Nothing to report.

Hey,
We really have nothing to report our profile has not been shown at this point. We don't fit what the birthparents are looking for but there are upcoming birthparents that will be looking soon.
We are totally fine with that. We know that God has our baby already chosen and will bring them to us in his perfect timing.
So far this wait has been the easiest because there is nothing more that we can do it is completly in God's hands now and that is a relief!
Looking forward and so excited to go to PA for Christmas and to FINALLY meet our neice Ava!! Also to see Mike and Ali (Chris's brother and his wife)it has been a year since we have seen them.
Merry Christmas to all of you!
-Kristin

Salem Chapel Shower

Hey,
Well we had another awesome shower with the ladies from Salem Chapel!It was so great to get together with the people who have provided us with so much support and love throughout this whole process.
A special Thank You to Megan for organizing and hosting the shower at her home and for the beautiful cake with "The Adoption Creed" on it!
A special Thank You to Allison for helping with the shower and some great games!
A special Thank You to Megan's mom for helping with the food!
My favorite was the rice krispie treats which Megan knows I love.
It was a great time.

Profiles are in!!

Hey,
We found out that the profiles were recieved by Kim (our caseworker)and they are ready to be shown to birthparents!!!!!!!! Wow it is really moving now.
-Kristin

Trip to PA!

Hey,
We got to Pennsylvania yesterday. Very excited to see all our friends and family. We got to meet some babies that have come into the family since we have been home and spent a great day today with Danielle, my mom and Chris's mom making things for the shower. We had a great time. I didn't do a whole lot of work cause I was spending time getting to know my new little nephew Jordan and catching up with my first nephew Tyler!!
So excited for tomorrow and the shower. There are some people coming that I haven't seen in years!!
-Kristin

quick post

Hey,
Quick update. Our new caseworker is Awesome! She approved our profile (with 2 minor changes) on her 2nd day of work.
So I am furiously trying to get our 6 copies done and mailed in.
-Kristin

Yikes

Hey,
Well I am official a terrible blogger. I just looked at my last post and can't believe it has been so long since I posted.
Well the profile first draft was sent in a week ago. We were anxiously awaiting a response. The hold up is that our program director and social worker has left Gladney for another opportunity. We wish her the best and although we did not get to work with her much it was fun. The woman taking her place has been with Gladney for several years and has worked with the ABC program. We are excited to start working with her.
We are so excited to head to PA in a few weeks for a shower there! The reason we are soooo excited is because we have not been home since last Christmas. It will be great to see everyone and meet some of the special little ones in our lives who we have yet to meet! New babies abound with family and friends. Thanks to God that we are finally able to say that we will be part of that group soon. I know that Chris's Mom, my Mom and Danielle (we have been great friends for 17 years!) are busy at work to make this the most awesome shower!!
I am also so excited for the shower with the ladies of our church. Especially excited because it is being planned by two of my closest friends Megan and Allison.
I know will be awesome as well!
-Kristin

still profiling

Hey,
Well I am finishing up the profile. Sending it in tomorrow. I have let it stress me out big time. I like doing craft projects and that may have been a problem in this case. I am already a freak with making things "perfect" so add to it the importance of this profile and you have a crazy Kristin! Poor Chris, I think the only saving grace for him through this was that after a cold I have pretty much lost my voice for the last 5 days or so. Peace for Chris.

-Kristin

A lot of work to be done.

Hey,
Well now that we are approved we have a lot of work to do. Not that I am complaining at all. The 2 most important things we need to do is get the profile done and complete our application for the ABBA fund.
We also need to sign up for some classes. Infant CPR and Baby Care Basics. Not too excited about the baby care basics (I imagine a lot of pregnant women in the class do you think I will stand out?) but it is a requirement so to class we will go.
Things are really beginning to hit me and it is so overwhelming (in a great and awesome way) but WOW.
It was hard to explain what a huge important thing the approval into the program was. So now we are really focused on what is the end of this new set of waiting. And that is our baby!!!!!!
-Kristin

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey,
We are approved by Gladney. Officially a part of the ABC program. Now we wait on our approval packet to see exactly what is next... will keep you all posted.
Thank for all the prayers!
-Kristin

More Waiting

Hey,
Well today officially marks 2 weeks since our application entered the approval process. However, I e-mailed our contact @ Gladney and asked her if it was only business days that counted. Of course the answer was yes. So the 2 weeks will not be until next Wednesday (thank you Labor Day). So more waiting and jumping every time my e-mail chimes.

Will keep you posted.

-Kristin

Nothing to Update.

Hey,
Just thought I would check-in. I am trying to be a more faithful blogger! We will see how that goes.
Nothing really to report. Just that I am jumping everytime my e-mail chimes or I get a call. I don't generally get a lot of e-mail, so of course I have been getting a lot the last few days, so there is a lot of jumping going on. To those of you who are e-mailing me don't stop. I love to hear from all of you.
Work is still busy, but now that I am sort of used to it I can still think about waiting for the approval quite a lot.
I am also freaking myself out about the profile (anyone shocked?)but I keep trying to get my head wrapped around where to start. I think once I get an idea of a format it will go much more smoothly. I am just frozen on starting! So please pray for inspiration and courage to jump in and to truly represent ourselves so the birth parents can make a choice that is right for their family.
Also if you would pray for all the couples who are in the process of adopting and for the birth parents who are making such an emotional and selfless decision. Pray for patience, faith, and strength for the prospective adoptive families. Pray for strength, courage, and peace for the birth parents. Also please pray for the staff of Gladney. They really have a heart for adoption and they truly care about all the parties involved. I really believe that it is not about the money with them. It is about creating the forever families and to help give birthparents reassurance and peace that they made the right decision for their baby.
I have found myself thinking about the birth parents a lot while I am thinking about this profile. I can't even begin to comprehend what they are going through. What amazing people they must be to have chosen this path.
Thanks again for all your support, love, and prayers.
-Kristin

This is the letter from my Father-in-Law (not stepfather:)that tells all about the fundraiser.

