4 Stockings for 4 Kiddos!

In less than 2 weeks Ben and I will be leaving for Africa.  This promises to be the craziest and most exciting - and probably most emotional - Christmas we've ever experienced.  Our bags are packed, the Christmas decorations are up - all that remains on our holiday "to-do" list is prayer and preparing ourselves and our wee ones for our departure.

I know I've said it one thousand times but truly, God has provided in incredible ways.  Every need - spiritual, physical, monetary - has been met.  And they've been met by you.  We can't express our gratitude enough for everyone who has supported our family throughout this journey. More to me now than ever before Christmas is a reason for celebrating God's faithfulness - the fulfillment of a promise, of many promises.

Rejoicing in His faithfulness in our lives and yours,

The Wilsons

Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday.  In comparison with other major holidays, its focus remains simple - a time to give thanks, a time to connect with loved ones.  In our family, we try to find new ways to show our gratitude every year. We started a tradition a few years back of writing our blessings on a table cloth.  We take it out every year and add more for which we are grateful.  (Note, if you want to do this make sure you have plastic or cardboard underneath the cloth.  Permanent marker that bleeds through the table cloth onto your mother-in-law's table doesn't go over so well.)

One year we wrote down what we were thankful for on leaves made out of paper, and then placed the leaves on a branch we found in the yard.  M was 4 years old and it was the first time she sounded words out in writing.  She was thankful for "BORBE" (translation - Barbie).  Nice, huh? Last year the children made turkeys out of pine cones - each tail feather listed a blessing.  This year we are making a paper chain - each link lists a reason to give thanks.  I gave M and C an assignment - each day they needed to come up with one new thing they were grateful for and add it to the chain.  I thought they'd get tired of it after the first day or two, but they been so excited to do this each day that instead of listing one, they've listed multiple things they're grateful for every day.  In the past week they've spent hours thinking about and writing about the blessings in their lives.  Here's one thing that our 5-year-old wrote that completely melted my heart:

In case you can't read the phonetically spelled message, here's the translation:
"I'm thankful for my new sister."

Our chain is now 7 feet long and growing.  We'll take it to Grandma & Papa's farm this week and more blessings will be added.  Our lives are so rich with blessing.  My life is blessed with the sound of laughter and tears of children.  I'm blessed with a husband who works diligently to support our family.  I'm blessed with a loving family.  I'm blessed with friends who challenge me, sharpen me, and laugh with me.  I'm blessed with Christian brothers and sisters who encourage me and lift me up in prayer.  I'm blessed with the ding of the washer - what a blessing to have clothes to wash and a family that wears them.  I'm blessed by God's faithfulness - he answers prayer and draws us closer to Himself.  There are so many reasons to give thanks.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

At Work in the Wait

It's been a while since I've posted.  We've been busy filling out paperwork, getting documents for the affidavit notarized and preparing our home for an additional member.  We've been sorting and packing and getting immunizations and letters from employers and gathering up activities for the plane ride and communicating with pediatricians and all sorts of other things in addition to "regular life."  So far we have four pieces of luggage packed and a stack of paperwork about 5 inches high that we'll be taking overseas.  

While all of that has kept us busy the truth is, I haven't been writing because I've been scared - I've been scared that I'll say too much or that I'll say the wrong thing.  Out of respect for the child we're hoping to adopt we are limited in what we can share.  What I can say is this - we have a referral for a sweet five year old girl.    Waiting to meet this child is extraordinarily challenging.  If you've ever been 9 + months pregnant, you might know what I mean.  It's a lot like that, except that she's not snuggled up safe and warm in her mother's care.

Though waiting can be tough and some days are harder than others, I trust in the Lord's perfect timing.  He is sovereign and He's at work in the wait.  He's preparing our hearts and hers for this transition.  I've noticed this pattern -  just when it seems the waiting and wondering has worn me too thin, He sends a word of refreshment, a word of hope, a word of promise.  He has done this over and over and over again - not just throughout the adoption process, but throughout my entire life.  But these promises are not exclusively for me.  They're for all who call on the name of the Lord Jesus.  If you haven't already, would you please come and rest in the Sovereignty and Promise of the Lord.    

