Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! My sweet Thomas said we should order an Easter Basket for his new sister so she would have one when she gets here! Oh how I pray pray pray that she'll be here next year this time. My heart is so burdened for her but also for the 147 million Oprhans in the world.. I am so thankful that we serve an Awesome God who is so faithful and although these precious little ones don't know it yet, they are never truly alone. God is always with them. When I think about our daughter's redemption story it is  an overwhelming feeling! I can't wait to share more with you in the coming weeks! We hope you had a wonderful Easter with your friends and family!!! God is faithful!

We made our 1st Goal!!

Yay! Woohoo!! I was so tickled to mail that check off today!! Thank you to all who have supported us thus far in our journey! We are still trying to get our Letter Of Intent mailed off to China for the sweet little girl, once we get finshed we can share with you her beautiful picture and some more information. Silly me thought LOI was just a letter. Um, no, nothing for China is just a letter.. Medicals, vision testing, TB testing, HIV testing, blood work, BMI, a letter outlining how we will care for her, never leave her, harm her, get her the best medical treatment, education etc. All sorts of forms. Because we are pretty new into this journey we didn't have our medicals done yet so we had to scramble this week to get that taken care of.  Also this week were both fingerprinted, got our passport pictures, filled out passport application/renewal and so much more! Right now we covet your prayers for quick Fundraising and for the process to continue to go smoothly. We really really don't want to make her wait longer than she needs to for us to get to her and my momma's heart already just longs for her to be here with us! The children call her by name and we are praying for her constantly! We can't wait to share her name and her beautiful picture with you all!

The time is now...

It's been a busy night in our house. I was anxiously waiting for an email/phone call all day which arrived at 2:30 this afternoon. Quickly printing papers I rushed off with the two little ones to car pool and swimming. Getting home, dinner, homework, jammies, getting them in bed,  finally able to focus on the task at hand. Tonight, we are working on LOI for a precious little girl in China.. We can't share her picture or details until we get PA for her probably in about 2.5 weeks. (LOI-letter of Intent, which really isn't a letter but a package of papers, and PA is Pre approval) I will tell you she is precious and we are so so excited about her!! Covering her and the process in a massive amount of prayer now that we possibly have our new daughter!
 We are so thankful for the support we have recieved thus far! Folks are always asking though, "What can we do?" There are many ways to help, donating items for the next yard sale on April 6th, Buying Goat's milk soaps, Pampered Chef, Mary Kay etc. But honestly friends what we really need is cash... Toinght we are praying for more friends to step up to our 300/100 challenge. These next steps in the process will all require money and big money at times. Money Tommy and I don't have.. We have said it before but we literally can not do this with our friends and family who come along side of us. The truth is that there is a little girl in China in an Orphange that needs a mom and a day, a family.. In order for us to get to her we have to activeley continue to raise money. If you missed the first post the orginal challenge was for 300 of our friends to each give $100, I couldn't beleieve the math was that simple! 300 x $100 was $30,000.00! If $100 isn't attaintable for you what about asking 10 of your friends to give $10.00 or how about a $50 donation or a $25 donation? Thats 600 friends giving $50 to make $30,000.00 or 1200 friends giving $25.00 to make $30,000.00. We are believing tonight that our facebook family and friends will share our story and share again and again to help us bring our daughter home! Can't wait to see what God will do and to share her with you once PA comes in!!!
 You don't have to have a paypall account to donate through our paypall account just click the button and donate using your credit/debit card. 

Fundriasing update

Wow! God is so faithful and our friends amazing! Rarely is there a day that goes by that we don't receive a check or cash, may it be through the mail or in person! The giveaway has been successful and the Goat's milk soap awesome also! I just started selling them about 36 hours ago and have SOLD OUT of the first 50 bars! Thank ya'll so much! I just ordered some more and they should be here early next week. You can read about the neat organization here, http://goatmilkstuff.com/. Neat that we are supporting a good cause while raising money for our "China baby". Which I LOVE by the way that almost every check has that written in the memo line. :):). We are having our first Adoption yard sale this Saturday and once again I can't thank you enough for all of your donations. We said in the beginning and we mean it that we "literally" could not do this without our friends and family! Our house looks like a Goodwill store and I am sure that many many lucky folks will be tickled to buy your goodies your have donated! The give away is still going on through the 22nd so check out the post before this one for those details. Lastly please join us in prayer over a file we have been looking at. I can't share her picture or details here but I'll tell you she is precious.. We've requested some more information from the orphanage and hope to hear back any day now. All of our wonderful Dr friends including our pediactrican have been reviewing her file helping us understand the medical terms and what her needs are.  We are praying that God would make it crystal clear if we are to be the parents to this sweet little darling  awaiting a family in China.. Thank you again for all of your support!! Hope to see you at the yard sale Saturday am! Tell your friends! Also my friend Kristen is doing an online Pampered Chef party for us through facebook. Thanks to all who have ordered there also!!

Win a Kindle Fire or an Ipod Touch!

