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Jared & Chantel's Adoption Story

Our adoption journey has been a few years in the making and has not been without it's own set of speed bumps and roadblocks.

After the birth of our daughter in 2010 we discussed expanding our family and felt led to look into adoption. We had always thought that adoption would be part of our lives and after talking and praying about it we decided to move in this direction.

We have worked with multiple adoption agencies in multiple different African countries and have seen both adoption agency bankruptcy and corruption.

We are now working with a wonderful Christian agency in their South African program and we are hoping to have our little one home within a year!

Jared & Chantel

If you want to help Jared and Chantel out with the financial side of their adoption you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put their names down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out. 

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John and Mandi's Adoption Story

John and I knew when we got married that adoption would be the way we would grow our family. I (Mandi) found out when I was in high school that I was unable to have children. As soon as we got married we started looking into where we wanted to adopt from and prayed for the Lord's timing. A week after our first anniversary we received a call about a 8 month old baby girl that was going to be given up for adoption. Though connections the birth mother got our name and wanted to meet with us. Long story shot, exactly one month later we brought Cassidy home! Her adoption was not without struggles and it was over a year later before it was finally completed, and now we are very excited to be starting the process to adopt from the United States! I would have never chosen this story for myself, but I now count myself extremely blessed to have adoption as part of my story. God has completely changed our hearts and we have found such a wonderful community through adoption to be a part of. His hand was so completely evident throughout the adoption process with Cassidy and we are praying for the same evidence as we start the journey once again. God is so good and has been so faithful and we are excited to walk this road, knowing that He is walking with us every step of the way!

If you want to help John and Mandi out with the financial side of their adoption you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put their names down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out. 

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Scott and Holly's Adoption Story

We are the Gilliam family - Scott and Holly, married 19 years, three biological boys ages 14, 11 and 9, and two girls born in our hearts, ages 25 and 5. We are a close family that loves to be together and have fun together.  We enjoy camping, playing games and mostly just being silly together.  And with all the boys around here, there is a lot of wrestling going on!  Even little Sarah joins in, of course.  We are active in our church and homeschool activities, and we love the Lord and keep Him at the center of our lives.  Hubby has a job he works mostly from home, and I am a stay-at-home homeschool mom, so we are all together most of the time!  

I (Holly) have always had a passion for orphans and adoption.  I always knew I wanted to adopt children, and I was thrilled when my husband also thought we should.  After we adopted Sarah in 2009, I wondered what God would have in store for our future.  I felt sure that I wanted to adopt again, but Scott was not sure it was time, or if it ever would be time.  In 2010, our older daughter volunteered in a baby home for critically ill babies in China for six months.  There, she fell in love with a little girl named Corrie.   Soon, I was falling in love with this sweet girl, too.  Three years later, she still did not have a family, and my heart was aching to bring her into our hearts and home.  The Lord laid it on Scott's heart, too, and the rest is history!  Corrie had a very rough start but is doing well now, and still struggles with developmental delays and deafness.

We are moving full speed ahead to get our paperwork ready so that we can get on the plane!  We can't wait to give her hugs and kisses and the medical help and therapy that she needs.  Feel free to read our family blog if you'd like to follow our precious girl's story:  living-the-abundant-life.blogspot.com.

If you want to help Scott and Holly out you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put her name down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out.

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Clayton and Whitney's Adoption Story

We are adopting Lord willing from Vietnam. Our hope is to bring home our baby in approx a year. We feel God is calling us to adopt, to make an immeasurable difference in the life of a child who needs a family. We have 2 beautiful children Brielle and Makai and we feel that this is how the Lord wants to grow our family at this time. We will most likely be bringing home a baby because most children in Vietnam are given up at birth because single parenthood is not accepted, and children are abandoned because of this social prejudice and due to poverty. Increasingly, children are orphaned because of AIDS. We invite you to be part of our story, a story that imitates what God has done for us in Christ. A story that reminds us that we are all adopted by our heavenly Father.

If you want to help Clayton and Whitney out with the financial side of their adoption you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put their names down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out. 

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Chris and Jo-Anne Orlesky

Our journey began three years ago when a friend of mine asked us to visit her church. We agree to go once and after that day our lives began to church. During those next few months we both accepted Jesus into our lives and we baptized.    A dream of mine was always to go Africa and work in an orphanage. In 2010 our church was planning a missions trip to Mozambique. I was excited that I was going to have the chance to experience something I had always dreamed of doing. During the first meeting I learned that the work they would be doing it, women would not be allowed to come. I was devastated. Over the next few days I noticed that they still need one more man to go on the trip so I asked Chris if he wanted to go. I figured since I couldn't go, he could go and it would help him grow and learn more about Jesus.    In August 2010 Christ went to Mozambique where then came back and was ready to sell everything and become a missionary. At this time I couldn't understand why he would want to do something like that.    It wasn't until this past March that I understood him. In March, I went on my first missions trip to Haiti where we were able to stay at an orphanage and visit a few other orphanages and schools throughout the week. During this week, God confirmed to me that my family was called to be missionaries.    In August of this year Chris and I along with our three children will be fulltime missionaries. During this time we will work on fundraising enough money to move to Haiti in Jan 2014.    When we are in Haiti we will be missionaries for Boaz Ministry where we will work towards building a home for emancipated teenagers.    You can follow our journey over at my blog http://7journey.blogspot.ca/   Jo-Anne and Chris Orlesky

  If you want to help Jo-Anne and Chris out you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put her name down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out.