Dear Chris & Kristin,
Just wanted to let you know some of the things that happened during your fundraiser. It started off that it went from a ladies night to a picnic for some friends. Your mother (Chris's Mom) Lori and Amy did the planning. We printed and handed out 72 invitations. We only invited the people of our Bible study group because I was afraid there would be too many people and if it rained I did not know how to handle it (Yeeeeee of so little faith). We sent the invitations out and waited but no replies as of Monday, August 9th, Lori and Amy reported that no of the 50 invitations they sent out were going to be coming. On that Monday your poor mother was a mess. She felt like she had failed you both, was crying and was a real mess. I was so much comfort during this time of trouble, I just told her we would just have a for us or cancel it altogether if no one responded by Wednesday night. Wasn't I the one with so much faith? Right! Well on Tuesday someone called to say they were coming. We recieved a check and someone else said they would be there. Then on Wed several more people responded so we were ok but again I had so much faith. Right! I best watch there is a lighting storm starting to hit close.
Mary Jo (our Aunt)drove up for the picnic (from Wv) and made food.
Lori (another Aunt), Amy (another Aunt), and Josh (cousin) made food, planned a game, and helped get things around and clean up. They bought little gifts and wrapped them then Jess, Seth, Aaron, and Josh (all cousins)all helped wrap the 22 gifts that they bought.
Everyone was given a gift. Amy had printed off the page about Gladney from the website and read it. Every time she read the name Gladney you had to pass the gift you had to the person next to you. Then when she was done reading you kept the gift you had. Good game.
Micke and Ali (brother and sister-in-law) drove down (from NY)and helped clean the porch and get the yard in shape. They got things around, cooked, made tea, and helped serve. They also provided the fruit trays for the evening and helped clean up.
The last of the invited guests left around 8:30. Mary Jo had to drive back and left around 8:00. Clean up was done by 10:30.




This is Kristin again. So the total that was raised for the whole fundraiser was over 1,200.00! As usual God showed us his awesome power. We didn't need 72 guests to come. God can do so much with all things!

We want to send out a special THANK YOU to ALL the people that helped with this fundraiser, and all who came. The love and faith that was poured into this is so great! We can't wait to tell our child how many people have prayed, anticipated, and helped so we can welcome them into our family!!

I am an idiot!! I was reading my blog entry to Chris and realized I put my stepfather!! I meant my father-in-law. I'm sure there are a lot of confused people from that one. Mostly my Mom who doesn't even know she got married!!

I am a terrible blogger!

Hey,
Wow, I can't believe it has been sooooo long since I updated this. We probably have lost all our followers by now! My excuses are I am so busy at work that when I have a break where I can use the computer I either...
1.Run for the nearest exit to get away! Although one of my co-workers always reminds me that if I don't return she will send the dogs after me (she does have an impressive growl:)
or...
2.I have been working on the profile.

What shames me is that I never gave an update on the fundraiser. It was an HUGE success. I am going to post a letter from my stepfather that details how the day went it is so awesome!! I don't want to give anything away, but it is another story to add to our collection of God's loving and faithful provision! More to follow...

Another AWESOME thing is Gladney got our FBI clearance's in and our application is officially being processed!!!!! We should know if we are approved in about 2 weeks. So send up those prayers. We will update as soon as we know.

-Kristin

Fundraiser This Sat

Hey,
I just wanted to send out a THANK YOU to Chris's family for holding a fundraiser this Saturday for us. The are having a lunch in their backyard. Please pray for GREAT WEATHER!

We have been waiting for the FBI clearance and I was thinking that we had our application in for a long time! The clearance can take up to 12 weeks. And I looked back and our application has only been in for 5 weeks!! Seems like a lot longer than that.

Update on the profile. Since I haven't recieved any e-mails I am assuming that none of you find us interesting!!!:-) Just kidding. Seriously, though this is something that we really do need your help with. It is hard to look at ourselves from an outside perspective. This profile is the most important thing we will do in this process. This is what the birthparents look through to choose a family for their child! Please help us. We would really appreciate it!!

-Kristin

Waiting...

Hey,
We are still waiting on the FBI clearance. Although I am grateful that we don't have to wait on immigration. I have heard horror stories about that! Gladney did recieve our homestudy and all that isn't in are the FBI.

We have been getting ready slowly. We have gathered a few things for the nursery. Two of my friends and I went to a big consignment sale and I found a few good deals!

I have been starting to think about the profile. I am starting to realize how completly overwhelming it is going to be. So I am trying to be proactive. If anyone can think of any ideas of things about us that would make us interesting. Please email me. If I don't get any emails then I will know that none of you think that we are interesting!! So I'd better get a full inbox:)

-Kristin

I can't ever think of titles!

Hey,
Just a quick update. We have all of our documents in (or at least on the way). The updated homestudy should be on its way to us. Then we can get it there quickly. We are mostly waiting for the FBI clearances to come in. After that we should know if we are approved by the agency. Once we are approved we move on to making the profile (essentially I scrapbook about us)!! I know I will be impossible to live with during that time. What a HUGE thing. This is the first thing that the birthparents see about us. And I am already kind of crazy about things like this!! Pray for Chris;-)

-Kristin

Loose Ends

Hey,
Well we are struggling to tie up loose ends. There are several "little things" that need to be in for the application to be processed. Most of them are out of our control. Like background checks, homestudy etc...

It is just really frustrating. Of course we know that waiting is part of the deal. But not knowing if we are approved by the agency is getting really old. It is hard to be positive for such a really long time.

I started my new job this week. It is boring right now. I haven't been able to do anything but sit and watch. I have my technical training next week. I have to say I will not be bored at work. It is crazy! But I think I will like it. The other members of my team (although having unique personalities) seem like a good fit. I think that a mix of personalities is good. If we were all alike we would drive each other crazy. So I am looking forward to actually be working soon.

-Kristin

Chris

Hey,

I just wanted to post about my husband. I am so grateful that God blessed me with such an amazing husband! He is not only my husband but my partner. Through this adoption he has be as involved as I am. He makes the phone calls that both of us hate to make. He is as invested as I am.

I know that through some adoptions there is one of the couple that does most of the work. How awesome that my husband is there for the whole thing. It just reinforces my belief that he will be an amazing father. I can't wait to see that baby in his arms!!

