The Greatest Truth...Our Son

It's the day we had been waiting for...November 9th.  You might be wondering what's so special about November 9th.  That's the day we got the call.  You know, "the call".  The one where your adoption agency says they have a child for you.  That was our November 9th.  We got the call saying that there's a little boy named Maxim in Russia who is ready to be adopted.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks to say the least.  We've been talking with our agency every day, applying for visas, planning our trip, getting our paperwork in order and generally freaking out.  I haven't slept much since that day and I think I'm pretty incoherent most days but I'm more than excited and so is Lenski.  In fact he was so overwhelmed that he had to sit down and put his head between his legs because he was going to either pass out or throw up.  Luckily neither of those happened.

So it's official...we're getting a boy!  His name is Maxim and we plan to keep it that way.  We will be giving him the middle name Veritas which is Latin for Truth.  When you put that together with his first name which means The Greatest you have one powerful reminder of God's love.  Maxim Veritas Llorens...The Greatest Truth.

Please continue to pray for us as we frantically try to get everything in order.  We are still far away from our financial goals so please be praying that God will provide what we need.  Please pray for Maxim as he does not know us yet and this will be a huge trauma in his life to leave what he knows to move to Michigan.  It won't be for another 6 months or so but it still needs covered in prayer.  Please be praying for us as it will be heart breaking to meet him and then leave him.  Please pray that we can get our paperwork together quickly.  And last...please pray for safety when we travel there and back.

Thank you for following our journey!  It's not over yet!  So stay tuned for more exciting news!

Your Christmas Shopping Can Help Bring Our Baby Home

Christmas is a huge retail holiday and I often get frustrated with that.  I'm always looking for ways to make gifts more local, handmade, service oriented or charity oriented.  But not everyone looks at it the same way I do and I understand.  I don't expect anyone to do that.  But what if I told you that your normal Christmas shopping could be charity oriented without changing the actual gifts?  Would that surprise you?  Well, it's true.  Here are some ways you can support our adoption while buying your regular gifts:

1. Shop through our Amazon link.  It's very simple.  Just click on the Amazon link on the right side of the page.  Once you get to Amazon just do your regular shopping.  There's no sign ups or codes to enter.  By clicking through OUR link we automatically get credit for anything you might buy.
2. Buy some coffee through our link.  If you have a coffee drinker in your family or even someone who appreciates gourmet fair trade coffee then this is the site for you.  Just click on our link on the right side of this page.
3. Buy one of our bracelets at Tree Huggers.  This is a great little store where you will find tons of eco-friendly gift ideas and you can add one of our bracelets to your order to support us.  
4. Buy a t-shirt from The Mitten State through our link.  People often buy clothes for people for Christmas so why not make it local and support our adoption in the process.  They have great apparel and the company is right in Comstock Park.  
5. Buy one of our t-shirts!  Ok, so this one may not be at the top of everyone's list but I hated to leave the list at 4 instead of 5.  Plus we still have some L and XL shirts left to sell as well as one M.  So you can feel free to buy one of those directly from us if you'd like.  

So there you have it.  It's simple and supportive and we appreciate you even thinking about it.  

Just One E-mail...Pretty Please?

Dear friends and family,

First I want to thank you all for your incredible support through our adoption journey.  It's been great to know that there's so many people behind us and holding us up when the weight of all this can feel like we might be crushed.  

Second...I wanted to let you all know that our fundraising is going well but we still have a long road ahead. Over $20,000 to be exact.  That's mainly because we have to take three trips to Russia.  Lenski and I continue to fundraise like crazy and we're also applying for grants.  But one thing that would be a HUGE help to us is the Adoption Tax Credit.  

So this is the third thing.  This credit basically refunds you between $10 - 13,000 in adoption expenses.  So you can see how important this is when you're looking at a $60,000 adoption cost.  The bad part is that this credit may no longer exist in 2013.  Unless your adoption is complete in 2012 you won't be able to get a refund...unless we can gain support.  I'm writing this to ask you to consider sending an email to our senators and representative asking them to be cosponsors of the Making Adoptions Affordable Act which would make the Adoption Tax Credit a permanent credit.  

Don't freak out about writing a letter on your own.  I've got one already written for you.  There's a few spots you have to fill in your own words but it's brief.  I'm going to add it at the end of this letter and you can copy and paste it into any message.  Just don't forget to fill in your parts.  That means you need to read the letter :)  Here are the ways to get in touch with the right people. 

Debbie Stabenow - http://www.stabenow.senate.gov/?p=contact

-For this one you'll want to copy and paste YOUR finished letter into the message box.  It works.  I've tried it.

