Saturday Thought

What exactly is envy? How does it differ from its twin, jealousy? Envy (the more sophisticated of the two) is a painful and resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another…accompanied by a strong desire to posses the same advantage. Envy wants to have what someone else posses. Jealousy wants to possess what it already has. Jealousy is coarse and cruel. Envy is sneaky and subtle. Jealousy clutches and smothers. Envy is forever reaching, longing, squinting, thinking (and saying) sinister insinuations.


The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions… I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 5:19-21

I can't wait to see what's next

I believe that I could write a bestseller if I wrote about my life in the last 2 yrs. don't worry I'm not doing it it's just a thought, my plate is very full! Some people are excited to start their day because of their children, maybe cause they're going back to work after being laid off, maybe a new relationship. Of course I'm not in no way down playing any of these cause they are all good reasons yet mine is alittle different. I simply can't wait to wake up, face the day and see what God has in store for me, now I must say that God has handed me some real dandies lately #1 our journey to get our child(ren). That is still hard for me to realize, I wouldn't have it any other way and I'm meeting tons of amazing people and building friendships that will last a lifetime yet it still don't seem real, Jamie said it probably won't until we're on our way home. Maybe that is how God prepares us without scaring us stiff. #2 I have a dear friend that is facing some challenges and has asked me to pray for her, of course I said I would cause I want to build my friendships on prayer however she didn't feel comfortable having me do this in person so asked me to record it and email it to her so that she could listen to it over and over I immediately said yes however I had no idea how I was going to do this! I prayed last night for God to guide me in this request. I knew God was ahead of this so I was leaning on him to speak thru me...and he did. This morning I took some time for myself and than I recorded a prayer for her. God did an amazing job. After I emailed it to her I got an email back within an hr and she was so thankful she didn't even know what to say. That was God working thru me to reach out to someone that needs him more than anything. I was there I remember thinking...I have no idea how to pray and what would I say, if that is where you are I challenge you to find a friend in Christ and ask them to pray with you, if you can't do that take a few mins alone in prayer. I started out crying and not talking at all, and that's OK, just Pray! It will change your life.

God Bless

God's Calling

Whew what a day. I went to the All Seasons Center at 2pm til 9pm. It was a long day however I met some truly amazing people. Some that have adopted, some knew people who did, some that were in the process and some that wished they had. One couple told me that the wife had the thoughts when they were younger but never acted on them or shared them and now they feel their kids are too old to start over. Wow am I glad I'm not in that boat, that to me would be living with regret and I'm not into living that way. God knocked and I answered!! We pulled in $153.00 in our first day between the camera, popcorn and the T shirts, not great but not bad. I figured its still more than I could make in 1 day at a part time job besides that I'm taking a stand for God and his Children. I will be honest tho I am human and on the drive home I was thinking and the thought crossed my mind about maybe not going back tomorrow and not a moment later Tristan who is quietly sitting in the passenger seat says Mom that was a great day kinda long but it was good and at that moment I knew I needed to go back tomorrow, God was talking to me and more importantly it's not about me and what I "feel" like doing. I'm living my life for God and he's using my life to reach lives thru Adoption. How's he using your life?

T ~ Shirts

BACK

FRONT


I know you'd think I have my nights and days mixed up, I tell you the T~Shirts will be posted in the morning and I don't show up til 11pm. Well thats the way it goes around here when you own your own business, plus I was super busy today getting my banner ready for the Home Show which I'll show you all tomorrow when I have it finished. OK the wait is over here are the T~shrts and they are for sale on my fundrasier blog. I also wanted to let you know that I talked with our HS Agent today and she hopes to have our HS written up by Friday however that doesn't mean that it gets notarized and finalized because EAC needs to review and approve it 1st, so let's pray that the 1st draft comes back with little to minor corrections so we can get the paperwork to Russia and begin the wait!I will update you tomorrow night as we'll have our 1st day at the Home Show finished until than have an amazing evening.

Lots of Love

New Blog Is Ready

I have the camera raffle and the popcorn sales moved over to my new blog, you will now be able to purchase the popcorn right from my blog thru PayPal. I will be adding the T~shirts tomorrow as I'm running out of steam and heading to bed, will be back in the morning. In the meantime go check it out. Night & God Bless

Work Smarter Not Harder

I have decided that I need to figure out a new way to handle all our fund raisers for our adoption because every time I make new post to my blog the fundraisers move down and I want them on top so I keep changing the date to make them the 1st post. It's alot of extra work so I've started a new blog which should be up and running the 1st part of this week time premitting because we are also lauching our fundraisers over at the Indoor Fair in Sioux Center this Wed and Thurs. I planned to have it up by this weekend however I think someone stole some hrs out of my day cause I sure didn't have enough! My goal is to have 1500.00 raised by next Sunday !! Our new blog will have the raffle for the camera on it, the popcorn sales along with new adoption tshirts and they are very cute so be sure to check back later in the week and spread the word to everyone you know. Every day the wait gets shorter and shorter and we still need some doors opened to make this all happen. Above all, keep the prayers coming!

