Our T-Shirt fundraiser is almost finished! It will close tomorrow night at midnight. We have had friends and family buy them, and we are very thankful. The message on the T-Shirt (Blood is thicker than water, Love is thicker than blood) has special meaning for us since we have had one family member oppose our adoption because we plan to adopt transracially. We think the message on the T-Shirt is a good reminder of the Gospel. We are God's adopted children, and we are deeply loved by Him. The same will be true for our adopted children. We are excited to welcome them into our family and be their forever family when that time comes. I used the word children because we plan to adopt now and then adopt again in a few years. So our plan is for a total of 4 children...we will have a full house for sure. :)
We received our home study in the mail last week. So exciting! We are approved for one or two children under the age of 12 months. If we were to have the opportunity to adopt twins, then we would seriously consider it. We shall see what God has in store for us...
Since receiving our completed home study, we have applied for 5 different grants and will wait to hear if we get any of them. A lot of the applications take at least 90 days to process so we have more waiting to do. If we get a placement offer in the meantime, then we will try to figure out another way to come up with the remaining funds that we will need. We are hoping to get a loan from the ABBA Fund for $5,000-$6,000. If we get that, then we will still need about $8,000. So we have a ways to go, but we are confident that God will provide what we need to bring Baby Goldsmith home when the time comes.
Jen is trying to get her business going so that once Baby Goldsmith comes, she will be able to work from home for the first 6-8 weeks and then as needed after that. Prayers would be appreciated! This career change is exciting and will be good for us in the long run, but it has been difficult for us financially in the present because it takes time to build up the business through networking and word-of-mouth. For those who don't know, Jen now has her license as a mortgage loan officer and is working for Hanover Mortgage. So if you know of anyone who is looking to purchase or refinance a home, please send them her way.
Jen's parents and grandmother are coming to visit from Texas next week, and we are all excited and looking forward to that. We haven't seen Jen's parents since Christmas (except through Skype) and Jen's grandmother since last summer so it will be wonderful to be with them again. We will have Claudia all of next week so she and Gus will get some quality time with their Texas grandparents.
Thank you for your continued prayers through this adoption process! We have a lot going on right now, and it can get overwhelming at times. The encouragement and prayers we receive from our family and friends helps us so much! And we are so thankful for the adoption community that we have in our church. We have a lot of different people that we can go to when we have questions. We have been reading and researching adoption (specifically transracial adoption) so that we will be as prepared as possible to assist Baby Goldsmith in attaching to our family and growing up emotionally healthy in regards to being adopted and having two sets of parents (birth parents and us).
Thanks again for your love and support!
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
We have had many people asking recently where we are in our adoption and how it is going. So we thought it would be a good time for an update. We have all of our paperwork completed and turned in for our home study. We are waiting for our social worker to prepare the home study for us to review. Once we review it, we will receive a copy of it. There are several adoption grants that we plan to apply for, but they all require a completed home study. So once ours is finished, we will be applying for those grants and hopefully will be approved for some of them. The grant process takes 90 days so it is not quick at all. The adoption process definitely helps us work on being patient and trusting in God's timing.
Overall, the adoption process so far has been a positive experience. The one discouragement that we have faced since we began the process is one family member who is completely opposed to what we are doing. This has made us very sad, but it has not caused us to question our decision to adopt because we know that this is what we are supposed to do...it is what we feel we have been called to do. It has been a part of our plan together since we were dating and a desire that we each have had for a long time before that. We pray for a change of heart for this family member because this family member will be missing out on Baby Goldsmith when we get to bring he/she home and become his/her forever family. Thankfully, the rest of our family and friends have been very supportive and encouraging as we journey through this long process. We can't say enough how thankful we are for our family, friends, and church. We have a wonderful, supportive community (in South Carolina and around the world).
So that is where we are today in the adoption process. Our adoption will cost anywhere from $12,000-$20,000, depending on if Baby Goldsmith is born in South Carolina or in another state. We have raised about $4,000 so far. Our hope is that in the next couple of months, we can get a majority of the money raised so that when we get a call about a possible placement, we can say yes. Once our home study is completed, we could get a placement call at anytime.