He Provides

It's been amazing to see how God has provided throughout this process.  When we first made the decision to adopt, we had a conversation in prayer that went something like this,"Well, Lord, if this is something you want us to do, you're going to have to find a way to pay for it - we certainly don't have $20,000 laying around."  And pay for it He has.

There have been several times when an expense has come up - home study payments, department of immigration expenses, etc. - and a random check or two will show up.  In the last few weeks, an expense for our interview process with the orphanage came up.  The very day we learned of this additional cost, before sharing the news with anyone, we received three donations that together completely cover the additional expense - to.the.dollar!

Most recently, God has provided in another big way.  Our Silent Auction Fundraiser is finished!  We had no idea what to expect and are blown away that it has raised over $2500 - $2,831 to be exact! A huge thank you goes out to everyone who donated items, who bid on items, and who helped spread the word about the auction.  We are overwhelmed by the support.

It has been an awesome privilege to see God meeting every need.  His unbelievable provision has rendered much encouragement and comfort as we've ridden the waves of the adoption process.  In total, He has provided over $13,000 (and counting) - and that's just the fundraising - to make this adoption a reality.

And now we wait.  We wait for direction, we wait for news, we just wait.  "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." Ps. 33:20. To God be the glory!

Immeasurably More

It is my privilege to announce that donations to date total $5,288, doubled by the matching donation = $10,288!   Receiving this outpouring of love and generosity has been more than humbling, literally knocking us to our knees.  We feel so unworthy, but so very grateful.     

Since we set out on this adventure, it seems several sections from the book of Ephesians have become sort of theme verses.  From the beginning we’ve prayed Ephesians 3:20-21:

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generation for ever and ever!  Amen."

With the assistance of so many we have covered this process in prayer and once again God has shown his overwhelming faithfulness.  I can say without a doubt that He is most definitely in the business of doing immeasurably more than what we have asked or imagined.  

Thank you for coming alongside us, for praying with us and for us, and for giving so freely.  

BIG News!

UPDATE:  Donations are over $3,000!  Thank you for giving so generously!  If you haven't yet and are thinking about donating, please consider helping us reach our goal of $5,000 by giving before July 14 - your gift will be DOUBLED!  

THANK YOU for all your prayers!  It is with much excitement and humility we announce that a generous Anonymous Donor has stepped forward willing to match every donation made by July 14 up to $5,000!  This means that every dollar given to help us with adoption expenses between now and July 14, 2012 will be DOUBLED (up to $5,000).  $1 becomes $2, $25 becomes $50, $100 becomes $200!   Please prayerfully consider helping us cover approximately half of the adoption expenses by giving in the next few weeks.  As a reminder, because funds are going through our congregation, all donations are tax-deductible. 

To give, please click on the DONATE link on the right side of the blog (which is tied to our congregation’s account) OR make a check out to Church of Christ Fellowship Center and mail it to:

Church of Christ Fellowship

PO Box 3193

La Crosse, WI 54602

Check the blog for updates on our progress. 

We sincerely thank you for considering helping us bring our child home. 

Ben & Kristine

We need you!

We are seeking your support for a Silent Auction fundraiser to be held online August 23-28, 2012.  The proceeds from the auction will go toward helping Ben & Kristine Wilson cover adoption expenses.  We need your help to make this event a success and hope you will consider contributing an item to be auctioned to the highest bidder. 

Here are a few ideas of items that could be auctioned:

·         Is there something you make?  Home/Garden décor, scarves, bags, jewelry…all would make excellent items for auction.

·         Do you provide a service?  Lessons, classes, photography sessions, labor…gifts of service can be auctioned.

·         Do you have a passion?  Why not put together a basket of some of your favorite things?  Ideas for basket themes are endless, here are a few examples:

-Kitchen items                   -Car/Garage                       -Children’s books              -Games

-Movie Night                     -Coffee                              -Outdoor/camping              -Favorite Hobby

-Handy Man/Woman        -Pampering                         -Home décor                      -[Insert Your Idea Here]

You don't do baskets?  No worries, if you donate the items we can organize them in a basket, or add smaller items to a basket.

·         Do you have a favorite store or restaurant?  Consider purchasing a gift card to donate.

Thank you for your consideration of assisting us with the success of this fundraiser!

 Ben & Kristine

Please email Kristine Wilson at kristinemwilson@hotmail.com to get information on making a donation.  All donations must be received by August 5^th to be included in the auction.  

