We have raised almost $1,000 for the Journey to Hope through Usborne Book sales since our first show in October. Thanks to each of you who hosted a show for us and/or purchased books! I am doing one last show to help us reach our goal this year. Usborne Books make great Christmas gifts and there is something for every child in your life, from babies to teens (children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors). I will be taking catalog orders and online orders through Monday, December 13th, to be sure books arrive in time for Christmas. Please visit our online store at the link below or ask to see a catalog and place your order before the 13th!
For those of you who do not have a need for Usborne Books but would like to find a way to support our journey this Christmas, we also have an online coffee store selling Fair Trade coffees in just about any blend you can imagine. Fair Trade Coffees also make great Christmas gifts! For every bag of coffee purchased from Just Love Coffee Roasters through our storefront, we receive $5 for the Journey to Hope (and you support an awesome organization that helps many other families and an orphanage in Ethiopia!). The link to our online coffee store is also below.
Thank you for considering Usborne Books and Just Love Coffee as Christmas gifts this year and for your help and support in bringing Hope home from Russia!
Blessings,
Chad & Emily
Click here to visit our online stores:
Usborne Books & More
Just Love Coffee Roasters
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Fundraiser/Adoption Update
We have raised over $600 for the Journey to Hope since the middle of September through Usborne Books & More thanks to all of our friends and family (and their friends and family) who have generously hosted shows and/or purchased books! THANK YOU!!! We have three more bookings this month and hope to raise even more! Please keep in mind, especially with the coming holidays, you can make a purchase from our online store at any time and support the Journey to Hope. Usborne Books make great Christmas gifts and so do Fair Trade coffees! Links for both of our online stores are on the panel to the left (scroll down).
A few weeks ago, we received word that our case was being reviewed by our region and that we needed to correct a couple of discrepancies they found on our paperwork. While it was frustrating to find out that there would be another delay while we updated our documents, this was a really good sign! They are (finally) reviewing our dossier, which most likely means that they are preparing us for a referral soon. We could travel any time between now and the end of December when the government offices in Russia shut down for several weeks for the Christmas/New Years holidays. Russians celebrate New Year's twice: on January 1 and again on January 14. Before 1918, Russia used a different system for keeping track of months and years. According to this old system, January 14 is New Year's Day. So, unlike the United States, the governement offices in Russia don't re-open until mid-January. If we don't travel by the end of December, we will travel early next year. As fast as time is passing, it doesn't really feel that far off. I'm praying we'll still get our referral and travel in 2010!
While working on the updates to our documents last month, I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow adoptive family who will be adopting a little girl from Russia through our agency. We had previously "met" on our agency's support forum (online) where we discovered that we are assigned to the same region! They were also asked to update their records in preparation for their 2nd trip to Russia and I ran into them at the Secretary of State's office (in Columbus) of all places. We had about a 5 minute window to run into each other and had never seen each other face to face, yet as soon as she saw me, she knew it was me. How crazy is that? If she hadn't tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Are you Emily?" I would have never known it was her. We spent about 15 minutes chatting in Columbus after our apostilles were completed and we finally had the privilege of meeting for lunch last week. I was grateful to learn so much detailed information about their first trip and what to expect when we are in Russia for the first time. We are praying that we will get to travel with them when it's time for us to meet Hope and when they go back for their court date to bring home their daughter. If you could pray for that, too, we would appreciate it very much!
Please also continue to pray for Hope's health and for patience and endurance for our family as we wait for our referral. I just know that it is imminent. We could get the call as soon as next week! But that is the rollercoaster of international adoption. It could be next week, next month, or next year. Meanwhile, we wait for Hope with hope and with great anticipation!!
A few weeks ago, we received word that our case was being reviewed by our region and that we needed to correct a couple of discrepancies they found on our paperwork. While it was frustrating to find out that there would be another delay while we updated our documents, this was a really good sign! They are (finally) reviewing our dossier, which most likely means that they are preparing us for a referral soon. We could travel any time between now and the end of December when the government offices in Russia shut down for several weeks for the Christmas/New Years holidays. Russians celebrate New Year's twice: on January 1 and again on January 14. Before 1918, Russia used a different system for keeping track of months and years. According to this old system, January 14 is New Year's Day. So, unlike the United States, the governement offices in Russia don't re-open until mid-January. If we don't travel by the end of December, we will travel early next year. As fast as time is passing, it doesn't really feel that far off. I'm praying we'll still get our referral and travel in 2010!
