Deck the Halls for Adoption!

Whew! I just got home from our Deck the Halls for Adoption event, but I'm so excited about it that I want to stay up and post pictures and tell everyone that we are HALFWAY TO FUNDING OUR ADOPTION!

Check out that little thermometer to the right!!

I don't even know how we raised $20,000 but we have it.

I know God did it all.

And we could not have done it without all the amazing support of our friends and family.

Tonight's fundraiser brought in $745 to put us over halfway to our funding goal!!

We had a blast!!

First off I need to say a HUGE thank you to these precious ladies who put their heart and soul behind this event! They are so creative and I could not have done it without them. 

Heather and Devin, you're the best!!

Here we are making 6" x 3.5" Mississippi Christmas ornaments that we made from all the scrap burlap. 

We are selling these for $5. 

Here are some pictures of the awesome creations that everyone made!

If you did not get to come, we hope to do another event like this in January or February. Be on the lookout for dates and information! 

Our niece, Bren, says, "Buy an ornament to help bring my cousins home!"

Amazon Update!

Hey friends!

Since February we have been a part of Amazon Associates using an Amazon Affiliate link to fundraise for our adoption! We have earned $364.83 just from our friends using our link to make their Amazon purchases!

If you're new to the blog, here's how it works:

Click this link and it will take you to your Amazon page. 

http://tinyurl.com/ag594uh

At the end of this link you'll see our ID (thebonadojou-20)

When you see that in the URL, you know you're in! 

Bookmark/save this link so you can use it each time you shop.

When you shop with our link we can earn up to 6.5% + on each purchase you make. It doesn't cost you anything extra. 

Please share this with anyone you know who uses Amazon often. 

Here's an easy way to share. You can copy and paste these into your social media sites as often as you'd like!

Facebook Post:  Help Gareth & Kim adopt a child just by using this link when you shop Amazon! http://tinyurl.com/ag594uh  The site won't look any different to you, but it will make a world of difference to their family!  Click. Shop. Help them adopt!!! #easiestfundraiserEVER!

Twitter Tweet:  Help @gbonner1985 & @kbonner528 adopt a child just by using this link to shop @amazon! http://tinyurl.com/ag594uh #easiestfundraiserEVER!

Blessings from this week!

Gareth received a $20 adoption donation from a fellow teacher.

We raised $100 through the Thirty-One fundraiser. 
Thanks to those who made purchases and donations!

WE RECEIVED OUR FIRST ADOPTION GRANT!!!

When we got home today we had a letter from Show Hope.
I did not even want to open it. 

But I did and quickly scanned to read, 
"We are pleased to inform you that you have been awarded an adoption assistance grant in the amount of $4,000."

WHAT

Thank you, Jesus! All the writing, typing, and copying forms that we worked on this summer has meant something and we're so thankful!!

God is good and continues to show us He is on this journey each step of the way!

We are currently working on a fun event coming up December 7th!
If you live in the Hattiesburg area, you will want to check this out! Help us spread the word. 

Please continue to pray for us as we are waiting to be matched with our child. 

Pray that we make good use of this time with each other as well as raising funds.

Orphan Sunday

November is Orphan Awareness month. . . . 

and today is Orphan Sunday! 
This marks one year ago today that Gareth and I went to Carterville Baptist Church to attend a meeting hosted by Lifeline Children Services to learn more about growing our family through adoption. We knew we wanted to do it--but it was a “future” thing--something that seemed far off. God began to work in our hearts and nudged us to get the process started!

It's been an amazing year and we've learned so much about ourselves and grown personally in our relationship with God. One lesson I've learned is to always be obedient. More than once, I've had in my mind a certain way things would go, but God would say, “Let go. I've got this.” And He does. I know He can be trusted.

Gareth and I are so grateful for you, our friends and family, and all reading this post. So many of you are asking such great questions. We still do not have any more information about how many we are adopting, who we will adopt, or when we will go, but we are on the waiting list and trusting God for His perfect timing.

While we are waiting, we are planning a few upcoming fundraising events, so stay tuned for more information about what's next! We have some amazing, creative friends who are helping us with some fun activities.

We also have a few more adoption T-shirts to sell. Christmas time is right around the corner, and these would make great stocking stuffers :)

Here's what we have left in each design:

Mississippi “home” design

Child XS-3

Child S-11

Child M-2

Child L-3

Adult S-1

Adult XL-1

Kite design

Only 1 Adult Large left!