The Gift of Family

We spent part of our weekend in South Dakota by Jamie's mom and step dad. We had such a fun and relaxing time! We don't get to visit as much as we'd like cause we're all so busy but when we do it's always special. Jamie's grandma moved back from California almost a year ago so we get to see all the grandmas at one time and its so much fun. Last night great grandma took us all out for dinner to celebrate the sale of her mobile home out in Calf. This was an answered prayer as we she was paying lot rent and not living there. The old saying says that after a certain age we start caring for our parents and I'm seeing that with these two and what a wonderful blessing family is. Thanks for having us this weekend, we love you all very much!

Proudest Mom ever!!

Yes, I know I have 2 special boys and they over and over made me a proud mom. They are growing into amazing little beings and I'm in love with them. Tristan for the 2nd quarter in row has made Honor Role. We didn't know if he'd make it this time because he missed 1 1/2 weeks of school due to illness but he was very responsible about it and even stayed after school to get caught up. I think he takes after me :) OK, now no laughing! To top that off Austin came home with an acknowledgement from his teacher on the way he treats and helps people. Austin has a few kids in his class that need some extra attention and he always helps them and takes them on his team at PE. I have the Honor Roll sheet and Austin's certificate on the fridge and I smile every time I look at it. The boys are going thru a stage in their lives where I believe they begin to mold into who and what they'll be and I do all I can to help them understand the importance of their relationship with God, family and friends. I pray every day that my boys grow up to be Godly men, isn't it amazing how God answers prayers? Thanks God for the most amazing boys ever! Life is good.

Home Study Complete

We have officially completed our 3rd and final Home Study visit. Whew we survived, no actually it was all that bad. Our social work spent about an hr at our home tonight visiting with us about some final questions, doing a walk thru of our home along with signing forms and than she spoke very briefly with the boys. No sweat! She indicated she would start writing up the Home Study tomorrow and would call as soon as it was complete. At that time we will have all the dossier paper work notarized and sent to Iowa to be apostilled from there it goes to our Adoption Agency and than off to Russia! WoooHooo We can't wait to start waiting :) Kinda weird I know but than again so is this picture I have in my head of me with a daughter(s)! Our God is an Awesome God. Many of you have asked what you can do to help so here it is PRAY, for us, for the boys, for the process but most importantly for our child(ren) so that they have peace cause we're coming to get them.

Why?

For some reason the last few days have been filled with alot of whys. Why did God choose us? Why does it have to cost so much? Why do families have breakdowns between siblings and parents? Why can't they be mended? Why can't people accept an "I'm sorry" ? Why are people losing jobs? Why is God working so hard on me and my life after I denied him so may times? Why are all the signs there for things God wants me to do but no financial means to back it up? Why is adoption God's plan yet people think you've lost your mind when you obey? In the search to ease my mind God made alot of my answers very clear. The Bible is always the place I go to for answers, it used to be self help books but I realized those don't hold water to the real deal...The Word of God and than I also came across this video and I knew more than ever God was telling me to keep walking, you're not alone and I will provide cause this is the exact plan I have for you, your life and your family. So forward I go. Ive learnt that sometimes it's hard to go on when we don't have anything tangible to hold on to and that is when you'll realize that your personal relationship with God is the most important thing in your life.

(In order to listen to the video you need to pause the player at the bottom of the page)

