All I Want For Christmas Is A Court Date!

I have been thinking a lot this week about traditions and what that means to kids through adoption.  When Chris and I got married I asked him what traditions he had as a child … and he shared that he really didn’t have any.  I think the thing he mentioned was that they would try to find the one open restaurant on Christmas day.  Of course I came from a family of a multitude of traditions spanning generations and things that to me are what make Christmas … Christmas.  So, we entered our married life carrying forward my family’s traditions.  Chris actually loved having something “the same” to look forward to every year.  Although he has never taken to our “Christmas Rice” (and is convinced it shouldn’t take 2 hours to cook), he still stirs the cooking rice for me as he knows how much it means to me at Christmas.  When we had kids Chris decided that he wanted to create one of the traditions that we would carry forward with our kids.  That tradition is what you see pictured above.  We pick out a movie for the kids and they try and guess for a few weeks before which one it will be … then they open it together and after all of the Christmas Eve fun has been had, they all get their sleeping bags and blankets and set up in the living room next to the Christmas tree and watch the movie together.  This then leads to sleeping by the tree.  I wondered last night as I saw Corbin, who is almost 14, how much longer he will want to participate in this tradition.  I like to think that it will never end, but I know at some point it will likely be an obligation rather than an enjoyed tradition. 

I have been thinking about our little one in Ghana and have wondered what makes her know it is Christmas.  I wonder what foods she loves to have and if they are included in special holiday times.  Does she have any memories from her family of origin that she thinks of … Is she making any new memories where she is living now that will be meaningful to her … or is there none of that in life for her now?  I have spoken to many adult adoptees and some from my generation where they were adopted internationally and expected to leave everything about who they were and where they came from behind.  There was no longer “Korean” heritage because you are now “American” and being adopted into a German family means you now only have German traditions and foods.  I don’t say that in a disrespectful manner … truly I don’t, but that was the reality for many that have been adopted over the years.  I think often about what traditions Kylie would be experiencing had she been raised in her birth family.  Kylie only knows the traditions of our home, but what would that look like for her?  I know that when you are adopted you join a new family, but what if we had the ability to bring into this new family things of her “first” family that we could all enjoy?  We are far from experts on this journey but my hope always is that we listen to what God is asking us to do in helping our children learn and grow, and feel loved and accepted.  For our kids through adoption there will be the added piece of grief and loss that we will continually deal with over the years.  I so hope that we are equipped to bring meaning where they need it and cherish things that help them know how much we love and appreciate where they came from and that we want to honor that. 

 

The reality is, Kylie is now in the Goodreau family, she has three older brothers that love to help her learn new things and she has mainly Swedish and Danish foods that she experiences at Christmas.  She has brothers that willing are help her dress her new doll and Kylie is sure to tell them the doll has underwear on so there is no need for her brothers to close their eyes when the doll is naked.  Alex made her doll a little bracelet already this morning and Corbin helped her braid her doll’s hair.  After he is finished braiding I hear him say “It won’t win any awards, but it will do.”  Kylie and her sister will give up much to be in our family.  They will leave behind what life would have been being raised in their biological families.  This was God’s plan for them as it was for my sweet Grandma 85 years ago.  My hope is that they know how much we want to honor where they came from and hope that we can learn more about each of their family of origin so that we can celebrate in ways that honor them.

All I wanted for Christmas was news of a court date.  We had hoped to have this news by now … but that has not happened.  I received an email on Sunday from a sweet friend, another adoptive mommy who knows what it is like to wait for a child to come home. 

Praying for your little one today! His ministry is strong and his support is sure, even when we can't see it! He is FOR the weak of this world; and his heart is turned to the humble! My prayer is that He is etching His name on your little honey's heart and every fiber of her being--that even in her dark hour, his strong light of hope would be shining in. I pray God would be powerful in her case, and move it forward for her adoption; and that He would hold your hearts close in comfort as you wait through these unknown days.