Asking for help

Asking for help is something that doesn't come naturally for me or for Ben.  We like to hide under the illusion that we can always take care of everything by ourselves.  But more and more we are realizing that this adoption won't happen - it's not possible - without community.  In the letter below, we invite you to join us on this journey and humbly ask you to consider being a part of our community of support:

Dear Friends and Family,                                                                                                           

We have some exciting news to share with you:  We are happy to announce that we are in the process of adopting a child!  We have completed the initial paperwork and evaluation (our home study), and are now certified for international adoption.  After much prayer and research we have applied to an orphanage in Jinja, Uganda. We are hoping to adopt a child (or sibling group of two children) between the ages of 1-6 years old.  This may seem out of the blue for some of you, but it is actually something we believe God has been calling us to do for a long time.  Now we are stepping out in faith, confident that God will enable, equip and provide for our present family and the child God has waiting for us. 

Similar to sending out support letters for a short or long term mission, we are asking you for support in the mission that we will be on for the rest of our lives.

First of all and most importantly, we ask for prayer. As we have already experienced, the adoption road is an unpredictable one. Please pray for us as we strive to bring our child home from Uganda. 

·         Pray that God will orchestrate each step (we are at the mercy of a variety of governments, agencies and organizations, etc) and help us maneuver through this maze in a way that is honoring to Him.

·         Pray that God will change us as we wait, remind us of His goodness and faithfulness, and increase our faith as we prepare to bring our child home.

·         Pray that our child will be comforted from the emotional strain that accompanies this process. 

·         Pray also for the children already in our care - that God will prepare each of their hearts to love and welcome another child into our family. 

·         Finally, pray for us as parents to have wisdom for today and in the years ahead.

Secondly, we humbly ask for your financial support.  Adoption is quite expensive and we are hoping to limit the amount of debt accrued as a result of this process.  The amount of funds necessary to complete our adoption is $23,000.  Prayerfully consider whether God would have you support this mission.  Throughout the Bible God tells us to look after the fatherless and defend the cry of the orphan.  James 1:27 says that true religion is caring for widows and orphans in their distress.  This verse, and so many others like it, makes it clear that God cares about orphans.  Orphan care is a complex and difficult issue – not all are called to adopt, but there are many other ways to help, giving being one of many ways.  We are confident that God will provide, as he always does, for our journey.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our letter and for supporting our family as we bring the newest Wilson home.  We are ever thankful for the encouragement we receive from family and friends, who have supported us in a variety of ways over the years. We know that God already has a child in mind for us and that they belong in our family.  We are asking for your help to bring her (or him) home.

Much love and gratitude,

Ben & Kristine Wilson

Frequently Asked Questions

Why adopt internationally? Aren’t there plenty of children right here in the USA who need good homes?

This is a fair question. It is true that there are many children in the United States who don’t have a family to call their own. We hope and pray God will call more people to be involved in orphan care through the foster and adoption system in our country. Some of our friends at church have answered that call and are caring for a family of five children they will soon adopt. We are so thankful for them and their involvement in orphan care this way. As we considered our adoption and started researching, we were struck by the staggering number of children overseas who live in orphanages, with little to no access to basic things we take for granted in the US, like medical care and education. The orphan living situation overseas is often a much different environment than for children without families in United States, who have the benefit of a (granted, imperfect) foster system, state-subsidized health/dental/vision care, public education, etc. And so, after researching and praying about it, we simply felt that for our adoption, God was calling us to adopt from overseas.

Why does international adoption cost so much?

The cost varies from country to country.  The costs incurred range from agency, government and lawyer fees to medical and travel fees – like passports and visas - and more.  For example, the home study alone costs $3240. If you are interested in the breakdown, please ask us. We would be happy to share that information with you.

How can we help?

YOU CAN PRAY. We have already described how you can be in prayer for us and truly, prayer is one of the sweetest gifts you can give us, asking God to help us and provide all we need for this task.

