Doors and Windows

Over the last several weeks I've been thinking about doors a lot. On more than one occasion I've heard myself say, "God has shut that door," or "God slammed that door shut." I think I was throwing that phrase around without thinking about what comes after the "shutting" or "slamming". I was becoming whiney at God for closing doors I thought should be open. All of that to say, Thailand is not where our children are. At least, not for this adoption. Of course, God knew that all along. We just weren't ready to hear it or deal with it yet.



When it became obvious that Thailand was not going to work, we prayed more, resesarched more, called more, emailed more...you get the picture. We began really digging into the Nepal program. We couldn't have been more excited since the children are a mix of Indian and Chinese...plus, Mt. Everest is in Nepal. God led us through several conversations with agencies but we received some devestating news...we weren't eligible like we were originally told. But, God knew what He was doing!



The agency that corrected our false information about eligibility in Nepal asked us if we would be interested in adopting from India. INDIA!!! India was our very first pull to adoption because of the family connections...as if "Rupnarain" wasn't enough of a hint. Of course we were interested, but again, didn't think we were eligible due to age/cultural restrictions. Not a problem for this agency! As a bonus, this is an agency recommended by His Heart For Orphans (our church's adoption support group) because several HPC families have worked with them before. We knew right away that this was God! The doors that were being shut all along the way led us right where He wanted us...next to the open window! And boy, does the breeze feel good!

Adoption Poker Night

It's hard to believe the Poker Tournament is over! It was a huge success and not to mention, a jackpot of laughs, flops, all-in bets, and some serious (and not so serious...Jess) poker faces! I don't think we could have had a better experience thanks to our wonderful friends. It was great to have a mix of co-workers, church friends, old friends, and even our family chiropractor! Everyone who walked in the door of the "Rupnarain Casino" blessed our family tremendously just by being a part of our adoption journey!

Okay, here's the play-by-play: We started off with 11 players at two tables. Greg and I played the part (badly) of the dealers. I think I heard the phrase, "Don't quit your day job," several times. Josh was the first one out (maybe the 3rd hand???). Once we got down to 8 players, we condensed down to one table. The play was fierce as one by one the players dropped like flies! The final three were Troy in 3rd place, Olisa in 2nd, and Heath taking home the grand prize of a dinner for two at French Market Bistro!!! We talked and played poker late into the night and in the end, we raised an amazing $1450.00!!! Our children are getting closer to us all the time. I wouldn't be possible without the amazing people around us giving, supporting, encouraging, and praying for us!

A huge thanks to Eric and Jessica Kehn for lending their green poker table and being so generous with their time and support! The tournament really wouldn't have happened without all of your help! We will never be able to say thank you enough! Also a huge thanks to Beth and Jason Forbus for lending their poker table as well! If you missed this one, don't worry, we are planning another game night soon. Stay tuned to the blog and Facebook for updates and "coming attractions!"

Sweat and Sweet Success!!!

After weeks and weeks of hauling, picking up, digging through, and pricing everything from baby items and toys to electronics and workout equipment the Rupnarain Adoption garage sale was a huge success! We raised over $2,000!!! That's more than enough to cover our application fee and homestudy fee. These will be the first expenses that pop up in our process.

We couldn't have done it without an awesome group of friends and family that donated time and stuff! Our garage literally couldn't hold it all! (Check out the pictures for proof!) I want to individually thank those that gave to support our adoption efforts.

Those who donated items: Deborah and Dewayne (and Rachel and Russ), Victor and Beverly, Stephanie K., Stephanie and William C., Latoyia G., Melee and Kenny G., Carrie and Jeremy S., and Omega M. (thanks for the hanging racks, they were the best)

Those who donated their time: Rachel (what would we have done without you?), Mom (always there!), Beverly (awesome organizer), Jenny C. (maker of beautiful signs), Jeremy (partner in sign-crime) and Carrie S. (partner in sweat), and Eric K. (our 5am-er)

And thanks to all of you that were praying for the success of this fund-raiser. Our prayers were answered over and above what we dreamed of. God is good!!!

Beyond the money (which was fantastic), we were able to meet wonderful people in our community and spread the word about adoption...even though we had several people ask where the puppy adoption was! So many people's attitudes and demeanor changed when we told them what the garage sale was for. We were even able to invite several people to HPC after we told them about our support group, His Heart for Orphans.

We will continue to fund-raise this summer as we research adoption agencies. We have narrowed it down to two. We're getting closer to our children every day! Our next fund raiser is an Adoption Poker Night. It will be Friday, July 31st from 5pm - until. Click on the link below to view the flier and come join the fun! Help us bring our children home from Thailand!

The Realization of Our Journey

Have you ever been on a life-changing journey and not known about it even as you were walking the path? For Greg and I, God has directed our steps, well...more like carried, pushed, and pulled us, toward our understanding and acceptance of adoption as the plan for our family. Most of you know the heartache Greg and I have been through as we have tried and tried to have children. Our journey has not been easy, but we stand at a place in our lives where we must fully depend on God as we finally (and peacefully) embrace what God has planned for our forever family.

After months of prayer, research, tears, and deliberation, we have joyfully made the decision to adopt from Thailand. We are even considering the adoption of siblings. We have not chosen an agency yet, but we are diligently searching for the right one. We are looking at about a 2 year time frame from the time of application to the agency until we travel to meet our family. This summer while I am out of school, we are going to focus on fund-raising for this extremely costly, international process. The hope is to raise enough this summer to apply and start our process in the fall.

Right now, we would greatly appreciate your prayers. We know this is going to be a long, tedious process. We pray daily for our children, where ever they may be at this time. We also pray for God's timing and blessing as we start the process and the fund-raising.

Here is some info about our first fund-raiser:

Rupnarain Adopton Garage Sale
Friday and Saturday, June 26-27th 6am-until

Thanks to everyone who has already expressed interest in helping out. We have the best support system of friends and family that anyone could ask for!

Stay tuned for more info and updates on our amazing, blessed adoption journey!