Monday, December 16, 2013
Day 5 ....a Harmonious Day
On Day 5 (Friday) we had the honor to visit Harmony House (Toby's Foster home) and his deaf school. We finally got to meet Toby at his home. What a joy it was to be in the place that we only dreamed about seeing. We saw the children there and gave them Christmas gifts...as well as to the nannies. We are so blessed that Toby was in a loving Christian atmosphere during the past 2 years. There were several children there that are in need of home. One of the older boys asked the director "When is my family coming?" Our prayer is that someone will adopt him very soon.. I got to do a little home decorating (can't stay away from doing that...) I put an ASL vinyl decal sign ( "I love you") on the wall so all the children could see that you can love in any language... They were all signing it as we left. Toby is pointing at it in the last picture. We were touched and blessed on this day.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Day 4 Taking it easy...
Day 4 was a more relaxed day! We spent a lot of time with our good friends, Todd and Dawn. We are SOOOO blessed to have them in our lives and in our hearts. Jet lag is a beast and it gets ya all day. We all have been going to bed at 6:00 pm. or 7:00 pm and waking up at 2:00 am. It is so hard to fall back asleep after that. Being tired and groggy does not sit well with us so we will be glad when the jet lag will be over. We enjoyed the day visiting the local fruit stands and markets. We got to experience the "real" China. So glad we have such awesome hosts.
Day 3 Adventure
We woke up on Day 3 and went to one of our favorite and fascinating places in the world.....The Great Wall of China. It was a cool, crisp and clear day. It was so much fun!
ON OUR WAY......Day 1 and Day 2
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Countdown to China!
The to do list is a mile long, empty suitcases are spread across the basement floor, and the excitement is obvious in our household.... Why? We are only 8 days away from going to China to get our little boy! As you can imagine, we are experiencing a variety of emotions as we prepare for the big day.
In a way, it is the same feeling we had when we were a week away from having our three biological children. There were nerves...excitement...joy and adventure. In this case, it's a bit different. We're traveling halfway around the world during the Christmas season to get a little boy that has experienced more grief than we will ever understand. We are going to bring him back to America to be a part of our family. Just that thought alone, leaves us speechless.
We want to express gratitude to all of you that donated money for this adoption. We raised 90% of the money needed! Praise the Lord! We still will have some expenses when we return home, but we are trusting the Lord to provide just as He has done this entire year.
You can continue to follow adopttogether.org/thefailes and pray for us during the next couple of months. We honestly could not have done this without your help. It's been such a humbling experience raising funds for this adoption as well as opening up our lives to the government through the piles of paperwork that they required us to fill out. Having the right perspective pushed us to continue. THANK YOU so much for coming on this adventure with us. We have been blessed beyond measure.
At the beginning of this process, we purchased a 200 piece puzzle with Toby's picture on it. As a fundraising idea, we asked you if you would be willing to "buy" a puzzle piece to support our adoption. Each piece represents $50 or more. What a blessing to write down the names of all the people that sacrificially gave to our fund. Below is a picture of the completed puzzle. We will forever remember all of you and when Toby can read one day, we will show him all the names of the people that gave to bring him home. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of the big picture.
In the coming days, we will be updating you on our trip. Please stay tuned to this blog especially during the entire month of December. (: We are looking forward to our first picture we take as a family. We will share it with you as soon as we can!
In a way, it is the same feeling we had when we were a week away from having our three biological children. There were nerves...excitement...joy and adventure. In this case, it's a bit different. We're traveling halfway around the world during the Christmas season to get a little boy that has experienced more grief than we will ever understand. We are going to bring him back to America to be a part of our family. Just that thought alone, leaves us speechless.
We want to express gratitude to all of you that donated money for this adoption. We raised 90% of the money needed! Praise the Lord! We still will have some expenses when we return home, but we are trusting the Lord to provide just as He has done this entire year.
You can continue to follow adopttogether.org/thefailes and pray for us during the next couple of months. We honestly could not have done this without your help. It's been such a humbling experience raising funds for this adoption as well as opening up our lives to the government through the piles of paperwork that they required us to fill out. Having the right perspective pushed us to continue. THANK YOU so much for coming on this adventure with us. We have been blessed beyond measure.
