Feature Friday: Fundraising *GUEST POST* & Link Up

I am so excited to have author and adoption loving mom, Katie Ganshert, join us on the blog today.  I instantly felt a bond with Katie when I found out she was from the Midwest.  The bond grew when I found out she lived in the area where I was born, the corn filled state of Iowa.  I have since became a Missourian but we are still linked by our Midwest roots.  When our correspondence revealed that not only was she adopting from the Congo, but she was also an author I was ecstatic.  I am a bonafide book worm. So if you like to read, make sure to put "Wildflowers from Winter" and "Wishing on Willows" on your list.  Katie was kind enough to share some tips on how to do a successful puzzle fundraiser.  

Link-up!  Link-up!  For those of you fundraising right now... don't forget to link-up below. 

How to Do a Successful Puzzle Piece Fundraiser

by Katie Ganshert

What is it?

A very easy, amazing, enjoyable way to raise funds for your adoption!

Supplies Needed:

A puzzle of something you’d like to hand in your child’s room
A fine-point Sharpie
Willing hearts

How does it work?

You decide on the number of pieces your puzzle will be, as well as how much each piece will cost to sponsor. Then you invite friends and family, co-workers and acquaintances to sponsor a piece (or multiple pieces) of the puzzle. You write names of each sponsor on the back of the puzzle pieces. When the puzzle is complete, you frame it in a double-sided glass frame, and hang it in your child’s room.

The finished product is such an amazing testimony of all the people who came alongside of your family and helped you bring your child home!

3 Tips for Success:

#1 - Partner with a non-profit organization.
It’s so much less awkward when people can make their checks out to a non-profit organization instead of yourself. Plus, people are much more inclined to give if the donation is tax-deductible.

Consider applying for a matching grant with Lifesong for Orphans or Hand in Hand before starting your puzzle fundraiser.

#2 - Post the fundraiser on your blog.
If you don’t already have a blog, create one especially for your adoption puzzle fundraiser. Write a post explaining how the fundraiser works with a picture of the puzzle and how donations will be accepted.

Then email everyone you know the link and invite them to join you on your adoption journey!

#3 - Utilize Facebook!
Seriously, Facebook is your best friend. The thing about fundraisers such as these is that people have the best of intentions, but often forget and don’t send anything in.

This is where Facebook comes in.

Every time somebody sponsors a puzzle piece, write their name on the back, take a picture, and post the picture to Facebook (make sure to tag the person), publicly thanking the donor for being a part of your child’s adoption puzzle. Then include a link to your blog post.

Every couple evenings or so, take a picture of the puzzle as it comes together. Post the picture to Facebook, let everyone know how many pieces have been sponsored, and how many more are left. T hank everyone who’s already participated. Then end with an enthusiastic invitation to become a part of the puzzle and ask people to share on their on Facebook pages. Don’t forget to link to your blog as well.

I’ve had so many people tell me, as I post pictures of our adoption puzzle progress, how much they love seeing the puzzle come together. How it feels like a joint effort. How everyone who donates has a vested interest in getting this child home. People want to be a part of the journey. This fundraiser is a great way to make that happen!

About the author: 

Katie Ganshert was born and raised in the Midwest, where she writes stories about finding faith and falling in love. When she’s not busy plotting her next novel, she enjoys watching movies with her husband, playing make-believe with her wild-child of a son, and chatting with her girlfriends over bagels. She and her husband are in the process of adopting from the Congo. You can find her online at her blog and on Facebook. 

Guest Post: "Culture Shock" by Trésor Yenyi

Would like to give a warm welcome once again to my friend Trésor, founder of Mwangaza International.  
He has graciously agreed to guest post every once in awhile here on Divine Moments.  I enjoyed his last guest post as he shared about the different holidays of the DRC. Born in the Congo he has unique insights into the Congolese culture. For this post I asked him to share his thoughts on some of the differences between the cultures of the US and the DRC.

Cultures are beautiful. They are the flowers of many colors that God planted to make creation diverse yet equally valuable.

“Culture shock”, a term I learned in Bible College, would easily define my life. I was born to parents who are from different tribes in the DRC and I have lived in the four corners of the Congo.   More recently I have spent several years in America. These combined experiences have made me a “culture shock” or perhaps I should say they have made me a bridge.

