Uganda Adoption Blogs

She's FINALLY Home!

2012-01-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Approved!

2011-12-28T17:18:00.000-08:00

We have gotten the green light to go get our baby! Josh will be flying out on Friday evening and we couldn't be more excited!!!!

Thank you all for your prayers:)

You can continue to follow us at www.alethiagrace.wordpress.com

We're Home!

2011-11-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

Well some of us are home but life just is NOT normal right now.

If you haven't been keeping up with our adoption journey you may have missed the big announcement! We were granted legal guardianship of our daughter, but on the final leg of our journey she was denied her VISA at the US Embassy in Kampala. We can't bring our daughter home...

I, being 28 weeks pregnant and having just entered my 3rd trimester, needed to get home and begin preparing to bring another life in the world.

We split our family up on Sunday, the 20th, as I got on an airplane with Areyna and Zeke to make our trek home on a flight that was meant to be for our ENTIRE FAMILY!

While I prepare for this new little one to enter this world, Josh continues to live in Uganda with our little girl and fight for her little life to have a family in this world!

We have been to hell and back over the past 2 months...wait we still feel the heat of this very real battle, but we are going to fight this until the bitter end. It's time for our little girl to come home!

Photo Courtesy of Jennifer Hambrick

Seeing my Cai-bo at the airport for the first time in 2 weeks.

He came home with his Meme.

You can continue to follow our family over at

www.alethiagrace.wordpress.com

~Make sure to leave me your email address so I can get you the password~

Let's Go!!!!!

2011-09-26T07:58:00.001-07:00

Well, today is the day!

The laundry is done.
The kids are all clean...a bath on Saturday counts, right? RIGHT?:)
The bags are packed.
The toilets are clean (because my mom always said you can't leave the house without scrubbing the toilets:)...well, they were, and then Zeke had to pee, ha!
The refrigerator has been purged.
And the tasks to keep our lives on track here in America have been divied out to our sweet friends and family.

I can't believe it's here.

We fly out at 6:20pm and our checklist is finally dwindling to just a few last minute items.

This will be my last post from this blog until we return.
We'd love for you to continue to follow our journey to get Alethia on our password protected blog. Just email or message me with your email address if you would like the password.

We'll let you all know when we're returning home.
We'd love to see you at the airport so you can meet our beautiful new addition!!!!

Password Protected Blog

2011-09-05T15:47:00.001-07:00

Well, we are quickly working on checking things off of our list before we head to Uganda in 20 days (but who's counting:)!

One of the things we've been aware of that we have to do is password protect our blog.

Since Blogger does not have that option we have created a Wordpress blog so you can follow our journey. I won't be posting on there until our trip is underway and you will need the password to read the content once our trip has begun.

You can go ahead and get familiar with the new blog so you know where it is. I'll also leave a link on here when we make the trek overseas so you don't loose contact with us!

Leave a comment below with your email address or find us on Facebook or Twitter to request the password. You can share it with your friends and family. We'd love to have you come along!

It's Coming Quickly

2011-09-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

22 DAYS!!!

Court Date!

2011-08-31T11:37:00.000-07:00

We just got a call from our adoption agency and we officially have a court date!!!! We get to travel to get our little girl in less than a month!

My mind is spinning.

My legs are tingly.

I have so much to do.

I can't focus to do anything.

God is so good. His timing is perfect. He has been so gracious to our family!

I pray that we will honor Him through this leg of the journey!!!

Courts Reconvene Today

2011-08-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

I am almost giddy with excitement today. I mean, the whole "butterflies in my stomach" feeling and all! I know it is highly unlikely that we will hear something right away, but just knowing that courts are back in full swing and things are moving again gives me hope and a renewed sense of excitement for bringing our girl home!

I know many of you are in the same boat as us. Just waiting to hear something. How are you passing the time?

Case Is In Court

2011-07-11T08:55:00.001-07:00

We just got word that our case has been submitted to court!!! We are getting SO close:)

Dear Sweet Mother of Our Ugandan Daughter

2011-06-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

Dear sweet mother of our Ugandan daughter,

I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I've been thinking about how it must have been when that lady from the orphanage came to visit you in your village. She came with paperwork in her hands. And I’ve been wondering how you must have felt when you saw her approach your home. Did you have any idea she was coming? Did you know what her mission was? Had you any clue that she was there to ask for your signature on a legal document releasing your daughter into the hands of complete strangers halfway across the world? How did you feel when you read through the document? What was going through your head? Were you confused? Did this come as a shock? Or were you expecting that it might happen one day? Were you angry? Sad? Relieved? Maybe all of the above?

I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately. We’ve been told that you have some health issues. How is your health lately? Is it manageable? Are you in pain? I pray that you aren’t. I’m assuming that you released your daughter to the orphanage because you felt that you could not adequately care for her. I respect that. I can’t imagine how that must have broken your heart. And now, I can’t imagine the new series of emotions that must have set in when you realized your daughter will soon become the daughter of an American family, and that you may never see her again.

