Letter of The Month: G-Gold parties, Goat Soap, Grants and a Girly Dress!

     As we continue our next phase in reaching our fundraiser goals we ask that you continue to pass our blog along and pray for us.  We are amazed at how far we have come in such a short period of time! I hope you are just as excited as we are for these new opportunities and I have some more coming up in February that are in the works (so to speak)! Thank you in advance for your support. Every time we look at our new picture of Talia we are given the strength to persevere. We know she needs us and we can not wait to have her in our arms at home.

1. Gold, Gold!

       Yes you heard me! Gold parties! Have a credit card bill to pay down from the holidays? Or an adoption bill due? Some extra money for a vacation or a new purse that you have had your eye on? Everyone can surely use just a little bit more in their wallets these days. Do you know how much gold is going for? A lot and I mean a lot! Even broken jewelery, old high school or college rings, broken chains etc. can be sold.  So this is the perfect time to go through your  drawers and do some early spring cleaning. There will be a few ways that people can help us with the gold parties. My father a licensed, certified jeweler for 44  years and pays the highest possible for your old broken or unwanted gold. He uses a Delaware County certified scale. My dad was so kind to offer his help and time to bring home his 2nd granddaughter. Here are some options to get involved in the gold rush!

1. Host a gold party fundraising event in Talia's honor at your house. As an incentive, receive 10% of the total amount sold that evening. The difference between the hostess and the amount paid out goes to Talia's fund.

Here are the following locations where the parties can be hosted.

• North Carolina: Charlotte or surrounding areas
• Pennsylvania: Delaware, Chester or Montgomery County
• New Jersey: Southern New Jersey
• Delaware: New Castle County

2. If you live close to Boothwyn, Pennsylvania you can take your gold in to my father's store, Morris Jewelers on your own time Tuesday-Friday 11:00 am-4:00 pm.  Just mention my name or blog. You can also e-mail me at mjpost32@gmail.com and I can set you up with a time if you need to meet later.

3. Attend one of the gold parties being hosted in the Charlotte, NJ or Philly area and get money for your gold!

4. If you live out of state and want to be a part of the gold rush for Talia e-mail me as my dad has helped people out of state as well!

So you get money for your gold and we get the amount that my dad would receive at no cost to you. You help bring Talia home by selling your gold! If you have any questions please contact me. FYI -- gold prices change daily.

If you would like further information about how to host a gold party, please e-mail me and I will then provide you with a document that includes ideas to make your party successful! It is super easy: invite some friends, pick a date and have fun! We are so excited about these parties! This is a great opportunity for anyone but also fundraising families of course!


2. Goat Soap.,.not just any goat soap but the one featured in "O" magazine and the 'Today Show". We still have soap..order some today!

   Thank you to the Jones family for letting us sell their amazing soap for a fundraiser. The scents are divine and you will notice such a difference in your skin. I sold them at a few fundraising parties and they were a hit! Here are the ones I currently have in stock.

Scents-$6 per bar (50% goes to Talia)
Oatmeal, milk & honey-One word, "yummy" and yes it smells like cookies!
Lavender-nothing more relaxing then the smell of lavender. This is one of their best sellers!
Purity (Unscented)-Great for the tiniest of babies and especially those with eczema or sensitive skin. 
Ocean-Bring back those memories of sunny days at the seashore
Black Raspberry-with one smell you will feel like you just picked a basket of berries. A favorite of  little girls!
Honeysuckle-Smells just like the vine in your backyard with a hint of Jasmine
Luv Spell-Very feminine and smells just like Victoria Secret scent
Pink Sugary-Sweet and looks like a treat! Since I am a sugar addict this is my favorite! It looks like a brownie!

Nautical-Soap for the man in your life!
Clean cotton-Perfect to keep in your drawers and use when needed or keep in your guest bathroom!

Ingredients: Raw goat milk; Saponified natural fats, coconut oil, soy bean oil; Natural color, Fragrance (phthalate and paraben free)

These handmade creamy bars of soap are 6 ounces and made from goats on the Jones farm. If giving as a gift they even come with an environmental friendly bag  hand stamped with the scent! I have 100 in stock!

Free shipping if you live close to me in the Charlotte area or Delaware County, Pa. Otherwise here are the additional S & H charges by USPS. They are super heavy!

1-5 bars- $5.35
6-12 bars-$10.95
Over 12 bars-free shipping

Just $6 a bar!
E-mail me first at mjpost32@gmail.com with your order, # of soaps and scents with your name, mailing address and e-mail address and I will then give you payment instructions.