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Ashley O'Brien - Missions Trip

The Lord has lead me to say YES to a missions trip to Africa this summer for ten days! The cost of the trip is $4,000 and covers everything I'll need while there! We will be spending time with orphans who have been imprisoned, hosting a Vacation Bible School, helping a non-profit with their feeding program, and sharing the Gospel to those in need. I am so blessed to be a part of this team and to love on babies and to love on the people of Ethiopia & Uganda! You can read more about my trip by visiting my blog http://littleobrienfamily.blogspot.com

If you want to help Ashley out with the financial side of her missions trip you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put her name down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out.

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Kevin and Jessica's Adoption Story

Sometimes, we do not realize what an amazing journey God has led us through…until we look back and see His Grace filled in every corner of our lives.

Kevin and I have been married almost 17 years…we have 5 beautiful, wonderfully made children who have all taught us different things about God’s love and grace.

Our adoption journey began without us even realizing it at the time... it was born out of the birth of our ten year old son Micah.  Micah came into this world, on a rainy April day in 2002, struggling from the moment of his arrival.  By the time Micah was 2 months old we knew he was blind… and by our first Christmas of that year… our little boy was unable to move his body well, unable to eat well and was failing to thrive.  My heart grieved for our son….I begged God to heal him….and questioned His love for me, when I felt my prayers  went unanswered.  With a broken heart, I really had no joy in Christmas shopping that year…you realize how worthless material things are in the moment of brokenness…so, as a gift, in Kevin’s name I donated money for a cleft lip/cleft palate surgery for a child in a third world country.

God took a hurting husband and wife…clearly carried them those next few years and taught them that His Good is better than any earthly good we pray for.   He taught us that miracles happen every day, and that He answers all prayer.  To Kevin and I, every special needs child in orphanages was our son, our son without a family, our son without love, our son without support, our son.  God used the very pain we once felt for good, His good.   Our eyes were opened to all the Micah’s of the world who are seen as “worthless”, “imperfect”, or “unadoptable.”  But, we know all of His children are worth more than silver and gold, perfect in His image, and every one adoptable, just as every Christian has been adopted by the blood of Christ.

In March of 2012 we brought home our beautiful Noah from Henan, China.  Noah was a cleft lip and palate baby.  9 years after that Christmas gift was given, God had given us Noah. 

Kevin and I have applied to adopt from China again, a boy around 3 or 4 years old.  We know that this little guy with his “special needs” will bring our family great joy.

We so humbly thank you for helping us bring our son home. We appreciate your support.

Kevin and Jessica Leicht

(Micah is now a ten year old guy.  Although Micah is non-verbal he communicates in many other ways.  His vision currently is 20/20 corrected with glasses J, he is looking forward to being a big brother again…shouting two when we asked if he wanted a brother…indeed he does…two brothers would be just perfect)    Proverbs  31:8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

  If you want to help Kevin and Jessica out with the financial side of their adoption you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put their names down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out.

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Tyler and Amanda's Adoption Story

It’s hard to believe that six years ago when we were married that we would arrive here at this place. Many years ago, before we married, we shared a conversation about adoption. We discussed how beautiful the idea was and how we could see it happen in our future. Throughout our marriage we revisited the conversation time and time again, knowing that one day we would see it happen.

We didn't know when it would happen and we didn't know who would become the third addition to our family. We just knew that someday it would.

Our dream is becoming a reality.

As the time went on our thoughts of increasing our family grew, and during the Christmas season we decided we would begin taking the steps in the New Year. As we prayed and discussed this matter we were given a call that we knew was in God’s perfect timing. When we heard about a little two year old girl in Ontario who needed a new loving home we quickly knew she would become a part of our immediate family. Where her great grandparents and her mother are unable to take care of her any longer, we both felt God leading us as the next step in our lives journey to be there for this little girl. We are ready and prepared to take this on, like no other change we have had in our lives.

This child has come to us through direct placement. We believe that God chose her for us. We believe that God has provided her a happy home for the last two years, and now it is our job to carry that on. That happy home that she has been a part of, despite her great grandparents being unable to take care of her any longer, has helped her grow into a little happy healthy child. Simply said, I believe she will be more of a blessing in our lives then she will ever know. 

