A Visit with Liza

Yesterday, some dear friends who are on a short-term mission in Latvia, went to visit Liza and meet her foster family. Thank God for these men who took time from their other work to minister love and connection to our dear girl. Just seeing you there, in her (for now) home, makes me feel so much closer to her.



Kevin, Sandis, Ventis, Craig
Liza, Inna

 We are also thankful beyond words for Inna and Ventis, Liza's foster parents. They are parents to 4 biological children and have also raised 6 foster children. They are supporting and encouraging Liza to choose the opportunity God is offering her to come to our family and pursue a college degree from a U.S. university. We count them as our biggest advocates!

We now have a lawyer in Latvia who is working on Liza's visa case. Pray with us that Liza will be able to travel to us as soon as school is out. There are many questions about whether orphan court will allow her to come on a travel visa for the summer and how that will work transferring to a student visa. And while you are praying, please pray that our school's SEVIS process will speed through all the government bureaucracy.

And if you are interested in more about Craig and Kevin's mission trip in Latvia, follow http://www.thehelffamily.com/ They have an awesome giveaway running through April 6th, too . . .

Grateful, as always, for your prayers!

Giveaway for Orphans!

Through Sunday, you have the opportunity to share in the lives of three precious orphans. Some sweet friends, two families we are living this radical life with, are hosting 3 Latvian treasures this summer. They need some help paying for the travel costs. Look at their sweet faces!

The Helfs and Reeds are running a giveaway for the next few days. Every donation of $10 is an entry, and the items up are things like the new iPad, Kohls and Amazon giftcards, and more! Just $10 right? Maybe you'll win something fun, but definitely you'll help change 3 young lives!!

http://www.thehelffamily.com/

P.S. Did you notice the new picture in the upper right bar? It's a group photo from our children's orphanage. There are in the picture. Can you guess which ones are ours?? Then, click on the picture and see where it leads you!

Sseko Designs Sandals

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Have you seen Sseko sandals? I must admit I've been drooling for a while. Part of what interests me so much is the story. These sandals are made by young women in Uganda who work for 9 months in between secondary school and university. This job enables them to earn money to pay for tuition, room, and board so that they can become doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers. These sandals are changing lives and communitites!

aren't they beautiful? The confidence and hope in their eyes . . .



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So, you can imagine my excitement when the co-founder, Liz, said she would LOVE to help us raise money to help bring Sophie and Robert home! Amazing! Because I would LOVE to help sell sandals for her lovely young women!

Now the details! Each pair of sandals (leather bottoms and straps) is $50, additional straps are $10 a pair.
The sandals are leather, straps are fabric. The bases have loops so you can twist and tie your sandals in a different way each day, or exchange straps for a different look! Take a look at their website http://www.ssekodesigns.com/ and pick your favorite straps. Then CONTACT ME with your order. If you order thru the website, we won't get credit and you'll pay more after shipping. I will be submitting our order on March 28th.

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Ways to order:
1. leave a comment with your name, contact info, shoe size, and strap
2. email me at lauradavis2005@gmail.com with your name, shoe size, and strap preference
3. see me in person! I'll be carrying a catalogue everywhere I go for the next 2 weeks!
4. see Debbie Davis at Covenant Christian Academy. She has a catalogue too and can take your order

When the sandals come in, we'll have a girls' night out! We'll deliver the orders, learn how to tie them on, see some great pictures, and share some snacks. I'll keep you posted with the date once we have a good idea of when they'll arrive.

Now, go have fun shopping!!




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Referral!!!

We are very pleased to announce that we have received and accepted the referral of a sibling set! Because we're keeping our blog public for now, we feel most comfortable keeping pictures and birth names private for now, so we'll be calling them by the names we will give them. Our daughter Sophie is five, and has the most beautiful smile and dignity. Our son Robert is three with a most playful spirit, five months younger than our son Anthony. We knew as soon as we saw his face he is the brother Anthony prays for and talks about playing with every day.

We are so thankful that they are safe in the orphanage now, that they are receiving nutritious food, and that they might begin to grow again. A family is traveling soon, and have agreed to take photos to them! So much love I am trying to pour into a few pages and simple words in a foreign language.

On our end, there has been a rush of new paperwork. Because Sophie is 5, and originally we planned on 4 or younger, we had to have an addendumm written on our homestudy. We have sent that to USCIS with a letter and forms, petitioning for an ammendment to our clearance. We have been told that this is a fairly quick and easy thing to do. Hope so! Waiting for a letter now. We also have written our Tribunal Letter to the judge in DRC officially requesting permission to adopt Sophie and Robert. If things happen in the normal timeframe, we're hoping to travel to DRC in July to bring them home.

Also, a referral means that it is $ time again! Time to pay lawyers, court costs, and orphanage fees (that means we're paying for food, electricity, and childcare). We'll be sending out letters with a bit more information about our children and ways people can help us. Time to use that Promise686 matching grant!

Thank you to all who are rejoicing with us! Rob and I can't wait to show you their faces and their hands holding ours.