While working on the updates to our documents last month, I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow adoptive family who will be adopting a little girl from Russia through our agency. We had previously "met" on our agency's support forum (online) where we discovered that we are assigned to the same region! They were also asked to update their records in preparation for their 2nd trip to Russia and I ran into them at the Secretary of State's office (in Columbus) of all places. We had about a 5 minute window to run into each other and had never seen each other face to face, yet as soon as she saw me, she knew it was me. How crazy is that? If she hadn't tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Are you Emily?" I would have never known it was her. We spent about 15 minutes chatting in Columbus after our apostilles were completed and we finally had the privilege of meeting for lunch last week. I was grateful to learn so much detailed information about their first trip and what to expect when we are in Russia for the first time. We are praying that we will get to travel with them when it's time for us to meet Hope and when they go back for their court date to bring home their daughter. If you could pray for that, too, we would appreciate it very much!
Please also continue to pray for Hope's health and for patience and endurance for our family as we wait for our referral. I just know that it is imminent. We could get the call as soon as next week! But that is the rollercoaster of international adoption. It could be next week, next month, or next year. Meanwhile, we wait for Hope with hope and with great anticipation!!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Duma Vote Postponed
The State Duma decided to reschedule the vote for next Tuesday, November 23. So, it appears we have another week to wait for the results of the vote.
(Source: http://blog.russianadoptionhelp.com/2010/11/postponed-again.html)
(Source: http://blog.russianadoptionhelp.com/2010/11/postponed-again.html)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Duma Voting on Bill 364094-5 on Wednesday
Please pray as the Russian State Duma is scheduled to vote this Wednesday on Bill 364094-5, which threatens to require a bilateral adoption treaty between a prospective adoptive parent's home country and Russia. The bill is still pending; however, it is looking considerably less likely that this bill will survive the vote.
Over the last week, additional commentary was posted to the State Duma's document database, including an opinion from the Russian Government (the collection of ministries headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin). The Government's written opinion concludes that the bill threatens to do harm to the rights of Russian children awaiting adoption by delaying qualified adoptive parents from other countries while the treaties are being negotiated. Their resulting recommendation to the State Duma is to vote against the bill.
Also, it appears that the State Duma's own Committee for Family, Women, and Children's Matters has also issued a recommendation to vote against the bill.
While these are merely recommendations, and the final decision is up to the State Duma, the reality is that the State Duma is not likely to vote against the will of the Prime Minister. Because of that, I suspect that this bill will go down in defeat next week, and the way will remain clear for adoptions from Russia to many other countries.
(Source: http://blog.russianadoptionhelp.com/2010/10/what-difference-week-makes.html)
Over the last week, additional commentary was posted to the State Duma's document database, including an opinion from the Russian Government (the collection of ministries headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin). The Government's written opinion concludes that the bill threatens to do harm to the rights of Russian children awaiting adoption by delaying qualified adoptive parents from other countries while the treaties are being negotiated. Their resulting recommendation to the State Duma is to vote against the bill.
Also, it appears that the State Duma's own Committee for Family, Women, and Children's Matters has also issued a recommendation to vote against the bill.
While these are merely recommendations, and the final decision is up to the State Duma, the reality is that the State Duma is not likely to vote against the will of the Prime Minister. Because of that, I suspect that this bill will go down in defeat next week, and the way will remain clear for adoptions from Russia to many other countries.
(Source: http://blog.russianadoptionhelp.com/2010/10/what-difference-week-makes.html)
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Fifteen Months
I actually almost lost track of how long we've been waiting now! We started this journey in November 2008 when we went to that first FTIA meeting and began the process of deciding if adoption was for us. We made our final decision in February 2009, submitted our application in March and began the process in April. Our completed dossier was sent to Russia in July 2009, and we've been paper pregnant ever since. So, officially, we've been waiting for 15 months! Our turn to travel and meet our daughter should be coming very soon!!
Last week, I had the privilege of talking with another family who is on this journey with us. They received their invitation to travel in August and returned from their first trip to meet their daughter in September. They are assigned to the same region as us, so they were able to share some invaluable tips that will make our first trip much easier. I was told that going to Moscow is like taking a trip to New York City. However, arriving in our region is like stepping 50-60 years back in time and the orphanage, even further.