When I arrived in the US the first thing I noticed was that everything revolved around the individual whereas I grew up knowing that my community was the most important thing. It takes a personal effort to be successful in the US.  It takes a village to raise a child and make a marriage work in the Congo. One of the first discussions I ever had with someone in this country was about these stark differences. I remember a friend of mine telling me that he did not want anyone involved in his decisions and that he would decide what was best for himself.  Whereas, I consider my entire family when I make decisions.


Another “culture shock” was the ebb and flow of time.  Time guides relationships in America; relationships guide time in the Congo. A 10 am appointment in the DRC will eventually happen between 11 and noon.  This translates directly into every day conversation as well.   Time in the Congo is allowed to slow when you ask someone, “How are you doing?”  I remember being very frustrated when someone would walk toward me and ask “How is it going, Tresor?” and continue on their way.  The Congo is void of such empty filler in conversations.  The expectation to such a question asked would result in that person sitting and listening to the answer.  A conversation would engage over the well being of the person and his/her family, with no frantic ticking of the clock in mind. 

Family structures are also different. Distant relatives play a role in your life. They are your blood. People whose tribes are related to yours are your brothers. I always giggle trying to explain this concept to my American friends.  I can tell that it is a concept that is hard to grasp.

It is also a world where your words carry more weight than you think. Written contracts are on paper, the modern administrations enforce them, but the reality is what you say is what counts.

After writing all this I feel like I haven’t told you anything new. You could easily read all this in textbooks and travel guides.  There is a big difference between learning about a culture and experiencing a culture.  The fact is you cannot learn a culture by simply reading a book. Unless you put on a learning hat and spend time with the culture; each word will be powerless.

Cultures are beautiful, different tastes but equally important. I believe after these years that there isn’t a culture that is better than the other. We experience God’s creative powers by encountering the differences with the courage to learn what would make us a better person.

I encourage you to experience the beauty.

To give you a glimpse into a bit of the beauty of the DRC I am going to share the slideshow again that I made up of various pictures from those who have traveled there that I shared on the Divine Moments fan page.  If you have not "liked" us on facebook you should.  When the fan page reaches 100 likes I will be doing a giveaway.  

    


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Trésor Yenyi was born in Eastern Congo in 1983 at the peak of Mobutu’s reign. Not realizing he was witnessing history in the making, he was helpless as he observed the country slide first into chaos, then into its grave—the victim of looting, war, and corruption. It was only after he immigrated to the United States that he realized the depth of the destruction that had occurred and began nurturing a strong desire to return to his native country to search for a cure for the disease from which Congo suffers. In his compelling travel narrative, Yenyi details his return trips to Congo, his subsequent charitable work, and the heartbreaking stories of the country’s victims of war. While providing the voiceless a chance to speak through him, Yenyi reveals the humanitarian challenges of Congo and combines his life experiences with journal entries—creating an introspective glimpse into a world where child soldiers, rape victims, street children, and AIDS orphans are the realities of life. Trésor Yenyi has a dream—that the troubled land of his ancestors will find peace once again. It is with this great hope for the future of his homeland that Yenyi remembers Congo’s forgotten.

To purchase Journey to the Heart of Darkness click here -----------> Buy Book!

Congolese Cooking & One Year Celebration

I have no idea where time is going.  It keeps slipping by.  My poor blog is neglected.  I hang my head in shame that I didn't even share about our one year home celebration or my first attempt at trying to cook Congolese food.

First was the preparation, finding ingredients in po-dink-ville.  Po-dink-ville is defined is living 1 hour from the nearest Starbucks.  (yes, please feel sorry for me)  A google search revealed a grocery store that carried a wide selection of foods that I might be interested in, an hour away of course.  So I made plans with a friend to visit the store.  We browsed through many items with labels we could not read and finally reached the African section.

I purchased some FuFu mix, frozen Cassava leaves, Palm oil, red sauce/stew very similar to Pili Pili I think because it was SPICY!  

Then I attempted to make some Pondu.  Keep in mind if you look up what cassava is wikipedia will show you the picture to the left and define cassava as:

a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge family) native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy, tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates.