I am so thankful for those of you interceding on our behalf.  Thank you Teresa for your words … I so appreciate it!  Merry Christmas to all of you!  I hope that you are experiencing the wonder of the One who came to save the world!   

UNBELIEVABLE!

 

Wow, we have been in a bit of a phase of amazement over the past couple of weeks with the ways that we are being financially supported on this journey.   We always believed that God would provide for all that we need, but honestly didn’t know what that would look like.  We thought possibly it could come through extra income through my job, or through many different fundraisers that we would take on.  We have been in awe at the ways that God has prompted people to support us … it is truly unbelievable. 

 

Through our first adoption journey, we were living on one income … a police officer’s income.  We are so blessed for Chris’ job and the stability and benefits it provides, but you all can probably understand that a police officer does not fall into the upper income echelons … we have lived life always having our needs met and for the first 10 years of having children we always needed to make decisions frugally so that we could live without debt, and have me be an at-home mom.  In our first adoption we were blessed to receive a three grants from wonderful organizations (Show Hope, Katelyn’s Fund and our Church adoption grand fund) totaling about $9,000 … in addition to that, we received money through a fundraiser and donations from family and friends … about $5,000 more.  We cashed out some small retirement accounts that had accumulated from year’s earlier and drained our savings (about $10,000) knowing that our adoption tax credit would offset any penalty that we would incur.  The remaining money came through loans … if you are doing the math with us, that was about $10,000.  So our total costs for our first adoption were around $34,000 … we had one adoption fall through in that process that caused us to lose $3,500 … another part of the domestic adoption process is that you can have “risk” money with matches.  What this means is that the birth mom is being supported and if she chooses to parent, there could be money lost due to support of her. 

 

We believe (and honestly still do) that if we are a family that is okay with carrying some type of debt/borrowed money for a mortgage, then we should be okay with borrowing money for bringing home a child.  Probably not within the “grand” ideas of Dave Ramsey or other financial freedom people (no disrespect intended), but honestly, that was and still is our take on it.  We wanted to continue to give to our church through the process and because we weren’t willing to compromise that, it was either borrow money or wait until we had that money saved up.  After Kylie was home a year God provided my current job.  With that job we were able to be ‘adoption debt free’ by the time Kylie was 15 months old.  That is our story from last time around. 

 

This time, I am working and we have been blessed tremendously with my job.  We were able to (a few years back) repay all $20,000+ of my school loans for my master’s degree because of my job, and have been blessed with many other opportunities through my working.  We also know that with the addition of another child, and an older child through adoption, my work load is going to need to scale back and I am going to need to return to being at home more.  Our income is going to be reducing again … this time returning primarily to a police officer’s income as a family of seven.  This is why we are so grateful for all of you joining with us in helping with the financial costs of this process.  I hope you know just how incredibly blessed we are from your support and understand deeply just how much we know that your sacrifice ultimately has helped our family.  Your willingness to give big has not gone unnoticed.  It is humbling to receive from others … we are accustomed to living a life where we haven’t had to rely on others to live … so it is humbling to be in a position where we are relying on others for this process.  THANK YOU! 

 

If you have glanced over to the thermometer on this page you have already realized why I am gushing so much in this post!   Look at that total … unbelievable!  We can finish this process not worrying or thinking about where the money is going to come from … it is ready and waiting for that next bill to arrive.  Please accept our heartfelt thank you for your wonderful support of our family.  It has been so much fun to share with the kids along the way and watch them see the ways God has provided.  It is a lesson so valuable for them as well. 

 
We hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Christmas and pray that you are taking in this Christmas knowing the Savior of the world and the miracle that occurred over two thousand years ago that created the celebration of this day.  We are thankful for the saving grace of knowing Christ and we want to continue to live for HIM in all the ways He asks! 

YAY!