So, I wanted to write to you to tell you a few things that will hopefully set your mind at ease. First of all, I want you to know that we will love your daughter unconditionally. By blood, she will still be your daughter. But in every other way, she will belong to us. We will treat her no differently than our birth children. She will be loved unconditionally. She will have me wrapped around her finger (She already does). I will treat her like the princess that she is. We vow to protect her, provide for her, cherish her, encourage her, honor her, celebrate her, laugh with her, cry with her, play with her, guide her, teach her and train her.

Second, she will be given every opportunity at her disposal to do and become the person that God has created her to be—to fulfill the desires that God has put within her heart. And her mother and I will be her biggest fans. And we will support her and love her and will permanently be in her cheering section.

Finally, and most importantly, your daughter … our daughter, will be brought up in a home where Jesus is the center and the focus. She will be taught the Word of God every day. She will be reminded over and over that she is a child of the King, and that God’s plan for her is bigger than she could ever dream. She will grow up in a home where the Gospel is lived out on a daily basis—where we serve one another—where we honor and respect each other—where we bear one another’s burdens—where we worship God together—where our lives and lips communicate to the world the infinite love of the Savior for spiritual orphans everywhere.

These things we promise you.

You need to know something else. Lately I’ve been praying for you. And I’ve been praying specifically that God would give me an opportunity to share the Gospel with you when we finally meet each other in the Ugandan courthouse. I don’t know where you stand with Jesus. I don’t know whether or not you’ve been born again. Or whether anyone has ever sat down and explained to you that Jesus loves you and He died on a cross to forgive you of your sin and make you as white as snow. But what I do know is this: I would love more than anything to be able to look my daughter in the eye one day and explain to her how her birth mother came to know Jesus, and that one day, whether on this earth or in heaven, she will see her again. That is the sincere cry of my heart as I write this. I want you to know Jesus and the eternal, everlasting, unfailing love of the Savior.

Dear lady, I don’t know you, but the connection that we share through your daughter and mine is unlike any other human connection that I’ve ever experienced. And so, through tears, I feel compelled to tell you that I love you. And I look forward to meeting you face to face very soon. Please take care.

Sincerely,

Joshua D. Via

Where We Are

2011-06-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

By the way, I have NO IDEA who these people are, so don't ask;)

Wow, I believe that Adoption is by far the most emotionally up and down process I have ever been a part of. I know, so worth it, but man...

Paperwork:
The last I heard is that, as of yesterday the last of our documents are being finalized in Uganda with our Attorney. It should be submitted to court very soon!

Prayer:
Along these same lines, we are asking people to pray specifically for the judge that gets assigned to our case. We know of some processes going extremely fast after getting assigned to a judge, as well as other cases who have come to an abrupt halt at this exact same point. So this is our prayer, that the Lord will soften the heart of all the judges doing these adoption cases, but more specifically, the one whose hands our dossier gets assigned to. This could be a difference between a few weeks until we travel to a few months (or more). This is huge, and we don't take prayer lightly.

Our Little Girl:
My sister-in-law, Joy, is on a mission trip and actually got to spend a few days with our little girl. It has been so awesome to get day-to-day updates on her personality and character! We even got to talk to our little girl on the phone yesterday! Joy called yesterday morning and asked if I'd like her to put our baby on the phone. I told her not to worry about it...JUST KIDDING! I said, "Heck Yes!" as all my kids here at home crowded around the phone and we each took turns telling her we loved her and couldn't wait to see her and bring her home:) What a special moment that was for all of us!

Joy says that she is full of character, very prissy, healthy and LOVES attention.

*sigh*

Financial:
Our estimated goal for this adoption is $33,000. We have already paid $13,600 into that. We've raised a few thousand more than that to start saving for our travel (and attorney fees) which will be coming up quicker than we can imagine, I'm sure.

TOTAL LEFT TO RAISE as of 6/21/11 - $11,100 : That may seem like a lot to you, but if you've been riding this journey with us from the beginning you may feel the same as us...that's nothin'! God has been showing off this entire process and we are anxious to see how He plays this out.

We've been denied 3 of the 6 Grants that we applied for and haven't heard back from the rest. So, we wait.

Current Fundraisers:
You can still download Josh's Resurrection Songs.
We are still collecting change.
Donate on PayPal.
Buy Coffee. Yup, if you buy coffee from our store set up with JustLove Coffee, we get $5 for every bag you purchase.

