Great news! We have happily received our travel approval! I created a new travel blog that is by invitation only for our travels. If you would like to follow along please send me an email at kevkarb@yahoo.com and, please, tell me how you know me (like through a specific yahoo group, family member, friend on facebook...) so that I can approve you. Otherwise, I will probably copy the posts from the travel blog onto this blog when we return and you could read it then.
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us on this journey to our daughter. We are still trying to raise money for the orphanage donation we have to make. Any amount you can donate will help both our family with the adoption costs and the orphanage our daughter has lived in since she was 3 weeks old - she is now 3 1/2. I have heard that the orphanage is a good one - but that it is a poor one. As a thank you for any donation you make we will put your name in a drawing for the chance to win one of the gifts on the left. I would love to see the donation tracker on the right move closer to its goal and to present some of you with a great "thank you" gift from the drawing.
Please pray in the upcoming weeks that Lyric's transition into our family is a smooth one and that she attaches well to us.
Sincerely,
Karen
Thank you for visiting! This blog is a hodgepodge of things that interest me such as writing about our family and our new adventure into soap making, advocating for orphans & adoption, providing links for freezer meals we like etc. etc. We are a Christian, homeschooling family with 9 children: 1 was born in China, 5 in Colombia 3 are biological. Welcome! I hope you find something that interests you :)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Orphanage Donation update and waiting for travel approval!
Call me crazy, but I really enjoy putting together yard sales (and not only because of the financial blessings we receive from them!) I enjoy them because I get to meet and talk with so many wonderful people. I pray that we were able to touch the hearts of some who we spoke with as much as what mine was touched!
If you take a quick look at the Orphanage Donation Tracker on the right side of the blog you'll see that we have already been blessed with raising just over $600 for the orphanage donation! A huge thank you to everyone who donated and/or shopped at the sale! We saw many people who donated even though they didn't buy anything and many who donated more than what we were asking. People stopped to shop just because they saw our signs that said "Child Adoption Fund-raiser"!
On the left side of the blog are what I call "Thank you gifts". Everyone who donates online, by mail, or in person for the orphanage donation will have their name entered into a drawing for the chance to win one of these gifts. Not everyone will win (sorry!), but please know that you do have our sincere thanks and gratitude for the donation. The donation is really also a fee for our adoption - so not only do you help the children, you are helping us as well. It goes right to the orphanage where our daughter has lived since she was about 3 weeks old (she is now about 3 1/2). We are praying that we raise way more than the required monetary donation, that way we can purchase and take with us physical items I'm sure they need more of - like jackets for this winter, diapers and formula for the babies, and shoes!
On the right side of the blog is where I'll post the names/blogs/websites of the individuals who donate items that are offered as the "Thank you gifts". Please be sure to visit any links! Anyone who would like to donate a "thank you gift" can send me an email at kevkarb@yahoo.com.
If you want to be updated when we add to the blog, just fill in your information on the right side under where it says "Subscribe to Orphanage Fundraiser", and you will be emailed when we update the blog.
Oh - ways to donate can be found on the right side of the blog. You can donate online through the chip-in button, mail a donation, or you can even make a tax-deductible donation!
On a final note - we are now waiting for Travel Approval from China to go get our daughter! Yeah!
With sincere thanks,
The Burgess family
If you take a quick look at the Orphanage Donation Tracker on the right side of the blog you'll see that we have already been blessed with raising just over $600 for the orphanage donation! A huge thank you to everyone who donated and/or shopped at the sale! We saw many people who donated even though they didn't buy anything and many who donated more than what we were asking. People stopped to shop just because they saw our signs that said "Child Adoption Fund-raiser"!
On the left side of the blog are what I call "Thank you gifts". Everyone who donates online, by mail, or in person for the orphanage donation will have their name entered into a drawing for the chance to win one of these gifts. Not everyone will win (sorry!), but please know that you do have our sincere thanks and gratitude for the donation. The donation is really also a fee for our adoption - so not only do you help the children, you are helping us as well. It goes right to the orphanage where our daughter has lived since she was about 3 weeks old (she is now about 3 1/2). We are praying that we raise way more than the required monetary donation, that way we can purchase and take with us physical items I'm sure they need more of - like jackets for this winter, diapers and formula for the babies, and shoes!
On the right side of the blog is where I'll post the names/blogs/websites of the individuals who donate items that are offered as the "Thank you gifts". Please be sure to visit any links! Anyone who would like to donate a "thank you gift" can send me an email at kevkarb@yahoo.com.