Since my post this morning we received confirmation that our power of attorney has our documents in his hands!!  So excited to know that our envelope made it to the destination needed.  He will be delivering the forms this week to the program director for our region.  Please pray with us that we will get a court date.  We know (from watching others ) that our first court date will likely be postponed or cancelled, so we would love to get that first date on the calendar and get this ball rolling!  Another high on this rollercoaster ride ….  :-)

The Rollercoaster Continues ...



Often when I get a home study approved for a family I ask them if they are ready for the roller coaster ride.  Many times I get a chuckle from them and then they realize that I am not chuckling and quite possibly I am being serious about this description.  In my opinion it is the best way to describe what it feels like.  You head up the hill, anxiously anticipating the top, where you know you will “fall” and in some type of delight enjoy this craziness.  Then, you reach the bottom where the thrill has ended, and feel so low and kind of want to go back up the hill, but kind of just want to get off of the ride.  Oh the little hills are fun, and don’t bring as much angst, how fun it is to just have some little hills along the way.  But then that big hill is coming again, am I excited or terrified?  The first hill was fun, but this hill (and subsequent ones after it) brings the knowledge that the first hill had its disappointments … so do I really want to go up a hill again? 

We had a couple of weeks of “highs and lows” as you probably recall from my last post, it was a bit of a low time and the desire to “head back up the hill” was a struggle.  We have been waiting to hear that our packet arrived in Ghana for awhile now.  The last email from the post office indicated that our envelope has been placed in the PO Box of the recipient … now we are waiting to get confirmation from him that it was in the box and he has actually received it.  During the midst of this waiting on our package we received word that a large donation was sent towards our adoption … it actually was sent a couple of months ago but we did not know about it until about a week ago.   Another moment of a “high” where we are amazed in how God provides and wonder how we deserve to be supported so well.  We know that God is in this and are grateful for the continual provisions from Him.  Thank you again, for all of you who have supported us financially or through prayer.  It means more to us that you will ever know.    

So the wait continues.  We are hoping to hear today that the envelope is actually in the hands of the one we sent it to.  We sit in wonder what our little one is doing today.  In the warm Ghanaian sun … I hope she has much joy today and can feel in some small way the love we already have for her.  She received her first Christmas gift this past weekend from her Grandma Carolyn and Grandpa Kermit … a Christmas ornament.  We long for the day when she can put her ornaments on the tree and be a part of a family … we are so amazed that it gets to be our family!

 

 

Waiting ....

 

Yesterday was one of those days where the reality of adoption …. The hard parts of adoption hit you square in the face and you want to give up.  We are still waiting on receiving word that our mail made it to Ghana.  It should be there any day and we just want to hear that it arrived.  So we wait …

Many times people comment that I must have a cool job working in adoption.  I think many of the people that feel that way maybe haven’t been through the adoption process and likely just don’t have much of an idea of what the ups and downs of adoption feels like.  Even as a ‘worker’ in this process you connected deeply.  Yesterday was a day where the weight of the ‘hard’ side of adoption was felt heavy within me.  So many struggles in the many aspects of adoption and at the same time wanting to “do well” the job given to me.  It is very challenging when you see kids not receive the home you are anticipating for them, and it is hard to work with insurance companies and attorneys to make sure that each person involved is treated well and protected in the ways that they should be.  There is pain and loss in adoption, there is grief in choosing a family for a child when what that sweet birth momma likely wants to have that child for herself.   I am probably not making sense in this post.  Yesterday was one of those days where the ‘hard’ stuff can make you pack your bags and leave this crazy emotional journey of adoption, returning home to curl up under the blanket in the warmth and protection of home, drawing close the family God has blessed you with and decide you are content and ‘done.’  And then when you let your brain go there, you realize how selfish it is to want to abandon the job God has given you. 

