The Big Question ??

The big question we get daily is; 

HOW MANY MORE DAYS?

For real, y'all!!! 

So let me update .....

We are 3 steps away from flying to China to pick up our little guy!!! We are expecting to leave Sept 1st. That all depends if the National Chinese Holiday (Victory Day) will interrupt our departure or not. We are praying it doesn't. (pray that with us!!)

What have we learned about Little D since we talked last?

1. He is now 19 months old and will be 20 months on the 28th. 
2. He is wearing 18-24 month clothes so he is growing right on track it seems. (I was expecting him to be tiny....wrong)
3. He is not walking yet but can stand and crawl. 
4. Everyone that has met him has told us he is their favorite :) 
5. He eats powdered milk and "some weird soup thing" haha. 
6. I met a friend who's son is in the same orphanage as D. We are besties now, of course, since we are both like the picture above :) We are praying that The Lord would allow us to travel together so that our boys can be life long friends. (please pray that with us)
7. Yep, he's perfect. Thats him standing up :) 

D is on the right and his buddy Sam on the left

If you know me, you will know that I am VERY excited to nourish his little body with lots of yummy food when he gets home!

GUESS WHAT?!

I am beyond thrilled to share with you that The Lord has provided $20,025.00 for us in JUST TEN MONTHS!! Are your mouths on the floor yet? haha. Im freaking out over here. That is just unbelievable. 

We still need about $18,000 before we head out in a month or so.

Here is what we have left to do: 

REFERAL ACCEPTANCE

* $2,000 - final program fee PAID

* $600 - orphan care fee PAID

* $900 - post adoption administrative fee PAID

* $1,125 - post adoption reports - PAID

 TOTAL DUE - $4,625

TRAVEL

* $480 - filling and processing fee PAID

* $360 - Visas

* $3,400 ish for plane tickets (2 adults 1 child)

* $5,000 - $7,000 in country travel Package

* $7,300 - International Program Fee

TOTAL DUE - $18540 $18,060 ish

You guessed it. I AM NOT WORRIED ONE SINGLE IOTA! I mean seriously, at this point worrying is just humorous. (aka 20k in 10 months) We will continue to work hard for our son and trust that the Lord will pull us through till the very end!

So far we have 229 pieces for Little D's puzzle! Which leaves 271 pieces before it is finished. That is almost half way! Amazing!! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE BOUGHT PIECES!! 

  To learn more about Little D's Pieces click here.

We will be having our last (hopefully) Massive Garage Sale next week July 30, 31 & August 1 from 6am -4pm in hopes to bring in a good chunk of cash for our travel. Again, we are confident the Lord will provide. In the past, the Lord has given us $5,300 at the first sale and $4,200 at the second sale. (take a minute to be amazed by that.....yeah...amazing...fishes and loaves y'all...) .. so we are hoping to make this one the biggest yet to raise the same, if not more than last time! 

Things to pray for us; 

• That we would continue to be confident in The Lord and not sway to fear. 
• That we would be able to travel with our friends. 
• That the National Holiday would not interfere with our travel plans. 
• That Donnie would adjust well to us and that God would allow his transition from everything he knows to everything he doesn't know, smooth and comforting. 

And lastly, heres a little video of our story so far that a friend used for an event she put on for us. It is definitely "to be continued"......

China said YES!

China said YES!! 

We received our referral acceptance letter on friday while we were out of town and given the best news ever. We were told to plan to travel to China mid August to PICK UP OUR SON! 

So many emotions are flooding my brain these days. Excitement, relief, hope. Then on the other hand, fear, insecure and .....yep... just fear. Fear of having 3 kids. Fear of not loving them well. Fear of him not loving me/us. Fear ....fear...fear... EXCITEMENT.....fear...and more fear. 

Then a good friend text me this: 

"Those are total lies! The Lord is providing the child you need and also he is providing the PARENTS he needs!!!.... and the enemy is going crazy." 

...and I'm over hear listening to him and believing him! 

That little stinker! So I just tell that little stinker this.....

Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid,

 I put my trust in you. In God, who's word I praise, 

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid."

Romans 8:28 "And we know that for those 

who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according 

to His purpose." 