Got all that?  Now here is the funny part (if you share my warped sense of humor).....

Like other roots and tubers, Cassava contains anti-nutrition factors and toxins.^[5] It must be properly prepared before consumption. Improper preparation of cassava can leave enough residual cyanide to cause acute cyanide intoxication and goiters, and may even cause ataxia or partial paralysis

So as you can see, Congolese cooking is a major endeavor on my part.  If not cooked properly I could poison my family.  I could paralyze people with my cooking?!  Now this is a new level of cooking people!  I pressed on, determined to bring Zalen a taste of Africa here in America. 

First I added a bit of water and began to unthaw and cook my frozen cassava leaves. You have to cook them for quite awhile.  I watched a video of a guy cooking the leaves so kind of based it off that.  Not sure what the difference is between Plassas and Pondu.  I have a lot to learn.  Here is the video: Sierra Leone Recipe: Cassave Leaf Plassas  We added shallots to the cassava because I forgot to pick up some fish.  It was what we had in the freezer and was actually quite good, but probably not authentic.  I would say adding a cooked sardine would more closely resemble the original dish.

 

While the cassava cooked I diced up some chicken and cooked it up with a few onions and garlic.  Then I cooked up a tomato/peanut sauce for the chicken.  I found the recipe here: Chicken in Peanut-Tomato Sauce.

 

In the Congo peanuts are often called ground nuts.  The above picture is at Zalen's orphanage where they shared some of these ground nuts with us.  Craig and I both tried a few.  I actually wanted to use fresh peanuts for this recipe as I had some leftover from Christmas, but ran out of time and just used creamy peanut butter.  

Instead of serving over rice, I made some Couscous that I found in the African food section of the store.  According to the Congo Cookbook website: Couscous (Cous-cous or Cous cous) is a traditional staple food in North Africa; it is also common in Western Africa whence it has spread into Central Africa. Couscous is a pasta, made by mixing flour and water to form a paste which is then formed and dried. Most couscous is made with flour ground from durum wheat, but rice, maize (corn), or cowpea (black-eyed pea) flours are sometimes used. Home-made couscous is rare these days; even in rural Africa most people buy ready-to-use couscous from a store or market.

The last two components to the dish were boiled yams that I salted and peppered and some fufu that I made from a mix. I am not a fan of fufu.

Here is a look at the dishes all together:

Below is Zalen eating his Congolese meal in the Congo.  

The one thing I didn't get done was the fried plantains.  I did make them later on that week.

For dessert we had some Africa shaped sugar cookies

 

After dinner we looked through photos of our time in Africa and played a couple of games.  We had a race to see who could balance certain items on their heads and make back and forth across the leaving room.  Craig did it the traditional way.  One of my favorite memories is when we were packing up to leave for the airport and we gave Zalen something to carry so he could help.  He put it on his head and walked down the hallway.  :-)

 

I also taught the girls how to play Tobeta Maboko

Tobeta Maboko

This is a very popular African clapping game, often played at school or between household tasks. It is essentially played like the “Rock, Scissors, Paper” game, only it is done with the hands and feet to a clapping beat.

First, the clapping beat: The beat is 1,2,3, pause, 1,2,3, pause, 1!
Second, the action: As the players clap the last, single beat, they jump into the air. Then in a quick motion, as they are about to land, they make their choice.

The choices are:
1. Right foot out in front
2. Left foot out in front
3. Feet split apart side-by-side

If you want, you can make up your own way of scoring these three outcomes. Or you can use “Rock, Scissors, Paper” to help you score. When the right foot is forward you can call that “ROCK,” as it begins with “R.” You can call the split “SCISSORS,” since it begins with “S.” When the left foot is forward, you can call it “PAPER,” the only choice left. (You know how those go, don’t you? The kids will know!)

The players should be looking at each other’s faces and not at their feet. The game can be played with any number of participants or in small groups.

And remember: If you think you’re not doing the game right, don’t worry about it. It’s a game! You can even let the kids make their own rules. If they’re having fun with it, that’s all that counts.

from Paul Carlson.org

Love my crew :-)

Feature Friday: Fundraising *GUEST POST* & Link Up

ONLINE/FACEBOOK AUCTIONS

I would like to welcome our guest post writer today, Sara Gentry.  Sara was very kind to write up her tips on doing an online facebook auction as a fundraiser.  She has provided many helpful tips below on how to set one up and some great guidelines to make it a success.  