Carl Levin - https://www.levin.senate.gov/contact/email/

-This works the same as Debbie Stabenow

To find your representative just go to this address - http://www.house.mi.gov/mhrpublic/

-Type in your information and you'll be directed to their page where you can find their contact info.  

-You can then send the message accordingly.

I know this may seem political but it's not.  Adoption is an amazing thing and many families just can't do it because of finances.  This credit could change all that and help bring many orphans to loving families.  Please consider not only helping our family by doing this but all the other possible waiting families.  We can use all the help we can get.  Ok, here's the letter...

Dear Senator/Representative NAME:

I am writing to ask you to support the federal adoption tax credit by cosponsoring the bipartisan S. 3616/H.R. 4373 – Making Adoptions Affordable Act. This credit is set to expire on December 31, 2012. Since 1997, the adoption tax credit has helped tens of thousands of parents offset the high cost of adoption, making it possible for them to provide children with loving, permanent families. S.3616/H.R. 4373 is the only bill in Congress that includes the refundable provision, allowing many more children and families to benefit from the credit equally; without the refundable provision some families simply cannot access the credit.

The adoption tax credit is especially important to me and my family because… (This is important, put a face to the issue. Tell Congress why this matters to you. Your Members of Congress value your voice!)

If Congress does not take action, the current adoption tax credit will expire at the end of 2012. The credit will be reduced to $6,000, and will only benefit the few families that adopt children with special needs and have qualified adoption expenses. Most families adopting children from foster care, inter-country adoption, and domestic infant adoption will not receive any benefit. Without the adoption tax credit, many parents hoping to adopt will be unable to do so, and others will face great financial hardship. The adoption tax credit is essential to ensuring that as many children as possible find the forever families they deserve and ensuring that those families are in a more stable financial position to provide an environment where children can thrive.

The adoption tax credit must be extended to help as many children as possible find the permanent, loving family they need and deserve. For 2012 it should be made refundable again so that most adoptive families will benefit from it. The best adoption tax credit would be permanent, refundable, inclusive of all types of adoption, and remain a “flat” credit for children with special needs.

On behalf of the countless children waiting to be adopted, and the many thousands of families that stand to benefit from the adoption tax credit, thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Pancakes and Butterflies

It's already October and I don't know where the time has gone.  Our dossier has been turned in and now we wait.  During the waiting period we study up on adoption and parenting.  We fill out tons of grant applications.  And of course, we fundraise.

It has been amazing to see how God has provided for this adoption.  It leaves me speechless...and that's very uncommon.  But we still have more to go.  We are looking at another $20,000 left to raise.  Yes, I meant to put that many zero's in there.  Because we have to travel to Russia THREE, count them, THREE times we still have this large chunk left.  In case you didn't know...it's not cheap to fly two people to Russia three different times.  So I spend a lot of my time handing this over to God, begging his forgiveness when I take it back and grinning when he surprises me with yet another donation of some sort.  But back to the fundraising...

October means it's Pancake Breakfast time and I am frantically trying to get everything ready.  There's supplies to get, volunteers to organize and silent auction items to acquire.  It's a lot of stuff to do.  But so many of you have made it easy by donating items for the auction or providing our much needed supplies.  It has made a huge difference for me.  But I still have butterflies in my stomach.  You always wonder when you put on an event like this, "Will anyone show up?"  And that's when the butterflies start fluttering in my tummy.  (Notice my child-like language.  My parenting research is paying off)

So the question is, "Will YOU show up?"  If you do, here's what you can expect:

1. Pancakes will be served from 9 am until 11 am.  You can come whenever you want.  You can come and NOT eat pancakes too!  The silent auction will be going on at the same time and you are not required to pay admission for that.
2. Adults will be charged $5 and children $3.  Once you're in, it's unlimited pancakes for everyone.
3. We kept it simple by just having pancakes, coffee and juice.  Sorry, we're just not fancy...or rich.
4. This is not a programmed event.  Lenski will be the MC and talk at different points but we'd really like it if you all just enjoy your Saturday morning with each other over some delicious pancakes.  
5. The silent auction will end at 11 am.  The highest bidder can take home their item if they are still there.  Otherwise we will deliver it to you.
6. We will have our t-shirts for sale there.  If you haven't had a chance to get one you may want to bring some extra cash.  They're really cool and you're going to want one.  They're $20 each or 2 for $30.

If you're wondering if there's anything you'd like to bid on at our silent auction, here's our complete list of items that will be available.