Like I have written before, the SECOND I take my eyes off the Lord, I start to freak out. I need Him so much! He is so good to give us this child and He will provide me with the love that my children need as long as I keep looking at Him!! #noneofthisisfromme

ps. I finally got word from my agency that I can show you all this lovely, perfect little face. Are you ready? Your going to die....

The picture on the left was taken when he was a year old, I think, and the picture on the right was in april at 17 months :) 

Its down to the wire now, y'all! God is so incredibly good to us by providing our needs right when we need them. He has given us second and third jobs, overtime shifts, ABUNDANTLY blessed our garage sales and moved in the hearts of friends and family all around us to partner with us in bringing him home! 

Here is what we have left to do: 

REFERAL ACCEPTANCE
* $2,000 - final program fee
* $600 - orphan care fee PAID
* $900 - post adoption administrative fee
* $1,125 - post adoption reports - PAID
 TOTAL DUE - $2,900

TRAVEL
* $480 - filling and processing fee PAID
* $750 - Visas
* $7,000 ish or less for plane tickets (2 adults 1 child)
* $5,000 - $7,000 in country travel Package
* $7,300 - International Program Fee
TOTAL DUE - $20,050 - 22,050

If you feel lead to partner with us in bringing Donnie home, there are a several ways for you to do that! 

First, you can PRAY! Pray for providence for finances, for our hearts to bond quickly with one another, smooth transitions with the girls and Little D and for peace for little Donnie as he will soon leave all that he knows. 

Second, speaking of second jobs, did you know that essential oils are literally bringing Donnie home!? Yep, I am beyond passionate about essential oils...and really, all things natural. (in case you didn't know that ;) These oils have literally changed the way we live and have in turn, blessed our journey of adoption through my job with Young Living. Every single bottle of essential oil brings my baby one step closer to home. To learn more about the power of essential oils, click here.  or just ask me about them! I am happy to talk oils all day :) 

And lastly you can purchase a piece on Little Donnies puzzle! (My favorite fundraiser so far!) Heres how:


Little D's PIECES


It works like this:

1. We had a 500 piece puzzle created by Venus Puzzle with Ephesians 1:4-5 written out on China and it looks like this! (I figured between the two of us we know 500 friends right!?! lol) 

2. Sponsors can purchase puzzle pieces and we will write that person or familys name on the back of each piece purchased. Each piece is $20. You can choose to buy 1, 2, 3, or 10! There is no limit! You can even go half with your roommate! 
   
3. Once a puzzle piece has a sponsor, we will write their name on the back of the puzzle piece/s and send them a picture. 

4. Once every single piece has been sponsored, we will put the puzzle together and hang it in a double-sided glass frame for Little D's room so that he can always look back and be reminded of his story and how God brought all of those people together to have a little "piece" in helping bring him ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME! 

So, our goal with this Puzzle Fundraiser is to sell all 500 pieces which will raise $10,000!!!! That will take care of our full referral process! How amazing would that be?!?! We would be honored and humbled to have you be a part of this story.

To Purchase a puzzle piece click here:

(I will receive an email with your paypal name once the order goes through) If you don't have a pay pal you can still use this button. It is very simple and safe. If you would rather send us a check, email me at tiffanymurray84@gmail.com and I will gladly send you our address :) 

WE HAVE A MACH!!

WE HAVE A MATCH! 

WE HAVE A MATCH! 

WE HAVE A MATCH!

Meet, our newest little Donnie. :) (the 4th to be exact!)

I know, I know....you cannot contain yourself!!! We (even though Big D doesn't show it!!) can't either!!! I mean, lets just stop and look at him for a second.......................... seriously, HE IS PERFECT! This, my friends is who we have been waiting for, OUR SON! He is over a year old and he is HEALTHY!!!! Did you just get that??? Yep, he sure is. God is seriously so good!!! I cannot wait for you to see his little face!!!!! (should I add more exclamation marks?) YES!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO DARN EXCITED ABOUT THIIIIIISSSSSSSSS!!!!!

TRUE STORY to show Gods hand (yet again) in all of this;

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are ALL THINGS. To Him be glory for ever. Amen" Romans 11:36

So we see from Gods word that God totally knew who our son was before we were even born, and God knew exactly when our paperwork needed to be in China and on that persons desk in order to get Donnies referral (yep...theres a new Donnie in the mix... Little D not Big D :) to us in the knick of time. And boy did it! 