 Hey everyone! I’m here today to talk to you about fundraising, specifically online auctions. I’ve completed three auctions through Facebook, so I guess that makes me an “expert”. Ha! Definitely not an expert, but I have learned a few things and continue to learn new things with each auction, so take that into consideration as you plan your upcoming fundraiser. And good luck!

My favorite way to host an auction is through Facebook. The other option is to host it through your blog, but I think Facebook is easier to navigate. For an auction on your blog, each item gets its own post, with any information you want to include (see later in this post for tips on that). For an auction on Facebook, it is best to make a group for your fundraising endeavors and then make a photo album that is open to the public. I haven’t been able to find a way (on Facebook) to make it completely open to the public, but I just let anyone who wanted to “friend” me do so, and then they can defriend me after the auction if they choose. In the photo album, list each item in a different picture with a description of the item. Bidders place their bid by commenting with the dollar amount they wish to bid.

Step #1 - Create a Facebook Group 

Step #2 - Collect Donations

Before the auction-

• Collect donations- I did this almost 100% through Facebook. Over the course of a couple weeks I put on my status that I was hosting an online auction and needed donations to raise money for our adoption. Donations can come from anywhere. If they’re local, you can take care of shipping, but if they aren’t local they can ship the item directly to the winner of the auction for that item.
• Make sure people know what kind of donations you’re looking for- ANYTHING! I received donations from people who made some sort of craft (chidren’s clothes, hairbows, knit items, etc.), people who sell a “home party” brand (Scentsy, Thirty-One, Mary Kay, Premier Jewelry, etc.), people who have a skill to offer (hairdresser, painter, babysitter, etc.). I also had several people donate very gently used items with high value (a video game system their child didn’t use anymore, high end clothing they had only worn once, etc.).
• Gather pictures of items people donate- organize this well so you’ll be able to find it easily when it’s time to make the photo album. I made a folder on my desktop for “FB Auction” and saved photos in there. I would save them with the name of the person who donated and any important information about the item. This helped me remember who donated and the information about the item without having to dig through old emails and/or Facebook messages when the time came

During the auction-

• On the photo album, in the description of the album, put all your “rules”. I hate that these are necessary, because it’s a good case and fundraising... all that, but there are still people that are just there trying to get something really cheap and not in the spirit of fundraising.
• Promote, promote, promote! Make sure your friends and family share your fundraising group and your photo album 

Step #3 - Promote your auction 

*add in tip from article "Fundraising on Facebook"*

Hold a 24-hour Facebook awareness campaign

One additional Facebook strategy you can use is to do a 24-hour Facebook awareness campaign
Here’s how it works —  with a 24-Hour Facebook awareness campaign you don’t actually ask people to donate money.  Rather, you simply ask that everyone “donate” their Facebook status message for 24 hours by changing it to “Please Help [NAME OF YOUR FRIEND]” then a link to your online fundraising page.

The idea is that even if your friends can’t afford to donate money, they will be happy to “donate” their status message.  With hundreds or even thousands of people all with the same status message many friends, family and strangers around the world will see it and will be inclined to donate.

