FAQ's and more great information!

Check out some FAQ's on the From HIV to Home blog :) Here's the link!

Informational Picnic!

Hey everyone! The informational picnic last weekend went amazingly well - thank you for your prayers! Many of my dear friends and family took time out of their busy schedules to come and learn more about adoption as well as become a little more educated about HIV. Dr. Christa and her husband, Rob, shared their story about how God moved their hearts to embrace a little one from Zambia, after serving as missionaries there and personally witnessing the tragedy of watching the great suffering of AIDS that has already taken millions of lives, including millions of innocent children. I'm so tremendously thankful for everyone's attentiveness, honest questions, and excitement about this little one joining my family! Here's some pic's from the day!

P.S. I've decided on one of little busters names - Jeremiah (after Jeremiah 29:11).
P.P.S. I got fingerprinted this past Saturday - now I'm waiting for USCIS approval - which will probably take about 2 months.

Isaiah - isn't he absolutely adorable!

Bulch and Isaiah playing a little game of catch!


Introducing Scott! If you haven't met him yet, he's amazing - hope you all get to meet him soon! I am a very lucky girl!

Rob and Christa's brood enjoying pizza!


In this shot, you can see Dr. Christa standing at the front and her husband Rob standing in the kitchen area. Also in the shot are my little bro and sis Tim and Brooke, step-mom Dottie, and work colleague Peg!

Me and little bro :)

My sweet sisters in the Lord, Allison, Anna, and Sam

Thanks for checking in everyone! I'd love to hear from you so leave a comment or shoot me an email and let me know what's up with you all!

Adoption Update

It's been a while since I've updated you all on how the adoption is going....this is because well....there's a lot of "hurry up and wait" in an adoption process. For the past (what seems like forever) we've been tweaking my homestudy to reflect my desire to adopt an HIV+ child (hopefully boy) from Ethiopia. That is finally done! YEAH! We've also had to do some research into some extra immigration forms that need to be done to bring an HIV+ child into the U.S. - my worker had never seen these forms before and we had to do some digging to figure out who/when/where these needed to be done. But - we eventually did figure it out. And finally, my Immigration packet to Homeland Security has been sent out as of yesterday! This is a big step in the process - and typically takes between 1-3 months. Once I get "approval" from the big D.C. dudes that I can bring an orphan into the U.S., we will send the full completed packet to Ethiopia and then wait for a referral (a "referral" is when the staff in Ethiopia look at my packet of information and "match" me with a child). I'm not expecting a long wait for my referral simply due tothe incredible number of HIV+ kids that need homes. I'm praying right now that I'll be traveling sometime early 2009 - but I'll certainly keep you all posted as I know more. In the meantime, a big thank-you to all of you for your continued prayers and encouragement! I certainly covet them and am grateful that God has blessed me with so many incredible friends and a great family! My cup overfloweth!

I've been Tagged

Okay - well that happened awhile ago from my dear sister-in-law Brooke, but I haven't gotten around to responding to this challenge until now. So here goes! Enjoy the 10 random, weird, quirky things about me :)

1) I adore sweets. I think this came from my Grandma Keeler who would "reward" herself everyday with a small scoop of ice cream. I sometimes think I really could indeed survive just off deserts!

2) I'm a pretty planful organized girl - so when plans change unexpectedly I tend to not handle it well. Some of you have experienced the joy of watching me "adjust".

3) I have a goal to adopt an HIV+ child from Ethiopia! YEAH!

4) I love painting my toe-nails, but hate pedicures. I only like to use the color pink (or course) on my toes.

5) I love reading and whenever have a little extra money will excitedly purchase some used books on Amazon.com. I'd much rather buy books than shoes, clothes, or anything else really.

6) I love taking bubble baths - not a huge fan of showers.

7) Large groups of people make me nervous, I do much better in small groups of one-on-one (it's the Keeler introvert in me!)

8) I love cleaning - it's really therapeutic for me - but I hate grocery shopping and laundry.

9) Did I mention that I hate grocery shopping? I guess that sort of goes along with the fact that I detest cooking (but baking is okay). I should add that I thoroughly enjoy eating - especially when someone else has done the cooking :0

10) I LOVE JESUS and am grateful everyday for the hope and purpose He gives my life!

So most of my friends don't have blogs...so I'm not sure I can tag anyone else! But thanks again 'sis - hope you get a kick out of the above :)

Prepare to be Humbled and Challenged!

Check this out....

Did someone say Skydiving?

Yup - someone sure did! Kimmy and I went skydiving on Saturday - we've both wanted to do it for a long time and since she left for S. Africa today, we had to fit it in before she left :) It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we had a ball (and can't wait to do it again!). Check out the pic's - although you wouldn't think it - falling from 10,000 feet is really hard work!

Me w/ the SkyDiveInc sign :)


That would be me and my man Bill practicing how we are going to get out of the plane (10,000 feet in the air, going 80 MPH, on a platform the size of a shoe box, hooked together in 4 spots).

Bill again - hilarious guy but super professional and made us feel really safe! (a definite must for novice skydivers!)

Picture of Bill, Kimmy and her tandem guy Harley - we crammed 5 of us in this teeny-tiny plane!

Me - (will Bill looking very focused over my shoulder) just as I'm about to get out of the plane. You can probably guess what I'm thinking at this very moment - "I'm about to do WHAT???"

Anyway, it was an amazing experience and the place we went to was great (SkyDiveInc in Hastings, MI). We free fell for 6,000 feet (during which it's really cold and hard to breathe - sounds fun, huh?!), and then played in the parachute for another 4,000. The whole thing took probably like 7 minutes - but was totally worth it! If anyone wants to come next time - just let me know :)

P.S. On the adoption front I really feel like God is giving me clarity day by day - I've talked w/ several very Godly people who I know, trust, respect, and admire, but most importantly have just been seeking the face and wisdom of my Lord. I'll keep you all posted once I know "for sure" about what direction I'm taking :) Thank you again for your continued prayers - they mean the world to me!

Fasting and Prayer

As I prepare to send my dossier to Ethiopia and officially begin the waiting process, I am asking for your prayers. I'm spending the next 3 days in prayer and fasting - asking God what child He would have me request (yes, you do have to be specific about what kind of child you desire - boy/girl, infant/toddler/school-age, HIV+, etc). When I initially started this process several months ago, I was interested in pursuing an HIV+ child - since that time, fears and "practicalities" have moved me away from this - but recently, God laid this burden on my heart again. My prayer during this process has been, "not my will, but Yours" - I've seen many times in my life how God does indeed know what's best for me and has a wonderful plan laid out for my life (when I say "wonderful" - that doesn't necessarily translate into "easy" - but I've also learned through the many amazing experiences God has given me, that "easy" doesn't build character, doesn't give us an opportunity to show our faith to others, and doesn't make an eternal or lasting impact on the world). With that said, I am asking God for clarity, wisdom, and discernment in regards to the child that He has for me. I'm also praying for courage to be obedient in whatever He asks. If that is an HIV+ child (which has little to no chance of ever being adopted, and millions will languish and die in orphanages overwhelmed by all these children) - I will certainly need courage to face the potential negative or confused reactions of friends, family, neighbors, communities that may (or may not) have a difficult time understanding this decision.

This "decision" is truly agonizing - as I know that when God's reveals what child He desires for me, another will be left behind.

Thank you in advance for your prayers in this decision. I am grateful to know that many have been praying and will continue to pray as I walk through this process....by faith.