You can help us raise awareness by helping the Uganda Adoption Blogs site stay in the TOP 25 on Circle of Moms. You have until 8pm tonight to vote. You don't have to sign up for anything, you just have to click "voted". It's that Simple! Thanks for helping us out:)

Summary:
We are very close. We are over half-way there in the process as well as financially. Thank you to everyone who is walking this journey with us! It feels weird to put it all out there for the world to see, but so many of you have been asking, and I know that I would want to know. I'm just nosy like that:)

Remember - You can keep up with our funding and timeline on the Adoption tab at the top of the page.

Oh The Waiting...

2011-06-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

The waiting is so much easier when you know that your children are safe, loved and well-taken care of!

I just received an update and 3 separate pictures.

It's so nice to have a team on the ground loving on my girl and telling me that she is well.

The waiting isn't so bad when you know that the Lord is taking care of them, ya know?!

Case Number For Our Adoption

2011-06-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

We just got a notice stating that our Adoption File had just been assigned a case number and was being forwarded to the courts in Kampala.

I'm not quite sure what this means yet, as we just got the mail tonight and haven't been able to touch base with our agency, but I'm pretty sure that they are just making a file with all the information for our case to get it ready to assign to a judge?

Either way, we're another step closer to seeing our little girl, so I'll take it!:)

PS - If you have any other insight as to what this might mean for us, feel free to elaborate for us, ha!

One Click Vote

2011-06-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

I got an email this week stating that this adoption blog was nominated as one of the Top 25 Adoption Blogs at Circle Of Moms. If we can stay in the top 25 by June 21 we will be published on their forum to over 6 million readers. I'm not really sure what all this means, except that we can potentially gain more awareness for adoption in general, as well as our individual adoption! You don't have to sign up or anything, just click this link(or picture) and click the "Vote" thumbs up button. That's it! You can vote once every 24 hours to keep adding votes!

Look What Came In The Mail Today!

2011-06-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally got it!

Our I-171H, or Immigration Approval was sitting in our mailbox today! We are beyond thrilled. Today is a day of rejoicing for sure:)

The Mailbox

2011-06-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

Josh and I know of a family who had their biometrics appointment the same day we did.

They got their Immigration approval last Saturday.

Monday was torture, knowing that we weren't going to be getting mail because of the holiday. So by Tuesday you can imagine how antsy I was!

I started checking the mail at 10:30am, knowing that our mail doesn't even come until late afternoon, ha!

When it finally did come I tore through it, sure that our approval would be there.

Nope, nothing...

Maybe today?

This part of the waiting is hard. In the back of my head I always wonder if our paperwork has gotten lost in the shuffle. Having faith in the "system" of adoption is very unnerving.

Good thing we put our complete trust and faith in Christ and His perfect timing!

Active Fundraising

2011-05-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

We have done several things to raise money for our adoption. A few of the things are just one-time events but we have a few that are on-going that you can participate in indefinitely. I've been asked several times how people can get involved so, here it is:)

Download Josh's Resurrection Songs. Each song goes along with a week in my family devotional book that I wrote. Every penny we make from these downloads goes directly toward our adoption.

Speaking of pennies...
We have raised $231 so far with our "Change For Change" campaign. People are just saving their change for us! It's amazing how this change really adds up!

We have had 2 HUGE yard sales. We thought we were done yardsaling, but who knows, maybe another one is on the horizon?:)

You can also DONATE through PayPal. This is an easy way to donate.

It's not just about the money, though. We have 2 specific prayer requests right now. We had our biometrics appointment 1 month and 1 day ago. We are eagerly awaiting our Immigration approval which will complete our Dossier, which is already in Uganda. Pray that we get this essential paperwork SOON. Also, the courts in Uganda close mid-July to mid-August. That means that we probably won't make this cut-off before courts close...unless there were a miracle. A lot has to happen for us to be able to finalize this process before the court break. Would you pray with us?

So, there you go. We are about half-way to our total estimated goal for the adoption. We do not take your sacrifices lightly and are forever grateful for everything that our friends/family have helped with during this entire process.

Sometimes The Process Is Painful

2011-05-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today I took the kids to get their shots for Uganda.
They both needed Typhoid and Yellow Fever.

Let's just say that I got a workout "helping" the nurse give Zeke his shots:)
Areyna did GREAT!
It helped that I promised ice cream after the dreaded event.

The adoption process definitely has some painful parts...but it sure is worth it!

So Excited

2011-05-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

I have been in Colorado for my grandpa's funeral. I've kind of been out of the loop and happy things haven't been in abundance around here, if you know what I mean.

But, when I went to check my email this afternoon, I had the most exciting news I could have gotten. Our Dossier is on it's way to Uganda! We are still waiting for our I-171H, but it should be here any time now. I didn't know that our dossier could be sent off without our immigration approval, so that is probably what made it so exciting for me! We are absolutely thrilled!

Another step closer:)

Via & Via Adoption Yard Sale Fundraiser

2011-05-05T05:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend is a HUGE weekend! We are joining together with Josh's brother and his family who are also adopting from the same orphanage in Uganda, and throwing a MEGA yard sale!

