God's greater plan & appointments

First, we just want to say……Thank you!  John and I were blown away by our t-shirt sale and are so grateful to everyone who purchased one and/or gave a donation to help support bringing home Baby China. You will forever be a part of our child's story, and how he/she found a forever home. 

We sent many of you facebook private messages to thank you personally but I know not everyone has messanger.  All told, through the website,  we ended up selling 140 t-shirts including 10 shirts to people we have never met before. What an act of faith supporting our adoption when you don’t know us personally.  The southern roots side of us is dying knowing we can’t send you a proper thank you note (because we don’t know your name let alone your address), so please forgive us and accept this as our formal thank you!!  

God continues to amaze us by His continued provision throughout this adoption.  We first began this adoption journey for the sole purpose of bringing an orphan into our family because God called us to do so, with hopes of sharing the Gospel of Grace along the way.  What has been amazing to us is to see that God’s plans are much bigger than that.  Today was a good example.

Today is Wednesday.  On Wednesdays, I typically go to a 9:30am women’s bible study at our church (Church at Viera).  This morning I planned to leave early so I could run by Office Depot and pick up some fliers we made for our upcoming garage sale (more on that later).  I had ordered and paid for the fliers online so it would be easy to just run in and pick them up before bible study.  What I always hope is going to be a 5 min run-in and pick-up always takes longer!  Story of my life... While I have your attention, a little tangent/ rant for my husband:

I used to think the drive-through was for lazy people, and not using the drive-through was for real moms!  Let me just say that I wish there was a  drive-through EVERYwhere... And I mean everywhere.  Office Depot, Old Navy, the Bank, Hobby Lobby, Publix, Home Depot, Post Office, Pets Mart, Walmart...  I mean seriously, would that not be the best thing ever?!  It takes an act of Congress to get our family in and out of the car at every errand stop. Besides, the fact that one of the sliding doors on our van is broken currently, I have to crawl over the seats to buckle the kids in (who never keep their shoes on for more than 2 seconds), with both of them demanding to do everything their self... which for an 18month old could take about an hour to get out of the car. Then it never fails once we get in the store one of them has to go potty… Can I get an amen from the moms?

The best thing about the entire story above is that once I got into Office Depot this morning they informed me that I was at the wrong location and my fliers had been printed at the store 30 minutes away. Uhhhhhh! The "nice man" at  my current Office Depot location offered to print them for me, but it would take about 20 minutes.  So if I didn’t have children I totally would have waited but entertaining Nora for 20 minutes can be a bit challenging, so I accepted my loss and left the store, no fliers in hand.  On the bright side, this meant I got to church about 30 minutes earlier than I anticipated!  Happy DANCE!  I get to sit in quiet and have a cup of joe!

As I was sitting there, 2 Asian women came up and sat next to me.  We began the regular chit-chat that one makes when meeting someone new. One of the women was older (in her 70's) and spoke very clear English.  The younger woman spoke a bit of broken English and you could tell she was having trouble understanding me.  In an effort to help the communication gap, the older woman began to translate what I was saying to the younger woman.  I asked her where she was from... and she said CHINA!  Of course my heart started beating a little faster, I couldn’t believe it.  She told me that she had just moved here in January from China with her 15 year old son.  We talked more and the room that was once empty had now filled with around 100 women, although I was completely unaware because this woman had captured my limited attention.  I told her about our adoption from China and she seemed fascinated.  She asked “why are you adopting if you have your own children?”  I explained to her that we believe God has called us to adopt and we believe we were once orphans - separated form God - until Christ adopted us back into relationship with him. At that moment the older woman leaned over and said “She doesn’t know Jesus and that is why I have brought her here.” I was stunned.  A divine appointment I thought! What are the chances that my fliers would be sent to the wrong store, I would get to church 30 min early, and this woman (just recently moved from China) who doesn’t know the Lord would sit down next to me and strike up a conversation so relative to our situation... I don’t know how this story will end, but I have her email and I pray an authentic friendship will develop.  I pray that through our friendship she can learn about Jesus and I can learn a little more about China.  Although to quote her, "you teach me English, and I teach you Chinese cooking!" John will be happy about that!

Today has made me think about 1Timothy 1:12 "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given my strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service."

You can’t tell me this meeting today was random.  It was a divine appointment that God planned before the beginning.  I, who am never 30 minutes early, happened to print the flyers at the wrong store, decided not to wait around and was therefore early enough to sit and have a cup of coffee, and have this experience. It is an amazing feeling to know that God is at work in our lives. Have you had a divine appointment recently that left you left you a little speechless? I believe we all have a lot more divine appointments than we realize. It just takes a little faith to see the reason for some of life's circumstances.

What if God uses our adoption to bring this woman to Christ? What about her son who has never heard the name Jesus? His purpose is always good.