This past while has brought so much joy into our lives knowing she will one day be running through our house laughing and giggling, filling our home with love. It’s been a delight to start thinking about the coming changes in our lives, readying her new room and preparing our house for a toddler. 

This adoption means so much to us to be able to help a child who needs a home. It means that our lives will forever be blessed. It means we get to share in the raising of a beautiful little girl. It means that there will be a continuous joy and laughter and happiness in our home that can only be brought on by the life of a child. Although this is an experience that we have not experienced in our lives up to this point, it’s a journey that we know we are ready to take, and that God has been preparing us for several years as a couple.

The inter-provincial adoption has proven to be a lot more difficult and a lot more costly then originally anticipated. Even though this being a direct domestic placement, we are required to go through much the same steps and requirements  and costs as many other adoptions. Because we live in an isolated community that therefore requires much higher travel expenses then a typical area of Canada. But amidst many roadblocks and many challenges, we believe our adoption story will be completed soon, and we are so grateful for all the generous people that support adoption in so many ways. 

Gratefully, 

Tyler and Amanda Dunham

www.thedunhamjourney.blogspot.ca 

If you want to help Tyler and Amanda out with the financial side of their adoption you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put their names down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out.

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Been doing lots of printing the last few days. I really want to make one of these tanks for myself. #adoption #fundraising #onelessorphan oncewaslost.storenvy.com

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Sold out of a bunch of items on the weekend, what a wonderful problem to have! Here are the latest additions to the shop: http://oncewaslost.storenvy.com/collections/127024-jewelry

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A number of our shirts are on sale for just $15! http://oncewaslost.storenvy.com/collections/111000-t-shirts

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New necklace up in the shop. Just a few available! http://oncewaslost.storenvy.com/products/1119078-feather-arrow-necklace

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Eric & Elisabeth's Adoption Story

We began praying about adoption thirteen years ago. Ten years and many prayers later we began researching and seriously considering adopting from Haiti prior to the January 12, 2010 earthquake. A few weeks after the earthquake hit Haiti we were contacted by friends at an orphan advocacy organization helping with relief efforts. They were assisting in matching approved adoptive families with pre-earthquake children they were trying to evacuate under a humanitarian parole provision from a créche (an orphanage licensed to process adoptions) in Haiti. This is how we first came to know about our girls and received their pictures and referrals to our family in February 2010. 

We understood from previous research that the adoption process in Haiti is very long (typically 2 years) and very difficult. We originally thought that the tragic events of the earthquake would bring our girls to us quickly through humanitarian parole instead of the traditionally long adoption process. Little did we know back then. Instead of bringing our girls to us quickly in the months that followed the earthquake, God used long and difficult adoptions, 5 trips to Haiti, and connections made in Haiti to move us to Haiti 20 months later as missionaries. We look back and marvel at all God has done and trust that His plans for our future are better than anything we could dream up for ourselves. We had prayed about moving overseas for many years prior to beginning our adoptions but the timing was never right and the doors never opened. We felt stuck in our long adoption process as the Lord continued to open our hearts to long term missions overseas. We knew that even when we did eventually get the girls home to the U.S. that it could possibly take years for them to transition before they would be ready to move to another country. We couldn't see how all of this would work out. God had the perfect plan to accomplish His will for our good and His glory.

We moved to Port au Prince, Haiti in September 2011 to work with a school. During the months that followed we spent time with our Haitian daughters (who legally became our daughters in Haiti a month after we arrived) at their orphanage and visits they were permitted to make to our home. We lived in Haiti for 6 months before our girls were permitted to live with us in Haiti while the immigration part of their adoption process was completed. During this time we discovered some problems with our daugther Esmée's adoption paperwork. Her Haitian mother is deceased and was not married to the father listed on the paperwork. The U.S. Embassy did a thorough investigation in each of our daughters cases (which are separate because they are not bio sisters). The man listed on the paperwork for Esmée and whose last name she had been given was found not to be her biological father. Although we have completed an adoption in Haiti, permission to immigrate our daughter will not be granted unless we redo the adoption paperwork in its entirety because her former last name throughout the paperwork must be changed. We were devastated but so thankful that in God's sovereignty He orchestrated events to allow our family to remain together in Haiti. We began Esmée's adoption process for a second time in June of 2012. Our daugher Elita Marguerite made her debut to the United States in November 2012 after a 2.9 year adoption process. She returned with us to Haiti a few weeks after her U.S. citizen immigration paperwork had been completed. We praise the Lord for her completed adoption process!