It's here in Rolesville at our house. Email me if you are interested in stopping by, helping set-up, or just to donate some unwanted around your house (josh n tash @ hotmail . com).

Here is the write-up and links from the Facebook page we have created for the event:

Smooth & Kelly Via and Josh & Tasha Via are in the thick of the adoption process. Their daughters are living together in an orphanage in Bukaleba, Uganda. We are trying to work together to raise money to bring our little girls home.

You can help make this a reality.

We will be hosting a joint yard sale at Josh & Tasha's house in Rolesville, NC on May 7, 2011 from 7:30am-2pm
...
Not only are you welcome to come to this event, but your donations for the yard sale would be very much appreciated!

We are accepting ANYTHING that you may have just sitting around your house that you have been thinking about getting rid of or that is just taking up space.

Please email us and let us know if you have anything you would be willing to part with for us to sell at our yard sale.
Tasha joshntash @ hotmail .com
Kelly kellyvia @ yahoo .com

To DONATE directly to Smooth & Kelly's Adoption or simply to read about their journey visit: http://www.connecttocharity.com/Cause/Detail/492/54-1757324/414

To DONATE directly to Josh & Tasha's Adoption or simply to read about their journey visit: http://tashavia.blogspot.com/p/our-adoption-journey.html

So, come on out and join us, support us, help us, tell your friends for us!

Check out THIS LINK to see just a fraction of what we've got!

WHEN: Friday and Saturday - May 6 and May 7

WHAT TIME: 8am-2pm

WHERE: Rolesville, NC

Fancy Words

2011-04-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Biometrics - consists of methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits.

It just makes more sense to say appointments to get fingerprinted, but whatever:)

We have our biometrics appointment tomorrow morning. I'm sure we'll be super-chipper for this part of the process at 8am, ha!

From what I can gather, it takes about two weeks to get Immigration approval after being fingerprinted.

Just another step closer to bringing our little girl home!

Videos and Passports

2011-04-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

I just posted a few videos of our little girl. Her Uncle and Poppy were on a mission trip in their area over the past two weeks and I just cannot stop watching.

HERE is a link to my blog to see our sweet new addition!

Areyna told me, after watching these several times, that she is SO excited to go to Africa and get her little sister. We got another step closer to this reality today. We took the kids to their Passport appointments and should have all three of their passports in our hands within a month or two!

It's been a good day...

Trusting Your Agency

2011-03-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

About 2 weeks ago Josh and I accepted our referral. We already knew in our hearts who we were working toward in our adoption process, but it is finally official.

When we first received the news that we were now officially on course for our specific little girl I was ecstatic! Just knowing that we could now pursue her.

Then the questions started coming in. "What does it mean that you have a referral?" "Is she yours now?"

I wasn't really sure what it meant for us to have just signed a "Referral Acceptance" letter. All I knew is that we were one step closer to bringing our little girl home.

Our agency is one that we totally trust. We have given them full reign over our adoption process. Hey, that is why we are paying them the big bucks! I like to know the general idea of what is going on, but for me, if I try to keep up with all the little details that are going on behind the scenes I know that I will only become anxious if things are not happening the "traditional" way. Besides, I feel like the more I step in, the harder it makes it on our agency. That's just my opinion though.

Here is what I do know a referral is:
From the agencies end, it just means that we are far enough along in the process where they can present us with a child. As for the overseas Attorney, it means that once he receives his fees he will begin the legal documentation of the child on his end.

That is all I know. I am content with that. I know enough to answer some basic questions and I don't mind saying "I don't know" to other ones.

Josh and I are thrilled to be able to officially be pursuing our little girl, but we also know that things can always happen. We are choosing to keep our grip on her loose, knowing that the Lord has called us to adoption, not just called us to this particular little girl. Although we would be very sad if we couldn't, for some reason, bring this little girl home, we know that the Lord knows what is best for our family and that He will bring our hearts to love any child He places with us.

If you don't trust your agency enough to hand over the reins of your process, then maybe you should think about finding a new agency. I know an excellent one:)

Update From The Orphanage

2011-03-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

We got an update on our little girl from on team at the orphanage!

Man, how I treasures these little updates. I can't wait to see this video...

"She is doing GREAT! She is such a spunky little booger. She laughs and smiles and makes faces for the camera all the time! We have enjoyed her so much this trip. Today I was doing assessments on the kids and she insisted on being held! So I strapped her to my back in true African fashion while I worked. She would boss all the kids around from her place on my back! It was hilarious! Then she fell asleep and it was just precious. I adore her...oh, and when I gave her your picture, Tasha, we said "Mama" and she looked at intently and said "Mama" ! We have her on video saying it. Can't wait to show you! Wish we could bring her to you now."

Oh.My.Goodness.