This video showcases the Jones family and their hard work to make these incredible long lasting soaps.  (In order to hear it you will have to put my playlist at the bottom of my blog on pause)

3. Grants

      We are in the process of applying  for adoption grants and the paperwork is grueling (I thought compiling an international dossier was hard!) Besides all the paperwork the process is very thought provoking and has brought up a lot of emotions and beliefs that I held true for many years. The Christian grant applications encompass your thoughts on Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, reasons for adopting and family life. It really has us delving into the bible for answers and the truth. Please pray for the Holy spirit to guide us through this process.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (Romans 8:26)

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)

4. A Little Girl's dress
    
      Just in time for Valentine's Day! My dear friend Robin is making a dress (size 2/3) for me to auction off. I will be posting more details in the coming week. I am so excited to see the dress as know it will be absolutely beautiful and the donation from the silent auction will go directly to Talia's adoption fund. Thank you Robin! Now get sewing...haha!

     This past week was a hard one for us as we received some devastating news on Harper's teeth and the expenses are great.  Since Harper has a heart condition we need to do the dental surgeries as soon as possible which coincides with our adoption expenses. She will go under general anesthesia for the work which of course makes us even more nervous. We know through God all things are possible but this was the first time where I was really worried that I might have to chose one daughter over another. There is a big chance that even if we receive all our paperwork from China by April we would have to delay travel to Talia until we come up with the funds. Obviously, this makes our stomach turn but there is a reason for everything and we trust God's plan. But just when I started to get down He picked me up with some great ideas and new fundraising opportunities!

Thank You

      After our first giveaway and beginning steps of fundraising it seems appropriate to simply say, "Thank You". There are so many touching stories from the past 6 weeks since we started this website but here are just a few of the "Thank You's" that can't go unnoticed! Of course every prayer and donation brings us one step closer to our angel and we are eternally grateful to each and everyone of you that took time out of your day to donate, pass along our blog or pray.


-Thank you to the little boy that asked his mom for $20 from his piggy bank to help bring Talia home
-Thank you to the silent angel that listed our website as a fundraising family to support us during the holidays
-Thank you to my "artificial sister" and husband for being our sender (more to come on what a sender means!)
-Thank you to the woman who said a Novena for us. I don't know who it was but someone did and it surely calmed us and brought the Blessed Mother Mary into Talia's life to watch over her.
-Thank you to the strangers that supported our 1st giveaway and gave us the inspiration to strive to reach our goal
-Thank you to a wonderful friend that taught me to trust in God's plan
-Thank you to the doctors and dentist offices that have raised money on our behalf. It is amazing for you not only to be healers but also to support God's work and to not look for anything in return.
-Thank you to the childhood friend that I haven't seen in years for your extremely generous donation and prayers. It means more then you ever will know!
-Thank you for the support of my online adoption family. You truly understand what it means to grow a family out of love and not genes!
-Thank you to the dance teacher that initiated a beautiful prayer for Talia's health and safety in the middle of a parking lot
-Thank you to a dear aunt, uncle and cousin for their donation that brought our journey to Talia for circle
-Thank you to my parents for being our Santa this year and supporting every one of our fundraisers even though you didn't need a single thing!
-Thank you to the kindness of an acquaintance for her selfless donation.
-Thank you for the prayers and positive thoughts on our journey so far as they have always come at a time when we need our spirits lifted from negativity surrounding us.
-Thank you to everyone that has tirelessly tried to network for us and e-mailed our blog address to their family members, co-workers and friends.
-Thank you to the donor that donated in their child's name that passed away way to young
-Thank you to God almighty for putting my husband and I in the financial circumstances we are in this year. Otherwise we would not see your hand at work and how our fundraising and website is touching so many lives. We are honored that you chose us to be Talia's mommy and daddy. Additionally, we are more humbled to be doing what you intended all of us to do to and care for the fatherless.

Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families. Psalms 68:5-6

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17

 When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don't go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do. Deuteronomy 24:19
      
      Finally this week I must share a tale with you and that is the story about our Tiffany "Joy" bracelet winner. I know so many people that wanted to win this rare and beautiful bracelet. We had a lot of entries (some people had over 100!) However, the story that is about to unfold was all in God's plan. For the winner entered the contest just a night before the contest ended. She found my blog via our adoption agency, Madison. I was just as anxious as everyone else to see who the winner was going to be! I wish I had a ton of them to give out and I felt bad (just like me) for those that weren't going to win. This bracelet just seemed so meaningful to so many people.

