Drum Roll Please...

It's been overwhelming to see God bless our efforts in our fundraiser auction.  By the end, we had 128 auction listings...every item donated specifically to help bring 2 orphaned girls into our family.  One hundred twenty eight items!  That's HUGE!


The blessings didn't end there, however.  Our facebook friends shared our auction page with their friends.  Thanks to that support, we had 37,475 page views in 2 weeks!!

While we're still waiting on a few final payments (there have been some issues with email invoices going to spam folders, so we're extending grace in timing in these situations), our final intake from this fundraiser has been a complete loaves and fishes story.  God has seen our hearts poured out for Him in this adoption and the labor of love we tirelessly put into this auction.  He's seen the hearts of our friends and even complete strangers who have surrounded us as the Village.  He has taken each individual prayer, donation and bid and multiplied it exponentially.

Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.  ~Acts 2:33

The total amount raised by our fundraiser auction is a humbling,

bring-me-to-my-knees $4,072!!!!!!

We serve a mighty God. A God who loves orphans. A God who adopted each of us into His family, and who ordained adoption as a servant-hood close to His heart. A God who is faithful to those who say YES to Him...even when it doesn't make sense. ALL praise & honor & glory to Him who has blessed us so richly and may He bless each of you who has come alongside us on this journey!!!

THANK YOU!!!

SOLD!!!

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you to each and every person who contributed to our fundraiser auction! Whether you donated an item or service to be auctioned, bid on items (and maybe even won) or whether you shared our story with your friends/family, THANK YOU!  It will take several days to tally final numbers, but the outlook is AMAZING and far beyond what we anticipated going in.  God has blessed us and each of you played a part in that blessing.  PRAISE BE TO GOD!!!

In the coming days, I will update you all with our grand total as well as with a list of all the donors including links to their websites.  PLEASE support these amazing organizations for your holiday shopping and everyday shopping needs!

Here it is...the list you've all been waiting for...the WINNERS! I have only used the username portion of the email addresses in order to prevent unauthorized email solicitations.  Winners will be contacted via email on Sunday, November 4th, with their totals and payment information.  For anyone who didn't win but would still like to make a tax-deductible contribution toward bringing our daughters home, click HERE.

$5 Dinner Mom Cookbook                               melissa.b.kress

147 Million Orphans - Youth Shirt                     keeferstylecreations

2 Inspirational Books for Women                       busymomblog

3 hours DJ service                                              lyager2

31 All in One Organizer                                      tigereyez3

31 Nuggets of Hope                                           mtwpbytammi

31 Organizing Shoulder Bag                                kristad

31 Thermal Tote                                                 ccjtbrown

31 Wristlet Wallet                                               daisys075

31 Zipper Pouch                                                 gaamje

5 T-Shirts                                                           4oleary

African Messenger Bag #1                                  kelly_mal

African Messenger Bag #2                                  ruannmars

African Waist/Hip Money Pouch                         4oleary

Arbonne Aromassentials Holiday Stocking           darleenstry

Arbonne Baby Care Set                                      erica.shubin

Arbonne FC5 Holiday Stocking                           darleenstry

Arbonne Ginger Citrus Body Wash                      adeyesalem

Arbonne Ginger Citrus Luxury Gift Set                 rdf30s

Arbonne Pampermint Gift Set                               jendellapenta

Arbonne RE9 Advanced Extra Moisture Set         erica.shubin

Arbonne SeaSource Detox Spa                            jendellapenta

Arbonne Vanilla Amber Luxury Gift Set               colleen.crabtree

Arizona Cardinals Hat           

Atlanta Falcons Hat   

Autumn Grapevine Wreath                                   samiamcharters

Avenue 17                                                           monicaelivingston