I mean, get this...

Our paperwork was mailed to China on a Friday and arrived in China THAT FOLLOWING MONDAY! That is SUPER crazy. International mail just doesn't move that fast and I'm pretty sure our agency didn't spend a fortune to overnight it....(except, even if it was overnighted, it still wouldn't have been there until at least the next week....MAYBE!) Then, our paperwork was logged in (aka stamped) THE VERY NEXT DAY! For those that aren't familiar with adoptions.... that is waaaaaaaaaay fast. 

It gets crazier, THEN we were matched exactly a week later, the DAY our agency received their first batch of referrals for the month! God knew exactly when little D's referral was going to be on that persons desk to send out to our agency and he made sure it was there just in the nick of time! 

I mean, are we surprised!? He does say,  "I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like me. My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose" Isaiah 46:9-10 

PROOF! To God be ALL the glory for this amazing thing he has done by uniting us with our son! (through email haha)

OK SO YOU HAVE A MILLION QUESTIONS! (most of them 

cannot be answered on social media, so call me :)


Why did we name him Donnie? We named him Donald Richard Murray IIII. Donnie (my husband .... yeah.... this is gonna be weird lol) is the third. To be honest with you, we lean more towards names like Silas or Jedediah but we both were drawn towards giving little D this name because it means much much more. Just as Big Donnie and I were adopted by God (we were orphans lost at the fall, blinded by sin, but God, being rich in mercy and love, made us see Jesus and then He gave us a seat in his Kingdom AS HIS CHILDREN and He also gave us His inheritance!!!) we thought that by giving him the family name it would be another powerfully tangible way to show him that he IS in fact a Murray even if might look a little different than us. But more importantly, giving him the family name also paints the picture of Gods adoption of His children. Little Donnie was an orphan but we have adopted him as our son, so much that he is given the family name and our inheritance. 

When will we travel to pick him up? We are told we will get him in the fall but we are praying our hearts out that it is SOONER!!!

What is next? Lots and lots of paperwork, waiting and CASH!!! 

International adoption is expensive. Like, crazy expensive. For those who have been asking, and for those that need to see what mountain the Lord is going to move I wanted to give you the breakdown of this craziness. 

REFERAL ACCEPTANCE
* $2,000 - final program fee
* $600 - orphan care fee
* $900 - post adoption administrative fee
* $1,125 - post adoption reports
 TOTAL - $8,125

TRAVEL
* $480 - filling and processing fee
* $750 - Visas
* $7,000 ish or less for plane tickets (2 adults 1 child)
* $5,000 - $7,000 in country travel Package
* $7,300 - International Program Fee
TOTAL - $20,530 - $22,530

 If I take my mind of of the power and providence of God, I start to really freak out over this. But LOOK UP THERE AGAIN on this blog! God can move mountains! He will do what he pleases! And it is VERY clear that God wants this baby home with us! SO, I am 100% confident that the Lord will provide what is necessary to bring this guy home!

I am so excited to share this next fundraiser with you all.

Its my favorite yet!! Its called;


Little D's PIECES


It works like this:

1. We had a 500 piece puzzle created by Venus Puzzle with Ephesians 1:4-5 written out on China and it looks like this! (I figured between the two of us we know 500 friends right!?! lol) 

2. Sponsors can purchase puzzle pieces and we will write that person or familys name on the back of each piece purchased. Each piece is $20. You can choose to buy 1, 2, 3, or 10! There is no limit! You can even go half with your roommate! 
   
3. Once a puzzle piece has a sponsor, we will write their name on the back of the puzzle piece/s and send them a picture. 

4. Once every single piece has been sponsored, we will put the puzzle together and hang it in a double-sided glass frame for Little D's room so that he can always look back and be reminded of his story and how God brought all of those people together to have a little "piece" in helping bring him ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME!

To Purchase a puzzle piece click here: (I will receive and email with your paypal name once the order goes through) If you don't have paypal....

/span>

** if you wish to donate but would rather send a check you may absolutely do that! Please email me at tiffanymurray84@gmail.com for our address. 