Step #4 - Contact Winners & Send Items

After the auction-

• Comment on each picture, congratulating the winner. This prevents people from commenting or messaging you with “did I win” questions, and lets people know that you are working on getting their things to them. I do this asap when the auction is over. Because of this, I make sure my auctions end at a decent time (didn’t think about it the first time and had my auction end at midnight... tired momma the next day!)
• Let everyone know how they will receive their winnings and how they need to pay. When I comment to congratulate the winner I say something like this- “Congratulations Jane Smith, you are the highest bidder! Winners will receive a message via FB in the next day or two with further instructions.” This gives you a day or two to get in touch with everyone, and it lets them know more information is coming.
• Message everyone- if you say “in the next day or two”, make sure it’s really done within that time frame. Try to schedule your auction to end at a time that you’re not going to be slammed with other things. When you message them, let them know how to pay. The easiest way to accept payment is through Paypal. If they are local I would schedule a time to meet (often the next time I would be seeing them anyway- ie: church, MOPS, child’s school, etc.) and they could pay me then. You will also need to get their address when you message them so you will know where to send their item, or you can pass their address along to the donor who will be doing the shipping.
• Message all the donors- if the person who donated needs information about where to ship, etc. make sure to let them know it’s coming.
• Follow up- make sure everyone received everything they were suppose to. No one will participate in another auction (or any other fundraiser) if they paid, but never received their items!
• Thanks- make sure all participants (donors and bidders) in the auction know how grateful you are to them for supporting your adoption. I had people (donors and bidders) from all parts of my life contribute- family, current friends, people I knew in high school and are “Facebook friends” with now, new adoptive mom friends, and friends of friends that wanted to support a good cause.

My “rules”- after each of my auctions, I learned something new, so for the next one I added a rule. This is just what I suggest, you do what you think is best!

• Minimum bid- for each item, in the description I thanked whoever donated, described the item, and put a minimum bid. My first auction I had the “ebay mentality” that things would get more bids if they didn’t have a minimum bid. This was true for some things, but then other’s ended up selling for a good deal less than they were worth. Some of the donors were upset their item sold for so low because it actually cost them more to make the item than I made off it.
• Bidding increases- each bid must increase by $1. For my first auction I didn’t have this rule either and people were increasing their bids by 1 penny.... just not in the spirit of fundraising, so I made this rule for subsequent auctions.
• “Winner pays shipping”- if the item is coming from you, I highly suggest adding shipping to the end bid. I included shipping with all my items for the first 2 auctions and ended up paying up to $20 to ship a box to someone, when their winning bid was $30. Sort of defeats the fundraising idea. Many people who donate items will include shipping in their donation, which is great. I had many donations from local friends who gave me their donation in person to deliver to the winner. For those things I added shipping to the winning bid.
• State *exactly* when the auction ends- this is what I learned after my last auction. I ran it from 12pm on Monday to the following Monday at 12pm. Some people took that to mean they could still bid at 12:00pm and some people took that to mean bidding was over when the clock struck 12:00pm, so be very clear about when bidding will end.

I have had a lot of success with these auctions. It’s an easy way for a lot of people to get involved and help with your adoption, either by donating something or by bidding.

I'm Sara and my husband is Andrew. We have 2 biological daughters, ages 4 and 3 and just returned with our daughter Emily, 2 1/2 from the DRC.  Sara blogs at Our Adoption Adventure. 


Have you used an online auction as a fundraiser?  Do you have additional tips?  Please add them in the comments below and I will update this blog post to include them.

It is time for a fundraising linky as well.  Please link up to your fundraiser below.  I love supporting adoptions and and always share this post on Monday with my friends and family and encourage them to shop as well.  

SHOP and SUPPORT an adoptive family....

Need a new spring purse?  Or get a head start on your spring cleaning and get organized?  Check out either one of these Thirty One fundraisers going on....

Roberta Nielsen or Stephens Adoption Fundraiser

Talk about crafty - So many items to choose from - Congo T-shirts, bracelets, necklaces, magnets...just to name a few.  You will love the items created by Andrea Domitrovich all which go towards her adoption.

Check out these great shirts at: http://www.dojusticelovemercy.bigcartel.com/

 

A year ago today....

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.  Psalms 103:2

A year ago today I met my son... A small glimpse of when we stepped into a moment that had been waiting for us all our life. 

Thank you Jesus for the blessing of my son Zalen Moise.  :-)

EPIC date approaches..Preparing to Celebrate!!

January 15th is quickly approaching - Our anniversary of our one year "GOTCHA DAY!"  I am excited about celebrating this milestone.  It will forever remain an EPIC day in my book.  Last Friday we had our last post adoption visit.  The only thing left to do is our re-adoption and make him officially a Fuller.  We have tried to do this a few different times (I am a procrastinator but not like a year later one) and ran into dead ends due to lack of knowledge on how to go about it.  I don't think it is difficult, but not a normal thing in my little po-dinky county.  After talking to our caseworker I know we will get this accomplished soon!

