the Republic of the Marshall Islands. That is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia.
· We don’t get to pick if the baby is a boy or girl (Thank goodness--my decision making skills wouldn’t be able to handle that!).
· Our baby will be under 12 months.
· As of now, the timeframe for all paperwork to be completed and for us be home with our baby looks to be about 2 years.
· There will only be one (long) trip to the Marshall Islands. It can last anywhere from 4-6 weeks.
· This will be an open adoption, which means that we will stay in contact with our baby’s birth family. We will get to spend a lot of time with them while we are in the Marshall Islands. We see this as an awesome opportunity to minister to a family that we never would have had the chance to meet under any other circumstances.
I think that answers most of the questions everyone has at first. It is just a quick overview so I’ll be happy to answer any other questions anyone has.
We have been blessed to receive so much encouragement from our friends and family. We can’t thank you enough for reaching out to us with encouraging words and for keeping our family in your prayers. It will definitely take a village to bring this little one home, and we are so glad that we are in it with every one of you!
Love,
Ellie
"Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!"
Psalm 106:1
Thursday, October 23, 2014
I have never met you, but I love you
We are excited to announce that we are in the process of adopting a baby from the Republic of the Marshall Islands! After much time spent in prayer and discussion as a family, we feel that God is leading us to grow our family through adoption.
We appreciate the love and support that we have already received from friends and family. We will continue to covet your prayers as we go through this journey.
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| Caleb is excited but has requested that we still keep Brunson :) |
More details to come on a later post!
Love,
Brett, Ellie, Caleb and Brunson
"He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will." Ephesians 1:5
#bcheadoptedme
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