I can't tell you how many times I've read, and reread, this message. It gives me the biggest smile on my face and in my heart:)

Resurrection Songs: "Romans 10:9"

2011-03-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Here is the second installment of Resurrection Songs by my very own Josh Via, for your listening enjoyment.
Romans 10:9 by Josh Via

Downloads are $.99 and they go directly to the $2300 we need to make. We've got 6 days to raise this money! Help us spread the word!

Butterflies

2011-03-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Oh.My.Goodness.

I can hardly think straight enough to write this!

I feel as though I am in the doctor's office peering at the screan waiting to be told if we are going to have a little boy or a little girl.

Today we found out that we are having a little girl!

Well, we were already pursuing this little girl, but we were holding her very loosely.

We don't have to do that anymore. She is OURS!

Now, I know that things can still happen in court and throughout the process, but I am choosing to believe that the Lord has chosen this little girl to be a part of our family!

We have officially accepted you into our family today, my sweet little girl!

We now have our referral!:)

***Now if you would kindly go and DOWNLOAD our Resurrection Songs and tell everyone else to DOWNLOAD it that would be awesome! We need about 3300 downloads in 7 days, ha! Don't forget a new one comes out tomorrow and it will NOT disappoint!***

Resurrection Songs: "In The Highest Place"

2011-03-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

So, this is the moment you all have been waiting for! Well, at least we've been waiting for:)

Every week during the 7 weeks of Lent, we will release a new track. Each track is a Scripture memory song based on my 7-week devotional called "So Much Bigger Than The Bunny." Our prayer is that it will be a blessing to you and your children, as you hide God's Word in your heart together.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which means, this is the first week of the devotional. You still have time to get your copy. (There is a section at the end if you just want to make it a one-week Easter devotional as well.)

Anyway, here is the first song "In The Highest Place"
Take a listen. It's SO FUN!
In the Highest Place by Josh Via

Now STOP!

Go to joshvia.bandcamp.com to download it for $.99. Not only will you have fun hiding God's Word in your heart with your kids, but when you buy these songs, you are helping our family adopt a little girl from an orphanage in Uganda, Africa.

My kids hadn't heard these yet and they immediately jumped out their lunch chairs, grabbed their guitars and began dancing and singing along! Even Cai keeps singing "lalalalala":)

Now go download it already!

What I Need

2011-03-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

In two days we will be a two-car family again...praise the Lord!

Maybe then I can get out of the house instead of sitting in front of my computer hitting the refresh button on my email waiting for some kind of response from our home study agent!

I simply cannot understand how someone just ignores calls and emails for weeks on end. I am trying so hard to show love and patience, but I'm running out...

Lord, please give me patience. Help me to share your love, even to those who make it difficult to love.

Pray with us this week! Pray that the Lord will impress upon our social worker an urgency to get this done. We are praying boldly, with our kids this week, for our home study to be in our hands by the end of the week. We know the Lord is in control and that His timing is perfect, so we will rest in the decision He gives. Would you pray with us?

***After writing this I went to check my email one more time and there it was! Our Home Study Approval!!!:) God is SO good!***

Bottles Of "Change" To Help "Change" A Life

2011-02-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

In my search for simple ways to raise money for our adoption I came across an excellent idea. You all can help too and it won't cost you hardly anything. It is also a GREAT way to get your kids involved too. In fact, we're doing it with our kids and they get SO excited when they can help out!

Here's what you need:

A baby bottle - you can pick one up at the $1 store or get one out of your attic like we did, ha! In all honesty, you could use any container you have to place the label on and save your change.

A printer - to print the "tag" at the top of this post that we created of our little girl to tape on your bottle/container

Collect change around your house. For Example: under the couch and cushions, on the floor board of the car and outside in the parking lot. Although, if you do this last one, make sure you lay down the ground rules first...ie it wouldn't be all that productive if you are grabbing change from under a moving vehicle, ya know?:)

So, I'm setting a goal just for fun!

Let's see how many bottles we can fill up with spare change by the end of March!

Let me know if you are willing to commit to collecting your change for our little Shabila. Get your kids involved and show them that every penny counts to help change the life of our little girl.

~Your donations can be sent through our ministry to be made TAX-DEDUCTIBLE~

Her Eyes

2011-02-21T18:04:00.000-08:00

I just got another new picture of our precious little girl. Man I wish I could share it with all of you! She is just so beautiful.

And her eyes...

I can't stop looking at the picture.

Any day now we should have our home study approval. I keep telling myself that anyway:)

At least the picture helped remind me that, in fact, we are in this adoption process and there is, in fact, a little girl over there waiting to come home.

To our home!

Our Love Chapter - For The One We're Waiting For

2011-02-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

We are waiting patiently for you

We promise to be kind

We pray that you do not feel like you need to envy our other kids, but feel just as part of our family as they are.