      I had Harper put her little hand in our container of entries and out she picked one name, Bradley Arnold. I had no clue who the winner was and when I searched for them on facebook and my message boards they didn't appear.  Todd knew I felt bad for the people that didn't win. Right after I said the name he said, "Mary Jane the right person won".  I e-mailed the winner with the good news.  In a million years I never would have guessed the e-mail I would receive back as I didn't think the winner was part of the adoption community.  It read something like this, "I happened upon your blog through Madison. When I saw the bracelet I was excited for two reasons. First, I thought it was a great idea for a fundraiser.  Second, the word JOY engraved on the bracelet meant so much to me. Our journey to adoption was birthed our of JOY in so many ways.  One of those ways was a little foster daughter who lived with us for 18 glorious months!  We loved her deeply and now deeply grieve her.  If it had not been for the gift of her in our lives we would have never added our 2 daughters to our family, and be in the process for a third.  She awakened much JOY in our home and lives and birthed it into full measure through what she began.  Her name was Ari JOY!  Please know this bracelet holds so much meaning to me and I will wear it with great JOY in my heart!  Thank you, and we pray success and blessing to you as you continue your journey to your beautiful baby girl!"

      I wrote back to Amy, our winner, and explained to her the rareness of the bracelet and how amazing it was that she won, just based alone on the sheer volume of entries we had. My e-mail back went something like this,"Amy I believe God did design this especially for you. The interesting thing is Tiffany's doesn't make this anymore and there were only a few that they did make. A very rare piece of "joy" just like your "joy" that will always be in your heart and mind! If you think about it three three cherubs represent the three daughters (two already home and one to come) in your life, the joy on the back is your Ari Joy and the links of the bracelet represent your sons and husband all forming the family unit!" Of course this is the short form of our correspondence.

    Let me explain a little bit more as my e-mails continued with Amy on New Year's day. I felt more joy in her story then I can put into words. She clearly loved this little girl, "Ari Joy", that she fostered which then led her to bring home two daughters from China. It's amazing how one little being can inspire and change your whole world!  There is no doubt that this family heavily grieves for this child as "Ari Joy" was taken back to Mexico with her biological mother.  They have not heard from her in 3 years.  Can you imagine not knowing anything about a child that you loved and cared for like a daughter? You do not know if she is hurt or hungry or alive.  Moreover, since she is another country there is nothing they can do but live on faith and hope that she is being cared for by her mother and God.  I imagine, like most of us that have adopted, we think of the birth mothers of our children and at what point do they stop grieving or if they ever do stop? I imagine they never do.  We grieve with them and for our adopted children to have such a huge loss.  So you may be thinking how is this story joyous? How Did Mary Jane feel joy when reading this sad story. Well that's the faith part.  At a time when we need God most there He is. This family, still very much feeling the loss, supported our giveaway to help bring home an orphan. The night that Amy found our blog she very well could of just checked out our blog, read a few posts, maybe just looked at my YouTube videos or my cute pictures of my girls. Instead she was led to enter our giveaway and for that God rewarded her with what she needed most...closure and a reminder that He is in charge always watching over us and never forsaking us. Could God have showed us His amazing power anymore then this story?  Unbelievable and all through Him! Even as my husband said after hearing this story there is no way this is a coincidence. Someone e-mailed me this week after donating and wrote the following line, "One thing I've learned as we have struggled to raise funds to finance our adoption,  is that God loves it when we give to others. He loves it even more when we give in faith not out of our own abundance, so I am happy to make these small contributions to help you bring your beautiful girl home. I truly feel led to help you in this journey".

       Isn't is amazing to feel led to do something? Two different stories, two different people all part of our adoption story. All teaching us what it means to give from the heart, not the mind and what it means to let God take control of our lives. Think about it for a few minutes when were you last led to do something not out of fear, not out of hardship, not for pride sake, not because your boss asked you, but led. Something beyond your self leading you to do something.  I fear many of us have never been led because we want to take control over everything.  Maybe this year and these stories found on my blog will help lead you to where you are truly suppose to be and that can be a multitude of things.  Only you know where and what you have been saying "no" to for so many years.

      We didn't have a single shred of doubt after accepting Talia's file.  Nothing mattered but that she was our daughter and we needed to find a way to bring her home. We knew He would led us on the right path but what we never would have guessed is that Talia would touch so many lives so far away and that we would meet new lifelong friends! Even more then that we get to glorify Him through all of these efforts to bring Talia home! It blows our mind how He is working through us all and doing more then I could ever imagine!

     May this new year bring you as much joy as the way 2011 ended for us...filled with hope for the future, love for one another, faith that keeps us sustained, and joy in living each day to the fullest.