If you want to be updated when we add to the blog, just fill in your information on the right side under where it says "Subscribe to Orphanage Fundraiser", and you will be emailed when we update the blog.
Oh - ways to donate can be found on the right side of the blog. You can donate online through the chip-in button, mail a donation, or you can even make a tax-deductible donation!
On a final note - we are now waiting for Travel Approval from China to go get our daughter! Yeah!
With sincere thanks,
The Burgess family
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Adoption/Orphanage Fundraising Sale Fri 15/Sat 16th 8 - ?
Thank you to everyone for coming! It was a great success! And thank you to the family who let us have the sale at their house :)
$5,250
This is the approximate amount we need to raise for the orphanage donation/fee. It is called a donation, but it is really a set fee and will be determined by the exchange rate when we travel. It goes right to the orphanage in Liupanshui City where our daughter has been living for the past 3 years of her life. Our daughter, Lyric, won't benefit from it because she will have her family. It is for the children that are left behind. Some of these children will be blessed with families. Many won't. In China, orphans are allowed to be adopted internationally until their 14th birthday. After that, I believe they can only be adopted in China until their 16th birthday. And after that, no one.
$5,250. That's what we have to raise. It isn't what we want to raise. We want to raise more than that. When we are in China we will be going to our daughter's orphanage in Liupanshui City. We have to see where she has lived for the past 3 years of her life. She has been fed there. She has been clothed there. She has been held there. We want to leave something concrete, like books, clothing, shoes, or educational toys. Anything we raise, any donations beyond the $5,250 will be put towards purchasing supplies for the orphanage. We are blessed with so much. To be able to give, it's, well, it's good that we have the opportunity to do so.
This weekend we are having a fund-raising yard sale, and anything we raise will be put towards the orphanage donation/fee. On the 30th of this month we are also having, with two other adopting families, a tea-luncheon. I'll post more about the luncheon later, but the proceeds from that will be split with the two other families. Our share of the proceeds will also go right towards the orphanage donation/fee.
If you would like to make a donation you can do this through the chip-in button on the left or you can send it to us at:
Kevin and Karen Burgess (Adoption)
P.O. Box 456
Plainfield, IN 46168
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation we have been able to set up an account with a wonderful not-for-profit called Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries. Their website is www.kingdomkidsadoption.org. You can donate through their website by going to the "donations" button on the top right and then clicking on "Family Grant Donation" or you can mail a donation to:
Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries
1417 N. Lincoln St.
Spokane, WA 99201
All donors will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Checks must be made out to:
Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries and please, do NOT write our name anywhere on the check, but include a note saying where you would like the money to go (to the Burgess family). If you have any questions you can call them at 509-465-3520 or their email is ministry@kingdomkidsadoption.org. Just let them know you would like to make a donation for Kevin and Karen Burgess.
Please stop back by soon. We are in the process of collecting some thank you "gifts". Anyone who donates to the fundraiser from now until Thanksgiving Day (not including at the yard sale or tea-luncheon) will have their name entered into a drawing for an opportunity to win one of the gifts. Some of the gifts include a gas card for $50.00 to Speedway gas station, DVD's and whole-bean coffee from Honduras! I'll post pictures soon.
We would also appreciate prayers for the success of raising the orphanage donation/fee and for a smooth adoption journey. Thank you!
The Burgess family
$5,250. That's what we have to raise. It isn't what we want to raise. We want to raise more than that. When we are in China we will be going to our daughter's orphanage in Liupanshui City. We have to see where she has lived for the past 3 years of her life. She has been fed there. She has been clothed there. She has been held there. We want to leave something concrete, like books, clothing, shoes, or educational toys. Anything we raise, any donations beyond the $5,250 will be put towards purchasing supplies for the orphanage. We are blessed with so much. To be able to give, it's, well, it's good that we have the opportunity to do so.
This weekend we are having a fund-raising yard sale, and anything we raise will be put towards the orphanage donation/fee. On the 30th of this month we are also having, with two other adopting families, a tea-luncheon. I'll post more about the luncheon later, but the proceeds from that will be split with the two other families. Our share of the proceeds will also go right towards the orphanage donation/fee.
