What’s Happening with the Weldons?

It’s been a while since my last blog post! The last couple months have been nonstop and it doesn’t look like it will slow down until summer comes to an end.  We have done 3 summer camps in 5 weeks and right now we are in the middle of the 3rd. We are in South Carolina at Camp Bob Cooper fellowshipping with some fun adults and students. I am so proud of my husband and the awesome job he is doing in his nightly sermons. We pray that the Lord’s Word penetrates the hearts of the students and that they would consider Jesus! 

It’s been a busy time trying to balance family, summer camps, church, and daily life. In the last couple months we have had family visit us in KY, a couple family emergencies, 3 trips to TN, 3 summer camps, a wrecked vehicle, a home study addendum, our adoption counselor changed, we received over $11,000 as a result of our Lifesong fundraiser, we were approved for a $4,000 grant from Show Hope, and we have had a ton of activities that go along with church! We are exhausted but we know that God is working in our lives so we cling to him! There have been plenty of times that I have had some great things to share but I have failed to make it to the computer! 


One highlight of the last couple months was being able to meet a sweet couple in Louisville that adopted two boys from the Congo. It was the neatest experience and a total God hug! We went to a restaurant with some friends after church a few Sunday’s ago and the couple seated next to our table had their 2 Congo babies with them. I was able to talk to their mother and ask her questions. My heart melted when I was able to hold one of their sweet children. He was beautiful! I just keep thinking, “They’re real! Congo children really do exist!” It was the ray of hope and encouragement that I needed that week. Sometimes the adoption process is so difficult because it almost seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. We have no photo, no gender, and no due date. Many times I think about this stuff when my heart isn’t fixed on Christ and I start to doubt. I become forgetful of the promises of God. That random meeting of that dear couple and their sweet children was just the kick in the rear that I needed to turn to Christ and say “Thank you.” Thank you for choosing us for this journey. Thank you for providing. Thank you for loving me so deeply that you would orchestrate a totally random meeting so I could hold a real life baby from the Congo. So, fellow adoptive mothers, don’t lose hope! Don’t forget the blessing of the journey! Fall into the lap of your Heavenly Father and be reminded of Isaiah 40: 31, “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Kevin and I with his nephew, Jacob.  

Kevin and I with his brother, sister, and nephew.  

Kevin's wrecked truck.
We were attacked by a gate during a storm! :(

Ladies Night at Carlisle making bears for
Operation Christmas Child boxes!

Carlisle Avenue student camp!

The girls of Gum Springs student camp!

Kevin speaking in S.C. for Pray's Mill Baptist Church. 

Me hanging out next to the lake in South Carolina!

WHERE WE ARE IN THE ADOPTION PROCESS RIGHT NOW:

OUR HOME STUDY ADDENDUM IS COMPLETE AND WE WILL SUBMIT OUR ADDENDUM TO THE USCIS FOR APPROVAL. WE ARE CURRENTLY WAITING FOR A REFERRAL WHICH IS SAID TO BE 6-12 MONTHS. WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN WAITING 4 MONTHS! PRAY THAT THE LORD’S FAVOR FALLS ON OUR PAPERWORK AND THAT WE WOULD RECEIVE A REFERRAL SOON!

Lifesong Fundraiser Final Total....$5,414!