Mud Fun

This is a great time of year, the sun stays out longer, the wonderful white stuff well it's white in Nov by now its brown and dirty melts and there's a glimpse of summer, people begin to think about being outside again. OK maybe I'm pushing it cause I'm thinking that way. Jamie and I joined the fitness club in Orange City. We are going to try to work out 5 days a week however we hoped to be able to do it together which don't look like it's going to work, he would like to go at 5:30am which don't work for me cause I don't go to bed til 1am. I'm good and Herbalife takes care of me but I need some sleep so it works best for me after lunch which of course don't work for him. I'm really excited about it, not sure what Jamie feels! Tristan is my communicator and he thinks its hilarious, I didn't even ask why I'm assuming it's cause I have a trend mill in the basement I never use. Hey, I'm not alone if you look under that stack of clothes or maybe the boxes that are going to be on the garage sale this summer you might find one at your house too. The boys are also in spring mode, that's a good thing it gets them out of the house. We were visiting over dinner the other night about weekend plans, of course I had to work since I'm going for the next big jump in my business. 1 step closer to Jamie coming home but the boys wanted to do something "fun" so I had this bright idea to have the Bilby boys over and take their air soft guns done by the city dump where there's tons of trees to play war. Well needless to say today was the day, we picked the boys up at 2pm and they played down there until 6pm. I believe they would of stayed longer but we called them to come home and eat. Seeing those 5 boys walk up to the house was a freight! The were laughing and having a good time but covered in mud. They had an absolute blast. Tristan standing there with now brown socks and pants muddy up to his knees says "I know Mom we did it for You!" What a kid. Jamie made us all burgers on the grill which now made him think his grill isn't big enough. I reminded him were adding 1 maybe 2 girls to the family not full blown boys who eat 2 burgers a piece. After the boys left we cleaned up, Jamie and I finished up our last test for the Hague Training and now it's time to catch up on some fun things like facebook, blogging and digital scrap booking. Another great day for the Verduin's. We are blessed with Family, Friends and an amazing God that makes all things possible! Thanks for the day, Lord.

Jill's Super Huge Adoption Raffle ~ Fundraiser

May God Bless You All that are led to join together and bring our baby girl(s) home!

Welcome Friends and Family! Wow, where do I begin! Here it is, the raffle you have all been waiting for - Jill's Super Huge Adoption Raffle-Raiser! Our adoption expenses will total nearly $50,000, which as you can imagine, is a stretch! In our quest to raise the $$$ we still need to bring our baby girl(s) home from Russia, we have put together an AMAZING raffle, with a prize package worth more than $600 !!!


So, without further adieu, here is what you could win:


1. A Brand New Canon EOS Rebel XS Camera! Black 10.1 MP 2.5" 230K LCD Live View Digital SLR Camera w/18-55mm IS f/3.5-5.6 Lens. This is a fabulous dSLR camera that will have you shooting like a pro in no time! You will not be disappointed! Visit Canon USA to get all of the technical details!

2. A Brand New Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home Shoulder Camera Bag in Brown/Oatmeal/Lt. Olive! This super fun company (visit Crumpler Bags) has THE BEST camera bags I have seen!










3. A Cotton Candy by Natalie Camera Strap! I recently found this amazing designer on Etsy, and fell in love with her camera straps! You will receive a $30 gift certificate to her shop to select the camera strap that you love most! Visit Cotton Candy by Natalie Now!






Whew! Time to take a breath!

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How to purchase raffle tickets:

Every $5 donation you make using the secure PayPal button above will buy you a raffle ticket. The suggested donation is $5 per ticket, but you can donate any amount you choose. Enter as many times as you wish. Each $5 donation buys you one ticket. (You can donate more than once and get one ticket each time, or in one lump. If you donate, say, $30, we will know you want six tickets.) The more tickets you buy, the more times we'll enter your name in the drawing and the more chances you'll have to win the Rebel XS Prize Package!!!

Donating is secure and will be accepted through the PayPal icon at the top of my blog. When you donate via PayPal, you are automatically entered in the raffle to win the Rebel XS Prize Package. Soon after you donate, we will send a reply email to the address on your PayPal account, letting you know what your raffle ticket number(s) are. Then you wait until the Raffle-Raiser is over on May 28th and see if you won!


Please feel free to email me at jamiejillverduin [at] yahoo [dot] com or use the email link to the right if you have any questions.


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Another way to win!


So you want to increase your chances of winning? Just put a post up on your blog linking your readers to this post, leave a comment after this post with a link to your blog so that we can verify your post, and we will double the amount of raffle tickets you buy! Not bad, eh?

Here is the code that you will need to link up to my blog:

<a href="http://hope4orphans.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt153/jamiejill/Flowerbutton-1.jpg" /></a>

IF YOU WANT YOUR TICKETS DOUBLED, YOU HAVE TO EMAIL ME WITH THE NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS YOU PURCHASED YOUR TICKET NUMBERS UNDER. I CANNOT DOUBLE THEM WITHOUT KNOWING WHO YOU ARE!!!

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Not interested in the prize package? (Which I doubt very much!)

This would make an awesome gift for just about anyone! I know quite a few of you out there are already using a camera of this type, but just think how awesome it would be to give this prize pack to a friend, or family member! What a FUN gift for anyone! Or hey, keep the brand spankin' new one for yourself and pass your old one down!

You can also make a donation to the adoption fund without purchasing tickets. Just make sure to mention that you don't want ticket numbers. We are very humbled by all donations!