The beauty of adoption is in the families that forge ahead through the tough stuff, through the unknowns and through the ‘what ifs’ and fear of what you don’t know will come.  If you know families on the journey of adoption, pray for them on this crazy journey.  Pray that God will give them the perseverance needed, and the courage to continue even when the fear and doubt creeps in.  Pray for protection of these sweet children that are out there waiting for their forever family, even when they are rejected from receiving what they so much deserve.  Pray for the government officials whose job is to make sure that all is done legally and correctly, yet it can feel unjust when you are fighting for a child that you just want that child released to receive her forever family.  And pray for the amazingly courageous birth families, in this country and across the oceans who have to make a choice to relinquish a child/children.  Sometimes that choice is made by default through death or in our country the foster care system / workers and judges determining the future of children.  This whole process is broken.  This whole journey is based in something that I wish these children and families didn’t have to face.  God is the only one that can redeem this brokenness which is why I am privileged to have the job that I do.  If you are reading this and have considered adoption, please pray about what God is speaking to you.  There is so much need.

My wonderful sister shared with me last night a note one of her kids wrote to her recently.  They have been home in their forever family for almost five years.  Those that know their story intimately know that the past five years have been HARD for them.  Harder than they could have ever anticipated they would be.  But, thanks to my sister’s reminder last night I can continue on, knowing that God has us on this journey for a reason.  He is choosing to use us, with all of our inadequacies, to be a family for a child.   God is not giving us another child; God is giving a child a family! 

Back to the note … the words of a sweet child who once lived life in many different homes and shelters and was able to recall to her forever mommy almost five years after coming home that she remembers the day that Anita and Joel took them from the shelter and told them “no matter what, we will never leave you.”  And shared a memory of shortly after coming home when she went out to play in the snow for the first time and jumped off of the slide instead of sliding down it, cutting her lip along the way.  She thanked her mommy for cuddling her into her lap and putting a wet cloth on the cut on her lip.  That is what happens when a child goes from a life of not having a mom to care for the littlest of issues; to knowing and believing she has a mom and dad that will always be there.  There was so much more in her note that I wish I could share.  The point in this is that this healing doesn’t happen overnight.  I am certain it took a long time for this precious child to believe that her parents will be there and care for her, but she can remember the “feeling” she had the first time these things happened to her. 

So, we continue to say “yes” to God’s calling of pursuing this precious girl across the world.  We know that God has called and we trust that He is continuing to work even when the waiting is hard and when want her home now.    

We Got Mail!

 

The door bell rang yesterday and our mail lady was at the door with an armful of mail.  I wondered if it just didn’t fit into the box but then she said I had an item I had to sign for … and then I saw it in her stack!  The piece of mail that was clearly from another country.  It was so exciting and we can officially say we have received our first piece of mail from Ghana!  So, a quick (and short) update … we got an email a short time ago that we would have to complete the application forms again. The new program director is working again which is a good thing, and so this new director is asking for us to fill out the new forms.  They have identical information as the others that we had completed but … this is adoption.  Sometimes you fill out a form that you have already filled out and maybe one little thing is different about it but it still has to be filled out.  There is no negotiating it, you just do it.  Honestly, when we have a task to do we jump into “do” mode because we don’t want to delay any possible progress from something that we could be doing.  Maybe that is just how Chris and I are, I am thankful we both have the same urgency and can work as a team to get this done.  We will have to get to both of our doctors again and ask them to re-complete our forms, giving the same instructions; please don’t leave any lines blank, use blue ink and make sure it is signed and dated … oh and make sure you don’t make a mistake when filling it out!  The first time mine was done she handed me the completed form and I had a diagnosis listed that I have never even heard of.  I can’t remember now what it was but I know it was related to a mental health issue.  I can’t say I wouldn’t be worthy of a mental health diagnosis some days, but that diagnosis was not one I could own and certainly not one that you would want to show up for the first time on adoption paperwork being sent to the country you are seeking your child from!  So, our hope is to get this stuff filled out and right back into the mail.  No other news on the adoption front, no court date set.  Patience, patience, patience.