There are many things they were able to share with us that I'm uncertain I am allowed to share here, so I'll resist the temptation to do so. Suffice it to say, we are really happy that we made the decision to adopt from Russia and more excited that we are closer than ever to the day we will finally meet Hope!
Last week, I had the privilege of talking with another family who is on this journey with us. They received their invitation to travel in August and returned from their first trip to meet their daughter in September. They are assigned to the same region as us, so they were able to share some invaluable tips that will make our first trip much easier. I was told that going to Moscow is like taking a trip to New York City. However, arriving in our region is like stepping 50-60 years back in time and the orphanage, even further.
There are many things they were able to share with us that I'm uncertain I am allowed to share here, so I'll resist the temptation to do so. Suffice it to say, we are really happy that we made the decision to adopt from Russia and more excited that we are closer than ever to the day we will finally meet Hope!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Help me raise money with Usborne Books & More!
I'm excited to announce that I am starting my own home business selling Usborne books as a way to support our adoption efforts! As I was praying about ways that I could raise money to support our adoption financially, I thought, "What could I sell that I really believe in and that people would actually want to buy?" Usborne books immediately came to mind ...
Usborne books are wonderfully colorful, imaginative and visually stimulating! They entice children to dive into the infomation and surface again eager to learn more. From enchanting baby board books to puzzle books that stretch the imagination, there are books for every child (including the child within us all). I enjoy these books almost as much as my son does! We have never passed an Usborne display without being drawn in to take a look and usually buying a book or two. They are that good! And many are internet-linked for additional learning. We recently bought a book called, "1000 Words in Russian" and are enjoying learning some Russian words and phrases in preparation for our travel. Needless to say, Usborne books are a product that I can sell and believe in.
In order to meet my initial obligation, I need to schedule 6 home shows in the next 12 weeks. If you are interested in helping me by hosting a home show, please contact me so we can set a date. Or if you would rather do an eShow (online), I can do that, too! The great thing is that as you help me, you also help yourself to free products! You get $20 of free books for the first $150 in sales, $30 for $200, $40 for $250 and so on. The higher the sales, the more in free books you can earn! And as a brand new consultant, I can offer my hosts/hostesses DOUBLE FREE BOOKS for shows of $250 or more.
I am depending on my friends and family to help me get my business started and raise the money we need to complete our adoption. Please help me by hosting an Usborne Books & More home show this fall!
Many Thanks,
Emily
Click on the link below to visit my online store and see what makes Usborne books so great. If you do not wish to host a home show (or eShow), you can make a purchase directly from my online store:
Emily Werner's Usborne & More Online Store
Thank you for helping us bring Hope home from Russia!
Usborne books are wonderfully colorful, imaginative and visually stimulating! They entice children to dive into the infomation and surface again eager to learn more. From enchanting baby board books to puzzle books that stretch the imagination, there are books for every child (including the child within us all). I enjoy these books almost as much as my son does! We have never passed an Usborne display without being drawn in to take a look and usually buying a book or two. They are that good! And many are internet-linked for additional learning. We recently bought a book called, "1000 Words in Russian" and are enjoying learning some Russian words and phrases in preparation for our travel. Needless to say, Usborne books are a product that I can sell and believe in.
In order to meet my initial obligation, I need to schedule 6 home shows in the next 12 weeks. If you are interested in helping me by hosting a home show, please contact me so we can set a date. Or if you would rather do an eShow (online), I can do that, too! The great thing is that as you help me, you also help yourself to free products! You get $20 of free books for the first $150 in sales, $30 for $200, $40 for $250 and so on. The higher the sales, the more in free books you can earn! And as a brand new consultant, I can offer my hosts/hostesses DOUBLE FREE BOOKS for shows of $250 or more.
I am depending on my friends and family to help me get my business started and raise the money we need to complete our adoption. Please help me by hosting an Usborne Books & More home show this fall!
Many Thanks,
Emily
Click on the link below to visit my online store and see what makes Usborne books so great. If you do not wish to host a home show (or eShow), you can make a purchase directly from my online store:
Thank you for helping us bring Hope home from Russia!
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