Wear Your Support!

Want to show your love and support?  Then wear it!  I will custom make a shirt for you.  There are a couple options:

-If you live in Arizona:
1. Give me a shirt you either already own or that you purchase yourself. 

2. Tell me your shirt size, style (long or short sleeve/round or v-neck) and I will go purchase the shirt for you. 

-If you live out of state:
1. Tell me your shirt size, style (long or short sleeve/round or v-neck) and I will go purchse the shirt for you.  I'll mail it to you and include the shipping costs in your total. 


I have been getting the shirts from Target.

**If you are an adoptive family adopting from another country in Africa, let me know and I'd be happy to customize the heart for you.

Shirts are $20 if you are in state and $25 if you are out of state.

If you are interested, email me at abfrazey@gmail.com and we can get your order placed the way you want it. :)

Thank you for your support!!

Here are a couple examples:


Back Shoulder

Stitched Heart

close up

Back Shoulder

Baby Onesie

 

Custom made baby onesie and mama's back shoulder

Mama and baby Brucks wearing their support!

Custom made for the newlyweds! (Woman's front hip and men's shoulder)

Close up

My very first one! On an old shirt from Kohl's



Mr. and Mrs. Giarrizzo showing their love!

Baby Onesie







 




Matching father and son shirts!

 

 





Family Tree

I got thinking about family trees.

Webster's dictionary defines 'family tree' as genealogy.  When I looked up genealogy I found this:
"an account of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or from older forms"

Do you know the descent of what person or family you came from?  I bet you do.

My heart is heavy right now.  Heavy with the thought that my son or daughter does not know the person or family which they come from.  Right now they don't have anyone to call mommy.  Yes, they did come from someone--someone who abandoned them.  And yes, they do have a mommy, and that is me.  But right now, at this very moment, as they sit in their crib in an orphanage 8,000 miles away from me they don't know I'm here.  And that breaks my heart.

Then I think of all the other orphans there that won't call me mommy.  The ones that don't have anyone to call daddy.  No one to teach them how to play, read, pray, or how to love.  All the orphans that will never get adopted because they have committed crimes such as too old, too sick, or having a sibling.  They will grow up and eventually they will age out of the orphanage.  They will have no family tree. 

Go then and make disciples of all the nations. 

These orphans may not know an earthly family, but I pray that someone, somehow, someday will show them the love of God.  The One who is their Savior, Redeemer, and eternal Father.  Who in His mercy sent His one and only Son to walk a perfect life of humility and obedience on this earth for them.  He walked it all the way to the cross and laid His life down.  For sinners such as them.  These children; though weak, defenseless, and fatherless, are not exempt from God's judgement.  They too, are sinners and need a Savior.  My heart is aching for them right now.  I wish I could bring them all here and raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  Show them the truth and teach them the Gospel.  That is a bit unrealistic though....So I will just pray.

Yes, it is unrealistic for me to bring them all home.  But it is not unrealistic for me to bring one home.  What about you?

One less.  One less orphan.  One less without a family tree.

There are 153 million out there waiting.

Decision and New Number

Tonight we got a call.  No, it wasn't the call....but I did think it was for a moment.  And for a moment my heart skipped a beat.  I can't explain the feeling I got when I heard "Hi Allison, this is Sheila from West Sands Adoption Agency." Whoa. When I get that feeling  when I hear those words, I know this means we are so close.

So, if it wasn't the call, then what was the call? Why is it significant enough to write a blog post about?

Our agency wanted to discuss our requested age range with us. We originally selected the age range of 0-9 months with no preference for a boy or girl.  That was fine until now.  Until Mr. Declan made his arrival and is now 3 months old.  The agency said that they will support us whatever our decision, but that they suggest and 'best practice' suggests that there be at least a 6 month gap between the child and the children currently in the house.

So, she suggested that we broaden our range from 0-12 or 0-14 months.  It doesn't guarantee that our child will be in that older range, but it does open up that possibility.  Children do not get referred younger than 5-6 months and they don't want to make us wait longer than we already have.  If we wait for the child to be on the younger side of Declan, then we'd have to wait until he is almost a year old...another 9 months from now. 

So we were faced with a decision. Change the age range or just wait and let all the children for the next nine months go to another family.  This is one of the first 'issues' to come up in the process. (Which is awesome, by the way! Praise God!)
Remember when we wanted to do a domestic adoption so we could bring our baby straight home from the hospital at just days old and that would be the 'easiest'? Then, we decided that was selfish on our part.  We could not ignore that God was calling us to international adoption, even though would mean a little older child. Well, here is a new little milestone to remember.  We're taking God's leading down the path He has for us and opening up our age range to 0-14 months. 