We will boast only in the One who gave you to us. Our heavenly father knew that you were born for our family!

We pray that the Lord will melt any pride that we feel as an adoptive family. We just want to obey God's call on our lives to adopt.

We promise not to dishonor you, but to learn about the culture you came from and allow you to find who you need to be in Christ.

We pray that we will not be self-seeking, but instead, keep your best interest at heart.

We promise not to get easily angered. But, knowing that we are human, we promise to seek forgiveness for the times we are wrong.

We will keep no record of wrongs, and I promise that if you have a children's yard chair in the backyard that I won't sit on it and break it:)

We do not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. You can rest assured in this one, little girl.

We promise to always protect you

always trust you, although we know times will come where it will be difficult

always hope and pray that you will find the personal relationship in Christ that he desires from you.

always perseveres as we pray for daily direction to be the parents/family that you need!

For The Record

2011-02-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

You may have been wondering what's been going on with our process lately.

So I'll just debrief you really quickly.

Nothing is going on...well, from our end anyway.

We are just waiting for our Home Study approval. Everything in adoption hinges on this completion. So, we are just waiting.

Next week my goal is to fill out all of our USCIS paperwork and to send off for passports for our kids.

It is kind of nice not to have to worry about anything else from our end for a while since it's been so crazy emotionally at our house lately.

So we will be grateful for this time of waiting.

Her Character

2011-01-25T11:36:00.000-08:00

So, apparently the little girl we are pursuing in our adoption is going to be a handful:) A good handful, but a handful!

She is super cute and cuddly.

That being said, she likes to have one-on-one attention at all times and is very demanding of that time.

Not only that, but she is an extremely picky eater with a ginormous sweet tooth!

Well, at least she'll fit right in, ha!

Guest Blogger:Keesha Via

2011-01-18T17:13:00.000-08:00

Here is another way you can help get the word out about our adoption. My sister-in-law put this together for us. Thanks, Keesha, for all you are doing to help us bring our little girl home:)
________________________________________________________________

Friends! I am trying to help raise funds for two families to bring home two precious little girls from Africa!

From now till the end of this month, I will be giving 100% of my commission to these families.

For every dollar, they will receive 25% to go towards their adoption.

Plus! AtHome America is having their HUGE January SALE! So, you will get a ton for your dollars worth and give to a great cause at the same time!

Visit www.athome.com/keeshavia to look at a catalog and place your order. Or, ask me how you can give directly to these families' funds!

Please spread the word!

Let's try to get 25 $100 orders by the end of this month and help bring those precious girls HOME!

Keesha Via
AtHome America
HomeStyle Specialist #42343
www.athome.com/keeshavia
keeshavia@gmail.com

___________________________________________________________________

Follow the link to get connected to this event on Facebook.

Our Prayers Have Been Answered

2011-01-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for praying.

Our director's trip is moving along. We even got some updated pictures of our little girl! Man, she is so beautiful. They say that she has been an absolute delight to be around. I can't wait to see her again...

So, continue to pray for these first adoptions from this orphanage as it is a learning process for all of us:)

Pray, Pray, Pray

2011-01-12T15:19:00.000-08:00

I just got off of the phone with our Agency who is in Uganda right now.

We need prayer.

I am taking the night to fast and pray for our adoption as our agency meets with Godfrey.

Pray for:
Godfrey, the director of Arise Africa, the founder of our Orphanage.
Lori, the director at our agency who is there right now trying to gather information.
Pray for patience, guidance, direction, relationship, paperwork, the children, the adoptive families...

Would you please pray with us...

Final Adoption Visit Complete

2011-01-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

We just finished up our home study. Now we wait some more. Hopefully we'll have our approval in a few short weeks and then on to Immigration approval.

It's nice to have another step down after the holiday season with not much going on with our process.

Our Agency Director is in Uganda right now! She will be with our orphanage by mid-week and we are so anxious to get an update on our little girl and see how she is doing :)

"I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me"

2011-01-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

"...the year your daughter comes home!"

2011-01-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

I just got an update email from our adoption coordinator and when I read this sentence I just stopped and stared at it!

"A very happy 2011 to you - the year your daughter comes home!!"

Our daughter, we DO have another daughter coming to us, is in Uganda now, but will be with us THIS YEAR! It's actually going to happen.

Right now I feel as though I just went in for my first ultrasound and have the realization that there really is another little life that is about to join our family! You know, that feeling like you've known all along that this is imminent, but it has finally become real to you.

All of a sudden, I feel like our family is incomplete. Like someone is missing. There is room here for you, little girl.

This year...is a big year...

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T07:59:00.000-08:00

I never would have thought we would be on this journey this year! I am so grateful for the Lord's patience and for His voice as He gently speaks to our heart. Hopefully this time next year we'll be celebrating as a family of SIX!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T14:08:00.001-08:00

Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Father to ALL!