-Kristin

p.s. I wouldn't mind getting the baby in my arms either;-)

Garage Sale

Hey,
The garage sale was a HUGE success. We made almost $550.00! We were concerned at first when it was 7:40AM and nobody had shown up. Where were the early bird yardsalers?? Then it started and didn't stop!

I want to send out a special Thank You to people who donated things. We had some awesome stuff!!

Also a special Thank You to those of you who came and helped out!!

Another Thank You to the people who came and supported us!!

And the biggest THANK YOU of all to Aunt Megan!! What an amazing gift of her time, space, and love!!

-Kristin

Garage Sale!

Garage Sale!
Located Just Off Of Jonestown Rd!
Saturday July 10th
2654 Ninfield
Winston Salem, NC 27103
proceeds benefit adoption Our adoption!!
kerosene heater brand new, game cube, clothes, books, and much more!

Finally sending application!

Hey!

Well I think we are finally sending our application in. We did have to have all the things on the list done, which is only 24 separate things (not much right!). So the biggest hold up was the money (as usual). We needed about $1,000.00. So in the usual awesome fashion of God we received anonymous gift and the amount was, of course, $1,000.00 dollars. We are no less awed by the power and generosity of God but we receive these gifts with much less shock than before. Because OF COURSE he provides for us!

So we are about to make the big leap and send in the app. I am trying so hard to be positive and trust God that we will be in control and we will be approved! It is just such a pivotal point that it is stressful. Can't imagine how fun the next 2 weeks will be for Chris with me;-)

So keep up the prayers!!

-Kristin

p.s. if you read my perfect shoe and outfit post here is a little anecdote:

I wound up not wearing the "perfect shoes" and the "perfect outfit" I picked out had short sleeves, knowing how cold I get in air conditioning I threw in a long sleeve tee right before we left the hotel for the orentation. It was freezing in there so I obviously used the shirt. The hilarious thing is I realized later that the shirt I had on had a small hole in it!! God is so great at teaching us lessons;-)

Guest Blogger: Garage Sale!

Hey,
I am excited to have our first guest blogger! My friend Megan (one of our biggest supporters) is hosting a garage sale. Or I should say "Aunt Megan". We are so lucky to have her and Brian and her awesome adorable son Eli! I am so glad to have her as our first guest on here.

-Kristin

Hello all!

We will be having a garage sale to help raise adoption funds. It will be on July 10th starting at 7:00-?. This is not only a good way to help you get motivated to do some spring cleaning, but also a great opportunity to help the Brown's raise money to adopt their little one! Donations can be anything from clothing to furniture to baked goods or drinks, etc...

You may contact either:
Kristin by email kabrown62@gmail.com or
Megan by phone 336-403-1103 or email mquint@wfubmc.edu

I will be collecting the donations at my home, please call me if you would like to set up a time to bring them by.

If anyone would like to help us price items and set up, that would be greatly appreciated as well!

-Megan Quint

Hey,
Wow it has been a looong time since I have posted anything. Basically what happened was about 3/4 of the way through our long orentation at Gladney my brain said ok that's enough and shut down. I was completly miserable to Chris and was not really excited to talk about it. I know I was just so overwhelmed. And there was that weird aspect that we are so close to getting what we have prayed and wanted for so long that it is kind of scary! What strange creatures we are.

Anyway, I am back on track and super excited. A lot has been happening in the past few weeks. I was just offered a job at Wake Forest Medical Center! Full-time, benefits... I will be scheduling patients for the vascular lab. I am so sad to leave my job at Penney's (I works with the best people) and will miss seeing "my boys" a few times a week (although I see a lot of pool trips and macaroni picnics in the future). But this is awesome news for our family. It is another answered prayer.

Hmm, now that I am back I have so much to say I don't know where to begin. Well first off Gladney is AWESOME!! I am so amazed by their agency and so proud to become a part of the "Gladney Famliy". It has been a bumpy road from Uganda to Ethiopia, to end up in TX! And although I am sure we have some bumps ahead I am so grateful God led us here.

I came out of there (albeit a little crazy) with a totally changed heart and perspective for the birth mothers. I will not go into detail bc I think this deserves its own post. Let's just say when we walked into the room and there were tissue boxes on every table all the women looked at each other and said "oh no"! And I will point out that they were heavily used. At least by the women.

Glad to be back. More to follow.

-Kristin

Texas

Our trip to Texas was great. The hotel was very nice, however it was also close to an hour away from Gladney. So of course we were worried about being late, especially with the crazy Texas interstate system and traffic in Forth Worth(which we were told was bad). Equiped with GPS we left with an hour and 45 minutes to make the 50 minute drive. After much stress and worring about being late we arrived 45 minutes early.
Kristin and I were very impressed with Gladney. We received a ton of information and heard a lot of great stories. At one point there was a birth mother panel, with 5 women who had or are going to give their baby up for adoption. It was really interesting hearing their perspective. What a difficult and selfless decision. We did purchase the application. There is a ton of paper work that needs to be completed. This is the part that I'm dreading. I'm not really a paper work kind of guy. With teachers having the summer off and only having basketball camp on my schedule right now I'm not sure how to talk Kristin into completing all of it. If anyone has any suggestions please text me.
The other part of the trip that I was excited about was trying some Texas BBQ. If I couldn't get Texas BBQ I at least wanted something common or popular in the area. The three places that we at in order were Chic-Fil-A, Pastazio's(a NY style pizza place), and Five Guys. None of which were remotely Texan. It is okay though. We plan on going back at least two more times.

What a long day

Hey!
This will b short we are so tired and basically completly zoning. Lot of good info. A complete attitude change toward birthmothers! Will update soon.

-Kristin

Airport

Hey!
We are here at the airport. Other than being incredibly tired I am so excited! I keep thinking about the next time we come (to pick up the baby) I think I will be bouncing with excitement (which I never do) and possible bursting into tears! Happy tears of course.

One of the bizzare things that seems to be happening is that I am not nervous (it be the first time in my life;-) ans chris is kind of freaking out! Total role reversal. I do feel the need to mention that I am a little nervous about the flight. Can't quit worrying cold turkey!

Thanks for all your prayers! Keep it up God has already worked miracles and I can't hardly wait to see what is next.

Also I special thanks to michelle (and all the people who offered) for driving to the airport.