 

I had my “Trunk Show” last night and it was so much fun to see so many friends.  I SO love the idea of Paisley Print Boutique and I hope that others that joined us also gained from hearing of the many organizations working to empower women and help men and women escape trafficking.  Thanks to the awesome purchases of my friends, we were able to raise $155 towards our adoption.  Another friend of mine handed me a check last night as well … so $255 dollars last night heading right to our adoption fund.  We are so thankful for God’s provision.  The money piece is has not been a “worry” for us (we know of far too many other things in this process that are worthy of worry!) God has and will provide … always.  Thanks for all of your love and support … we appreciate you!

Please Join Us!

Many have asked if we have any “news” on the adoption front. Unfortunately, we do not. We are still waiting for that first court date to get set up. The latest word is that the program directors went on strike shortly after the new one was placed in the region that we are adopting from. So, we wait for that to be resolved and pray that God will bring a court date. Adoptions in Ghana are not as common as other countries. There isn’t a “set” process and from what we understand that is something they are looking to change. Our power of attorney in Ghana continually says that things will move forward we just have to be patient.   Easier said than done! We are trying to rest and trust in that.  We try to release control and some days there is restlessness within that is hard to work through. Other days it is easy to trust and know that God is at the center of it all and that He has a plan much bigger than we can see in this moment. We believe that God has called us to this and so in that we know that patience is a must. While we wait we look to the holidays and in this month turn to the things we are so thankful for.

Adoption is one of those things we are thankful for.   Did you know that November is National Adoption Month?   To celebrate National Adoption Month … and raise a little more money for our adoption, I am going to be hosting a “trunk show” with Jen Flavin from Paisley Print Boutique on Thursday, November 21st at 7:00 pm.   This is a home party “trunk show” with unique products.   Jen started her organization because she wanted to create a place where people can shop and know that everything they purchase is making a tangible difference in someone's life around the world.  There are many organizations that make beautiful, high quality items that are making a difference that many people just don't know about.   So part of this is awareness as well.   She gives 10% of each trunk show's sales to a charity or ministry of the hostess’ choosing.   For this show, 10% of the sales will go to the Goodreau Adoption Fund to help get our little girl home!

You can check out their website for the organizations they are currently working with and a preview of some of what will be there on November 21st …. Come and get some of your Christmas presents knocked off of your list … or just join us for a night of fun and fellowship!!   Please let me know if you can come by emailing me at kristin.goodreau@gmail.com ... or if you have questions please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.  I hope you can make it!

 

http://www.paisleyprintboutique.com/store/  

PICTURES & PRAYER!

 

So, thanks to my amazing sisters we have some fun pictures to share from our fundraiser day!  Jodie and Angie have both been the ones in our family who have provided the gift of pictures well!  They were both “on duty” for our fundraiser and captured some fun pictures of our day.  It is so much fun for us to look through our pictures and remember who gave us a portion of their Saturday and came to encourage us on this journey.  I hope you all know (those near and far) how much we appreciate your love and support.  We have received even more donations since our fundraiser day.  As you can see from our thermometer, the total is rising and God is so good in providing exactly what we need.  It is humbling and amazing to get envelopes in the mail of encouragement and gifts … and when we arrived at one of our son’s conference at school this week another envelope from teachers our children have had over the years.  Thank you all for your encouragement and support!   “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.”  ~ Ephesians 3:20

Please pray with us that we will get news very soon of our first court date.  Many have asked if anything “new” has happened in our process, and the answer to this point is “no.”  We wait to hear of a court date and pray that happens very soon.  We know that once we get past this first court date, we will have more waiting (likely several months) before the process of bringing her home will begin.  We trust in God’s timing and know that He is in control of all things.

We hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we have! J 

    The Whole walking/running GANG! 

My sisters ... thanks for all you work on this day!