To celebrate I have several things I want to do:

Share our "never seen before" GOTCHA day video (if I get it done in time- :D)

• Make some Congolese type food - Chicken in Peanut/Tomato Sauce - Rice - Fried Plantains, Boiled potatoes - might try to make some fufu. 

• Make cookies in the shape of Africa (with my wonderful African cookie cutter from the Wallace family)
• Play some fun Congolese games with the kids.  I already had the idea to play some sort of game where you balance things on your heads.  Also, there was a game that Papa John played with Zalen's first friend Brittnelle at St. Annes.  It was a clapping, kicking game.  When I googled this I found this AWESOME link to play TOBETA MABOKO.  It also had the idea of the head balance relay race and few other ideas including a Congo flag for the kids to color.  Check it out at ---------> Suggestions for groups 

I am very excited to celebrate this milestone.  What a year it has been!  God is good. I love my family!!

Zalen - 12 months of adoption, almost (Mom's Reflective Glimpse)

One year post-placement with case worker has been scheduled.  One year GOTCHA DAY celebration is quickly approaching.  I seriously can't believe it.  Our trip to Congo seems so far away, yet so close to my heart.

Being the end of the year I just feel especially reflective...  Of all that 2012 has held for our family.  How adoption has changed and blessed our lives.. the awesome times and the hard ones.  12 months of Christmas - what about the 12 months (almost) of being an adoptive mom?

Month 1: Exhaustion/Excitement - Jet lag sucks but watching Zalen meet family/friends were pure JOY kinda of moments. The first month was full of rejoicing as everyone met Zalen.  It was full of tender moments as God knit us together, teaching each of us a new way to love.  Bringing a 3 year old home is very different then bringing your baby home.  I rejoiced at how Zalen just fit within the family.  Yes, there were adjustments but I was amazed at how well we meshed and stood once again amazed at how God works in all the details.  There were also amazing moments where friends and family got to meet him.  Some expecting a shy, withdrawn child were stunned when Zalen beamed his contagious smile, wrapped them up in a hug and received them with a warm accented "Hallo!"

 

 

 

Month 2: Mama has Emotional Breakdown - Zalen was doing great and I was a big mess.  I wrote on my blog: I'm not sure who I am anymore.  What I once wanted out of life seems meaningless.  So many layers gone, I feel exposed and vulnerable.  But more importantly I feel ready to grow.  I am ready for God to teach me.  The experiences of my time in the DRC started to filter into my dreams, children's faces; the pleading eyes of Philemon asking us to be a voice, to not forget; the man at the restaurant who asked us to take his brother's son home..... I ached for Africa.

 

Zalen gets over his fear of animals after petting a baby lamb.  He moved up to being ok with Shay and then a horse.

Learned he really liked Play-Doh :-)  Specially edible peanut butter kind.

Month 3: Confusion/Grieving: I threw myself into my 7 challenge which I had already pledged to do before I even left.  It may sound crazy, but the 7 challenge against excess was an act of confession and cleansing that my soul deeply needed.  With each phase I asked God to forgive me for my excess and begged Him to help me understand why He ripped out a place in my heart and then sent me back home.  I tried to excuse the emotions and find some sort of "normal" again.  I am shamed to say that when that "normal" did not happen... I got angry.  I got sad.  I was just all over the map.  I longed for people to understand where I was, how I felt. I didn't get why they didn't understand the urgency I felt in my heart that WE HAVE TO CHANGE - WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP.  I started to really get angry at the complacency of people, the church, and if I am frankly honest walked a fine line of being self-righteous.  Don't worry Jesus is always quick to knock me off my high horse.  He swiftly reminded me that I was the same way before my own adoption journey, before He opened my eyes.  Once knocked off, I was just sad.  I was more then sad.  I was grieving.  Grieving that people around me thought the story was over because Zalen was home.  The story isn't over, I wanted to shout, Do you know how many I left behind?

St. Patrick's Day

Month 4: Finding my place after the airport - I had read up and prepared for Zalen's grieving, but not my own.  So month 4 was all about finding my place after the airport.

Easter Sunday

 What do you do when your heart is a continent away?