YOU CAN GIVE.   You can send general donations to our church who is partnering with us to ensure transparency and accountability in the fundraising process.  Funds will be managed by our leaders, Kevin VanBuskirk and Allen Whitesitt.  Please make checks out to Church of Christ Fellowship and write “Wilson Adoption” in the memo line, then mail to:            

Church of Christ Fellowship

PO Box 3193

La Crosse, WI 54602

o    We will be having many fundraisers over the next several months. We hope to have the first in July.   Some friends of ours will be partnering with us in an effort to “Care for Widows & Orphans” by helping a local widow care for her home.  Would you consider sponsoring us to spend a day serving and providing labor for a widow in need?  Please mail your donation to our church address (listed above).

o    You can donate time, prizes or skills - basically anything we can auction. We hope to hold a Silent Auction at the end of August or beginning of September and are hoping to have a couple “big ticket” items donated that we can auction with several smaller prizes. Please let us know if you have ideas, items to auction, or would like to help in any other way.

o    You can be a “Matching Donor.” We hope to do some fundraisers asking people to “match” an amount that has been offered by a donor. (ie., “Help us raise $500 by August 1st and a donor will match every dollar raised.”)

YOU CAN SHARE OUR STORY (by phone, letter, email, Facebook, blog, etc…) so that others can join us in this journey.   Follow our adventure and invite others to do so through our blog - http://thewilsonjournal12.blogspot.com/  We need prayer most of all and are in need of God to show his faithfulness through providing the necessary resources (monetary support).  We know there are people out there who care about orphans as we do, but have no idea how to help. Perhaps they know adoption is not right for them or their families, but can’t think of any other way to be involved. Praying, giving and spreading the word about our adoption needs could be a first step toward orphan care.

We sincerely thank you for your support.  Anything you can give – prayer, time, monetary gifts, encouragement – is greatly appreciated!

Cultural Differences

I would really like to think that Ben and I are very cultured - you know, with a wide variety of interesting, ethnic experiences and substantial exposure to cultural diversity.   The reality is that the cultures we are most familiar with are that of the Germans and Swiss (and might I add the “American- Midwestern” versions).  As you can imagine, we are discovering that there are some significant differences between the lifestyles of those in the MN/WI Mississippi River Valley, and the customs of those in the Nile River Valley.

In an effort to educate ourselves and our children, we’ve been researching Ugandan foods and customs and trying to incorporate a little bit into our everyday lives.  A couple weeks ago, we had an “Africa” night.  We played African music on Pandora radio and I made some traditional Ugandan dishes.  M and C were so excited they got dressed up for the occasion.  For dinner we had Chickennat (a chicken dish with a delicious peanut sauce, served over rice), Matoke (or "Matooke" - a plantain dish with a variety of sauteed vegetables) and Sim-Sim cookies (basically just sugar and sesame seeds).  I'm pretty sure what we ate was not a typical meal - I know ugali (or sometimes called posho, made out of maize flour) is pretty standard and we're planning on trying that soon.  But for now, we had a fun time experimenting and everyone enjoyed it.  

In the past several weeks we've had the privilege of attending a few African choir concerts as well.  The first we attended was the Young Africans, a group of young adults that were once a part of the African Children's Choir.  The majority of the choir is from Uganda.  

Just this past week we saw the Watoto Children's choir, also based out of Uganda.  Each of the children in the choir has suffered the loss of their parents through war or disease.  

Here are a few pictures from the Watoto performance:

(We could not keep this little guy still - he absolutely loved the music!  He got so excited that at one of the performances I had to remove him from the auditorium.  I guess he didn't think they were playing the drums quite right and was trying to correct them - and I mean not in a discreet way.)

Though seemingly simple, experiencing these performances has had a profound impact on our children, especially C.  For the most part he has been more hesitant with the concept of adoption.  The fear of the unknown definitely has had its grip on him at times, but seeing people from Uganda, hearing their voices, becoming familiar with what they look like and how they dress, has made an enormous difference.  He is now not only OK with the adoption, but actually excited about it.  

Don't get me wrong.  I know that making a batch of Matoke and attending an African Children's concert does not make me a Ugandan guru.  We have barely scratched the surface and have a LOT to learn.  But we are bit by bit discovering a different culture, learning new things and enjoying it!   