 

The Bake Sale Items ... it was a hit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A surprise visit from my best friend from high school ... so much fun to see Peggy and her boys!

 

 

THANK YOU to all of you who walked, ran, or were present in support of us ... what an amazing day it was and that was only possible because of your willingness to be there with us!  THANK YOU!

 

To see our complete picture album you can head over to our Facebook page! Maybe you can get them from this link:  https://www.facebook.com/jodie.moritzbenzkofer/media_set?set=a.617073618330883.1073741830.100000847520488&type=3

 

 

AMAZING!!!!

 

Wow, did we have an amazing day on Saturday!  I just have to share that when we woke on Saturday  we were first happy to realize that it wasn’t that cold outside, and even more critical it was dry!  Chris kept saying through the week that God was going to give us a window of time for our fundraiser and that we just needed to trust in that.  When we were setting up that morning at the park, the wind picked up and almost took our sign down, we were debating how to get the sign more stable and keep things from blowing away.  God decided that He was going to calm the wind, and by 10:00, the wind was gone and at 10:10 that morning, the sun poked through on us!  By the time all were back from the run/walk, it had warmed up and the sun was actually out … and we had blue skies!  By about 2:30 that afternoon, the clouds came back in and while at Seth’s baseball game at 4:00 that day we were sitting under umbrellas trying to stay dry and warm.  We had an amazing time and were blessed by the many friends and family that came out to support us.  It was such a beautiful day.  I just also want to shout out to my wonderful family (and Katy!) for each providing items for our lunch …. The saying “many hands make light work” is always present in my big family!   I am so thankful for a large family, it makes gatherings crazy sometimes, but wow, what a blessing to have each provide on a day like that day making it easy!  Thanks to my mom and sister Jodie for providing additional baked goods for our bake sale.  My mom spent many hours baking in the week leading up to the fundraiser (mom typically has the “go big or go home” mind-set which I love about her) ... thank you Mom, we know it was so much work for you and we are so grateful for your hard work!

Now for the exciting part … the grand total for the day was just under $3700!  How cool is that!  We are so blessed and so incredibly thankful for your love and support.  This process cannot be completed alone, and I truly believe that God doesn’t want us to complete it alone.  He has big plans when His work is being done and sometimes we just need to get out of the way and let Him do what He does best!  Thank you, Thank you for all that came out in support.  We are blessed beyond measure and are thankful for each one of you in helping us get our girl home!  I will post more pictures from the day very soon!

Patience and Surrender

If the adoption process doesn’t bring anything else to families … it certainly helps you learn patience … and learn how to surrender in the process.  We were hoping to have a court date by the end of September but now that will be delayed.  There is a new regional director in Ghana, which is delaying things a bit.  From what I am reading from a group I am involved in with other families adopting from Ghana, this is a good thing, and this new director has good intentions in doing the job well.  That is something we are thankful for.  What this means for us is that we will wait longer for our first court date.  Ghana is currently working to develop a more streamlined process for adoption, which is also a good thing.  It just requires for us to have patience and trust that God is in control of this process.

 When you are given a child through adoption you have a deeper awareness of the fact that our kids are not “ours” … what I mean by that is that it can be easy to think of our biological kids as property, or beings that we have control over … but when you adopt and receive a child that was born to someone else, we have found that we understand deeply that these children are all God’s children.  They are not “ours” and in that we have to surrender that God’s plan is greater than our own.  Please don’t be alarmed, we believe all of our children are ours, we just know that God gives each child (through birth or  adoption) and it is His plan that determines what that looks like throughout life.  When Kylie came into our family she had a strange infection enter her body when she was 2 ½ months old.  We spent 8 nights at children’s hospital very thankful for the intravenous antibiotics needed remove this infection from her body.  I remember to this day driving to the hospital and saying to God … “She is yours, and I surrender her to you” … we had no idea at that point why she had such a high white count and it took a couple of  days to know for sure what we were going to face.  Kylie healed and she is a very healthy almost five year old. 

