On the hurting child/Adoption

"Unfortunately, hurt children are not always tender plants to be watered. Instead they are often prickly cacti waiting with needles sharp enough to keep parents away. But even a cacti need some water, just as the hurting child needs to experience the attachment cycle- including gratification -if he is to build trust. "
Keck and Kupecky from Parenting the Hurt Child

Please pray that we are able to be calm and not too dramatic with our child from Thailand.
Pray wisdom and guidance from the one with the plan!

We should be getting a new number shortly (ok may be a few weeks)
Pray for wisdom/financial provisions/peace!

Thanks for partnering with us in our adoption!

Trusting in God
Ciao
Shell

Getting real; Reading up

Just started my reading:

Book one...Parenting the hurt child by Keck and Kupecky

*Parenting hurting children requires loving patience and clear expectations for improvement.
*Parenting hurt children if frequently painful.
*Hurt children bring their pain into their new families and share it with much vigor and regularity.
*Parents who did not cause the child's trauma often suffer the consequences of it.
*Family fun should not be contingent upon the child's behavior.
*Parents should expect difficult times, as well as reduction of them.


Just the beginning.

We have so much to learn.
We love our biological children...
We will need tools to train our new children.

Discipline will be trickey..

Ciao,
Shell

Pray some more

Prayer is useful!
Prayer is important!
So, won't you pray for our little one today..Our sweet one in Thailand!
Pray for the referrals...We still have not heard!

Fund Raisers!!
Look for our Garage Sale this weekend!
Look for T~Shirt sales!
Pic's to come..
Look for my coffee..buy it...this will be ongoing fund raising!

Look To God to provide!
We will!


Ciao
Shell

Time To Pray

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'

New Living Translation (©2007)
Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.

English Standard Version (©2001)
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Jeremiah 33:3

So, lets do this together!

As soon as our Dossier gets to Thailand/As it goes to Thailand............We will go on a waiting list.......

We will need some prayer.

So, lets pray our Great God will have favor on our Dossier! On our Child! On our Current Children!!

His timing, His name glorified!

Proverbs 22:6

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Start children off on the way they should go,
    and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Pray God grants us wisdom to do this with all our children!!

Ciao, 

Shell

The monies

A trusted friend had to be honest with me the other day. 
They mentioned that "If we had to raise monies to bring this kid from Thailand home...we would likely not have enough monies to raise the kid?"
(In the end our friend was thinking out loud and using his thought process and did end up saying..Then they had a change of heart <3, and decided we were doing a good thing and they would like to join us in that endeavor) [So, don't be upset, we're not.]

But, I feel i have something to say....
1. The average~~~ Retirement savings account has around 25,000 ....this is not the rainy day savings ... just retirement. [According to Christian Science Monitor]
2. Sad to say we are a bit like most Americans...But working on it! We are doing all we can to pay off debt/Not acquire more debt/ AND save up for a rainy day.  AND ADOPT with OUT debt!!!
3. We believe God has called us to adopt!!!
4. We Know God will provide every need in to our calling.
5. If we did have the 30,000 sitting in our bank account as extra fun play monies (ahem, for adoption)~~~Who would we need to share in our adoption experience with?  
6. (5 continued) Who, I ask, would we lean on? 
7. (5 continued) Who, might we (okay, God) encourage to think about adopting (through us)?  
8. The Orphan and widow are close to God's heart.
9.  May be, just may be this is an exercise in our Faith? 
10. Will Tony and I be faithful to God when he asked us to do something our bank account said is impossible? 

If i remember right..The Creator of the Universe specializes in the Impossible!!!  I Love that about my Jesus!

We love that you all are wrestling with the (as our 5 year old says "HU~Normous") cost of adopting..not to mention the emotions that go along with it!

Thanks for living life with us!
Thanks for being our community!!
Thanks for praying for our little one in Thailand!!!

Thanks for praying for our family!!!!

We Love You!!

Ciao,
Shell

Hebrews 4:16

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Lets laugh together

There are many things that are funny about adopting...

This is random video of people laughing:

Random People Laughing

I'd like to do a short series of blog posts about them..

Lets work through them together....

Monies~  All the questions about monies

Why did you decide to adopt?

What will your kid be like..look like...and me being her or his real mom...dad..ect...

What not to say!

Where do you think we should start???

Thanks

Thank you for each drop of love, prayers, and monies!!!

The marathon month of fund raising to match the fantastic Titus Task Matching Grant is at an end!

We [Ahem, God] did it!!!  to quote a friend...Money is easy for Him!!

Praise the Lord God the Creator of the Earth!!!
Thank you Titus Task!!!!!
Thank you for your heart for the orphan!!!

THANK YOU !!!!!

Big Big News - We Heart The Titus Task... and You!

We are extremely delighted to share the letter below. We love you all and are so grateful for the continued support of our adoption efforts!

Dear Friends of Tony and Rochelle,

The Titus Task is excited to announce that the Franco Family has been chosen to receive a matching grant for their adoption. The Titus Task is a registered 501c3 organization dedicated to pursuing a future for orphans. One of the ways we do that is by raising funds and giving child specific adoption grants to NW Arkansas Families. Since 2009, we have given over $100,000 to 18 families in NW Arkansas.