• Biggby package (sorry, no gift cards)
• Tattoo gift certificate (Lenski would like to add that this would make a great gift for him)
• 2 dual or couples massage gift certificates valued at $80 each
• A one-hour interior design consultation with Deidre Interiors valued at $75
• 6 one hour massage gift certificates for The Soma Center (Renee Green) valued at $50 each
• A $50 gift certificate to One Girl's Treasure
• 3 gift certificates for a customizable quarter sheet cake
• A dozen of Art Green cookies in these flavors: Heath, Molasses, Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin and Sugar with sprinkles.  Valued at $15 / dozen.
• Brand new home fencing that's 2 feet tall and 100 feet long
• Homemade fudge
• 2 retro silver lamps
• Snoopy baby package
• Brand new IKEA hammock valued at $30
• Brand new IKEA pendant lamp valued at $20
• $10 gift card to Koetsier's
• Wine and cheese package with brand new wine glasses and salad plates as well as cloth napkins
• A salon items package with Bed Head, Pureology and more valued at $120
• Brand new wall clock valued at $13
• A Magic Bullet set
• Brand new wireless mouse
• Brand new Calvin Klein hat, scarf and gloves set bought last year from Younkers
• Ladies brand new watch and jewelry set valued at $35
• Mens brand new watch, wallet and pen set valued at $35
• Brand new solar charger
• Brand new chocolate colored Moby wrap valued at $45
• Brand new pedometer and pink yoga map
• Brand new bathroom faucet valued at $39
• Cooking set with 3 Rachael Ray cookbooks and a new set of stainless steel bowls valued at $70
• No Greater Love 90-day devotional valued at $15
• The Wounded Spirit by Frank Peretti valued at $19
• Brand new Infantino 3-n-1 Shop and Play mat valued at $25
• Summer Infant Cosleeper valued at $45
• Samsonite laptop workbag on wheels
• An authentic Amis made quilt valued at $500

So there you have it.  If you made it this far down I'm impressed.  We hope you will mark your calendars and join us at the pancake breakfast on October 13th from 9 to 11 am at Tallmadge Community Church.

Pancake Breakfast & Silent Auction

Tallmadge Community Church

0-1428 Leonard NW

Grand Rapids, MI 49534

Meeting the Russians

Tonight we had a very unique opportunity.  Our adoption agency has an office located in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Two of the key leaders over there were here to visit the main office in Jenison this week.  They were here for several reasons but one of them was for an international families open house.  It was the chance to come and meet key people from different international offices.  They had two men from Russia, a lady from China and a man from Ethiopia.

We were able to get a lot of time to talk with them as there was only one other couple there who is going through the Russia program.  We had a great time talking to them about the adoption process, Russian culture and even where Lenski's name comes from!  They were so intrigued by his name that they asked him if he knew where it came from.  Then they shared more history about it.  It was fantastic.  Lenski, of course, talked to them about soccer as they informed us that it is the most popular sport there right now.

It was nice to get to meet them since we found out that normally we wouldn't.  They are the key people in helping us find a child but usually we'd never get to see them in person.  So we were blessed to get that chance tonight.  To mark the occasion we asked if we could take a picture.  As you look at the photo please say a prayer for these two men.  The responsibilities they have are huge and personally we'd love to have them covered in prayer as they help us become a family.

How Much Do We Make From Amazon?

Lenski brought up a very good point that people will probably want to know how much we make from your purchases on Amazon.  So I've decided to copy and paste what I found in my affiliate account.

These categories have a fixed percentage rate:



Other categories are considered volume based percentage rates:



We're still trying to get the hang of all this but it seems to be such a win/win for everybody.  If you have more questions please feel free to ask and we'll do our best to answer.

Amazon for Adoption Expenses!

Fundraising is not an easy thing.  Stop and think for a moment how easy it is for you to ask someone for help.  Now add on to it that the help you need is financial.  It's a sticky subject with many people and we understand.  In our journey to raise all of our adoption funds we are trying to make things easy and natural.  For instance our pancake breakfast is coming up next month.  Lots of families go out to eat   for breakfast on a Saturday so why not use that money to support your loved ones by attending this special fundraiser?
Another way you can help us is by doing your normal Amazon shopping through our special link.  Whenever you do we will get a small percentage of the profits.  There's no need to do extra shopping.  Just use it as you normally would.  The only difference is that you use our link instead of typing in amazon.com.  To make it easier you could just save that page in your browser bar.  Then it's easily accessible anytime you plan on shopping.
We understand that money doesn't grow on trees and most people we know are not in wealthy positions in life.  That's why we're trying to line up our fundraisers with things you may already spend money on.  To make it easy for you to give and support us without any worries.  We hope you'll consider using this link in the future.  Just click on it below to get started.


Tanya & Lenski's Amazon Link