We entered this process this time trying hard from the beginning to surrender this whole adoption process to God.  He has the timing all figured out and we know that He loves this precious girl that we have only seen through one picture and He has big plans for her! 

It’s not too late to join us next Saturday for our fundraising event.  We are excited to see everyone that can come and are humbled by the love and support of so many!

Grandma's Love

 

Today would be my Grandma’s 97^th birthday if she were still on earth with us.  As I mentioned in my previous post, she was adopted 85 years ago, at the age of 12.  I miss her tons and wish often that I could ask her more questions about her life and experiences.  I am grateful for the time that we had and am so thankful that I was a stay-at-home mom during her last few years of life.   I would often take the boys to the nursing home to see her and we cherish those memories.

In the service we attend at church we don’t often get to hear what I call “oldies but goodies,” Chris doesn’t always know what I mean because he didn’t grow up in the church, but today we got to hear a beautiful duet of the song “His Eye is On the Sparrow” and when they sang I couldn’t help myself, the tears flowed.  That song brings back so many memories of my childhood and time with my immediate family and also my grandparents.  Such sweet memories and blessings of a life of love.  Though my immediate family has changed, and my Grandparents are no longer living on this earth, it is incredible how a song can impact you in that way.  My Grandma came through adversity, and she loved her Grandkids well even though she had a tough start at life. When I was young Grandma would show her love to us through food … my cousin and I talked about this at her funeral and he pointed out that she and Grandpa did not have material wealth, but she always showed her love through food.  I made Grandma’s light rye bread today to remember her.  My kids don’t associate this bread with their great grandma because they did not watch her bake it: kneading the dough, letting it rise, punching it down and letting it rise again.  That is what I remember when I eat this bread; watching Grandma work hard to prepare food to show her love for us.  Today, my bread machine did all the work, but the end result of the tasty bread reminds me of my precious Grandma.  Happy Birthday Grandma!  I love you so much, and miss you.  I can’t wait to see you again!

The boys have decided that they are going to add a “Bake Sale” onto our fundraiser day.  We are going to make some yummy baked goods (to include a few loaves of Grandma’s light rye bread) to sell in an attempt to raise money for our adoption.  As you can see from our thermometer at the right of the page … we are blessed!  We have been given $2,300 towards our adoption already.  It is so fun to hear from people who want to support us and we are very excited we get to see many of you on October 5^th … we appreciate you and are humbled by your generosity! 

Finishing Last!

 

Chris and I ran a 10K today.  Well, I wouldn’t’ say that I “ran” it as there was a fair amount of walking that was intertwined in my running.  Chris did not and would not leave me so he finished as I did … last.  There is something humbling about coming in last, having the squad trailing the run behind you the entire time.  I am much more of a competitive person than Chris so of course it didn’t bother him to stay with me even if it meant he would also finish last.  I am blessed to have this partner in life.   I was challenged in my own words when I have told my kids that it doesn’t matter where you finish, as long as try and do your best.  So I am reminding myself of that today … someone has to finish last, right?

In thinking about this today I am realizing that I am not used to being last.  I was essentially born into privilege, not that my family had a lot of wealth, but the doors of opportunity were a plenty.  We were always encouraged and really anything that we wanted to pursue our parents would make happen for us.  I struggle sometimes with knowing how best to respond with that privilege I was born into.  Why me?  Why would I be ‘given’ so much?  Working in the adoption world I hear a lot of discussion about adoption, and with that comes those on the side that kids should not be adopted, rather, financial means should be provided for them to remain in live in the culture and/or family that they were born into.  I understand fully the value in this.  I am parenting a child trans-racially already and I know that there are things that she does not receive fully from us, and if I am going to be totally honest, she probably can’t receive fully from Caucasian parents.  However, I do know that her mom chose us because there were many things (beyond just culture) that she wanted for her daughter.  And by God’s grace she chose us for that.