Our family moved to St. Marc, Haiti to work with a different school/ministryon January 1st, 2013. We have to raise 100% of our financial support for our family as missionaries. We fundraised for our adoptions for 2 years prior to moving to Haiti and had paid for them in full. Raising financial support for our family of 6 along with the cost of paying for Esmée's adoption process a second time has been very difficult, especially doing so from Haiti. We appreciate prayers for our family in Haiti and for Esmée's continued adoption process. We are about halfway through her adoption process at this time and are working with a new facilitator that we trust very much. The Embassy has agreed that Esmée meets full orphan status and that once the paperwork has been updated, they will grant her permission to immigrate as well. We fully believe that God will finish what he started for both of our girls and we trust in His timing. 

Our 4 children attend the school we work with in Haiti. Our girls have worked very hard to learn English and overcome so much after surviving a Haitian run orphanage for 10 years (Elita Marguerite) and 4 years (Esmée). Our family has bonded in a miraculous way. Esmée has doubled in size since we first met her. :)

Thank you for helping us toward completing Esmée's adoption process through this fundraiser. We also appreciate your prayers for her heart. Waiting 3 years to meet family and friends in the states, the news of her prolonged adoption process has been hard to understand and bear. The struggles we have faced because of the way her adoption was processed the first time are extremely unnecessary and unjust. We struggle with that. We are thankful that we trust a God of justice who is the defender of the orphan. We are thankful that He saw fit to place our family in Haiti for such a time as this. If you would like to read more about our adoption story you can do so on the blog we started in the beginning of our journey at http://chosenandmuchloved.blogspot.com. You can also follow our family adventures in Haiti at http://reamteaminternational.blogspot.com. We love to connect with families adopting from Haiti and have hosted many adoptive families and their children in our home the past year. We love how God most often uses our deepest hurts and trying experiences to encourage others. We pray that He will use the things we have learned/struggled through in our adoption process for His glory and good in the lives of others! We remember all that Jesus suffered in order for us to be adopted into God's family. Our struggles do not compare in light of His. We can love because He first loved us!

Eric & Elisabeth

If you want to help Eric  and Elisabeth out with the financial side of their adoption you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put their names down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out.

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Josh and Shaeline's Adoption Story

Our journey began 3 years ago when we decided to start a family.  We had a year of ups and downs and finally learned that God had a different plan of how we were to start our family. This is when adoption became part of our journey to parenthood.  

In May 2011 we decided to adopt our first child from South Africa. We did the initial paperwork to our province and agency by June of the same year. We then were able to start on our home study in October 2011. It took 4 months for us to get it completed and then sent it to our province  who then forwarded it to our agency.

February 2012 was an exciting month, because our dossier was officially in the mail and on its way! We knew that South Africa was closed when we were going through the process but we still felt that God was nudging us towards this program and that we should just go ahead, so we did.

It has been a year of waiting with our dossier handed in and now in South Africa and we will continue to wait with anticipation and hope that our family will be a family of 3 soon. For a full version of our story with more details you can find us at: www.strombergclan.blogspot.com. (Coming Soon!!!)

If you want to help Josh and Shaeline out with the financial side of their adoption you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put their names down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out.

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Geoff & Christie's Adoption Story

Christie and I are adopting from Ethiopia. We made the decision to pursue an international adoption a little over a year ago. We have just completed our home study. From the beginning, the history and people of Ethiopia really inspired us. We are very excited to include Ethiopian heritage into our home. Our hope is to adopt a sibling group.

We live in Meridian, Idaho and we both work as middle school teachers. We have two children, Ali, 16, and Payton, 13, who are very excited to have younger siblings!

-Geoff and Christie

If you want to help Geoff and Christie out with the financial side of their adoption you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put their names down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out. 

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The grant is up to $195!!! Remember that tomorrow is the last day so if you want to support an affiliate NOW is the time to make a purchase! http://oncewaslost.storenvy.com/

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Nick & Rachel's Adoption Story

From the beginning of our marriage (almost 16 years!), we have had a heart for children without families. We have provided foster care & sponsored children through numerous organizations. However, as our family has grown and we have tried to pass on to our children the desire to care for the orphan, it became more and more apparent to all of us  that we have plenty of room, resources and love to provide a home and family for a child (or children) who have none.

We have always known that "if" we adopted we would want to try to adopt from India, because we have both spent a considerable amount of time there and it captured our hearts a long time ago.

Our family has applied to adopt an older child (age 3-6) with correctable medical needs or developmental delays or siblings. Having been there, we know that these children probably would not have a chance for a future otherwise. And, as our oldest daughter said, "most people want the babies". There are an estimated 35 million orphans in India (almost 9% of the population), a country & culture that we dearly love, and we hope to at least decrease that number by one.

-Nick & Rachel Caitlin, Ally & Elliot

If you want to help Nick and Rachel out with the financial side of their adoption you can go to the Once Was Lost Shop, make a purchase and put their names down in the notes to seller box when you are checking out.