-Kristin

P.S. In working on praying expectantly I have been specifically praying that our profile (which is what the birth parents look through to choose) is only in for 1 day before we are chosen! Also praying that our baby/babies are as someone put it "already cooking"!!

Just thought I should post a blog, since I haven't done so since we started the new blog. Kristin has done a great job in my absence. I just wanted to say thank you to Michele and Alex for wanting to drive us to the airport in Charlotte at 4:30 AM and then pick us up on Saturday. It is very generous and much appreciated. I am really excited and nervous about the orientation on Friday. However, I feel it is going to be an awesome experience.

Hey,
I was just thinking about the things I have been saying when talking about the adoption. Especially since choosing Gladney. I have only been talking about and praying for the birth mothers. Why is the birth father so easily forgotten? I am sure it must be just as difficult for him and in some cases more so due to the lack of birth fathers rights. So if you would pray fir them and for me to have as much consideration for them as well.

- Thanks

T-minus 2 days until TX!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey,
Well it is 2 days until we go to TX for orentation at Gladney. I think I should have packed way back when I wanted to cause now I am running out of time! I realize that I am working 3 jobs tomorrow and 2 on Wed. I start both days at 6:00am and end both at 10:00pm! Did I mention that our flight leaves from Charlotte at 7:35AM! There is a little bit of downtime in between but not much. So this evening was my main time to get things done. Of course in the middle of it the power went out! The washer and dryer works so much better with power.

Well now that I have vented all that I will say that we are soooo excited! It has just really hit us what is coming up and the chain of events this will set into motion! Hopefully events that move really fast.

One of our concerns is that we will get so overwhelmed by the information that we will not really enjoy and get what we need to out of the orentation. Please pray that we will go into this with a clear head and an open heart. We know that God is with us, but sometimes it is easy to get so caught up in yourself that we push him back.

Well I suppose I should stop stalling and get to packing!

-Kristin

Countdown

Hey!
Well it is almost officially a week until we go to TX. Soon I can legitimately start packing:-)

God pulled another one of his awesome money tricks on Sun. I had just requested prayer from our church staff for me to trust in God that we will be approved and all things finance related. And then Chris sees an envelope with our name on it. There was money inside! We now can pay for the application and put sone towards the homestudy acceptance fee. So a special thank you to our anonyomous contributors. We are blessed by the faithful support of such wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ. The greatest blessing is the many prayers.

-Kristin

Tidbits

Hey!

Well, the days to the TX trip are counting down (slowly!). I did speak to someone at Gladney and it cleared up some confusion. Not all the confusion but some. Basically, we are in the program for now. Then after we attend the orientation we can purchase the application. Then we need to be approved again and have our home study approved. Then we are officially in the program! So please pray that the process will go smoothly.

We received our packet on the orientation and a little more information on the program. Everything looks good so far. I have been trying to focus on the end result and not think about another approval process. So I have been searching out baby names and working a little bit in the nursery. I have to say although it scares me a little to be so optimistic it mostly feels great! Trusting God is so great it is puzzling why I struggle with it so much.

So, the TX countdown continues…


-Kristin

Waiting for TX trip

Hey,
Well there isn't much new on the adoption front other than the wait to go to TX and get things moving! I have been searching for the perfect outfit (of course I have it all picked out in my head) and have only managed to find the "perfect shoes". Which those of you who know me well (or have heard how Chris found me on the floor of the closet freaking out about what shoes to wear 5 minutes before the social worker came for the home study) know my love of all things shoes! I think that this is an area where I have control so I am being a little nuts about it. I know you are thinking not Kristin!! I rationally know that they will not send us home because I do not have the perfect outfit, it just will make me feel better.

I also in a moment of not quite insanity but close decided to have my hair cut. I got a little carried away with the amount that I had cut off! I am now being told how "cute" it looks (and that is not a bad thing) but it is usually accompinied with it makes you look even younger! Now I know most 31-year-olds are cool with looking younger, but since I already have some people who think I am in middle school, younger was not what I was going for. Oh well it is just hair, it will grow back. I will just wear a sign in our profile picture that says that I am 31 so birthmothers will take me seriously.

-Kristin

Some Info

Hey,
I realize our blog has been kind of peppered with sporadic information. This may have been confusing and we are right there with you! The main reason is that the adoption had been stalled for so long there was nothing to post. Then it seemed like we may be moving forward with Ethiopia. Well, our path has totally changed.

I posted a while back that we were opening ourselves up to any (legal) form of adoption. It seemed like we were not fully trusting in God if we put some many limits on him. Through the research process we have found a program at Gladney that we strongly feel we are being led to. It is thier ABC program. The program consists of adopting an African American or Biracial baby within the United States. We are nervous but excited to pursue this path.

Later I will have a blog post going into detail how this is not because we think children in this country deserve a home more than other countries!! It is very frustrating when people say that to me now, thinking that this is the reason we have switched!

People would tell me that God had something in store for us that we couldn't even imagine. And while I agree with that I couldn't think of what that could be. Finally having a child in our family, what could be better than that. Well one of the exciting things that this will provide us with is the chance to raise a baby from their time of birth. To quote an old favorite Tv show of mine when I was a child (Little House on the Prarie) "It is a dream I made myself forget." So God is showing me that he can do things that I could only dream of!

I know that this post poses many questions. Such as:

-What is the process now?
-Why Texas??...

There will be more posts to follow answering (hopefully) all of those. Right now lets just say that we are moving forward and we are very excited! As always please pray.

-Kristin

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we were pre-accepted into the program that we wante! We are headed to Ft. Worth TX on June 17th for the orentation. We can hardly wait. I was ready to pack last night.

After the orentation we will be able to purchase the full application. If we are accepted at that point it will be lots of things to do (which is great!) and more waiting. This waiting however will be different because we know we are moving forward and actually know what we are waiting for!

Thank again for all the prayers.

