Author Archives: Emily

We have great news! Clay and I applied for a grant from Lifesong for Orphans to help underwrite the cost of the adoption… and we got it! That is a huge answer to prayer. It actually felt like such a God thing because I filled out the application on Saturday afternoon and had it ready to mail. Then, on Sunday morning, our pastor, David Platt, was presented with a gift from the congregation. It was a donation to Lifesong for Orphans on his behalf.

Of course, I cried.

I think God definitely placed us at Church of Brook Hills for a reason. They are partnering with Lifesong to help families who want to adopt.

Anyway, this is how the grant works… Lifesong will match any donation made toward our adoption up to $3,000! Currently, we have paid about $16,000 toward the adoption, so we have about $9,000 to $14,000 more to pay.

If you would like to help us bring Shuler home, we would be completely honored! Just click on the button below and you can pay with Paypal or a credit card. However, be sure to type, “Osburne 2227″ in the box that says, “Purpose.” If you don’t type our name, then your donation will just go to the general fund.

Click here to Donate
100% of your donation goes to us. Lifesong does not take out any money for administrative costs.

If you would rather send a check, you can.

Please make checks payable to:
Lifesong for Orphans (Write “Osburne 2227″ in the Reference Line)

Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744

Feel free to call or e-mail me if you have questions about all this! All donations are tax-deductible, so if you are looking for a place to do some end-of-the-year giving, Lifesong is a great organization.

God bless!

If you can’t see the “Donate” button, just copy and paste the link below into your browser:

http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html

For all who have adopted internationally, you know the wait can seen endless.

We were matched with Shu Xuan (who we are naming Shuler) in May, and we are probably still going to be waiting for three months before traveling. I am praying it will be quicker, but honestly, it could be even longer. So, what is my solution for the long wait?

Pray? Yes.

Cry randomly for no reason? Definitely.

Spend all of Clay’s money on care packages? This is my favorite option.

There are a couple of services, one that I love through www.blessedkids.org, where you can send packages to the orphanage. A precious Chinese woman who now lives in Texas (named Adele) runs Blessed Kids, and her service allows you to choose from toys, cakes, clothes, etc… and she finds someone to hand deliver the package.

I fell off the blog.

It’s true.

Before adopting Easton, I thought it was so strange when moms would go for weeks and months without posting to their blog. “How busy can they be?” I thought. “Don’t babies sleep about sixteen hours per day? How hard can it be to post a few pictures and thoughts to a blog?”

If you are a Mom, you’re probably laughing right now. I learned pretty quickly that it’t not that simple… particularly now that Easton is mobile.