Thank you to all who have given towards our adoption and who are praying for us during this process. We are reading adoption books and preparing as much as we can for bringing Baby Goldsmith home when the time comes. We are excited and hopeful!
We are continuing to do our puzzle fundraiser until all of the pieces are gone. If you would like to buy a puzzle piece for $10, please go to youcaring.com/goldsmithadoption and click the "Give Now" link. Please specify in the message that you are buying a puzzle piece(s).
We also have our T-shirt fundraiser going on until July 31st. Below are the directions if you would like to buy a T-shirt.
BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER T-Shirt Sign-Up
Thank you for using The Graphic Cow T-Banker.
(1) Click Here to View Your T-Shirt Proof: http://www.
(2) Click Here for Payment Help: http://www.
Copy and Paste this Sign-Up Roster Code when Requested: TH610201432720PM30
(3) Click Here to Sign-up and Pay: http://www.
Note: If for any reason the Sign-up and Pay Link Does not Function Properly on your Computer,
Note: Copy and Past the Link into the Web Address Box Located on the Main Window Bar.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact: Amy at 800-472-3269 or by e-mail: amy@grafcow.com
Please Report any Discreptancies in Your T-Shirt Order within (2) Two Business Days To Your T-Shirt Chair: JENNIFER GOLDSMITH - jengoldsmith22@gmail.com.
The Graphic Cow can not be Responsible for Any Discreptancies Reported after (2) Two Business Days.
Overall, the adoption process so far has been a positive experience. The one discouragement that we have faced since we began the process is one family member who is completely opposed to what we are doing. This has made us very sad, but it has not caused us to question our decision to adopt because we know that this is what we are supposed to do...it is what we feel we have been called to do. It has been a part of our plan together since we were dating and a desire that we each have had for a long time before that. We pray for a change of heart for this family member because this family member will be missing out on Baby Goldsmith when we get to bring he/she home and become his/her forever family. Thankfully, the rest of our family and friends have been very supportive and encouraging as we journey through this long process. We can't say enough how thankful we are for our family, friends, and church. We have a wonderful, supportive community (in South Carolina and around the world).
So that is where we are today in the adoption process. Our adoption will cost anywhere from $12,000-$20,000, depending on if Baby Goldsmith is born in South Carolina or in another state. We have raised about $4,000 so far. Our hope is that in the next couple of months, we can get a majority of the money raised so that when we get a call about a possible placement, we can say yes. Once our home study is completed, we could get a placement call at anytime.
Thank you to all who have given towards our adoption and who are praying for us during this process. We are reading adoption books and preparing as much as we can for bringing Baby Goldsmith home when the time comes. We are excited and hopeful!
We are continuing to do our puzzle fundraiser until all of the pieces are gone. If you would like to buy a puzzle piece for $10, please go to youcaring.com/goldsmithadoption and click the "Give Now" link. Please specify in the message that you are buying a puzzle piece(s).
We also have our T-shirt fundraiser going on until July 31st. Below are the directions if you would like to buy a T-shirt.
BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER T-Shirt Sign-Up
Thank you for using The Graphic Cow T-Banker.
(1) Click Here to View Your T-Shirt Proof: http://www.
(2) Click Here for Payment Help: http://www.
Copy and Paste this Sign-Up Roster Code when Requested: TH610201432720PM30
(3) Click Here to Sign-up and Pay: http://www.
Note: If for any reason the Sign-up and Pay Link Does not Function Properly on your Computer,
Note: Copy and Past the Link into the Web Address Box Located on the Main Window Bar.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact: Amy at 800-472-3269 or by e-mail: amy@grafcow.com
Please Report any Discreptancies in Your T-Shirt Order within (2) Two Business Days To Your T-Shirt Chair: JENNIFER GOLDSMITH - jengoldsmith22@gmail.com.
The Graphic Cow can not be Responsible for Any Discreptancies Reported after (2) Two Business Days.
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