-Kristin

Process Started

Hey,

Well I have just finished submitting the On-line Information Sheet (a pre-application of sorts) to the agency (Gladney) we want to work with. What will happen now is it will be given to the pre-approval review board and they will decide if we are accepted into the program of our choice. I am not sure how long it will take to hear from them. Hopefully soon!! If we are accepted into the program the next step would be an orentation we are required to attend. It sounds amazing. We would have so many questions answered and would meet people from all departments that we will be dealing with. We will also be able to tour their extensive facilities. That is the great news the only other news (although not bad, just inconvenient) is that this orentation is held at the main location in Fort Worth, TX. That is fine with us. We are ready to go!! At this point we are trying to get through these first 2 steps (especially the first!) after we find out if we are approved we will give everyone more information on what is next. Thank you for all your prayers!! Please keep it up!

-Kristin

Gladney and Fundraisers.

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to update everyone that as of right now we have found an agency that we really want to use. The name is Gladney and they are based out of Fort Worth, TX. We are really encouraged by all that we have heard of them and by information on their website. We are going to fill out an information sheet, and see if we are approved to continue to the actual application. Please pray that they will work with us. My biggest concern is as always our financial situation. Also please pray that I will trust that God will pave the way for us.

Also with this decision comes the reality that we need to obtain more funds to proceed. We are very much looking for ideas and anything anyone is willing to do to help. I know it is not as easy to get excited when we don't have an actual child and pictures to go with that knowledge. However, this is the typical way that things are done. And we need your support now more than ever.

Also, I just wanted to say that we have been contacted in the last few days by some people in our church (people that we don't have constant interaction with) and they have told us that they have been praying for us! What an amazing encouragement!! Two contacts in one week, God is working in that!

-Kristin

Birthday

Hey!
I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know I did. Yesterday was my 31st birthday. Chris asked me what I wanted to do for my b-day. In a showing of my age I said I wanted to do absolutley nothing. Not at all because I am upset about being in my 30's but just that I wanted the day to just relax, read, and watch tv. I sure have changed from previous years. I really haven't minded being in my thirties (probably mostly because everyone still thinks I look like I'm 19:-). The one thing I had said that I would be upset by was if I didn't have children by the time I was 30. So that is a sadness although I am no stranger to that particular sadness. Anyway the meaning of this post was not to bring everyone down. Just how funny it is that I have changed so much (age? circumstance?) that a perfect b-day would be reading, watching tv (and New Moon of course for you Twilight fans;-), and getting takeout pizza! Of course the BEST thing was doing all these things with my wonderful husband!! A day of complete pampering and indulgence of what I wanted. What more could a girl ask for. Except chocolate for which my husband provided my favorite chocolate cake;-)

Learning Hopefully

Hey!
Well those of you who keep up with the blog know that there has really been no progress basically since Jan. I have also recently shared that I am struggling with loss of hope and placing my full trust in God.

Our sermon on Sun was from Mark 5:21-43. The passage was about Jesus's power over sickness and death. It was a great message (you can listen to it on our church's website www.salemchapel.org) and it sparked some deep thoughts in me. Seeing the total faith, trust, and absolute belief in Jesus's power that the people in this passage displayed made me take a deeper look at myself. I realize that way back in the beginning of the adoption (back before we had even thought of actually starting paperwork) we set very strict guidelines on what type of adoption we would pursue. I think that you definitly should have a plan however, I have to admit that I came to the decision without doing much/any research into all the avenues of adoption. I realize that this was not only my way of trying to control things but also trying to protect us from more hurt, sadness, and grief. After hearing this message it made me realize that we truly need to turn things over to God and he will lead us. If it is not in the way that I want it I need to know that ultimately it is what is best. I also need to keep in mind and heart that knowledge that we can get through anything because God is there with us for every step of the way.

Obviously this is an easier said than done realization. Especially for a control freak such as myself. So please pray for the trust, strength and courage for me/us to fully step out in faith and keep ourselves open to all the possibilites of God.

-Kristin

Well, there really isn’t anything new to update. It has been a busy few weeks…

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting some people from the Watoto Children’s Choir. This is a choir of children from Uganda who are in the care of the Watoto Ministry. The concert was amazing (that is not even a strong enough word!). The energy, talent, and most awesome was the JOY of these children and adults it was astounding. My friend Amanda and I were in tears in oh about 30 seconds into the concert. Those of you who know me realize that I am not usually one to cry easily. The stories of these children (all orphans) were heartbreaking, but the joy and hope they feel through their relationship with Jesus was inspiring! So we had the pleasure of hosting (for one short evening) a married couple (Alex and Linda) and two sweet boys (Gideon and Emmanuel). It was such a pleasure to have them stay with us. Our only regret was that we did not have much time with them.

So that was on Thursday of last week, and then I had to get ready for a baby shower being held at my house on Saturday. I know that this seems like a crazy thing for someone who has gone through infertility to do. I really do subscribe to the theory that I have a lifetime free pass to get out of attending baby showers. However, this was an opportunity to be a part of a special moment in the life of one of my very dear friends. Alison has been such an essential member of my support system. I was honored that I could be a part of the shower. So my friend Megan (another crucial member of the KSSS-Kristin Support and Sanity System;-) and I kicked it into decorating mode. If you had seen my house at 8:00pm on Fri you would have thought we would have to hold the shower outside! However, by 12:30am on Saturday it looked awesome (if I do say so myself)! So the shower commenced. One of the best parts was seeing another member of the KSSS, Liesl! I must point out that Liesl did pretty much all of the planning for the shower. I just provided a location and some decorations. After the shower (which was a great success) Megan and I went to McDonalds and then just kind of chilled at my house for a while. With Eli (her 1 year old son) going from person to person looking for french fry sharing;-).

So all of these things are some of my excuses for not really even giving much thought and certainly no time and energy to the adoption. In reality I think it is mostly because I am still locked into the hopeless phase and am being very resistant to trusting God. So please pray, pray, pray!

-Kristin

P.S. Please take the time to check out the Watoto website. They are awesome!
www.watoto.com

Russia

Our hearts and prayers go out to all the families and children in the process of completing an adoption from Russia.

It is a horrible thing that happened to that little boy and that has such an impact on probably thousands of people. It is hard to comprehend the motives behind such a terrible selfish act. I can only attribute it to Satan. We pray that things will become straightened out and that US adoptions may proceed. We also pray that this will not have an impact on adoptions from Russia through other countries.

Please pray not only for the child who now faces not only double abandonment but is experiencing it so publically. Also pray for the heart of the woman who "sent him back" that she will understand and accept the consequences of her actions.