Many of you probably don’t know, but my grandma was adopted.  She spent time in foster care in St. Paul, Minnesota, before her father voluntarily relinquished his rights because he could not provide for her and her two brothers (her mother had passed away years before – essentially starving to death).  She then went to the orphanage in Owatonna, Minnesota.  I am here, and able to do the things that God has designed for me in my life because someone adopted an orphan at the age of 12.  Someone gave her the gift of family, gave her opportunity and for that I am eternally grateful.  You may think that sounds like a dramatic statement, but truly, my grandparents would not have met had God not designed that she be adopted into the Peterson family.  It is a legacy in many ways fraught with pain and loss, but through the gift of family and as my grandma would always tell you, the redemption of Christ, became a beautiful thing.  So you see, it isn’t a given that you are born into a privileged life.  I think of this often when I think of our daughter in Ghana.  I wonder what her life is like and how it can be that God would choose for her to come into our family.  I am not trying to imply that she will gain “privilege” when arriving in our home, but her life will change drastically going from a developing country to suburbia in America.  We hope that God is preparing us adequately.  We know that we can’t do this alone and we humbly ask that you join with us in however God has equipped you!  I (we) may have finished last today, but that is okay!  J

Let The FUN Begin – And Save The Date!

Well, we received an email that makes the heart beat fast and reminds us just how close we could be to bringing our daughter home.  We still don’t know for sure how much longer it will be, but knowing that our Power of Attorney in Ghana is looking to try for a “first” court date at the end of September  makes this all more real!  The first thought I had when reading that was, oh my, we are going to have to focus on fundraising!!! 

My amazing sister came to me about a month ago suggesting an idea for a fundraiser that we thought would be kind of fun.  It is also kind of fitting based on our first blog post.  She is planning a fundraiser “Fun Run or Walk” for us to be held in early October.  We are humbled by her desire to help us and are thankful that we have wonderful family supporting us along this journey.  After some talking and figuring things out, it looks like we are going to be having this “Fun Run or Walk” on Saturday, October, 5^th, in Lakeville.   It is humbling to reach out to others … this is one of those pieces that Chris and I have not looked forward to, but knew was inevitable.  God is in control of it and we know He has a plan through it all.  We are gathering all of our ideas for that day … and hope that many of you will be able to join us. 

We also wanted to share with you that we do have a process that you can go through to give tax-deductible gifts towards our adoption.  Our church has an adoption ministry fund that allows gifts to be sent and designated to a certain family.  If you would choose to give through this process, you would need to provide two additional forms with your gift.  We will have these forms available on our fundraiser day, but you can also print them from the link on side panel of our blog (just to the right, cut and paste that link into your browser and it will take you to the forms on the church website) and mail it in directly to Berean Baptist Church if you prefer to do it that way.  Both of these forms would need to be included with your donation if you decide to do this process. 

The info for the fundraiser is below:

Adoption Fundraiser “FUN RUN or WALK!”

Help bring home ‘Little G’ and have some “fun”

along the way!

We are working to support Chris and Kristin as they raise funds for their

adoption.  Our goal is to find at least 30 people that are willing to try and raise

at least $100 each towards the Goodreau’s adoption fund.   If we can

get more people and can raise more than that we would love it!

 

        What:     2.8 mile run/walk (2 times) around beautiful East Lake

When:     Saturday, October 5, 2013 at 10:00 am

Where:    East Lake Community Park

       16700 Pilot Knob Road ~ Lakeville, MN

Who:       Anyone wanting to support adoption!

 

After the run / walk we will have a light lunch and lots of fun stuff for the

kids to enjoy!  Please let us know if you plan to join us so that we can have

enough drinks and food for those participating.  We are excited to welcome

another child into the Goodreau family and would love to have your support!

 

Please contact Anita Ruthenbeck at aruthenbeck@msn.com to register or email/call with questions (651-341-6406)!