World Map

Adult S-6

Adult M-7

Adult L-13

Adult XL-1

Email me if you're interested! Kimberlybonner528@gmail.com Shirts are $12 ($15 if shipped)

We are so thankful to be on this journey and have the opportunity to share our story with others. Thanks for reading, praying, and supporting us in this!

Thirty-One Fundraiser

Did you know there are only 83 days until Christmas?!

Crazy, I know!

Well, here is one way to get some Christmas shopping done AND support our adoption efforts! :)

Use this link from Thirty-One Gifts to purchase items for your friends and family:

https://www.mythirtyone.com/shop/eventhome.aspx?eventId=E3809418&from=MYEVENTS

For each purchase, LeighAnne Kittrell will donate 15% towards our adoption fund.

The link will be open until October 15th.

Thanks! 

waiting...

Hey, friends! 

We are a little overdue for an update but with school starting back in August we have been a bit busier than we were this summer ;) 
Here's what's been happening in our adoption process:
The week of August 19, Gareth and I went to New Orleans USCIS (Citizenship and Immigration Services) for fingerprinting. I made a remark to Gareth to make sure he left his gun in the car, but he had to quickly return to the car once the security guards found mace in my purse!:)

But we got in and got it done! That was a Wednesday. That Friday, we mailed our dossier to Jana, our social worker in Birmingham. She then mailed it to Hungary! It will be translated and processed there.

And now we're waiting!

There are only a few families in front of us. We were told that one family is waiting to adopt a girl, and two families are waiting for sibling groups. We have not felt led toward any specific preferences (boy or girl, individual or siblings, etc.). Because of this, our paperwork could go through faster, depending on who is available for adoption. This is exciting for us because we are looking forward to what God has in store for our family!

So the next step for us is to receive a referral of which child is ready to be adopted. 

While we are waiting on the details of how old our child is and how many we might get, we are still selling t-shirts (see design here) and Apparent Project bracelets to help raise money. 

We have recently started selling these Mississippi door hangers for $25.

We also have a co-worker who is hosting a Thirty-One catalog party during the first two weeks of October (1st through 15th) to benefit our adoption. I will post the link when it is available!

Please pray with us while we are in the season of waiting:

-Wisdom to make a decision when we receive a referral

-Patience as we wait for the dossier to be processed

-That we would continue to receive funding through grants and donations

-God's timing in travel

We cannot say thank you enough for your prayers and support!

Yard sale fundraiser!

We are so thankful to our family and friends who worked tirelessly this week to make this HUGE yard sale happen today. Okay, thankful is an understatement, but we are just overwhelmed thinking of all the love that went into today's fundraiser. So many people put their blood, sweat and more SWEAT into this yard sale to make it a success. We had people who donated items, allowed us to use their yard, table, trailer, tent, trucks, and then priced stuff, boxed it up, loaded it up, and worked from 5:30 am-3:00 pm with us to help us get closer in our adoption process. Okay, so you really don't want to hear all the mushy stuff, but I pray God will bless them in some way as each one has been a blessing to us.

Here is the one picture I took from today:

I wanted to take more pictures throughout the day today and even thought about it once.....but there was such a steady flow of customers I never found the time. I will just let you imagine a yard full of stuff and a bunch of people who love our future children collecting money.

Money? hmmm...I bet you'd like to know how much we raised today. 

$1750.15!!

Can you believe it?! God was so faithful to bring people to buy our stuff! Best yard sale ever I would say. And we are just that much closer to bringing our future children home from Hungary! 

Unexpected Blessings

Meet Lia. 

As we were driving home from church Wednesday night, Gareth's phone rang, and it was Lia, a young lady from his home church in Waynesboro. She said that she had been raising money for us, and would like to meet us in Hattiesburg the next day. Without our knowing, Lia had begun making duct tape wallets. She had set a goal to sell $100 worth of these cute crafty clutches. So we met her, her sister Tylee, and their mom Sheila today in Hattiesburg so Lia could present us with her donation.  She is so precious, and her gifts of time, talent, and money reminded us of God's grace and provision throughout this journey.

Lia (left) and Tylee were adopted from China at a young age. They were adopted at different times and from different regions in China. Gareth knows them from attending Winchester United Methodist Church, his church home. Their mom and dad have been great encouragers to us, especially since they have been through the adoption process.