Friends we need to raise money for our 1st large agency payment to begin our home study process. We are going to be giving away a Kindle Fire or an Ipod touch. Your CHOICE! I'll draw a name, with a random name picker on March 22 2013. All you have to do is;

 Donate $5.00 for 1 chance

 Donate $20.00 for 5 chances

 Donate $50.00 for 20 chances

Anyone can get one entry just by leaving a comment that you told a friend about this or shared it on your Facebook page. 

 If for some reason we don't raise enough to buy the IPOD touch or the Kindle Fire we'll split what we do make with the winner! $199.00 value! You can donate through our site here to paypall,( you don't have to use a paypall account just your card) or mail or email  me at tgotbeter@gmail.com and I can meet you locally. Thank you for helping us!

4 people needed, could you be one?

It's been an exciting week annoucning our adoption plans and moving forward on the journey to our daughter! Although it may not seem on the outside that things are happening, they are on the inside! My free time is spent with paperwork, researching new fundraising ideas and reading reading reading.. Our initial fundraiser is off to a great start! Let's end the week strong with a solid $1000.00!! We need $460.00 to get there. Just over 4 people who could give 100 towards our 300/100. Could that be you? Could you give $100 today to help us bring our daughter home?

"Our China baby!"

If West was to tell you our good news he's say, "We're getting a China baby!" To say the children are tickled pink is an understatement. I'm sure your as shocked as we are/were... Let me share a little background with you. Essentially orphaned myself ( my sister and I) as young children I always always knew that we would adopt at some point. The immeasurable sacrifices that my "mom" made for us as young children and still to this day are unbelievable. She is so dear to me and I can never thank her enough for her selfless love and so much more that she has given to us. Often times, I would think where I would be if she hadn't taken us in after my dad passed away.. Probably foster care,  and most likely my sister and I would have been separated. We always knew adoption was in our future but just didn't know when. After Hartley was born 2 1/2 years ago we knew she wasn't the last. Recently trying with no success we were content.. That all changed about a month ago when a precious little China baby came across my facebook screen. Lifeline was desperately seeking her a home because of some surgery she was needing here in the US. My heart lept as soon as I saw her and I knew, "now is the time.." This sweet little baby will probably find her forever parents before we are far enough in the paperwork to help her, but it was her, that started the journey. The last month has been filled with many obstacles, Lot's of prayers and Lot's of waiting.. I've been so quiet in this journey which is most unlike me. God has been speaking more than I have ever heard him before. Every where we turn there is confirmation after confirmation that we are right where he needs us to be. Tommy and I's hearts have been totally wrecked for the 147 million orphans in this world who need a home. God has also burdened our hearts that it is our time to do something about it. At least for one... a precious little girl we believe is out there just waiting just for us. We don't know her, haven't seen her picture and probably won't for a while. The journey is long, the paper work is mounting and the estimated cost is $31, 000.00. We've already paid out a little and a big payment of $2700.00 is right around the corner. Adoption is costly.. and we don't have enough.. When praying about the situation God has given us an unbelievable peace. I keep hearing, " I will provide...trust me!" So we are! We are moving forward in total faith and obedience claiming that our God is more than ABLE to move what seems like mountains, paper work, home studies, $31, 000.00, leaving my babies for two weeks to go to China. HE is able, not Brittan and Tommy, but God. You may be asking yourself, how can we help? First of all we covet your precious prayers. Prayers for our daughter, wherever she is and whatever her situation, please cover her with us! Prayers for Tommy and I as we begin this blessed journey to her, prayer for our children, my super attached babies will need 12-15 months of prayer for us to leave them for two weeks, and prayer for finical provision.. When reflecting on the finical part of it it was brought to my attention that we only really need 300 friends to donate $100 each. I honestly couldn't believe it was that easy. I even checked the math twice! Now I know that $100 is a big sacrifice, goodness knows it would be and IS for Tommy and I! Maybe it looks like you asking 10 friends to give $10 towards the $100 or maybe having a yard sale, I'm not sure, but we are asking you to pray and if God leads you would you please consider donating to help us bring our daughter home? We promise God will bless you and you'll be inundated with more pictures and updates than you could ever imagine.. My hands are trembling as I type this but then I hear God in that small but so big voice saying "Brittan, I will provide, trust me!" Thank you for loving us, for praying for us and for coming along on our journey to China!!!!!!!
 I will leave you with this amazing quote.. "The Gospel and adoption are beautifully woven together by the gracious hands of God. In Christ, God has shown His love to us as our Father. He has reached down his hand of mercy to us in the loneliness of our sin, and He has raised us up as members of His family. Consequently, one of the clearest displays of the Gospel in this life is when redeemed men and women extend a hand of mercy to children in need and bring them into their forever families." Orphanology
 * If you'd like to donate you can use the paypall link to the right, you don't have to have a paypall account you can use your visa/mastercard etc. Or you can mail checks to us just email me at tgotbeter@gmail.com and I'll give you our address:)