     If you would like to see pictures of 'Ari Joy" and marvel at this wonderful family you can view their old blog. This post documents their final visits with her. They didn't realize at the time of the following post that she would be leaving our country. http://www.libifaith.blogspot.com/2008/04/ari-visits-last-weekend.html

    Before ending this post, let me provide you with one more link that I just read (and gave me goose bumps) which are Amy's words that are found on her latest blog post about the bracelet. Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers as they prepare again to bring home a 3rd daughter from China. You can also see pictures and their life with Ari. She truly was a blessing to this family and may God continue to lift them up and hold their hand when they need it most. I am so glad God led us to them and I look forward to the day we can meet in person! Please take time out to read her blog post.  http://www.arnoldfamily7.blogspot.com/

Xiaoyun's 1st Surgery Update & Card Request

     If you scroll down my blog you will see a post and a You Tube video about Xiaoyun. She was adopted last spring from China right before she was about to age out of the system and suffers from severe scoliosis. If you haven't looked at the video go watch it. She will melt your heart! Xiaoyun is in the hospital now and is recovering from  her 1st surgery. Would you be so kind to add her to your prayer list this month and possibly have your children even send her a card? Let's try our hardest to brighten up her life right now as she is in immense pain. We can also learn a thing or two about life from Xiaoyun in giving all our physical pain and emotional worries to God!

     Below is the e-mail from her mother that she sent out on an adoption board that I frequent.
---------
     Xiaoyun's first surgery went well. They were able to place the halo under general anesthesia, and it went very quickly. Unfortunately, nausea has been a problem since she got into her room and both nausea meds they've given her have proven somewhat unsuccessful. They had to start giving her some fluids via IV and right now she's sleeping peacefully. They have started her out with 5 pounds of traction and will increase a pound every few hours. The goal is 10 - 12 pounds. A major praise is that Xiaoyun gave her life to the Lord last night!!!!! She also told us she wasn't scared because she knew God was taking care of her, people were praying for her, and Baba and Mama would be right here with her.We are at the beginning of a long six week hospital stay. The goal is 4 surgeries to happen during that time. The second surgery will be to remove ribs that have grown up into her spine and to insert temporary rods. They think that may take place next Wednesday. Xiaoyun's curvature is 150* and her lung function is only 33% so every surgery carries a great deal of risk. They do hope to bring her curvature down to 80* and give the lungs room to expand. We thank each of you for your prayers and concern! 

This is the address to send cards to:  

 Evelyn (Xiaoyun) Willoughby
c/o Kosairs Children's Hospital
231 E. Chestnut St.
Louisville, KY 40202

We have a winner!!!!!!

Bradley Arnold -congratulations!

Thank you everyone. This was an amazing giveaway and we raised ready for this....$720 in two weeks just for people that wanted to participate in the giveaway! The bracelet was donated to us so every $1 counted towards bringing Talia home. We are so thankful to everyone that passed on our e-mails and web address as well as posting on facebook, not once, but twice, as well as, those that donated twice! You are all angels on earth. Moreover, thanks for having fun with the holiday cheer and all its twists and turns! It really showed us the power of prayer and "our village" working together towards the goal of saving an orphan's life.

We are beyond amazed at God's hand in all of this. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and stay tuned for our next fundraisers and posts about our tales of two!

God Bless you all and Happy New Year!

In addition to the excitement of the giveaway, this week, we received a new picture of our baby girl! She looks so good and is finally gaining weight. At 2 1/2 she is 22 lbs., which is much better then the 18 lbs. she was at for a year! I find the picture priceless and the best Christmas gift ever!



Look how big my smile is Mommy!



Merry Christmas From Our Home to Yours

May your house be blessed with the spirit of Christmas all year long!

It was a great Christmas and I tried my best to keep my joy levels up but really wished Talia was home with us now.  Although my heart was here with Harper, my mind was with Talia. I know every adoptive parent that has a child waiting for them in China feels the same way.

Harper had a wonderful day and we can not wait until next year to have our house filled with even more laughter, love and chaos!  Here are my top five favorite moments from the past few days!

Baking cookies for Santa!
We actually found a gingerbread cookie that Harper can eat. She has a milk allergy so she was excited to have some cookies that her and Santa can enjoy! She is very meticulous. After she put the dough in each holder she would exclaim, "Perfect"!

Dance Party on Christmas Eve!

After our traditional Chinese food Christmas Eve meal we got comfortable and had a dance party with Harper's Music Together CD. It showcases music from different countries.  She loved playing with the instruments and having mommy and daddy dance beside her! As you can tell she is quite the dancing queen!

My Beautiful Princess
Harper loves to play with my make-up and always wants to get ready with me! She now has her own special collection and table:) A little girl that had nothing now has a lifetime full of make believe and make-up! A dream come true for our little princess.

Celebrating with Family
My parents live a few states away so it is always a treat for Harper when the grandparents come to visit especially because they shower her with gifts! What little girl wouldn't love that?! She was so excited for Christmas Day because she knew they would be flying in the sky just like Tinkerbell! The smile on her face when she saw them just brightened our whole day.

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus

Harper enjoyed baking a birthday cake for Jesus and singing to him to honor his birthday! Pardon our beautiful (ha!) voices...ha!

A Time for Giving and Receiving

 

In order to hear the song you have to put our playlist below on pause.

 Here are the words to this beautiful Christmas song.