-Kristin

Hey!

Well I guess my great idea of saving information so I would write more often "fizzled". I was blowing bubbles with one of the little boys I babysit for and we kept saying that this one fizzled. He thought that was so funny.

Part of the reason that I haven't written lately is that I have been struggling with loss of hope. I didn't even realize how much a part of me had "shut down" until I started my new job and when I told people we were adopting and they asked for details. As I was trying to remotely organize how to tell them where we were at I realized that as I was telling them I didn't really believe it was going to happen. I have been told so many times lately that God is teaching us something. The thought in my head has always been "NO KIDDING" I know that. However, I just assumed that he was trying (I say trying cause I can be kind of stubborn, no comments from Chris on how stubborn!)to teach me patience. It became clear in church on Easter Sunday, that what he may be trying to get through to me is to trust him! To not lose hope. This is an area that I struggle with you think I would have seen this earlier.

So I am working on keeping a positive mindset and taking things one day at a time. I follow an amazing blog and she was commenting how with adoption if you stop spending time on it and filling out the paperwork and doing the research then "no baby". Unlike when you are pregnant and your body keeps it going for you. So I am trying to get back into that mindset.

We are in the process of trying to decide on an agency to use. We are having difficulty finding one that will accept our homestudy. One of them will but charge a $750.00 executive fee. If we do another homestudy then it will be a few thosand again.

-Kristin

Major Change

Hey!

Sorry it has been so long. We have been making some major changes. After some discussion, research, and a LOT of praying, we have decided to pursue the adoption through another country.

We found out that the information that we were recieving was not consistent with what other people were being told. We don't hold anything against Uganda or any of the people that we have been recently working with. Uganda will always be close to our heart. It just seemed to us that this was not the direction that God wanted us to take. It seemed like he was shutting this door. One sadness is that we won't get to meet Godfrey (he seems like such a great person). Perhaps someday we will have the pleasure of visiting.

With all that said. We have been researching Ethopia. I have met with a family who recently came home with their precious little girl from there. In going with Ethiopia we can go through an agency. We know that there will always be ups and downs with any adoption (foreign or domestic). However with an agency things will be laid out and we will have more people to go to with any questions.

Hmmm, it seems like there is so much I don't know where to start. We began researching Ethiopia and were really encouraged by the information. Then we found out that they literally just changed the requirements and that you would be required to make 2 trips. You would have to meet and leave your child!! Of course we immediately rejected this. However, all the while I was thinking it seems a lot of the things we have said no to God has said yes you are! So I met with the woman who adopted from Ethiopia. It is still new, but basically you need to go and do the court proceedings so the child is legally yours. Then the reason for two trips would be that you have to wait to get an appointment at the US Embassy to obtain your childs visa. We are praying that there may not be a huge time span between these 2 things and that we may be able to stay there.

There are so many things that have been popping up with this new development, that I think I will tell you about them in several posts. Just to keep me writing more.

Please pray for this WHOLE new path. Pray that we will let God lead us and not try to take over!!

-Kristin

Job!!

Hey!
Update I was offered a position today at JC Penneys. I am so thanful to God. It is a position that I am actually kind of excited about! What a bonus.

I still will need to pick up a few more hours either nannying or with another job so please keep praying!!

On the adoption front we are going to meet with a family who just come back from Ethiopia recently with thier new baby daughter Ruby (she is just beautiful!). We are exicted to meet with someone who has been through the process!


-Kristin

International Adoption

Some questions have been raised about why we are adopting internationally. One of the most common questions we encounter is "don't you think children in the US deserve a home?". Of course we think they do! In turn though a question to be asked of them is. Do you thnk that children in foriegn countries don't also deserve a home?

I feel that all adoption is an amazing opportunity for not only the child but also the parents. The decision whether to adopt internationally or domestically is between the adoptive parents and God. I believe that ALL children are on loan from God. We are being led by God (as evident by the many answered prayers and guidance) to pursue not only international adoption but adoption in Uganda.

There is nothing I have to against any legal form of adoption. There are many factors that make a certain path fit to each family. We are very supportive to all prospective adoptive parents! We would welcome and appreciate the same.

-Kristin

Our Story Part 1 (by Kristin

This is our post of our story from our original blog so it was written right around Christmas:

Sorry it is taken us so long to post this. It has been really busy with the homestudy and of course the holidays.

We have wanted to have children for 4 or 5 years. Through some infertility testing and procedures we discovered that the possiblilty of having biological children was very slim. To continue would require some procedures that were not only very expensive but also something we were not comfortable with ethically.

Adoption is something in which I was always interested, and we were planning on seriously considering adopting in addition to having biological children. So throughout the infertility process this was always an option. The decision to stop pursuing infertility was actually a relatively easy one for us. At that point it was a relief to have a clear path on what was next for us.

We took some time to grieve for the loss of having biological children. Adoption is not a replacement, it is a different path. To be fair to our future adoptive children we had to be at peace.

We feel we have been ready for a while, but were completly overwhelmed by the cost of international adoption. It was something, at that point, we had pushed to the back of our minds in the interest of protecting ourselves.

We have recently started attending a church that we had stepped away from for a while. We have recieved an amazing welcome and support from brothers and sisters in Christ. The growth I have been able to make after finally trusting in Jesus (I have believed for many years but was unable to submit to fully trust)has been such a true blessing from God. We were led back to the church on the cusp of a new ministry that is focused on adoption and orphan care. We were also introduced to an amazing couple who have 6 children, 2 adopted from Uganda. They took the time in thier busy lives to spend an evening with us sharing thier story and listening to ours. Chris and I left there with an excitement that had been missing for a while. However we quickly discarded the idea of Uganda due to the length of time we would have to spend there. Don't you love how God works!

At the same time this was occuring we were attending a small group through our church. One aspect we were focusing on was praying expectantly. We prayed knowing that God could get anything done, but with the thoughts that he wouldn't do it for us. A defense mechanism to protect ourselves from the hurt and disappointment. We realized how important it is to pray with complete faith in God that he will work amazing things in your life.

After that, came the turning point that has been the whirlwind of the last few weeks!!