At the beginning of this process, we purchased a 200 piece puzzle with Toby's picture on it. As a fundraising idea, we asked you if you would be willing to "buy" a puzzle piece to support our adoption. Each piece represents $50 or more. What a blessing to write down the names of all the people that sacrificially gave to our fund. Below is a picture of the completed puzzle. We will forever remember all of you and when Toby can read one day, we will show him all the names of the people that gave to bring him home. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of the big picture.
In the coming days, we will be updating you on our trip. Please stay tuned to this blog especially during the entire month of December. (: We are looking forward to our first picture we take as a family. We will share it with you as soon as we can!
God bless you all. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
We got our Provisional approval notice in the mail yesterday! It is called the I-800. We now have to wait for the NVC letter to arrive. This will inform us that Toby will be receiving his visa to become an American citizen when he arrives here. After that, we need to wait for Article 5 which is the final piece of the puzzle before we get our travel approval and date. We are praying that we can go the first week of December. This would be a good time as my ASL class will be ending for the semester so I will not have to get a substitute for my class.
I have a big prayer request! We really want to bring our three children with us to China. We are a family and we really want Toby to make a connection with ALL of us when we see him for the first time. Because of this, we need to raise extra funds for travel. I am doing 4 big fundraisers during the month of October.
1) October 8 - Chick Fil A day... Bring this flyer in and eat a meal. We will get 20% of the sales for the day.. If you need to have one sent to you, contact me at mblovesdavid@aol.com.
3) Fall family photo shoot by Leah Kelley Photography.. $75 for a 45 minute photo session. You get your photos on disk to make your own prints. Contact me for more details.. Spots are filling up fast!
4) Ohio Association of the Deaf festival in Columbus. I will be setting up a booth and selling ASL decals and other crafts. (: Looking forward in meeting many Deaf friends at this event!
Will you pray that all of these will be successful so that these funds will be raised? We know that God will fund what He favors! Thank you for your prayers and support! Mary Beth (:
I have a big prayer request! We really want to bring our three children with us to China. We are a family and we really want Toby to make a connection with ALL of us when we see him for the first time. Because of this, we need to raise extra funds for travel. I am doing 4 big fundraisers during the month of October.
1) October 8 - Chick Fil A day... Bring this flyer in and eat a meal. We will get 20% of the sales for the day.. If you need to have one sent to you, contact me at mblovesdavid@aol.com.
2) KRISPY KREME Donut Sale- On Oct. 17-19, buy some donuts from me or help me sell some! Please let me know if you are interested in buying or selling before Oct. 10. I really need help with this!
3) Fall family photo shoot by Leah Kelley Photography.. $75 for a 45 minute photo session. You get your photos on disk to make your own prints. Contact me for more details.. Spots are filling up fast!
4) Ohio Association of the Deaf festival in Columbus. I will be setting up a booth and selling ASL decals and other crafts. (: Looking forward in meeting many Deaf friends at this event!
Will you pray that all of these will be successful so that these funds will be raised? We know that God will fund what He favors! Thank you for your prayers and support! Mary Beth (:
Friday, September 13, 2013
I am holding in my hand the LOA (Letter of Acceptance) from China. This is the letter that we have worked SO hard to get for the past 9 months. Thank you for your prayers and support as we are getting closer for Toby's homecoming. If you want to be involved.... Check out the last four fundraisers that are coming up in the next few months....
The last of the adoption fundraisers are here! WOOT WOOT! Here is the list of my scheduled fundraisers. Please let me know if you can be involved.
OCTOBER 8- Chick Fil A Toby Day!- Mark your calendars. Please come out and eat a meal at the Beavercreek CFA (my daughter Bethany September Faile works there)... We will get a portion of the sales for the day. You must show them a Fundraiser flyer. It will be posted soon.
OCTOBER 17-19- Krispy Kreme Donut Sales - If you would like to help me sell 20 boxes of donuts, please let me know now. (: If you want to buy some delish KK donuts , please let me know by October 10. I am praying for a big result on this one. (:
Sometime in OCTOBER- Fall family Photo Session just in time for your Christmas cards. Photos by Leah Kelley Photography. Date TBA when we get several families interested.
NOVEMBER 2- Ohio Association for the Deaf-DEAFair in Columbus. I will be selling my ASL decals and other crafts that I have made. If you are interested, go to Etsy and look for Fundraiser for Toby shop.
Fundraising is NOT one of my favorite activities, but I am doing what it takes to get Toby home without debt. Thank you for your participation, but most of all, pray that these fundraisers will be successful. Thank you! David and Mary Beth Faile (:
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