So, our goal with this Puzzle Fundraiser is to sell all 500 pieces which will raise $10,000!!!! That will take care of our full referral process! How amazing would that be?!?! We would be honored and humbled to have you be a part of this story.

Laugh & Dine Success!

Despite my new grey hairs and loss of a few pounds, Laugh and Dine was a success!

Can I just show you all one of the most beautiful pictures I've ever seen? Take a look at this...

These people aren't adopting a boy from China. They have zero obligation to clean up our mess after we throw a big dinner party. Its 9:45 on a friday night and they have the option to go home and relax after a days work or stay here and clean a messy kitchen. Some of these people weren't even the helpers we asked originally. These people simply love us. This picture tangibly shows the Lord providing for our son through His people who love Him above all things. 

John 4:19 "We love because He first loved us." 

So that was the end of the night, let me show you the beginning!

The Regal Hour 

did all of the beautiful decor. I mean really, It was so romantic and regal!! 

Live music, you guys. 3 violins and a piano. (I didn't get a picture of all them, darn it.) 

THANKS TO DANIEL AND TAYLOR FOR HEADING THAT UP! It was so beautiful.  

 The food. 

Joelle Seasing went above and beyond with the menu. When I said italian, I was thinking jars of Trader Joes spaghetti sauce and noodles. Nope, not with Joelle. Nothing but the best with this lady. Her menu was the talk of the night, FOR SURE. Joelle Seasing went above and beyond with the menu. Absolutely DELICIOUS! 

If  you are wondering why I now have grey hair and went down a size..... clearly you don't know me well. (neither is the case, I was just being dramatic.) 

You know, the Lord really likes to keep me on my toes!! Two days before the event we only had 20 people signed up to join us for the dinner. At that point, we would have lost about $300. Lets just say, I was stressed out :) 

Well, so, like all the times before.... I continued to pray, trusting God to provide for our son (with wavering confidence, stupid me). I prayed very specifically for 30 people, thinking that was a long shot with only a day and a half left before the event.

70 PEOPLE 

Yep. The Lord gave us 70 instead :) We didn't loose $300, we MADE $1360!! Why!? Because the Lord is simply bringing our son One Step Closer to Home. 

"...He chose us in Him....that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love he predestined us for ADOPTION as sons through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:4-5

John 4:19 "We love because He first loved us." 

 Thank you everyone for your prayers and support! 

Hold on to the Promises

Hold on to the Promises

I have been on this roller coaster of emotions for months. I am a mother of two, a wife, a teacher and I could go on to name about 300 other things that I am currently responsible for. Life is OVERWHELMING. On top of the 300 things, we are in the process of adoption. International Adoption.

Can I be real? I am scared. I am scared I will not be good enough for this. I am scared these 300 other things in my life will take over. I am scared we won't like each other. Im afraid of the racial difference, Im afraid of the possible language barrier, and Im afraid of special needs, and I am afraid of being afraid!

But then God does this.....

I have taken on a new job selling Young Living Essential Oils in hopes to raise funds to bring our son home from China. My first official pay check was $721. (I should add, that is not normal) We couldn't believe Gods speedy provision on something we literally JUST started. A few weeks later when I went to write a check for the next adoption paperwork that was due, I noticed something that made my jaw hit the floor. It read;

"Form I-800A: Amount due = $721.00" 

The form was EXACTLY $721.00 and that amount is EXACTLY what I earned from my first month in this new job. I think the Lord threw in that extra dollar just for me, to show me that my fear is worthless. Clearly, He can and He will provide for our son.

"When I am afraid I put my trust in you. In God who's word I praise in God I trust. I shall not be afraid, what can flesh to do me?" Psalm 56: 3-4

Just a few days ago I was going over all of the things I need to get done this month. I should add, they aren't simple things, they are huge things. Things that feel impossible. I began to feel defeated and...you guessed it, afraid. Donnie pointed out the car window to show me this massive double rainbow. As I looked I noticed the song "Hold on to the Promises" was blaring over the radio. As I sat there freaking out in my head, God syncs radio stations and massive double rainbows to give His children peace.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27

A quick update on the Murray boy adoption:

We are working on our last piece of paperwork. This paperwork includes a lot of different things so it takes a few months to collect and receive responses. Once all of the responses have come to us, we will drive all of our fancy papers over to LA and get them authenticated and certified. 