If you would like to make a donation you can do this through the chip-in button on the left or you can send it to us at:
Kevin and Karen Burgess (Adoption)
P.O. Box 456
Plainfield, IN 46168
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation we have been able to set up an account with a wonderful not-for-profit called Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries. Their website is www.kingdomkidsadoption.org. You can donate through their website by going to the "donations" button on the top right and then clicking on "Family Grant Donation" or you can mail a donation to:
Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries
1417 N. Lincoln St.
Spokane, WA 99201
All donors will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Checks must be made out to:
Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries and please, do NOT write our name anywhere on the check, but include a note saying where you would like the money to go (to the Burgess family). If you have any questions you can call them at 509-465-3520 or their email is ministry@kingdomkidsadoption.org. Just let them know you would like to make a donation for Kevin and Karen Burgess.
Please stop back by soon. We are in the process of collecting some thank you "gifts". Anyone who donates to the fundraiser from now until Thanksgiving Day (not including at the yard sale or tea-luncheon) will have their name entered into a drawing for an opportunity to win one of the gifts. Some of the gifts include a gas card for $50.00 to Speedway gas station, DVD's and whole-bean coffee from Honduras! I'll post pictures soon.
We would also appreciate prayers for the success of raising the orphanage donation/fee and for a smooth adoption journey. Thank you!
The Burgess family
Monday, September 20, 2010
From America, with love...
With every adoption, a mother and father hopes their child is being prepared for his/her new family. We pray that Lyric is being prepared for us.
Through many different adoption yahoo groups we have heard about a wonderful lady in China who owns a business called Red Thread China. Among other things, she organizes and sends care packages for adoptive parents to orphanages throughout China. The picture we have below is the one we sent to Lyric. There is one difference between what we ordered and what is being sent though - we didn't order the adorable doll. Ann surprised us by adding it to the package at no extra charge. What a wonderful blessing. If anyone needs to send a care package to their son or daughter in China, I highly recommend using Ann from Red Thread China!
The package includes the doll, mooncakes for the staff and maybe for Lyric, a 24 exposure disposable camera, a soft photo album, and a letter to the staff of the orphanage.
The camera is so that the staff will take pictures of Lyric in the orphanage and with her friends. We hope to get this back when we get her. You don't always, but that is the hope.
The photo album has 10 pictures in it of our family, including one of Lyric. Some adoptive parents have said their children never saw the album they sent, but they did get it back when they got their new child. We will bring more pictures of our family when we go - including ones of Lyric's grandparents, our house, chickens and cats!
The letter to the staff at the orphanage thanks them for caring for the children and for Lyric. It tells a little bit about our family, again with the hope that the staff share some of the information with our daughter. I copied the letter below the picture.
Dear Caregivers,
Words can not describe the gratitude and appreciation we have for you providing for our daughter, Min Xin Yu, and the other children in your care. “Thank you” is too simple a word, but we mean it sincerely.
Please let our daughter know that her family is coming for her soon. We have pictures of her, and she has already been given many kisses and hugs! She will have a mommy and a daddy, two big sisters (12 and 9) and a big brother (11). We have a warm, soft bed all ready for her in a room that she will share with her sisters.
Min Xin Yu will not forget China. We will teach her about her heritage. She will have an uncle and an aunt who live in China. Her uncle is an American and her aunt is Chinese!. They are very excited about Min Xin Yu joining our family.
Min Xin Yu will be loved and cared for by everyone in our family. She is a blessing to us that we will cherish forever.
With grateful hearts,
The Burgess family.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
We got our provisional approval!
We are one step closer to getting Lyric! The next item we are waiting for is a letter from the National Visa Center that will confirm they also received our provisional approval. We should get this next week.
Since it is getting closer to the time we can travel, it is easier for me to post the rest of the steps we have to take before we get our travel approval:
We are now waiting for a letter from the National Visa Center - 1 to 1 1/2 weeks (by Sept 24th)
1 week for our agency to get our paperwork to China (by Oct 1st)
2 weeks for the Consulate to sign our Article 5 letter (by Oct 15th)
3 to 4 weeks for Travel Approval by (by Nov 12)
We will leave anywhere from 2 to 5 weeks after we get the Travel Approval (by Dec 17th!)
Not many steps left to the finish line! I tried to be really conservative with the numbers because there are a lot of events/holidays that happen towards the end of the year in China that could slow down our travel. Hopefully, I will be able to take off some weeks as time goes by.
For today, we are struggling with getting a passport-type photo of Lyric to send to our agency. One photo is too big and another one has her hands in the photo. We don't have many choices though. Kevin is going to try to get it done today. Then we can send in some forms with the photo to our agency and be ready when we get that letter from the National Visa Center, which we can just email a copy of to our agency. I even heard of how some people have gotten the letter emailed to them and then they just forwarded it to their agency. I'm going to look into this!