What are your thoughts?

Laura

how much does adoption cost? and how you can help!

Many times over the past year we’ve been asked about the financial side of adoption… How much does it cost?!! This is the 50 million dollar question that is difficult to answer. On one hand it’s a simple dollar figure but on the other, how do you explain to a coworker, acquaintance, or friend of a friend that the money is not just a one time, lump sum, hand it over and get a kid in return kind of exchange. We are not going to Wal-Mart and picking out a pair of shoes. We are rescuing an orphan. A child with no mother or father, who’s life will be dramatically different the second a judge slams his/her gavel down and they instantly becomes ours. The money is nothing compared to a child’s life.

However, adoption is expensive, regardless if it is domestic or international.  Adoption can range from $28,000 to upwards of $50,000.  While different adoption agencies have various fees, most of what we are paying for does not go to the agency itself.  Thankfully, these fees are not a onetime payment. In fact, the money is usually due slowly over time and gives us a chance to save for each payment.  With each step of the adoption process we incur more fees and costs.  Below we break down what our adoption is expected to cost according where all the money does too. 

*KEY: GREEN is money due to Bethany, BLUE is due to US Government, RED is due to China, Black is expected travel expenses and shipping expenses.

China Fee Summary:

$550       -Application fee- PAID
$2,400   -Home Study Service fee- PAID
$4,650   -Program fee I- PAID
$432      -Copy, and shipping expenses- PAID
$170      -Fingerprinting for both parents- PAID
$720      -US immigration form I800A- PAID
$1,760   -Fee for Dossier Submission to China- PAID

$2,350   -Program Fee II- due at referral acceptance- NOT PAID

$1,050   -China fee due at referral acceptance- NOT PAID
$5,700   -Orphanage Donation- cash due when picking up child- NOT PAID
$2,000   -Legal fees- cash due in China- NOT PAID
$200      -Child’s visa and medical exam- NOT PAID
$280      -US consulate Child’s Visa and courier fee- NOT PAID
$330      -China travel Visa for 2 adults traveling- NOT PAID
$194      -Passport Fee for 2 adults- NOT PAID
$6,000   -Airfare for 2 Adults to China- NOT PAID
$1,000   -Airfare for adopted Child coming home- NOT PAID
$4,500   -In county lodging, flights and food for 18 days- NOT PAID
$2000    -Post adoption report fee- NOT PAID

OUR TOTAL ESTIMATED COST is $36,286

We have already PAID $10,682

A little math and you can see that we have about $25,000 to go (NOT PAID) and we have been told to be ready for some unexpected costs in China that not included above.

So, you might be saying “WOW… I had no idea how much it cost to adopt”, or “WOW… how in the world are they going to come up with that money?”  It’s scary to us as well, but we have to believe that God is going to provide in incredible ways!  We already live on a pretty tight budget, as many of you know, but we are going to need more than a tight budget to come up with $25,604.  We do have a plan. We continue to save monthly and, as you can see from our previous post, are selling a lot of unnecessary stuff around our house. We recently SOLD the Mazda ($3800) and have applied for several adoption grants.

We are also planning to have a few fundraisers... And guess what? Today we want to invite you to partner with us!

Fundraising:

1.  As a first step to bridge the adoption fee gap several of our friends designed and sold support t-shirts. So, in keeping with the going trend, we have designed our own adoption T-shirts!  After getting a lot of opinions from friends and family, we have finally decided on this! Click on the shirt for the link to get yours.

We chose Amazing Grace because, as believers, it has been the corner stone to our adoption in Christ.  We are adopted by God, only because of his Amazing Grace. 

Ephesians 2:8 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”.  We love Phil Wickham’s song “This is Amazing Grace”

"This is amazing grace
This is unfailing love
That You would take my place
That You would bear my cross
You lay down Your life
That I would be set free
Oh, Jesus, I sing for
All that You've done for me
Who brings our chaos back into order  
Who makes the orphan a son and daughter
The King of Glory, the King of Glory"

WE ONLY HAVE 15 DAYS to sell at least 50 shirts!! If you would like to support us by purchasing one of the available sizes and styles this is a great way to help. Follow this link if you are interested in our shirt: https://www.bonfirefunds.com/the-baumeister-family-adoption-fundraiser

2.  So… what if you say “I have a million shirts, I don’t want ANOTHER grey shirt, or I hate the design”. It will NOT offend us!  Instead of buying a shirt, would you be willing to donate the price of a shirt to our adoption fund? What you would have spent could be given as a DONATION to our TAX DEDUCTIBLE adoption account provided by Lifesong.** Caution, this is different than the t-shirt site (see link below)!!

If this interests you there are two ways to give, and we would be extremely grateful.