We have been approved for the "Waiting Children Program" through our agency, which means we are open to adopting a child with special needs. These needs range from a missing finger to repaired Spina Bifida. Since this paperwork is already processed, we could be matched with a child at any time within this specific program. We are trusting Jesus with this. It sounds super crazy but we are surprisingly at peace with where the Lord is guiding us. (well... haha its a struggle of peace but peace always wins...)

All of that to say, we are close...very close! Once our paperwork reaches China, we can be matched with our son. We are hearing there is no wait time for boys and especially for families open to minor special needs. We have no idea when this will happen or when he will come home but we are guessing around October.

Our newest adventure is a Valentines Laugh & Dine Fundraiser to bring our son one step closer to home. I am so excited because the Lord is pouring in the most amazing donations. From wedding event planners!!! to Wedding Florists, to Daily Brew Italian Sodas, to a Professional Comedian! I mean really. Why do I ever worry?

SO, if you are looking for a place to take your loved ones for Valentines Day, look no further. We are hosting a beautiful event called Laugh & Dine where you can come enjoy a classy night of laughter with the ones you love! The best part about all this fun, is that every ticket brings our son

  One Step Closer to Home!! 

For more Information and Tickets visit www.onestepclosertohome.myevent.com

This event is brought to you by:

www.theregalhour.com

www.natureofthings.net

www.dailybrew.com 

What The Heck is an Essential Oil and What Makes it So "Essential"?

Are you one of those who think essential oils are some oily substance that hippies pull from flowers and pray over and do a happy dance and say "Go, flower..... make peace..." .... ? HAHA 

Lets look at what these this actually are... and why they are so "essential". 

Essential oils 101, ready?

What are essential oils? 

Essential oils are extracted from plants using distillation. An essential oil has the “essential” aromatic and chemical properties of that plant.

How do they work?

They are made up of tiny molecules that are very easily absorbed. Each oil has a special chemical composition of (science lesson ready?) terpenes, esters, oxides, alcohols, phenols, ketones, and aldehydes. Each of these interact with bodily systems and, depending on the essential oil, can stimulate the immune system, aid cell growth, help eliminate toxins, kill bacteria and viruses, and more…!!!

If your like me and didn’t pay attention in chemistry class…. Here is what all that means… ;)

•    Terpenes – inhibit toxin accumulation and discharge them from liver and kidneys

•    Esters – anti-fungal, calming, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral

•    Oxides – expectorant, antiseptic, anesthetic

•    Alcohols – antiseptic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, stimulate immunes system

•    Phenols – fragrance, antiseptic, anti-acterial, possibly anti-cancerious

•    Ketones – stimulate cell regeneration, loosen mucous

•    Aldehydes – anti-infectious, sedative, topical irritants, calming when inhaled

For example: Lavender essential oil has 40% linalyl acetate which is an ester. Studies have shown linalyl acetate to be anti-inflammatory, sedative, anti-bacterial and anti-viral. Amazing right?!  So then it would make sense to take advantage of these properties by using lavender essential oils for sleep and first aid!

                                                                         

How do you use them?:

Smelling them (Aroma): When you smell an essential oil, cilia and receptor cells in the olfactory organ (as I push my glasses up my nose) receive the aroma and send signals to the limbic system of the brain, which is the center of memory and emotion! (right?! Im not just making this stuff up… so cool..)  It also is connected to areas of the brain that control blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, hormone balance, and more! BAM. (lol)

Absorption: When essential oils are absorbed through the skin or lungs, they enter fluids and are distributed throughout the body, where their chemical constituents can interact with other bodily systems.

So, wait… how do we actually use them, Tiff.....?

1. By applying them to the skin! (Some oils require a carrier oil like coconut or Olive oil) Essential oils are absorbed into the blood stream in 28 seconds, yo! The most effective areas are the bottom of your feet, under your arms, head and wrists or palms.

 

2.By breathing them in. When you inhale essential oils, little droplets of oil are absorbed by the lungs.

3. By ingesting them. There is debate about whether this is ok or not…and by debate I mean polar opposite opinions. Here is why we ingest Young Living oils when needed. In other words. QUALITY MATTERS!

-