We would like to ask you, as friends and family of Tony and Rochelle, to help us make a difference in the financial aspect of their adoption. The Titus Task will give one dollar for every dollar that is donated by friends and family up to $2,500, making the total amount to be given $5,000(or more)!

Most of our board members are adoptive parents and we know first hand what a wonderful gift of encouragement it is for the financial burden to be lessened during adoption. Caring for the orphan happens in many different ways - please know that your gift makes a huge impact!

Tony and Rochelle are living out their faith in caring for a child from Thailand. Will you join us in showing love for this family and their child?  We are excited to partner with you as we witness the miracle of adoption and watch as God provides for those He loves so deeply. May He be glorified.

To make a Tax Deductible donation by Paypal please use this link  http://www.thetitustask.com/franco-family.html or mail checks to the address below. Please make donations by May 6, 2013. Thank you for your consideration and generosity!

Warmest Regards,

Mark & Tiffany Hansen
The Titus Task
Adoption Grant Coordinators

www.thetitustask.com
tiffany@thetitustask.com


PO Box 82
Siloam Springs, AR 72761

Check out the...

Titus Task!!!

If you were waiting to give to our adoption then wait no more!
jaunt on over to the Titus Task

http://www.thetitustask.com/franco-family.html

Each dollar your give to our kido (only currently an orphan)
They will match!

Holy Cow!!

Only.....Praise God.....



Ciao
Shell

Do something for me!

You simply must jaunt on over to the Titus task!

Please check them out and one of their new families!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just do it!

http://www.thetitustask.com/franco-family.html

Some amazing people over there with a heart felt story... a God story!

So! check them out!

Ciao

Shell

Joy

Kids bring us joy!
Ours, yours, the ones we will be blessed with!

What brings you Joy?

Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Pslams 28:7

Also, it would bring me joy to see you doing the movements to the flash mob....
Yes you!
And 100 of your closest friends!  (Dream big eah?)

Lets bring awareness of the orphan today together!

Cioa
Shell

Our Psychological Evaluation!

Our Psychological Evaluation!

We went a few weeks ago to see a guy about our ....Psychological situation....  This is a requirement with our dossier.
We met with a guy and talked with him about who we are and then we took a couple tests.

Then waited!  To see if we were okay?

Thanks Dr. CL

Turns out we are sane and we got a lovely letter from him!

We are so thankful to live in a community that supports adoption, something we believe is close to God's heart!

There are to many kids with no family's.

What are you going to do about it?
Help us make one less.
Support our adoption by participating in our flash mob!
Tell a friend.
Say a prayer.  For our kido in Thailand!  For us! For Sage and Jasper


So now~ on to the Arkansas State Govener's office for Authentication...

Ciao
Shell

Franco Flash Mob?

So,
We are not above doing a dinner and silent auction.  Those things are super valid fund raisers.
But, we want to think out side the silence.  I love being a bit loud!
We are gonna do a flash mob! 
We are gonna charge 25 dollars a person to do the flash mob. (ok cap at 50 per family)  ( I hope and pray we get at least 100 people signed up)  
We will have 2 performances....
We are gonna ... Well i cant give everything away!
Can i?  
No.


So, I was thinking it would be great if your group (youth group, choir, marching band, cooking club, missions trip, theatrical group, ... well you get the picture) 

If you live in our town to do it here with us...and if not...do it at your church or your mall.(you must ask the mall/or your church leadership about this)  and we could exchange pic's and video's of this fantastically cool Flash Mob thing
. 
{This is perfect if you live out of town..(ahem..mom) and wanted to participate...mob your church}
So, if you are interested in this email me or message me at the end of this post! OK!!!!


I'll be  making the video and putting it up on YouTube in the next week or 2.

Think of this fun thing as gathering as a family to work toward a goal...learn the dance with friends...be a community with us! Mmmmmm K!

Ciao, 
Shell

More Hope

Psalm 71:14 (New International Version) 
But as for me, I will always have hope; 
I will praise you more and more

On the plus side!
God's Got this!

Ciao
Shell

Easy

So, I follow a face book page for Adoptive family's
A fantastic conversation came up today I'd like to share some of this with you

The topic of the conversation was:
 Most of my friends and family are super supportive of our adoption. However, I have one friend who acts like I took the easy way out. Any ideas on how to respond to this?

"Adoption...easy? Haha! You're hilarious! Great joke!" Okay, probably not the best way to handle it, but I couldn't help myself.  Sorry you have an unsupportive friend. I think I would just respond with positive remarks about adoption and what a joy it has been for your family. You can model a good attitude that might rub off on her.

 Sorry, but I had to laugh. I could in no way describe our adoption journey as easy. I agree with ~~~~~ that you could educate her on the difficulty and joy you experienced. I also wonder what difficulty she has experienced in her own journey to parenthood that would make her think that way - maybe she had a hard road and thinks that adoption looks easier when in fact it has its own challenges, heartaches, and miracles.

I am Thankful that each comment was met with humor and love! ~  These people should be adopting~ They are super awesome!