Our Story Part 2 (by Chris)

Adoption was something that I wanted, but figured now was not the right time. I could always come up with reasons why we should wait. However, God had other plans for our lives. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving our church held a missions service where we partnered with Children’s Hopechest. Our church decided to sponsor a village in Swaziland. God just worked on my heart. James 1:27 states; “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” After the service I talked to Kristin and said that we needed to start saving for adoption. The NEXT DAY a friend came over to the house to work on something with Kristin. She and her husband had recently adopted from Uganda and she “mentioned” to Kristin about a little girl that needed to be adopted quickly. When I called home on my break from school Kristin told me about the little girl and right then I said we should do it. There was not hesitation with either of us. Our friend text us on Wednesday stating she had the story wrong and there were two girls not one. We sent a text back immediately saying it didn’t matter. We feel that this is God’s plan for our lives and that He will provide for us. The first step in the process is to complete a home study. An expedited home study cost $1,750. Less than a week later God provided funding. Two families each donated $1,000. God continues to provide for and be with us along this journey.

Chris

Nothing New

Not much to post really. Things seem to have come to a standstill, or at least occasional info that doesn't seem to be helpful.

I really need to find a job so prayer for that would be awesome. My house has been kind of crazy. Mom had her knee replaced 2 weeks ago and has been with us since. Last week Chris had the flu. They were calling me on my cell if they needed anything. I got more calls from inside my house than I did outside the house! Chris is back to feeling fine; although tired basketball wrapped up and now he is coaching track. Mom is doing awesome. She was finally able to shower today (and boy were Chris and I glad/ just kidding)and she had her first outing today.

Home Study Agency

Hey,

I just needed to post a note about our home study agency. They have been amazing! From the first contact we made with them. Up until I request we made just yesterday.

The social worker was Awesome. I wasn’t nervous about the home study until about 5 min before she was supposed to arrive. Then I had a panic attack. Chris found me hiding in the closet (just kidding) I was actually in there kind of staring at my shoes. Like I thought the social worker wouldn’t approve us if I didn’t have the right shoes on!! Anyway, I felt at ease with her after about 15 minutes. She worked very hard to get our pre placement assessment done very quickly. This was so great because it was all done over the Christmas holiday. She worked until late one Sunday night. And she kept in touch with us through e-mail if there was any change or development.

The office administrator is great. She is so helpful and responds so quickly to any questions we ask. We needed our child abuse clearances and I thought it was something that they had performed but was not certain. I sent her an e-mail on Tues and inquired about it. She sent me an e-mail and said she would send them to us. We received them today. Two days after my inquiry!!

It is so great to not only have started this crazy process with an agency that is so supportive. Also the knowledge that they will continue to help us!

If you know of anyone adopting in North Carolina we recommend whole-heartedly this agency!

late update

Hey!

We got an update yesterday. We heard from the babies home. They sent me a list of their requirements. All of the things on the list should be no problem for us to complete.

There was one thing that surprised us. Two years after we are home we have to sponsor a member of the board at the babies home. We have to pay all of their travel and expenses while they are here. However there is no fee to pay the babies home when we adopt (a lot of them have fees) so this is not a problem. It is actually very reassuring that they care so much about the babies that they want to follow up.

We are required to give them regular updates. Also something that shows their love and hope for the best for these babies.

The thing we need to focus on right now is gathering the documents for our lawyer, and most importantly the $2000.00.

Keep praying!! It seems like God is gearing us up for phase 2!

-Kristin

Please Pray

Hey,

We have a few things to request prayer for:

I heard from the woman we have been in contact with at the babies home today. She has malaria. I am not sure of the availibility of a hopital or medication. So please pray for her. Her name is Remmie.

We also e-mailed the requested information about us today. Please pray that they will want to work with us. Pray that this is the path God has planned for us!

We are trying to gear up the fundraising efforts again. So please pray that we will have a good response to and great ideas come up!


On a last note we have opened the blog up to comments again. They will just need to be approved by us. We love to hear what you think about what is going on. We were just afraid after what happened with the last blog. So this will fix both problems.

-Kristin

update

Hey!
We have a small amount of progress to report. I got an answer to the e-mail I sent to the lawyer. He sent us a list of required documents. We are really getting into the paperwork phase of international adoption. There are about 7 different documents required (marriage certif, passport, home study...) Here is the paperwork part! We need six notarized copies of each, and in the case of the passports and other documents that are for each of us we need 12 notarized copies of each! We also have to include a $2000.00 deposit.

So please pray for God to provide us with the money to proceed with this next step.
We would also appreciate any fundraiser ideas. We need to get things moving again.

We also heard from the babies home. They want to hear more about us.. .our marriage, our walk as Christians, why we want to adopt, our plan for our adopted child...
It is kind of hard to write all these things about yourself. Just to articulate all those things. So pray for the wisdom to answer these questions in a way that conveys our hearts.

Also I was unable to continue working at Texas Roadhouse. The way it is required to carry the trays due to the high volumes of customers is primarily with one hand. The first time I tried this I sprained my wrist. They were kind enough to offer to work with me and find another way. I tried it and by the end of the night my wrist was really hurting again. That night I was only carrying drinks and salads. I am not someone who can stand by and let others do my work for me. So that was not an option for me.
Unfortunately, I am now in need of a job ASAP. Of course this is not an easy task due to the unemployment rate. So please pray for an opportunity.
All that said we hope and pray this is a turn for the good in this process. And God willing we will be proceeding very, very soon.

-Kristin

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day!

We have located a babies home in Uganda that we are really hoping to work with! It is a small babies home. They have a photo gallery on their website. Other than the obvious pictures of the beautiful babies! There was so much amazing things to my critical (child care providers eyes). The babies were dressed in well kept clothing. The home looked very clean and well furnished. Now here comes my two favorite parts. The children had toys! This is so great to me because they were developmental toys. That is so essential in growth and development. Anyone who knows me well knows I am a huge supporter of educational toys. I am the one most kids don't get excited about recieving gifts from:-) However the best part is the love you can see pouring out of the workers in the home. The best and completely essential part to growth, devlopment, and long term health!!

We would be so blessed to be able to work with a home such as this one.