Merry Christmas -Third Day
There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
Where the forgotten are
But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
And prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep,
I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas

      Next year our baby will be home and I will be adding her "Chinese Stocking" to our mantle!  For now we are surely missing having her here with us and we pray that God continues to keep her safe and she can feel the peace and joy that we are sending to her on this cold December day.  It seems the cold illnesses are spreading throughout my house and while Harper got antibiotics, orange juice, a warm bed, frozen treats to ease her sore throat and cozy pj's to make her feel better, my mind can't help but wander to Talia and all the other children without these items when they are sick. Moreover, my heart sinks to think about the kisses and hugs they are missing out on.  Can you imagine to never have felt your mother or father's love when you were sick?  I remember growing up thinking my parents knew everything and could totally fix any problem, including when I had a stuffy nose or sore throat.  That homemade soup seemed to do the trick every time! Unfortunately, many children don't even know that type of affection exists.  They sit tied to cribs all day long longing for food or even a look from a nanny in the orphanage.  They would give anything just to be touched or smiled at.  I read a book a few years back that described a scene out of a typical orphanage in China.  The orphanage could only afford medicine for one child and three were terribly sick.  They had to decide who they felt would live and survive and that child would then be granted the small bottle of medicine. Can you imagine trying to make that decision?  

     Since we have been married, Todd and I have made giving back to various charities as part of our financial picture. We live off of one income and a good portion of our yearly income goes to charity. In fact it is our first item on our budget. In addition, we make Christmas donations (yes even though we are fundraising we still do this!)

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

    This year we cut out all Christmas gifts and put it towards our adoption expenses but still kept our Christmas tradition of supporting adoptive families and orphans. Here are a few of the charities I would like to showcase this year. Of course everyone has a charity that is dear to their hearts so please add to the comments section the charities you supported this holiday season (even if it was just through prayer) and also include a link! Let's bring back the true meaning of Chritmas! I know with each donation we receive for Talia's adoption we feel enriched in God's grace and tremendously blessed by the love and support of you all! Thank you.

1. Brittany's Hope Holiday Gift Guide: https://www.brittanyshope.org/Gift/
-$15 donation sponsors a child in Vietnam for medical check-up's for the entire year
-Harper's pick: $10 donation to give to an orphan in Ethiopia for their first Christmas present. Can you imagine the joy on their face when they see something just for them?!
2. Brittany's Hope-surgery for an orphan This child is in extreme pain and needs emergency surgery. See Asalafew's story here.  http://www.brittanyshope.org/Projects/Medical/Asalafew/
3. Madison Adoption Associates: Our amazing adoption agency
http://www.madisonadoption.com/Donate.aspx
-In the the notes section tell them what you would like your donation to be used for. Examples include: Where most needed, set of coat, hat and gloves for an orphan in China, Toys for orphanage in El Salvador or Bulgaria, Clothing for orphans in the Philippines. $10 may not mean a lot to you but it can mean the world to an orphan.

No matter how hard things may seem for everyone in this economic climate it is even tougher for those that wait with no food, clothing or a mommy or daddy to call their own.  I never thought I would quote Brad Pitt but his words oh how they ring true!

"Let us be the ones who say we do not accept that a child dies every three seconds simply because he does not have the drugs you and I have.  Let us be the ones to say we are not satisfied that your place of birth determines your right to life.  Let us be outraged, let us be loud, let us be bold."

Through his holy name we can make a difference this holiday season.

Harper's first view of the newborn king, baby Jesus (Dec. 2010-her first Christmas home)

Our Holiday Giveaway-Tiffany's "Joy" Bracelet

All donations help to bring home our little girl in China!
Giveaway ends Dec. 30th! We are halfway to our goal!

This bracelet is exquisite and what woman doesn't love Tiffany's! And for all you men out there, think about your mom, girlfriend, sister or sister in law! Anyone will treasure this piece of jewelry!

Tiffany Olympian Charm & Round Link Bracelet:

Retail Value: $350

Tiffany’s exquisite Olympian charms are based on Tiffany holloware designs of 1878. This Cherubim double-sided charm in sterling silver is engraved with a message of inspiration "JOY."

The charm is attached to a large round link bracelet in sterling silver, 7.5" long.

So to add some holiday cheer to this giveaway! Here are the details:

The 5th person that enters the giveaways gets 5 extra entries, the 25th person that donates gets 25 extra entries, the 50th person gets 50 extra entries, the 75th person gets 75 extra entries. Should we hit 100, you guessed it -- 100 extra entries! Now that is inspiring! Should you be one of these lucky four folks, I will e-mail you!

Now to Enter. There are a few ways!