Did you read the title of this blog post!? Can you believe it!? Our original goal was $3,000. God totally blew that goal out of the water when he abundantly exceeded that goal by over $2,000!! When I received the final total I was absolutely speechless at God's kindness towards us. The beautiful thing about God's sweet heart is that He allowed us to learn of our grand total over Mother's Day weekend. Mother's Day has not been an easy day to endure the last couple years. Walking through the halls of church on Mother's Day  knowing that there would be cheerful "Happy Mother's Day" chatter always made my heart hurt. I knew that none of those "Happy Mother's Day" greetings would be given to me. This year was different. I don't have a child to hold in my arms but I am a mother. I am a mother to a little brown baby in Africa. I don't know their face. I don't know what they sound like when they laugh. And I don't know if they will be a boy or a girl. But I do know that the beautiful creator of the universe has provided the money we need to bring them home. He has allowed me to experience a sweet part of His heart for orphans. He has grown my faith. He has held my heart when I celebrate the pregnancies of dear friends. He has confirmed time and time again that He has a plan for Kevin and I. That plan doesn't look like what we imagined but nonetheless it's beautiful. The generous and sacrificial giving of our friends, family, and church is greatly appreciated and we could never express our gratitude. Thank you so much for your continued support and the eternal impact you are making in the life of our African child. Lifesong will match our total up to $3,000 and another donor is going to give $3,000 as well! So, let's do the math! $5,414 + $3,000 + $3,000= $11,414!! A little over a month ago we estimated that we still needed about $11,000 to pay the remaining adoption and travel fees. We joyfully celebrate and send God the glory for providing this money! 

I wanted to share this video with you of a dear couple who adopted their little boy from Ethiopia! Here's their video when they met him.  Every time I watch it I get so excited that we will get to experience the same joy! Check out their blog and help them bring home Baby #2 from Ghana! 

WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW:

WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING OUR HOME STUDY SINCE WE MOVED FROM TN TO KY. OUR AMENDED HOME STUDY SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN THE NEXT MONTH. WE ARE CURRENTLY WAITING FOR THE REFERRAL OF A CHILD. HOPEFULLY IT WON'T BE LONG TILL WE CAN SEE THE FACE OF OUR CHILD. 

Drum roll please....Lifesong running total $2813.06

The final day of our Lifesong matching grant is approaching on May 14th and it looks like we are going meet our $3,000 goal!! Right now the running total is $2813.06! At this moment, Kevin and I are full of thankfulness and gratitude towards the families that have given towards our adoption! We are so thankful for those of you that continue to pray for the protection of our Congo baby. Thank you for supporting us and loving us when it seemed like all hope was lost. Our faith is stronger because of our brothers and sisters in the faith. God has proven himself faithful time and time again. Sometimes I plop down on the couch at night with an empty heart and deep longing to meet our sweet brown baby. I ask the Lord why it's so hard to wait. But, the Lord hugs my heart and grants me the patience to continue to wait. In the waiting I meet the heart of God. In the waiting my faith builds. In the waiting my love for this child grows deeper. In the waiting my husband supports and gently loves me. When we travel across the world to gather our child into our arms we will see the glorious heart of God in our child's face because we had to wait. I praise the Lord for the path he has chosen for us! Our "plan" was gloriously ruined. Ruined only to be built back better.

Click here to see how you can help us meet our

$3,000 Lifesong goal by May 14th! 

WOW! Lifesong total so far.....$2238.06!

God's kindness and faithfulness continues each day! His beauty and love shines in our lives each moment! We are so excited to share that our total for our Lifesong matching grant is.....$2238.06! The donations have continued to flow in and we are excited to see how much more God provides for our grant! Each dollar brings us one step closer to our baby! May 14th is the last day for Lifesong to accept donations for our family! Please consider helping us reach our $3,000 goal. Once we reach this goal then Lifesong will give $3,000 and another matching donor will give $3,000! We deeply appreciate those of you who have already given to our adoption fund. Our hearts are so full of gratitude because of each family's generous and sacrificial gift. Your support is making an eternal impact in the life of the child that God has chosen to be our son or daughter. Even though we have never seen or met this precious African child we know that God is hand picking him or her. We are so grateful and privileged to experience God's special heart towards the orphans of the Congo. Click here to see how you can donate to our Lifesong Grant! 

I love everything Africa!