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Contest Details:

All it takes is $5 to make a huge difference in an orphans life.

Contest ends at 11:59 pm, May 28th, 2009. Winner to be announced May 31st, 2009!
Void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on number of tickets sold.

Winning number will be selected via random.org. We will post a photo of the winning number to verify the results!

Winner will receive their amazing prize package immediately following the end of the Raffle-Raiser!


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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You from the bottom of our hearts for helping us raise the funds we need to bring our baby girl(s) home from Russia! Every $5 donation is a miracle to us...God Bless You All!


Love and Blessings,
Jamie, Jill, Tristan, and Austin Verduin

New Ticker and 2nd HS Visit Done!

Yes I changed from Chipin to a PayPal button. I was having problems with the Chipin showing our progress, I was receiving the funds but no fun when you can't see how you're doing and with countless emails to Chipin nothing has changed so off to other options :)

We completed our 2nd HS visit Wednesday night with one left next Tues. After the HS is written all final paperwork with be reviewed by our Adoption Agent before being apostilled. We have all our paperwork for the dossier done just waiting to get everything notarized and they've informed us to wait for the HS so none of our notarized paperwork expires too soon. We were just told tonight that we need to complete 10 hrs of Hauge Training so we're going to do that online which also needs to be completed for the HS. It's alot but we plan to so 2 hrs Fri night 4 hrs Sat, 2 hrs Sun and the final 2 hrs on Monday so we can give the certificate of completion to our social worker on Tuesday. If all goes well we hope to have all paperwork complete, signed, notarized and on its was to get aposilled by the end of the month and then what? We wait and pray!

We have learnt alot in this process so far, became better people and found some amazing friends. Our God is an amazing God and even when the world is a mess and the odds may be stacked against you we find tremendous comfort to know that God who is bigger than any problem or any enemy is on our side. It's with that hope that we continue to fulfil this command even when we don't completely understand it.

My Chipin Icon is Struggling!?!?!!?

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been notified that my chipin meter is not working. The funds are making it thru but its not letting me know or showing it. I have emailed tech. support so hopefully we will have that up and running shortly.

The Barthroom Debate

Oh don't act like you're shocked every household that contains the male gender has this rebate... Who pees on the rim? It's men/boys I know that but Jamie is still not convinced. Just to give you alittle insight, we clean together....Always, so last night we decided that since my work load wasn't so heavy tonight we'd to it tonight when he got off work. When we 1st started cleaning together I nominated him to toilets, my thought to self was if he you know what than he can clean it, well to my surprise the toilets aren't nearly as dirty as they used to be when I cleaned them. Now that's an interesting point however tonight we were alittle over due for the good ol down on the knees cleaning and as we're on the hot topic of our cleaning days we start discussing who's peeing on the rim, of course I said well everyone knows you men do that but for some reason you haven't figured out that a lil wipe with some toilet paper will fix the problem. To my surprise Jamie looks me straight in the eye and in his loving voice he says "Jill come on maybe you ladies need to sit alittle longer" of course I laughed however he didn't have me convinced so I try to explain to him that if however it was us it wouldn't be on the rim and he says "oh I think it might splash up there". Wow I think he's listened to my complaints about the bathroom a few times don't you think? I still won cause he cleaned them....all 3 of em! Take the poll and let's see who's really making the mess.

A Few Updates

Well we made it thru our 1st Home Study visit. We meet with our counselor yesterday. Everything went well, there were a few small bumps that we knew we'd have to work thru but in the big picture of everything things are moving rather fast. Our next visit is Tues the 10th and the 3rd and final is the following Tues the 17th, she said Home Study should be completed within this month. We have all our paperwork finished for the Dossier and are just waiting for the completion of the Home Study. WOW this is amazing. It's been alot of paperwork just like everyone told us but it's been a rather smooth journey so far. I told Jamie this morning that I believe 100% that God has the addition to our family ready and that's why things are moving so quickly. Things always seem to go smoother when we turn them over to the Lord. Sometimes I wake up and wonder how everything is going to work out and than I remember that I don't need to worry about tomorrow or the next cause God's already there. Your prayers are working and we greatly appreciate all your support.

Now for the popcorn... Yes! I'm still enjoying this, Jamie says I'm having too much fun selling popcorn (he is helping but it's way out of his comfort zone) Todate we went out 3 times and we are at 623.00. We plan to go out 4 more times before we turn this order in and than we're going to sell for another 2 weeks. A friend of mine offered to take the order form to Staples and Animal Revival. Thanks so much Jody!!

We're bringing our child(ren) home from Russia, one way or another and Jamie and I decided that the one way for us is with God leading the way.