As I mentioned, it doesn't mean that we'll be certain to get an older child, but it just opens up the possibility.  If God has planned that we get a younger baby, then that will happen regardless of our new range.  Or maybe He is just trying to stretch us yet again to be open to His will. Providentially, we visited with a family who just adopted a 21 month old boy tonight. Literally, we were late for dinner because I was on the phone with the agency!  Not that we could base our decision on this, but we did think it was neat how God timed that for us.

So what did we base our decision on? These kids need love and a family whether they are infants or toddlers. We have our plan set in our mind, but the Lord is directing our steps.  We could not say no when thinking of these little children that need us.  They are the least of these.  The fatherless.  The weak.  They are His and we have the privilege of being entrusted with their hearts and lives.
What is the difference in a couple of months? Nothing that we can't overcome with the strength and grace of our God.  His grace is sufficient for us and we can do all things through Him.  Sure, maybe it would be easier to get a younger child.  But I know I've said it before....adoption isn't easy.  It's hard.  We have a hard road ahead and we shouldn't deny that.  And we definitely shouldn't run from it and hide because we're scared.  Instead we will trust in the Lord.  God is good all the time.  All the time, my God is good. And I know He will do all things for my good and for His glory.  This life we live is all for Him and as He directs, we will go.

Now here is the other exciting news....when I asked what number we were currently at..she said #2! BUT, she wasn't sure if the one family ahead of us was requesting a girl or had no preference.  If they are requesting a girl only, and a boy comes up, then we are NEXT! (or vice versa)
So now that we are so close it's more like we're #2 but possibly #1! (They don't share those details with us about the families ahead of us.  This means we're #2 overall, but really could be #1 on the 'no gender preference' list).  WOW!  We are so close! The next post we write could be with photos of our little one!!!!!
**Update:  Spoke with agency and the family ahead of us is waiting on either gender, 0-2 years old.  But they are working on paperwork right now.  If a referral comes before they are finished, then the referral will go to us.  However, if the child is not 6 months older than Declan, we will be skipped. 

So for now we continue to wait.....and update our homestudy. again.

Wearing Their Support!

Ally and Ryken showing their love and support for Baby Frazey by wearing their shirts!  Thank you for your continued prayers and love, Ally!  I hope these shirts keep you nice and warm up in Fargo!

If you missed this post that explained the shirts, check it out!

Francis Chan Video

Well, I couldn't have said it better.  I think he sums up what I was trying to say in my last post. 

Orphan Sunday

Today is Orphan Sunday.  Churches and people across America will take time to raise awareness of the orphans in the world and pray for those children.

Today we also celebrate that we are no longer orphans and that God did not leave us alone.  We were separated from God because of our sin, but God sent us a Savior to redeem us to Himself.  He left heaven and came to earth for us and sacrificed His life to die for us. For a sinful people who did not deserve it at all.  He gave us life, a hope, and a future.

What an honor we have to be able to show an orphan just a glimpse of that love in an earthly form.  God is the defender of the powerless.  Pslam 68:5 says "A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, is God in His Holy habitation" and Isaiah 1:17 says "Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."  We are God's hands and feet.  We are to be like Christ.  Adoption is not easy and is completely sacrificial.  But what better way to express this love and follow God's commands?

James 1:27 tell us that "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world."  Orphans are in distress.  We are called to help.  For our family, that means adoption.  What does this mean for you and your family?  It is not a verse to be overlooked or one to be pushed off  'until the time is right'.

November is National Adoption Month in America.  I am not a very good writer- never have been and probably never will be. So you'll have to bear with me a bit this month as I attempt to open up a bit and share more of our heart to you.  I might use a lot of quotes because sometimes when I read something written by someone else I think--"That was EXACTLY what I was thinking! I just could never say it so well!"  (You'll also have to bear with my grammatical errors.....sorry, Andrea!)

Today, I will share the same thing I shared last year on Orphan Sunday. 


Dear Orphan,

I saw your picture today and heard about your plight. Your face is so beautiful and sad, and it tugs at my heart.


I hear you don't get enough to eat, and that there isn't always medicine if you get sick. You sleep in a room with many children, but you still feel alone.


You have never had anyone wish you a "Happy Birthday", give you a gift, or even sing you a lullaby goodnight. No one has ever told you about Jesus or that He loves you.


I wish we could adopt you, but....

It is such a long way to travel, it would cost so much money, and it involves so much paperwork.
Our home isn't very big, and we already have children. Adding another child to our family would mean they would have to share a bedroom as well as our love and attention.
What if you have health issues or special needs that are not yet diagnosed?
You might have a hard time adjusting to a family after never knowing one, or have "issues" from years of neglect, malnutrition, mistreatment, or abuse.

I'm sorry, it just feels like too much of a risk and sacrifice. Adoption doesn't really feel like our "calling". Maybe there is another family....

Written by Amy B.
http://justamomofseven.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-wish-i-could.html