Baby Boy Thank You Cards             

Belgian Chocolates                                               angie

Believe Your Dream                                             jfmurnaghan

Bicycle in Italy Photograph                                    debmccleary

Black Last T-shirt                                                 khaier427

Blended Beauty Curly Kids Gift Pack                    mbatp

Blessings of Hope Collectible Doll                         boarmangl

Blue & Gold Born In Buffalo T-shirt                     sportojenn

Boothbay Harbor Photograph                              debmccleary

Bryan Post Books #1                                           k_pizzuti

Bryan Post Books #2                                           atoma626

Bryan Post Books #3                                           jennimw

Buffalo Bills Hat                                                   jbarton6798

Butterfly Sleeve Tee                                             lrjohnst65

Card-holder Wreath               

Contemporary Quilt                                             kelly_mal

Custom Mothers Necklace                                  kelly_mal

Customized Growth Chart                                   rhyanabreen

Dancing Animal Note Cards                                ruannmars

Eden T-shirt                                                        mrsoz

Faith Hope Love Shirt - Youth Medium               adryflwr

Faith Hope Love Shirt - Youth Small                   kelly_mal

Faith, Hope & Love 8x10 Print                           rdf30s

Feeding the Orphans Hat                                     takva73

Felt Hair Clippies Assortment                              jennyluka

Festive Autumn Wreath                                       jendellapenta

Found Myself T-shirt                                           hsprague83

Framed Insprational Photograph                          rhyanabreen

Full Day Fishing Charter                                      c_kick

Ghanaian Bead Bracelets - Set of 2                     mtwpbytammi

Ghanaian Glass Bead Necklace                           bhgeddda

Ghanaian Messanger Bag                                    takva73

Ghanaian Purse                                                   ruannmars

Girls Backpack                                                   tmpavlac

Girls Birthday Note Cards                                   spagnotti

Got love? Adopt. Travel Mug                              sweetpea31897

Great Blue Herron Silhouette                               debmccleary

Hand-Carved Mask                                            qiwellness

Hand-knit Socks                                                 jasjs

Handmade Doll                                                   l_gehring

Handmade Ghanaian Bracelet                              bhgeddda

Handmade Ghanaian Earrings                              lisa.baffa

Hand-stamped Necklace - Africa Psalm 68:6      sweetpea31897

Hand-woven Basket from Ghana                         jbarton6798

Heart Tracks Photography                                  cherycheerchic17

Hidden in My Heart Doll #1                                jbryswilsonpa

Hidden in My Heart Doll #2                                jbryswilsonpa

House Cleaning #1                                              jennyluka

House Cleaning #2                                              julieloft842

I Fed A Child Canvas Bag #1                              tiffany

I Fed A Child Canvas Bag #2                              tanyamanya

Kings & Queens shirt                                           lrjohnst65

Lighted Christmas Wreath                                    sweetpea31897

Lion Note Cards                                                  khaier427

Love Orphans Shirt                                              angie

Medium 147 Million Orphans Shirt #1                  kelly_mal

Medium 147 Million Orphans Shirt #2                  congilosi

Men's NIKE Golf Shirt                                         lrjohnst65

Millifiori Cross Necklace                                      debmccleary

Mini Tutu Bow Holder                                          mary.j.anderson

Oliver's Labels                                                      boo1276

Pack of 4 Art Cards                                             elisabeth.schaap

Philippians 3:13-14 Cross Ornament                     salmex98

Photo Album                                                        smmonnat

Pick Me V-Neck Tee                                           bandimere_9

Piloxing 10-Pack & Weighted Gloves                    theknappfamily

Pink Bead Necklace                                              tigereyez3

Pink Born In Buffalo T-shirt                                   mmacri30

Pink Cheerios T-shirt                                             mrsoz

Pittsburgh Pirates Americana Hat                           kristad

Project HOPEFUL Jersey #1                                mclemore.shelby

Project HOPEFUL Jersey #2                                monicaelivingston

Project HOPEFUL Jersey #3                                sajohnston

Rachel Ray Tickets                                                ldhayes

Red & Blue Born In Buffalo T-shirt                        jbarton6798

Red Grain Elevators T-shirt                                    jendellapenta

Remnant Dress                                                       kelly_mal

Rhinestone Cross Pendant                                      jendellapenta

Scentsy Buddy - Ollie the Elephant                         ruannmars

Scentsy Bundle                                                       ffades731

Seasons Necklace & Pendant                                 tmpavlac

SimplyFun Game Pack                                            kel92599

Small 147 Million Orphans Shirt #1                         4oleary

Small 147 Million Orphans Shirt #2                         rmkazoo

Small and Large Hand 5x7 Print                              rory_pub

Stella & Dot                                                            kaylacataldo