1. $5 for 1 entry, $10 for 3 entries or $20 for 7 entries to win this Tiffany's set. Just click on the donate button to the right. Please specify "donation" on paypal. You can also pay by credit card on the donate button. For those that rather not pay via the website but want to join in on the fun please contact me at mjpost32@gmail.com for other payment options.

2. Post about the fundraiser on your blog, receive 2 entries!
3. Post about it on facebook, receive 2 entries! (You can do this more than once!)

4. Become a follower on our blog, receive 2 entries!

5. Send an e-mail to your friends, receive 3 entries (just cc me on the e-mail)

Just e-mail me if you do post it to your blog or facebook so I can add you to the giveaway list.

As a reminder for those that love jewelry, our Stella & Dot online jewelry party is still on from now until the end of the month. You can purchase via this link and then click on my name, Mary Jane Postiglione, as the hostess. www.stelladot.com/MeganHarkin

The last day for Christmas delivery is Dec. 21st but you can order up until Dec. 31st for us to receive the 10% proceeds from each order.  If you also contact Megan: megan.e.harkin@gmail.com you can receive free shipping over $75!

Thank you all for your support! Even though Talia Mei is 12,197 miles away she can surely feel the love this holiday season!

Wishing you all a joyous and blessed holiday season!

From a Child once an orphan

To watch Xiaoyun talk puts into words why we chose adoption to build our family. Won't you help support our cause to save an orphan this holiday season (and always)?

Xiaoyun has scoliosis just like our daughter, Harper. Xiaoyun was adopted days before she would have aged out of China's adoption system. In china children can only be adopted until the age of 14 then they are suppose to survive in the world by themselves with no money, no food and no family. Xiaoyun's scoliosis was so severe that it was impairing her lung function and eventually she would have went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully, beginning in January she will start a series of 4 surgeries within a 6-8 week timeframe that will allow her to live a long life. Please keep this phenomonal young lady in your prayers.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ouradoption#p/a/u/0/SXSGhpVRiUY

A Little Peace and a Little Joy

Some days that is all we can ask for.  

When you step out publicly and boldly about your faith you are at your weakest self.  True or not true?! Think about it. Religion is one of the topics you are supposed to avoid, right? Well, is it we are afraid we are going to insult another person with our religious views or do we not believe enough in our views to let our thoughts about God be told loud and clear. Well I can tell you that on this blog there will be lots of faith talking! After all God has lifted me up in so many ways throughout the years. He restored my health when all the doctors told me that I would probably never get better or feel “normal” again. He brought me two beautiful babies out of the depths of hell so that we could care and love for them. He made the most perfect partner for me that loves and cherishes me for who I am. He held my family’s hands during deep sorrow and sadness. All this He did for me so in return I am listening to Him and His whispers to my heart. Maybe you are reading this and have felt that whisper but didn’t want to do what He was asking or maybe you did listen but didn’t follow through and so He cast you another stone until you listened. At the moment the stone is cast, it may just feel like a ripple in a pond or sometimes it can feel like a rip tide in the ocean. It can turn your cozy little world upside down. It can lead you down another path you never thought you would ever be on and quite possibly a path you never believed in or supported. This week a close friend of mine confided in me a secret she had been keeping. She had kept this secret for a very long time and just one day it overcame her and she spilled it. The interesting thing to me was that the “secret” was actually something I use to support and my thoughts on the topic have changed throughout the years. It doesn’t matter what the secret was or what the topic was. What matters is that when she told her secret she was worried about being judged, as any of us would be when we have kept something private.  There is a reason why we keep things private. Some things should be kept private such in the case of sincerely hurting another person’s feelings or sharing information when your best friend in fifth grade swears you to secrecy :)  I am probably as open as they come. There is no question that I will not answer and there is no topic that I won’t talk about. However, it also makes me an easy target. Many people can feel well, let’s just say uneasy on some topics or situations. But that is the beauty of living our true self. No matter what has happened in my life I have always stayed true to myself and it has made all the difference! We should be able to state what we are feeling and more importantly live through our hearts, not our minds. This beauty of this blog is that they are my words, my thoughts and my heartfelt song. I believe there are no barriers except those that we create for ourselves. As for this moment in my life, when I look to the side I see that vine and it seems daunting, but I also know that I am doing God’s work and His love for me and my family will see us through to the top of that vine. Sure fundraising and applying for grants is out of my “comfort zone” but through Him I find my strength and through Him we will see the glory in our daughter Talia’s eyes when we meet her for the first time. So for this week, step out of your comfort zone try to find that peace and joy you have been searching for. It is there and at your weakest moment this week pray for that peace and joy to be a part of your life and in it you will find restored hope.

This week was filled with surprises, some good and some life changing, but what I learned from everything is that God never leaves us for one moment. You know the old saying when one door closes one door opens. If you add prayer into the equation when one door closes you are doubly blessed and in our case this week, we were overwhelmingly blessed.