• You stare at your son you only brought home a few months ago and savor the miracle... wanting more of that.. desperate dependency upon God that you had during the adoption process
• You wonder how you can do with less, so others can have more
• You really question how you will be celebrating Easter this year....
• You fight with God over your complacency for what He wants you to do here, right now
• But most importantly, you keep the promise, to be a voice, and to tell America that they need help
• You keep reading this quote over and over:  "People who really want to make a difference in the world usually do it, in one way or another.  And I've noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: They hold the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters.  They get excited over one smile.  They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound.  They aren't determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they're satisfied with small changes.  Over time, though, the small changes add up.  Sometimes they even transform cities and nation, and yes, the world." Katie Davis, author of Kisses from Katie
• You begin raising $$ for mosquito nets and Kaka School

Month 5: A bit of new normal settles in  Start being me again -- emotions start to even out.  I begin to find my place.  I realize I can continue to be a voice and make small changes.  I even start to mellow out a bit and have some fun... going to some concerts with friends.

Zalen continues to GROW, GROW, GROW and we celebrate his 4th b-day.

Month 6: Remembering & Rest  I hit month 6 and realized I needed rest.  June just happened to be my 7: experiment to fast from media.  Perfect timing.  I also continued to raise $$ for the Kaka School and organized the yard sale which went amazingly well.  I kicked back a lot and we went on vacation.  We also met up with adoptive families who we were in-country with.  It was so good to share and remember and meet the rest of the children as well.  We also had met up with some CBC friends right before this.  It was exactly what I needed.. family time and time spent with friends who understood very well the last 6 months of adjusting.

Meeting up with good friends :-)

Month 7 & 8: Summer flys by  I would need my down time as I went into July/August.  It was a busy summer and I did pictures for two weddings and my nephew's senior pictures.  I read a lot of books and kept on pace with my Bible reading.  Summer winds down and we start a new routine.  Zalen and I begin school together and life is busy but good.

Zalen with his siblings and cousins

Month 9: Routine disrupted by grieving  Month 9 was a hard month.  Zalen started to really act out with me at home.  He also started having issues listening at church in his Sunday School class and in Children's Church.  He would have good days but then he would have really rough days.  School started to be an issue b/c he was not cooperating during our lesson time.  It all started when I went away to Woman's Retreat for a weekend.  I came back and it was like he was really, really mad at me.  I had been gone before this for youth group trips so not sure why this particular trip was a trigger but it was. 

Month 10: Self Doubt  When you hit the hard stuff and you are not sure what is going on... you may be tempted to have pity party and eat your "I am a terrible mom" cake.  Don't do it.  Between trying to figure out what was going on with Zalen and being down and out with some horrible sickness (kids then me)... I got to the point where I just didn't think I could do it anymore. (I'm a bit of a drama queen)  However, please do talk with your husband and admit honestly about how you feel like you are a failure.. he will give you much needed perspective.  If you don't have a husband, talk to a friend.  Don't face it alone.  You will realize just because the last few months haven't been as picture perfect as those first ones that you are still making a difference.  When your feelings don't match up with what you know your heart really feels give it some time.  Realize you can't always keep it together, and that is ok.  You can ask for help and you must realize somethings are not in your control.

That brings us here... 11 months home! My sweet, happy, Zalen has returned.  He is full of life and today during church drew a really good letter E.  This was HUGE to me b/c our lesson time for the last month has been excruciating.  His missing two front teeth are starting to grow in (going to miss that gappy smile) and I am enjoying our first Christmas together.  His newest favorite word is "Cool!"  Everything is cool.  Pulling out all the Christmas decor - "Cool!"  Lately he has been returning my affection again.  It was killing me to be rejected.  I have relaxed a lot... trusting God with the places of his heart that I realize I may never understand.  It felt so good to turn that over to who it belonged.

I am looking forward to what this next year has in store.  His language getting better everyday and thinking of just having a real conversation with him is awesome.  Tonight when I tucked him into bed he told me that it was his stuffed monkey's birthday.  (We've been talking about our birthday party to Jesus we will do for Christmas Eve)  He then started giggling and said Monkey and Jesus's birthday.  Silly boy.  :-)

Wise Man/Sheep in the Christmas Play (You just had to have been there)

Putting on the first ornament on the Christmas tree