Just a few ways God has been at work

Proof that I have no idea what I'm doing - for some reason, the background of the bulk of this post is white and I have no idea how to change it back.  But I digress...To catch you up to speed, I've been sending a few friends emails with updates and prayer requests along the way.  Here is an email I sent May 23rd:

"Hey Friends,

Just wanted to let you know that Ben and I are officially finished with training!  It took a little bit longer than we anticipated, but now we are officially Hague accredited (US Law approved) for the adoption.  Now that the training is complete our home study should be in our hands by the end of the week.  Thank you for praying us through this.  Like I said, it's taking longer than expected, but I just have to keep reminding myself that it is in God's time.  (Remind me if I forget, K?)

Our next step is going through Immigration - that should take a couple months and will mean more paperwork and more fingerprinting.  However, we don't need that to be completed in order to move forward with our applications.  We've been in contact with an orphanage in Uganda that we are pursuing independently (without an agency).  Please join us in praying for God's clear direction - that if this is where God wants us that we would hear back from them soon.    

Please also pray for peace and protection from the lies that tempt me to stop this whole process.  Finally, with our home study completed we will be able to apply for financial assistance.  Please pray that God would provide in a crazy and abundant way for us.  I am such an in-the-box-thinker and I'm really trying to not limit God by putting him into my little box. 

Thank you again for faithfully praying us through this.  You've been an encouragement and a blessing."

The very next day - May 24 -after weeks of waiting we heard back from the orphanage.  We were able to apply and are now waiting on their decision.  

Other neat things happening... on May 31, I sent this email:

"I am getting so excited about the adoption.  (This is a high time on the adoption roller coaster - was down a couple weeks ago and now we're back up).  Just wanted to give you a little update - we have turned in our paper work for immigration and are just waiting to hear back on an appointment to get our second round of fingerprints taken.  

So I just have to tell you about some interesting ways God has been tying things together - 

The orphanage we applied to is in a little village right outside of Jinja, Uganda.  

Anyway, I started reading a book yesterday called "Kisses from Katie."  It's about a girl who goes to Uganda to teach for a year after graduating from high school.  She ends up falling in love with the beautiful country of UG, stays there, starts a non-profit organization that pays for children's school fees, and over time adopts 14! Ugandan girls.  And, get this, she lives in a little village outside of Jinja - she's literally a mile or two from where we hope to be.  Just for reference, Uganda's not huge, but it's not that little - it's about the size of the state of Oregon.  How amazing that of all the places in the world, we'll basically be in the same neighborhood.  I am excited to soak up this book and learn all I can about that region. 

Another amazing connection - just for fun Ben googled "Church of Christ" in Jinja.  There are a couple, but one in particular stood out to us - there's a congregation that meets in a coffee shop called The Source cafe.  Ironically, within the last couple months we had seen some sort of documentary on PBS or something where certain individuals are trying to provide a model for ethical business in Eastern Africa.  The Source cafe was featured on this documentary.  We had no idea it was in Uganda, let alone that it would be right where we might be staying - and now we may end up not only grabbing a cup of coffee there, but also worshiping there.  

God is proving himself so faithful - he's been preparing us in little ways and in big ways and he is providing for us every step of the way.  Some people have commented on what a wonderful thing we're doing for the child or children that come into our home.  We appreciate that sentiment, but really, what a wonderful thing God is doing in us - growing our faith and working in our lives in powerful ways.

To Him be the glory!"

After sending the email I found out that a friend of a few friends had actually traveled to Uganda last year and had dinner with Katie Davis, from the book "Kisses from Katie."  It is so fascinating to me how God weaves all these things together.  

If you've made it to the end of this post you should be officially caught up.  We will continue to post updates and prayer requests.  Thanks for reading!

I never thought I would ever create a blog - I mean ever - until we started the adoption process and realized what a great format this would be for keeping friends and family up-to-date.  

So here I am.  

To give you a little background, our adoption story started quite a while ago really.  When we were newly married Ben and I talked about adopting and having a multi-ethnic family.  But we had no idea what that would mean or how to make it happen.  Over the years it has come up a few times here and there.  But in the last couple years, it seems that every time we turned around there was another beautiful story of adoption - and we wanted that to be a part of our family.  In January of 2012 we made the decision to step out in faith and pursue this call to adopt.  

I invite you to follow our lives to find out how this story unfolds.  Please bear with me as I am not at all tech-savvy.  Prior to starting this blog, my greatest technological victory involved attaching a document or picture to an email.  I promise to do my best though.  See you in the days and weeks ahead.