"How Can We Help?"

2010-12-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

We are asked this question all the time. People want to help us with our adoption, but aren't exactly sure how.

Well, I am going to give you two very easy ways to help us in the most practical way possible.

Ready? Here it is...

You can Pre-Order my family devotional I wrote, although not in my hands yet because it is the final stages of production, and a percentage of the $15 (+shipping) will go toward our adoption. You can also choose Option 2 or Option 3 to donate a little more toward our adoption. I'll be mailing out the books mid-January. (There is a link to the right to pre-order the book as well:)

You can also go to joshvia.bandcamp.com and download Josh's new Christmas Album EP. It is available for FREE download, but if you feel so lead, you can donate toward our adoption for the album as well. So, go download this great music and ENJOY! (There is a link to the right to download the EP as well:)

So there ya go. Two ways to help us bring our little girl home!

Here's a BONUS thing you can do - spread the word...

The Figure

2010-12-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

We made $600, exactly, at our Adoption Yard Sale yesterday!

Make sure to check our family blog, www.tashavia.com, if you want to see the details and what we did with the leftovers:) Pretty amazing!

The Yard Sale Is Tomorrow!

2010-12-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

Via Adoption Yard Sale

WHERE: Rolesville, NC (at our house)

WHEN: starting at 8am

We have couches, storage shelves, toys, clothes, and

don't forget all of Areyna and Zeke's little treasures they found to sell:)

Come on out and get a FREE cup of hot chocolate while you shop!

News...Finally!

2010-12-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

Our first Homestudy visit went very well. Very.Well. Our agent is fabulous and totally put our minds at ease. I'm not worried at all about our second visit, which will be toward the beginning of January. The only thing paperwork-wise that we have to do to complete our homestudy paperwork is Josh's medical and that is scheduled for the beginning of January so we are actually at a stand-still with forms and such. It's a welcomed lull with the craziness of my grandmother's funeral and our trip to Charlotte, not to mention Christmas being right around the corner and another Sunday trying to get the rest of the sponsors for the Orphans.

Here is the news we've been waiting for...

I got an email from the facilitator in Uganda and he has finally received the funding to begin the process for the little girl we are hoping to adopt! I couldn't be more thrilled to have gotten this news!!! This means that things are progressing on both ends now!

First Home Study Visit

2010-12-07T05:21:00.000-08:00

We have our first Home Study visit this Thursday. Josh and I have been compiling all our documents and paperwork over the weekend and feel prepared. It is so weird to be on this side of the adoption process. I've always been the one to compile everyone else's hard work and send it to the appropriate places. Now, I'm the one preparing all the little details.

Josh and I had fun reading through each other's autobiographies last night. It was neat to see our different perspectives on our kids, marriage and our own marriage relationship.

I think this whole process, although it can be overwhelming at times, is going to be so good for our family and our relationships.

I'll let you know how the first visit goes. I know the house doesn't have to be perfect, but I can't seem to fight the urge to straighten up every little corner and closet in the house anyway.

So, off I go to do what I do best...ORGANIZE!

And The Paperwork Begins

2010-12-03T05:31:00.000-08:00

We just received our Uganda packet in the mail. It's more like a dissertation and, after reading the welcome letter in the front, I went ahead and just closed it before the tears started to smear the pages. I became completely overwhelmed.

I'm not exactly sure why.

Maybe it was because my brother and sister-in-law kept me up until 1am the night before:), maybe it was because the first thing I saw was "return to LMI ASAP" in bright red.

Maybe it was the fleeting thought of our little girl falling and scraping her knee and not having a mommy and daddy to kiss it and put a band-aid on it.

I don't know. We just have such a long ways to go before we can bring her home. Why does it have to be such a grueling process? I mean I totally understand. I really do. But at the same time, I just wish we could say, "Hey __________, you want to come be part of our family? Okay, let's hop on the plane and bring you home."

So, again, Josh and I sat down and we made a weekend goal to do the "return to LMI ASAP" so we can mail it off on Monday.

Then we'll dive into the next page of the packet:)

Who'd A Thought

2010-12-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

We sent in our contract so now we are moving.

Who would have thought it would be so darn expensive just to get a few Birth Certificates and a Marriage License? Sheesh! I'm in the process of getting all of our legal documents in order.

I need to pace myself or this could get a little tedious.

I'm also waiting to hear back from our home study agency to get our first session scheduled:) It feels to good to actually be doing something now...

We've Made Contact

2010-11-26T13:12:00.000-08:00

I think the hardest part of this process, so far, is the fact that we are the first group of adoptions that are going through this orphanage. There have been a lot of unanswered questions and Uganda isn't the quickest country to get answers from (if you've ever been there you know exactly what I'm talking about). It's nothing against them, they just have a different culture than we do.