Introducing Talia Mei Youngerman born on May 1, 2009

Our Precious Angel

     These three little pictures accompanied her file that we received and our world was forever changed! Ready or not here comes toddler #2! It is uncanny how much she reminds us of Harper.  



Those sweet cheeks and big eyes





definitely a sweet soul



and she appears to be a dancing queen as well!







Our Link to Talia

    So you may wonder how this all came to be so fast? We are still wondering as well! No, this was not our original plan but the one above determined what He had in store for us way before Todd and I realized that adoption again would lead us to our second child. I have read countless stories of how once you adopt you will never look at things the same way again. For us this was true and our hearts and minds were with the children left behind. When we first came home with Harper I wanted to get on a plane and go back there as fast as I could to bring home another child. In reality, though, we were jet lagged, overwhelmed, paying our adoption bills, living at Harper's doctor’s offices and adjusting to life with a toddler. By the middle of last year, while sitting in one of Harper's appointments the doctor leaned into me and said, "You know if she stayed in China she probably would have died by the age of four." Yikes! My mind then went back to the countless children we saw in China on the streets, on adoption websites and the faces of the children that I know never made it to their families in time. How could I ignore it? So the yearning was there but being so engrossed with Harper's needs I found other ways to help the children left behind. I would advocate on adoption sites for children that needed homes, stayed in touch with the adoption community and talked to people all over the country via phone and e-mail on the best way to find their child and the fastest way to get them home. This was my way of volunteering so to speak.  I began to put the idea of adopting child number two out of my mind until one day my travel partner from China called to see if I looked at the new list of children that our agency posted. She was interested in a child and we began to chat, and chat, and chat (almost daily) and I began to help her. I got reacquainted with agencies and the latest requirements with the China program. Basically, with China's new Special Focus Medical Needs Program you can pick a child from the waiting list and reuse your paperwork but you have only one year to do so. I literally had one month left and I thought to myself there is no way we are adopting again so soon. The timing is not right, the money is not there, Harper has too many medical conditions – basically any negative thing you could think of surrounding adoption was in my mind. At the same time I was so inspired by my friend's personal journey with God and her dedication to learning from the bible that I decided to start really setting aside some of Harper's nap time to read. Now being truthfully honest this was a big deal for me as I don't normally sit down with a bible and do a lot of reading in my spare time:)

      So what happened next? It came to me that what happens if everyone said the timing is not right or we don't have the money? Then no one would ever adopt or move forward with their dream and to me once you have that fire in your heart you need to act on it. As adoptive parents I think we are all given a gift to accept a child we know nothing about and to make a commitment to them that we will love them forever. For us this comes easily but for others it does not. So why not take our gift of love and bring home another child? It just seemed like the obvious choice for us. Now to convince Todd that we needed to choose "love" again so soon! That to me was going to be the battle. I knew he wanted to adopt but if I told him what I was thinking he was going to tell me I was crazy. So I made the decision as a modern wife (ha!) not to tell him. Yes I know that was not so nice but I was still so uncertain myself. I needed a sign and a huge one! I knew we only had one more month to reuse our dossier documents and that could save us some money in the overall process. China produces a shared list of children that are eligible for adoption every 4-6 weeks. Our agency matches fast but I didn't know how many people would be in line in front of me. So with a nervous stomach I wrote to my agency asking if they would look for a little girl under the age of five. I told them the special needs I would be open to which is a much longer list now then it was a few years ago. Harper's medical needs have taught me that I can handle much more than I ever thought! My agency wrote back to me saying that it would be unlikely since they had ten families ahead of me. I really felt in my heart that if it was meant to be it would happen and if I was completely off base in my gut feelings then I would not get a file to review. I was completely at peace either way. I knew if I didn't get a file then Todd and I would wait a few more years before the topic of adoption ever came up again. I knew which night the shared list was coming out and that night I heard nothing. It is very hard to get a match on the shared list as every agency frantically tries to lock a file before another agency does. The system is a bit chaotic to say the least. After 72 hours, any file that another family declines goes back to the shared list and then the agencies stay awake all night trying to lock those files for their clients. Well at the 72 hour unlock, I went back to my bible and read for a few minutes – I knew this was my last chance. At 9:04pm I went back to my laptop and there was an e-mail from my agency saying, "What do you think of this beautiful girl?"  When I say I got weak in the knees, well that is an understatement! My body was shaking! Luckily Todd is in charge of bathing Harper and putting her down at night so I gave him some line about how I was going to be up late talking to a friend. I disappeared for the whole night and like a giddy teenage girl I called my friend in Indiana and whispered, "I got a file!"