I like ~~~~~ comment on the fact that adoption has its own challenges, heartaches, and miracles. And like so many other experiences one never really understands them unless you go through it, perhaps gently reminding her of that would be helpful too. While I in no way disagree that being pregnant and giving birth is a physically exhausting task, having done it twice, neither pregnancy kept me up as many nights or were filled with the uncertainties of this adoption...especially since the time frame is oh TRIPLE!!

 am so sorry ~~~~~ It sounds like she is having her own issues. Most people don't really know much about adoption and all it involves. There are too many times when people like to "compare" experiences. I hope you are able to brush off her comments and help her see how joyful and HARD adoption can be. Hang in there babe.

Yes that is fine cuz people need more education when it comes to adoption. A little girl said to me about "My kido", "who is her real mommy". I didn't take offense and said I am. I told her if she sees someone who is adopted the mommy who adopted them is their real mommy and the one whose tummy they came from is the birth mommy. I told her how many orphans were in Thailand and then she said, "we should all adopt one".

This is a super long post for me
I adore that because of the internet i am able to connect with people who have the same heart as Tony and I! And who are doing what we are doing! 
This is the kind of thing you need a support group for! Not EASY!


What do you think of adoption? 
And Have you adopted an adoptive family yet?

Thanks FB Friends!!!

Glad you stopped by!
Ciao
Shell 

Love

1 Peter 1:3 (New International Version) 
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

Love each other
Be safe 
Be courteous
Know who you know

Ciao
Shell

Promises

Numbers 23:19 (New International Version) 
God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill? 

We will hang on to the promises!
Pray for us and our kido in Thailand!

Ciao,
Shell

Faith in you

I am  blessed!
Can anyone give me an amen?
My heart has been encouraged!

Hebrews 11:1 
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.


I have faith in God, also, and may be foolishly, i have faith in my fellow man. I believe that some of you are praying for us! I can sort of feel your prayers, and at at a time when i really needed them. Thank you! Please continue to encouraging us with your prayers, thoughts, and secret monies in envelopes under our door with sweet works on them! My heart is still overjoyed at the last one...

We are working on making sure each document in our Dossier is done well!  We are working on getting our documents in the dossier authenticated.  Ha.  As if we did not have to prove they were real already (okay, we did and really the Home study people were through) we need to do it again just to be sure. This is a tricky process to me.  Pray that I can be enlightened and that this small step in our process is done quickly, smoothly and well. 

Well, that is it for today! 
But i'll likely share something with you all soon about our no processed food challenge! 

Cioa, 
Shell

Confidence

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV 
But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

I have no worries that i will get my baby home!



Ciao,
Shell

Prayer

Today, I am feeling discouraged.

Today, i feel that no one is championing our adoption with us.
No one is jumping in to help us raise funds....
Arg.
This is bad lonely feeling...

Who will walk with us?
Who will adopt us as their (adopted) adoptive family?

I know this is not a feeling that is coming from the God of my salvation...
This is what He has to say:
Joshua 1:9
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Will you my friends? Pray over us with this verse? 

Love and be loved! 

Be safe

Be courteous

Know who you Know!

Ciao, 

Shell

Plans

Jeremiah 29:11-12 (New International Version) 
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

Lets rise and get our kido home..plan on it!  Our God is BIG!

Also keep on checking out our instaparel page and buying cool shirts!
http://instapparel.com/Tight_Thai_Tees

Ciao, 
Shell

Help us be a hope for a kido in Thailand

#2 Our hope of eternal life

Titus 1:1-2 (New International Version)
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness'" a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

Hope is good

Lets hope together!

Ciao

Shell

Comfort for Children

#1 God is always with you

Zephaniah 3:17 (New International Version)
The LORD your God is with you, 
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

Ciao, 
Shell

Ultimate Challenge!!!

Starting Next Thursday!
(Bom, Bom, Bommmm)
The Franco family for the following 100 Days will be taking the 100 Days of real food challenge!



Some say it can't be done?

Some say what do you mean?

Some say we are hippies (in the non drug way) and we care too much about what we eat.


Well my friends, we are going to do it! 
We are going to give it our best shot!!! 

The Challenge should you chose to accept it:
To Eat Food that is not processed for 100 days...
If it is a pre~Packaged food for it not to have more than 5 ingredients..

Our adventure to follow!

~~AS always give to our adoption at the top right of the page!!!! 
B/c we are currently in need of 4,000 smackers 1,000 for USCIS and 3,000 to Holt international!  

Ciao, 
Shell

Home Study!

Home Study Done! 
Approved December 31!!!! 2012 !!!!:)


Now on to the USCIS.
They are cool!
just about 10 ish pages to fill out and.....3,000 dollars and wait for approval!

Super pumped up!
I am learning to love paperwork!?

Ciao 
Shell

The window of waiting!

We have very little by now on what happens..We did our paperwork... We did our part and now
we are sitting in the window of wait!

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Ciao
Shell

Happy New Year

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Today is the first day of my child in Thailand's life..
What are we gonna do to get her home!
Lets bring her home!!!

Happy new year!  What are your resolutions?

Ciao,
Shell