BUT

Yesterday, Thanksgiving, we had a breakthrough! I can't think of anything else that could have made our Thanksgiving any better than knowing that we have had this breakthrough! I know it sounds vague, but I don't want to go into a ton of detail.

Just Praise The Lord with us as we rejoice in this breakthrough and continue to pray through this whole process as we work on bringing our little girl home!

Adoption Resources

2010-11-23T07:29:00.001-08:00

Josh and I are wanting to be as prepared as we can be for whatever this adoption may hold. We know that there is no way to be completely ready for what lays ahead but we'd be naive to think that there was nothing we could learn during this process.

Josh got online and found a couple of books we are going to be reading through together, but we want more!

We are specifically wanting to read about international adoptions and interracial families. We know that this is a very emotional process...for us and the little black child we're going to be bringing into our family and we want to be sensitive to this.

So, what books do you suggest that we read as we try to prepare for this new Journey as a family?

National Adoption Day

2010-11-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

It's National Adoption Day. It's such a good feeling to say that we are adopting this year!

Accepted

2010-11-17T05:04:00.001-08:00

We just got accepted and approved into the LMI family! Our application was approved and now we begin the paperwork:)

Made It

2010-11-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

Our application made it to the agency and now we wait on approval.

I am almost giddy with excitement because, although that is just a preliminary step, it is one more necessary step that is complete!

I also spoke with our agency and they made communication with Uganda today and that is a BIG DEAL! Communication can be detrimental to an adoption and we are praying for this open line for information and updates.

Where We Are

2010-11-15T06:09:00.000-08:00

While Josh and I were sitting down together for dinner last night, our gaze rested on the pictures of our little Uganda girl on our refrigerator. We both sat there in silence for a few minutes and then I realized how I was feeling inside.

It's kind of like the first trimester of a pregnancy. When you first find out you are pregnant you KNOW you are pregnant, you KNOW that eventually you are going to be holding that little life, you KNOW your life is about to change in a HUGE and WONDERFUL way...but it just doesn't seem real yet.

That sums up exactly how I am feeling right now.

I KNOW we are adopting, I KNOW that eventually we are going to be holding the little life God has chosen for us to bring home, and I KNOW our family is about to change in a HUGE and WONDERFUL way...but it just doesn't seem real yet.

Mailed Off Our Application

2010-11-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

We found our agency yesterday! It's so nice to know that they are on our side helping us bring our little girl home:)

We chose, Little Miracles International. I've spoken with the director and the program coordinator, both for extended lengths and am very anxious to work with them. They emailed the application yesterday and we completed it last night. We got everything together this morning and Josh just took Areyna and Zeke with him to mail it off! Wow, we're really doing this:)

I Have A Love/Hate Relationship With My Phone

2010-11-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

I decided that the best way for me to get things accomplished was to set little goals along the way.

So this week, my goal was to make initial connections with Adoption Agencies and Adoption Agencies. I would love to have our applications by this weekend to be able to work on filling them out.

Yesterday, most of my day was spent on the phone leaving messages and then waiting...waiting...checking my email a million times...and waiting some more.

Then, finally, the phone calls began coming in! I think we have found the agency we want to work with and hopefully have the home study agent we'll be using. We just have a few more questions and details to get ironed out and then we can more forward.

Just Talking To Someone Helps

2010-11-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

I just spoke with my first of three Adoption Agencies that we have the potential of working with. I have been a little overwhelmed just thinking about where to get started. It was nice to talk to someone in person (on the phone) about the process and the possibilities for us!

Let The Whole World Know

2010-11-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

We just let the whole world know that we were bringing you home, little girl. We are so excited for this journey. We know it's not a glamorous road and we know that the Lord could shut the doors at any time, but we're moving forward in faith.

We love you already!

Family Portrait By: Areyna Via

The Call To Africa

2010-11-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

We made the call to Uganda to let Godfrey, of Arise Africa, know that we were ready to do this.

So, this is the step where we wait on the paperwork to be filed to state that the little girl, whom we have chosen, is in fact available for adoption.

And the waiting begins:)

It's Official

2010-11-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

After a mission trip that my husband and I took to Uganda on October 4-14, 2010, we brought home more than just fond memories of the Ugandan people and a great experience. We brought home a bleeding heart for the orphans that we met. Not wanting to act out of a reaction to emotions we decided to meditate and pray about the possibility of adoption.

I felt, pretty early on, that this is what our family was called to do, but Josh was moving a little slower than me. This isn't unusual:) It just makes for one of the things I absolutely LOVE about him! Really...

Anyway, after telling one of my closest friends to keep me accountable to keeping my mouth shut so the Lord could speak to Josh's heart, He did!

Josh came to me today to let me know that the Lord had affirmed in his heart that it's a go!

So, here we are. We're going to bring one of those precious children home.

And so the Journey begins.

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