God is Good! Lifesong Grant total so Far! $1984.74

Seriously, can I brag on my God a little bit right now!?? Our grand total right now for our Lifesong Matching Grant is $1984.74! We are a little over a thousand dollars shy of our $3,000 goal that ends May14th! Praise the Lord God Almighty for His loving kindness and mercies! So.....when we reach this $3,000 goal then that means Lifesong will give us $3,000 and then our matching donor will give us $3,000 so that is a total of $9,000 towards our adoption!!! My heart is so full of joy and thankfulness because the Lord has chosen Kevin and I to grow our family by adopting a sweet child from Africa. There have been so many times in the last few months that Kevin and I have looked at each other and laughed and said, "What in the world are we doing?" Maybe we aren't sure about a whole lot in our lives right now but there is one thing we know for sure. We know that God is Good and that He has a plan for us! We know that He is worth our time, our lives, and our energy. So, all the chips are on the table and we are ALL IN! Please pray for us and our sweet African babe. Pray that God provides the rest of the money we need to meet our matching grant goal!

I found this video on another adoption blog! I thought it was so cute! It made me want a sweet and sassy little brown skinned girl! :) 

  

God is faithful, and He is still Good! 

Matching Donor for Lifesong Matching Grant!

Recently Kevin and I relocated to Louisville, KY. We live two exits from the airport in Louisville. There are times that we see and hear planes taking off to travel to their next destination. The other morning I woke up around 5 am to the sound of planes taking off. There were several planes that left in that early hour. I laid in bed and joyfully began to think of what our lives will be like when we bring home our little one from the Congo. I thought about how crazy it is that sometime this next year we will be boarding a plane in the Louisville airport to travel to get our son or daughter! We will be literally flying over our childless home and returning with our arms full and our hearts joyful! 

Kevin and I are so thrilled to announce that God has provided for this adoption once again!! If you have read our last blog post then you have learned that we have been approved for a $3,000 matching grant through Lifesong for Orphans. We have been approached by another donor that has agreed to match the donations that are given to Lifesong for our adoption! So, if we raise $3,000 towards the Lifesong grant then Lifesong will give us $3,000 and our donor will give us $3,000!! That would be a total of $9,000 towards our adoption! We are absolutely floored at God’s kindness towards us. He continues to encourage us and confirm time and time again that He is faithful and that He has a plan for us! Please click here to learn how you can donate to our Lifesong matching grant due May 14th! 

We love you guys and we are so thankful for the wonderful support system God has given us!

$3,000 Lifesong Matching Grant!!

Wow! Awesome news is that Kevin and I have been approved for a $3,000 matching grant from Lifesong for Orphans! When we received word that we were approved for this awesome opportunity we were right in the middle of our relocation to Louisville, KY! It has been crazy trying to make a new house our home and also work on adoption fundraising! The way this matching grant works is that we send out letters and use every social media network to promote this fundraiser! Lifesong has agreed to match up to $3,000 towards our adoption. So....if we raise $3,000 then they give us $3,000!!!! That’s $6,000 total towards our adoption! The heavy price tag of $6,000 is the exact amount that we must pay to the Congo when we accept the referral of a child! After this payment to the country then all that remains is our travel costs! We have come a long way since we begun the adoption process in October. God has provided every bit of the money we have needed to continue in the adoption process to bring home our precious child from Africa! Looking back over the past several months has proven the truth of Ephesians 3:20 that says that God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us!! This scripture could not be more true! It’s hard to believe that Kevin and I weren’t sure if God was calling us to adopt 6 months ago! Now, we cannot imagine our lives without a sweet brown skinned baby! If we would not have accepted God’s call on our lives then we would not have been able to experience this special heart of God towards the orphans of the world. Our hearts are full and grateful! 

Here’s where you are able to help us!! Would you be willing to make a donation towards our matching grant? The due date for all Lifesong donations is May 14, 2012 so we desperately need your help! All donations are tax deductible and Lifesong will match every donation dollar for dollar! 


You can make checks payable to:

Lifesong for Orphans

Po Box 40 

Gridley, IL 61744

Please write our family reference number in the Memo of your check: Weldon #2638

Click here to make an online Paypal donation to Lifesong for our grant! (Please reference: Weldon #2638)

If you are unable to give financially then please partner with us by praying for God’s provision and protection of our child! Pray for the salvation of the birthparents. Pray that we would be able to be united with our child soon! Share our blog and story with others so that we may be an encouragement to them! 

P.S. COMING SOON!
We will soon be posting about our relocation and new ministry in Kentucky!