No, it’s not a glitch
We’re thrilled to now be close to being fully funded! Despite some of the initial financial setbacks we experienced (aka furnace going out), we give thanks to God for keeping this door open to us and...
View ArticleMarch recap
We’ve been so busy that we haven’t had a chance to update on how March went. The biggest item is that our home study was completed! Home study complete and sent off to USCIS Tupperware fundraiser...
View ArticleWhy we’re doing this
I saw a discussion the other day that touched on why people adopt. It got me thinking about some of our own reasons as it’s probably the most common thing that people ask us. Not only do we already...
View ArticleRecap of April / May status update
Ok, so I’m realizing it’s been too long since we last posted an update. It’s been pretty exciting though! As of May 7th we’re now officially submitted to adopt from Eastern Europe and our dossier is...
View Article11 things an adoptee wants you to know about adoption
Here’s an article we came across recently that was well written from the standpoint of an adopted girl. Really helpful as we prepare. I think it can be hard for parents to place themselves in their...
View ArticleWe now have a travel date!
We had been waiting to hear back after officially having our dossier submitted on May 7th. The good news is that as of yesterday morning we now have an official appointment date to get Eloise’s...
View ArticleQ&A page updated
I just realized the Q & A page was out of date, so that’s now been updated. I’d love to hear your ideas if there’s anything else Sara or I can help answer, at least about our journey so far. Do...
View Article50+ ways you can help orphans
You don’t necessarily need to adopt to make an impact. Some of the biggest encouragements for us have involved others sharing our story. Donations, even smaller ones, also helped us realize that we...
View ArticleWe’re now home! Pictures of our trip…
It’s been a long journey, but the good news is that we’re now home! And things have been going pretty well. It’s well known that the last week or two in Ukraine can be fairly challenging as the kids...
View ArticleColor the Map fundraiser recap
We admittedly haven’t found as much time as we would have liked to update you all. Sorry about that. We do sincerely thank you for all your support and prayers through all of this. It was fun for us...
View ArticleTrip 1 completed
I feel like it’s been a while since we last updated on progress here, but that’s mostly been because things have been so busy. You may have seen our change in plans when first arriving in Eastern...
View ArticleLeaving tomorrow to bring these kids home!
It’s been quite the journey, but I’m pleased to say that tomorrow begins our final trip where the kids get to come with us back to Kiev and then back to our home here in Minnesota! It’s also the...
View ArticleHello from Kiev!
We’re now on the home stretch! We’ve been in Kiev close to two weeks now and I realize it’s been a while since we last posted an update here. So here’s a glimpse into what we’ve been up to. We were...
View ArticleWe’re home!
It’s been a long journey, but the good news is we’re now home! From start to finish, it’s been about 11 months, with about 6 1/2 weeks spent in Ukraine spread across 3 trips. We enjoyed most of our...
View ArticleAn update
It’s been a while since we last posted here, mainly because we’ve been more active on Facebook with photos and updates. When a family arrives home with their new kids, it can also get very busy as...
View ArticleMaking it work
I spent a good amount of time trying to think of a title for this post. We get comments quite often that border along the line of “I don’t know how you guys do it” and I’d love to respond with...
View ArticleHave you ever thought about adopting?
I asked a question on Facebook recently to try and understand what might hold people back from adopting a child if it’s something they have a passion for. And I received some great responses. I’d...
View ArticleTen things Ukraine gets right
I’ve been wanting to write something like this for a while now since our first adoption in 2015. Traveling to Ukraine has been a really unique experience and some cultural aspects surprised and...
View ArticleOur “old Adam”
There’s Lutheran terminology I’ve often thought about after both of our adoptions and it’s called the “old Adam” vs “new man”. It’s a concept I first learned in grade school confirmation class and it...
View Article1 year home!
Time has really flown! May 16 recently marked the 1 year anniversary of Jonathan, Hannah, and Ruth arriving on US soil and being home. It’s been a long journey through paperwork, 3 separate trips to...
View Article