Talia's File

     There is no such thing as an easy adoption file. They send you two documents: one all in Chinese and one in English. You hope they match up and things were translated correctly but you never know! Of course I went straight to the picture and as I viewed her for the first time so did my dear friend on the phone. She was talking more then I was as I was still numb that I even got a file. I then began to scroll down frantically through the 20 page document to find out what her special needs were. The email from my agency said it seems like a pretty manageable condition. I saw something that said G6PD and thought to myself what in the world is that? I quickly goggled it and learned that it was a blood disorder affecting mostly the Asian population. In the world of special needs you tend to look at the worst case scenario and you don't want to accept a file unless you are prepared for the worst case. The worst case of G6PD is that she will require a blood transfusion should she have interaction with certain drugs. Okay I thought I can just keep her away from this list of drugs and she will be fine. That sure seemed easy to manage to me!  Then I began to read her story and her "easy" file seemed very daunting. Her backstory was that she was left abandoned with the umbilical cord still attached outside a factory outlet. She was taken to the orphanage and after a few months she became very ill. She was brought to a hospital (which is a miracle itself) since most children in orphanages are not properly taken care of and when they turn ill, they all too often pass away. It listed her as going “blue” upon admission and her pneumonia was so severe she was kept in the hospital for a month. It also listed her as having an increased heart rate and then it read that she had a heart attack. In addition there was a picture of a four inch scar on her buttock from some sort of surgery that had no explanation. Now my legs were really shaking. All sorts of thoughts were running through my head mainly, what in the world happened to this baby? As I read the file there was no echo, no CAT scan of her heart yet it said her heart was failing. I thought to myself, dear God I know I can handle a lot but really how can I handle a child that might possibly die on me as soon as I bring her home? I just didn't think I could truly handle that. Just as I had that thought in my mind my agency e-mailed me again to see what I thought and I thought to myself I didn’t  know since her needs were much greater than I thought I could handle. As I was e-mailing and reading as quickly as I could, my friend on the phone was asking what I was going to do. My head was spinning and I literally just didn't understand why I got this file (of all files out there) and especially because I just had prayed to God please don't ever send me a file I can't accept. Give me the sign I need. More importantly give me a sign that only I would be looking for. If I declined this file then my agency could look for a new file for me but something told me to keep reading and then there was my sign, big and red and highlighted: October 14th. Of all days of the year this is the one that had the most significance for me. My closest cousin passed away two years ago on October 14th and when we were in the process of waiting for Harper's file I had prayed to him to find me my daughter. We previously had turned down a couple of files before Harper's and it was gut wrenching! When we got Harper's file I knew she was meant to be ours because the date she became paper ready and eligible for adoption was my cousin's death date – October, 14, 2009. There was no doubt in my mind that he is her guardian angel looking over her and he was with us every step of the way in China. The statistics of Talia's file having the same exact date just one year later is just unbelievable. There is no way to explain it! Call it fate, call it chance or call it God’s plan. China has no clue who receives these files. Whatever you believe I think it is comforting for all of us to know that when people pass away they are still a part of our lives. We may not be able to see them but if we just listen to our hearts and quiet our minds we can find evidence everywhere in our lives that they are still there watching over us.

     Well the rest of the story is simple. The date is all I needed and in my heart of hearts I said yes not knowing any further information or what Todd would think. I knew she was ours and I knew that I had been called to adopt again and the time was now.

    So you still want to know what Todd said right?! He found my laptop open the next morning with Talia’s file open by accident from the night before. I had stayed up all night organizing her file and getting it ready to be sent out to various doctors. He came downstairs for his coffee then looked me right in the eye laughed and said, "So who’s the new girl?" He had opened her file while I was away from the computer. It was the prayer of all prayers answered because he was open hearted and when I told him to look at the dates he was stunned and he instantly knew she was our little girl as well!

Journey of Faith

     When you sign up for adoption you hope, at the end of it, you will bring home a child but you never imagine the impact the journey could have on your life, especially spiritually. On our last adoption the journey to China, enduring 22 hour flights (my labor pains as I like to call them!) staying in a foreign country, and becoming new parents via adoption was my journey of faith. However this journey of faith is not about my "labor pains" or being on foreign soil. This journey is about relying on God to provide like His stories in the bible of the mustard seed. A mustard seed is small, but it's alive and growing. Like a tiny seed, a small amount of genuine faith in God will take root and grow. Almost invisible at first, it will begin to spread, first under the ground and then visibly. Although each change will be gradual, soon this faith will have produced major results and we will all watch in awe of how God’s work has been done to bring Talia home. I have always been a religious person, but until you take a leap of faith and truly rely on God you will never know his power. We are truly relying on him and we know without a doubt that we never would have received Talia's file if she wasn't meant to be ours. We have seen His hand work miracles this past year with Harper. As we look forward to walking through this journey of faith, we hope you will follow along as well and enjoy our tale of two!