(Picture from a sweet card made by Lia)

So where are we in our adoption process? We just sent off our I-800A and are waiting on a biometrics appointment to be fingerprinted by USCIS. We are gathering documents for our dossier to be sent to Hungary as well. Also, we have been applying to various grant organizations for additional funds. 

Speaking of funds, we are having a fundraiser, a rummage sale, August 3! It lasts from 7A.M. until all the stuff is gone:) It will be at 2924 Oak Grove Road in Hattiesburg. We have been blessed by friends, family, and colleagues who have donated items to sell. We have furniture, clothing, electronics, and musical equipment. Stop by to see us!

Our shirts made a second trip to New York! This time our shirts were featured by our friends Kevin and Anna Beth Scott. They were married on July 12 in Hattiesburg and honeymooned in New York. Check it out!

T-Shirt Time!

Hello, Friends!
We love getting pictures of our friends and family around the U.S. wearing the Bonner adoption t-shirts. Your support means the world to us!

While at Gareth's graduate class in Senatobia, MS, I was hard at work rolling and preparing shirts to be delivered. 

This is our friend Audra O'Dom at the September 11 World Trade Center Memorial (adoption t-shirt in New York City!)

These are my sisters Terri and Linda. They came from Palm Coast and Jacksonville, Florida, and  they visited us for a week earlier in June!

Aunt Cathy and Uncle Kenny visited Key West!

  

Alicia Archer (from our home church, Willow Pointe Church) and her kiddos--Elijah, Alana, Brianna, Chase, and Denee-- sported their world map shirts at church last Sunday!

So sweet!

This past weekend, we visited Huntsville, Alabama, for the Lifeline Crossings seminar. We were excited to meet other couples and hear about their adoption journeys!

We have a few more t-shirts of various sizes and designs if you are interested.  And you can continue to send us pictures of your t-shirts!

Traveling and Fundraising

Last night, June 9, Kim and I traveled to Liberty Baptist Church in Waynesboro, MS. My grandmother, Ninny, is a member there, and I have known Brother Phillip Gandy and many of the members since I was a little boy. We had a great time; I got to play four songs and bring a message about my and Kim's journey, as well as God's purpose for adoption. Liberty is truly a loving, generous church.

Amazon Update:

Thanks to those who have used our Amazon link!  We have raised a total of $244.36 from your purchases.

Here's how it works if you're new to the blog:

1) Go to this link: http://tinyurl.com/ag594uh. It will not look any different, but we will receive a portion of anything you purchase on Amazon! You will know it's our page because it will have our tracking ID (thebonadojou-20) at the end of the URL in the browser bar. Try it!

2) Save this link to your computer, and use it every time you order! Share it with others too.

One of Kim's friends shared this adoption video with us: Watch and be blessed!

Homestudy? Check!

Hi friends,
We are excited to say that we finished our last homestudy interview a week ago! It went very well and I may or may not have teared up at the end. :)  The whole discussion made the process seem REAL, and I was overwhelmed with the honor and excitement of adopting. I absolutely cannot wait until we get the call to head to Hungary! The next step is to wait for our homestudy report to be finished, apply for some grants, and complete immigration paperwork to be approved for adoption overseas! 

In the mean time, we will attend The Connection Conference at the end of this month! We are looking forward to learning more about the joys and trials of international adoption as well as meeting other families who are going through the same process.

Adoption fundraiser T-shirts are going all over the place! We are so thankful for the support we've received and for your excitement about these T-shirts!

 These are our dear friends from college, and their son! We are so thankful for their friendship over the years and their support in our adoption journey! They live in Hernando, Mississippi, and are proudly showing off the T-shirts!

This is Caroline! She was a student in my class when she was in kindergarten. Her sweet mom has been following our adoption journey, and they've both supported us by buying T-shirts! 

Thanks, ladies!

If you bought a T-shirt, we'd love to see you in it; so send us a picture, and email it to me kimberlybonner528@gmail.com so you can be featured as well!!

Did you hear we have a new niece?!
This is Bren Gabrielle Bonner, and she was born May 30, 2013. 
Isn't she just perfect?! We are so excited that she lives less than a mile from us and cuddle her anytime!

Thanks again for reading!  We will keep you updated:)