Sweet Dreams 5x7 Print                                          kchild1

Sweet Honey Child Barrettes                                   hinedenise

Sweet Honey Child Earrings                                     4oleary

Sweet Honey Child Shirt                                          kpickard

Terminally Cool T-shirt                                             tlmorrow

Timeless Treasures Photography                               kelly_mal

Unbroken Necklace                                                 kelly_mal

Usborne Books                                                        tapprs

Vibrant Children's Quilt                                            ruannmars

We Choose Virtues Family Kit                                 mlrowan

White Tutu Bow Holder                                           qiwellness

XL 147 Million Orphans Shirt #1                              jillrossjewelry

XL 147 Million Orphans Shirt #2                              jillrossjewelry

You Love Orphans, You Love Them Not? Shirt       kelly_mal

Zoo/Safari Animal Art Print - Set of 4                       kfarwell

Thank you all again and again and again.

May God bless you for blessing us!

AUCTION TIME!!

We are so overwhelmed by the outpour of support for us in this adoption journey. We have been blessed with 114 items that are being auctioned off from now until 10pm on November 3. Every penny earned will go directly toward bringing our precious girls home from Ghana!

After reading the auction rules below, please visit our auction by clicking HERE and considering bidding on items that peak your interest.

Thank you so much for your support!

AUCTION RULES

* Auction begins at 8am EST on October 21, 2012.

* Comment on the auction listing with your bid.

* Email address must be included with EVERY bid for contact at auction close.

* All items have a minimum starting bid. Please be attentive to it.

* All bidding should increment in $1 intervals. For example, if an item you want has a current bid of $8, your minimum bid is $9.

* Auction ends at 10pm EST on November 3, 2012. Bids with a time stamp after 10:00pm will NOT be accepted.

* All payments are expected within 48 hours of auction end and will be made through a secure website.

* All items up for auction have been generously donated to help the Schrecengost family bring their daughters home. PLEASE patronize the small businesses who've supported us for all your holiday shopping this season! Donor websites are linked in each listing.

Modern Technology

While there are still many people who will argue that technology has given us too much access or too little personal interaction, I - personally - am beyond thankful to live in the era I do with regards to technological advancement.

Yesterday, my friend Janet visited our soon-to-be daughters at the orphanage they currently reside in. Janet took her iPad and told me to have my computer on at 1pm EST. I did. And for the very first time, I got to see MY GIRLS in live action! We skyped for the better part of an hour! I talked to them, and they to me. All 4 of the kids here got to "meet" their new sisters and laugh and make silly faces at each other!

And then our girls in Ghana started singing...in perfect harmony...one of my favorite praise & worship songs! I Will Rise. It brought tears to my eyes as the lyrics are just so moving...and then (I still get teary thinking about it) the girls began singing Chris Tomlin's version of Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)...and all four of the kids around me joined in. I was surrounded by a chorus of all six of my children singing in perfect worship together. I can't imaging there will be any greater moment in my life until all six are physically together singing out praise.

Thank you God for bringing us together through technology.

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High. ~Psalm 7:17

We're Facebook Official

It's a funny world we live in. Technology rules most everything. We text, facebook and tweet every detail of our lives in grand broadcast for the world to see...and if people haven't seen it in those platforms then they don't believe it is real. Seriously! Well, it's real my friends! We ARE adopting again! We are thrilled beyond belief and God is already making a way for these precious daughters of His to become precious daughters of ours as well.

We have been blessed by a fellow adoptive parent who has graciously offered us a fundraising opportunity with these beautiful hand-stamped copper necklaces!! They're $15 each and we get 50%!!! You can choose Africa or China and the placement of the star (or choose no star at all). 1" copper disk on an 18" copper chain. I will be submitting the order on Oct 18th. Payments can be made through paypal at the link below. Please specify Africa/China and star placement in the checkout process. Thanks so much for your support!