Talk to you soon,
Karen
Since it is getting closer to the time we can travel, it is easier for me to post the rest of the steps we have to take before we get our travel approval:
We are now waiting for a letter from the National Visa Center - 1 to 1 1/2 weeks (by Sept 24th)
1 week for our agency to get our paperwork to China (by Oct 1st)
2 weeks for the Consulate to sign our Article 5 letter (by Oct 15th)
3 to 4 weeks for Travel Approval by (by Nov 12)
We will leave anywhere from 2 to 5 weeks after we get the Travel Approval (by Dec 17th!)
Not many steps left to the finish line! I tried to be really conservative with the numbers because there are a lot of events/holidays that happen towards the end of the year in China that could slow down our travel. Hopefully, I will be able to take off some weeks as time goes by.
For today, we are struggling with getting a passport-type photo of Lyric to send to our agency. One photo is too big and another one has her hands in the photo. We don't have many choices though. Kevin is going to try to get it done today. Then we can send in some forms with the photo to our agency and be ready when we get that letter from the National Visa Center, which we can just email a copy of to our agency. I even heard of how some people have gotten the letter emailed to them and then they just forwarded it to their agency. I'm going to look into this!
Talk to you soon,
Karen
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Love those "nudges" from God
I love "nudges" from God, and I love to see Him working in the lives of those around us.
Just recently a dear lady, a complete stranger to us, acted on the nudges she had been receiving. You see, awhile back I decided to see if anyone else who was adopting would be interested in fund-raising with me and my family. It's a long story, but now there are three of us (with our families) who are working together to help offset the cost of some of the adoption expenses. When one of us has completed our adoption, we have another family who is ready to step in to fund-raise for their adoption as well. Our plan is to continually help one another with adoption fund-raising efforts, even after our adoptions are final.
Awhile back we were interviewed by a reporter from our local paper about how we had all met, why we were adopting and working together, as well as about our upcoming yard sale. This dear lady saw the article in the paper, cut it out and saved it. She kept feeling like she was supposed to get into contact with us and, thankfully, she listed to those nudges by the Holy Spirit and finally did!
Our first introduction to one another, other than by email, came when she invited us to her house. She served us a lovely Victorian tea luncheon while we discussed fund-raising ideas and got to know one another.
One of the ideas that God had placed on her heart was to have a tea luncheon where grandmothers could bring their granddaughters or mothers could bring their daughters and so on. I thought it was a wonderful, fun idea that could not only serve to bless our efforts but that could also make some wonderful memories for those who come to the tea luncheon as well.
We are now in the process of finding a good place (or places!) to hold the luncheon and after that we will work out the finer details. We have thought about including a speaker and/or live music, door prizes, pictures and so on.
It is wonderful to have others to fund-raise with, and I thank God for those that I am working with now and that He put them into my life.
Karen
Just recently a dear lady, a complete stranger to us, acted on the nudges she had been receiving. You see, awhile back I decided to see if anyone else who was adopting would be interested in fund-raising with me and my family. It's a long story, but now there are three of us (with our families) who are working together to help offset the cost of some of the adoption expenses. When one of us has completed our adoption, we have another family who is ready to step in to fund-raise for their adoption as well. Our plan is to continually help one another with adoption fund-raising efforts, even after our adoptions are final.
Awhile back we were interviewed by a reporter from our local paper about how we had all met, why we were adopting and working together, as well as about our upcoming yard sale. This dear lady saw the article in the paper, cut it out and saved it. She kept feeling like she was supposed to get into contact with us and, thankfully, she listed to those nudges by the Holy Spirit and finally did!
Our first introduction to one another, other than by email, came when she invited us to her house. She served us a lovely Victorian tea luncheon while we discussed fund-raising ideas and got to know one another.
One of the ideas that God had placed on her heart was to have a tea luncheon where grandmothers could bring their granddaughters or mothers could bring their daughters and so on. I thought it was a wonderful, fun idea that could not only serve to bless our efforts but that could also make some wonderful memories for those who come to the tea luncheon as well.
We are now in the process of finding a good place (or places!) to hold the luncheon and after that we will work out the finer details. We have thought about including a speaker and/or live music, door prizes, pictures and so on.
It is wonderful to have others to fund-raise with, and I thank God for those that I am working with now and that He put them into my life.
Karen
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