-Give by Check

Please make checks payable to Lifesong for Orphans. If you would like to remain anonymous please make a note on your check with this request. 

In the memo please note your gift preference with Family Account Number and Family Name. (#4655 Baumeister)

Please mail checks to:

Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744

-Give Online by Credit Card

1. Go to www.lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate or use the "paypal" donate button in the upper right corner of our blog.

2. Select Give to an Adoptive Family

3. Complete online form and fill in Family Account Number & Family Name Field. (#4655 Baumeister)

*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.

3. Pray for us.  Pray that God would provide the financial resources to bring our sweet baby home!  Pray for our agency as they continue to look for a match for us.  Pray for our baby, who we do not know yet, but God has been preparing for us for all of our lives! 

4. Share our story. Maybe you wont give, or can’t give right now. That’s ok! Social media, your friends, family, businesses that don’t know us, but want to help (and want a tax deduction) could all be the help that we’re looking for. The more people that hear about our story means the more people that will hear about God’s Amazing Grace! 

5. Garage Sale- Date sometime this Fall.  More details to come, but we will be having a huge garage sale with items donated from friends and family.

If for any reason you have questions, the t-shirt link is gone, the donate button is not working or any concerns please feel free to email us at klbaumeister@gmail.com.  We thank you so much for taking the time to read our blog and consider helping us along the way.

How amazing it will be for you to meet this baby girl/boy that you helped bring home from China.

We are forever thankful.

John and Laura

providing for us even when...

 
Maybe you know by now that we were not matched to one of the waiting children on the shared list the other night. Although Laura and I are bummed about it, being matched on our first night of eligibility would have been a miracle by many standards. Moving forward, we will trust in our God’s perfect timing while we patiently wait for our son or daughter.  At these times, its always good to reflect on His blessings for us.

Some updates in our family… 

 

 Our serious boy, Everett.

Everett has become quite the ladies man and sports star (taking after his father of course). During his first meet-and-greet with his preschool teacher, Ms. Cindy, he brought her a picture he had drawn and the letter (O). Literally, Laura told me he pulled one of the alphabet letters from the fridge and brought it to his teacher. What a man! Even better, guess what letter they were learning about for their first week? The letter (O)! He’s also attending a program called “Lil Sports” once a week, and has already learned all about Baseball, Football, and Basketball. My heart aches as a dad that I’m not there, but he does look like he’s having a blast.

 

 

Our silly girl, Nora.

Nora. What can we say about Nora. As she gets older she is becoming quite a handful! She is learning to point to her ears, eyes, nose and hair when prompted, and loves to swim in the pool with mommy & daddy. Nora is quick to tell you “no no” when she doesn’t want to participate in an activity, but always has a smile on her face and is definitely our silly child. 

John's new work truck. HOA is not too happy...

 

As we wait Laura has become quite the businesswoman, selling some of our old trinkets on craigslist and an online consignment group here in Viera, FL to help build up our adoption fund. While most of her sales are small, we did just have a big one… The Mazda is sold! Goodbye little car, hello company truck! I have been very fortunate over the past two weeks to be given a company vehicle, which has allowed us to sell a car and put a big chunk towards the adoption.  The Mazda is definitely not a Ferrari… but it was a zippy little thing for an ’05. I was most shocked at the calls we got from our craigslist ad… No we do not want half the asking price and some guns. No we do not want you to make payments for the next six months. And no we do not want to trade it for a cow named Mayble who is guaranteed to provide 2 gallons of milk a week... I made that last one up, but some people are very persistent. She was a great car, but it was time for us to part ways.

 Bye Bye Mazda...

We ended up selling it to a guy who flew down to Orlando from New York, saw our ad, had his father drive him an hour out of the way to our house and purchased it after some heated negotiation. Little did he know that I married one of the best negotiators this side of the Mississippi River (that would be Laura). And his plan is to drive it back to NY… Like I said, some people are very persistent. One fact about this guy stirred our hearts that God was at work in selling or car. He was fluent in Mandarin Chinese… He had been to China many times and spent the better part of 20 minutes going over some common names for big brother and mama.  Very cool.

A side note on something that is not that cool. Last week Laura was handed a fake $10 bill when she sold some trinkets. We didn’t realize it at the time, but later got a call from a woman who Laura gave the $10 to as change.  Apparently, McDonalds doesn’t accept fake cash… Mortified, Laura is getting the woman another $10 to replace the fake and we are taking it to the Viera police station. Now, I don’t think there is some secret underground cash printing operation here in Viera, but it’s crazy to think how many business and hands the $10 went through before being discovered.

Family pic at Jacksonville Beach with our friends the Herrins

All that said, we are so thankful God has put us in the position to sell the Mazda and provide for us yet again. He is very good. We hope to keep our persistence up as we wait and pray for our child.  Please keep praying for us.

John