In addition to this amazing fundraiser, we have an online auction scheduled for October 21-November 3. There are currently OVER 70 ITEMS that have been donated and offers are still coming in! When the auction goes live, I will post a link. If you have a product or service you'd like to donate to help bring our daughters home, please email the auction coordinators at ghanakeepgrowing@yahoo.com. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of blessing our family this way!

Paper Pregnancy

It's been nearly 3 years since we began our first adoption process in 2009. I remember being so excited and yet so overwhelmed by all the information (and misinformation) available...and I was so confused. We prayed and began our process with an agency we found later to be the wrong fit for us. We continued along our way, believing fully that our child/children would enter our lives from the beautiful nation of Rwanda in Central Africa. A country very near and dear to my heart. God had other plans, and as most of you know, our son and daughter entered our lives from Ghana, West Africa. A country neither Sam or I had ever even HEARD OF prior to the adoption process! We are so very thankful that God led us to these precious souls. His plans are so much greater than our plans!

Now here we sit, gathering papers for our dossier to begin this adoption process all over again. While I do remember mounds of paperwork from our first run through this, I think my brain was happy to forget all the paper cuts! OUCH! Must be a similar physiological reaction to giving birth. There's no denying the immense amount of pain and discomfort that chauffeurs a new life into this world...but the moment you hold that precious child, the pain sort of melts away. The joy is so fulfilling that the discomfort is minimized...and over time, barely remembered fully. So it appears to be with adoption. The paper cuts will hurt for a few days like morning sickness in the grand scheme of child-rearing, but they will be long forgotten when first holding the child they labored for. The waiting in adopting is excruciating (far worse than the physical labor of childbirth in my opinion, because there is no definite time frame on when the wait will end)...but even that discomfort wanes as soon as the life you've longed for is being held in your arms on "gotcha day" or "forever day" or whatever your family chooses to label it. So for now, I will wade through the mire of homestudies and homeland security approvals and document notarizations with hopeful anticipation of the day that the morning sickness/paper cut phase of this adoption is finished and we can move on to the second trimester...renewed energy, eagerly awaiting a court date declaring them our daughters (and maybe a little nesting).

Man Plans...God Laughs

When Sam & I exchanged vows in 1999, we had no idea the life that was ahead of us. We were young & in love and all we wanted was to travel the world together. Neither one of us was in a hurry to start a family. When the time came, we knew that I never had a strong relationship with my only sister and Sam was happy as an only child, so we figured we'd probably stick to being parents of one as well...which was further affirmed after the tremendously difficult pregnancy that chauffeured us into parenthood eleven years ago!

Have you ever heard the saying "Man plans, God laughs"? Well that, my friends, is the story of our lives! We were content in our life as a young couple with one wonderful little girl...so we were SHOCKED when we learned we were expecting again! Of course, we can't imagine life without our precious little monkey. Then, God broke our hearts for the orphans of the world...leading our family to expand once again with the long-awaited arrival of our family's youngest two members, who joined us through the miracle of international adoption last year! Our minivan is near capacity, but that's ok! We've placed our lives in the hands of our Heavenly Father and He has provided for all of our needs.

We are so abundantly blessed to have four beautiful, adventurous, uniquely created children blended together to create our awesome little family. To say we are blessed beyond measure would be an understatement of exponential proportion. We are happy together (even on the days when life is just really, REALLY hard).

Where do we go from here? What does the future hold for our little fam? Well...God is doing some AMAZING (and unexpected) things in our hearts and we are excited to announce that our family will be expanding once again!!! We have answered the call to adopt...AGAIN! We are currently gathering all the updated paperwork needed for our dossier. We are moving forward in faith that God has called our family back to Ghana to bring HOME these amazing blessings...2 beautiful children who have waited, longingly, for YEARS for someone to say YES to them...and are trusting Him to provide for all our needs along the way.

We are so very excited to be beginning this journey again. Please keep our family (those under our roof and those waiting for us overseas) in your prayers as we take this enormous leap of faith. Thank you!