I sent an email to then expressing our interest. I also sent an email to the lawyer we are hoping to use. Just waiting to hear from them. Hmmm waiting seems like that word comes up a lot in adoption!

We are asking for prayer that this home will choose to work with us. And the lawyer as well. Once we are decided on lawyer we can start immigration proceedings.

Hopefully updates will be soon!

-Kristin

Thanks!

We just wanted to let everyone know how THANKFUL we are for all of the support and love we have recieved throughout this entire process. Not that is by any means finished...

First and foremost THANK YOU to God. Without him presenting this opportunity to us we would not be even close to staring the paperwork. THANK YOU to God for showing his love and guidance in many many step by step answers to prayer! THANK YOU to God that we always know that he is there with us. If not for that I am pretty sure I would be hiding under the bed by now trying to escape everything! Some people say they would hide under a rock, however I am NOT a nature girl so I prefer the bed with a good book and some chocolate;-). Can you just imagine me in Uganda? I CAN!! Also for allowing to get through the loss of the girls to another family by providing us with the comfort that they will no longer be hungry when they finally come home. Also for allowing us to see one of his purposes for the loss of the girls. The opportunity to share with non-believers the fact that we can be ok with what happened because we know that God has a different plan for us and the girls! So our greatest THANKS to God for everything!!

The most important support is prayers. I guarantee that God has been getting bombarded with prayers. I am filled with joy at how happy he must be by that! For all of you who take the time to include us in your prayers THANK YOU!!

We could never forget to say THANK YOU to all the people who have provided financial support. We are so grateful for every single penny that people have donated to help us bring our child/children home. I know some people (at one point I was one of them) feel that if all they have to give is $10.00 that it would be better not to bother. That is so untrue. We are appreciative and touched by any financial donation. The amount is not what counts. It is the love that comes with sharing some of your resources to help not only us but some special child/children. So to all of you who have helped us this far and will help us in the future. THANK YOU FOR EVERY PENNY!!

To the people who have provided so much of thier time in helping us get started. In holding our hands and helping us take baby steps not to mention any names(you know who you are Jena and Keith:-). I can't imagine where we would be at this point without you! THANK YOU!!

To all the people who have provided emotional support through the good times in this crazy roller coaster if international adoption! And also through the hard times. People who have jumped for joy at the good times, and cried along with us at the hard ones. THANK YOU!!

There are many more thanks to come. We are by no means even close to finished, just waiting for the next chapter.

THANK YOU!

Hey,

Not much new going on here. I am usually doing my posting on my phone and I have access to a computer right now so I thougt I would take advantage of the opportunity.

Here is one thing that would be helpful if your are telling your friends and family about our blog and they are interested in following it... A very close friend of mine purchased a domain for us so the address is much easier to remember and type. You will automatically directly to our blog page!

The link is:

www.ouradoptionstory.net

Cool right? A special thanks to Kevin for setting this up for us!

Bet you thought we forgot about the blog!

Hey Everyone,

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post anything. I hope you will be patient with us and keep following our blog.

I just started a new job this week. I am a server at Texas Roadhouse. To those of you who are familiar with the resteraunt yep I do have to line dance! Anyway traing has been kind of crazy. I start really working next week.

Not a whole lot new on the adoption front. We are looking into a few new avenues to go with (still in Uganda of course). We are hoping to have enough info very soon to be able to decide on whether we can go with the lawyer we really want to.

We are asking for prayer that God will pave the way and show us the path he has planned for us! It is getting very hard waiting. We were spoiled initially already having a referral so the waiting was not that bad.

Encouragement

What an encouraging verse while waiting for God to show and lead us to our children!

But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day. Habakkuk 2:3

Coffee Cont.

I would have been really helpful if I had included the link to our page. That is why you should proofread!

www.justlovecoffee.com/chrisandkristinbrown

Coffee

We also wanted to let you know of a current and ongoing fundraiser that we are having. I posted on the last blog on the sidebar the information for a coffee fundraiser. I realize that an actual posting would have been better! Live and learn.

There is a very generous company Just Love Coffee that help families raise money for adoption. We have our on webpage/store that you can go to purchase coffee. We will recieve $5.00 for each bag of coffee or merchandise purchased!

Another great thing about this company is most or all of the coffee is purchase from small farms in Africa. Obviously a place very close to our hearts. They are a participator under the fair trade agreement.

We have on good authority that it is VERY GOOD coffee. Those of you who know us personally know that we are not coffee drinkers. Maybe we should become coffee drinkers. This would be an excellent place to start.

-Kristin

Update

Hi Everyone,

Sorry we haven't been posting much lately. Nothing really new on the adoption front. Our friend is looking into the possibility of us working with an agency. They are new to Ugandan adoptions. They are a well established agency that has facilitated dometic adoptions. The information we have recieved on them has been very positive. Many satisfied families. We have heard that they will fight for a family to get thier child home! We will keep updating as we find more information on them.

We are holding off on filing immigration until we are sure that we are either going with this agency or with a lawyer. That is essential information that we need.

Specific prayers that God will guide us to the proper avenue to pursue this creation of our family.

It is difficult to wait, however more than ever we are learning to lean on God and place full trust in him. Trusting in his plan and his timing (even though we would like it to be a little faster).

-Kristin

Spaghetti Dinner

Hey,
Due to the tragedy in Haiti the spaghetti dinner is being postponed. All those involved feel that there is a much more immediate need for contributions.

We will announce the new date when it is determined. Thank you to all who plan to attend. The anticipation will make it that much more yummy!

We are asking for prayers for all the people in Haiti. A special set on our hearts are the families who were in the process of adopting a child/children there. I am sure the anguish and uncertianty of the childs health and survival must be heartwrenching.

-Kristin

Welcome

We just want to thank everyone who was a follower of our previous blog for having patience with us as we shift to a new faze in our "adoption story".

We are at a point where we are experiencing a fresh start. We are still pretty much at the same place we were before just without specific children. We are excited to see what children God has waiting for us!

We will try to move some of the posts from the original blog for those of you who are newly following us. Especially "our story" part one and two!!

We look forward to this new path that God is taking us on in this crazy journey. We are grateful for your prayers and support. We are happy that you are taking the time to keep up with our adoption story through our blog.

-Kristin