Maas Family

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:37:00 +0000

MERRY CHRISTMAS

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Follow the link below to hear the wonderful story of the first Christmas read by Matthew West.

Christmas Story

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:01:00 +0000

Here is a video of our Grace singing in the car with a bunch of girls from the orphanage.

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:05:00 +0000

Many of you know that I am very passionate about orphan care. I have found a wonderful orphan care organization called HopeChest. I have decided to feature the work that HopeChest is doing on my blog. So periodically I will be posting information about their work and how we can help.

A Letter From HopeChest Partners:

As you read this letter there are over 2 million children forced into prostitution and sex slavery.

This can be prevented and we can do something about it. These girls need our help and there isn’t time to waste.

Right now, pimps and prostitution rings are targeting our precious, young girls. They wait for them to leave the protection of the orphanage, and then offer them a "job."

Many of the girls simply disappear: never heard from again by their friends. But sometimes you glimpse this horror.

Like the girl who was flung from the cab of a truck once her "client" was finished with her. She was paralyzed, never to walk again.

Or the young woman the police found in a ditch on the side of a busy road. Killed at the truck stop where she worked as a prostitute.

These were kids that could have been helped by our programs.

One of these stories is too many...2 million children is unfathomable. This is a direct result of evil having its way on the earth.

As Peter tells us, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I Peter 5:8

We can’t let him continue to destroy lives. You can stop this, and help reclaim a child's future.

HopeChest stops sex trafficking before it starts. In Russia, we are taking girls into residential living centers and community centers to actively protect them from the commercial sex trade. We identify girls early, while still in the orphanage.

Our staff form meaningful relationships to role model what successful living looks like. And when that girl leaves the orphanage, she knows exactly where to go for help--to HopeChest. She is not alone.

Amongst our girls, there is no sex trafficking. In fact, our transitional living homes have a 90%+ rate of helping girls find true independent life. This is the reality of God’s Kingdom in action.

Right now these girls need you. Please go to HopeChest Partners and click the GIVE button to make a gift today.

You can make a gift in honor of a special person this Christmas. Perhaps you will honor someone who mentored you as we are helping these young women?

Help us stop sex trafficking now by reaching more girls in Russia today and into 2010.

A Picture for Today

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Today and tomorrow are wonderfully busy days so for today I have just a picture.

HAPPY ADOPTION ANNIVERSARY FAITH

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:27:00 +0000

Two years ago today Faith Fu Xiang joined our family. On Dec 9th we met Faith for the first time and on today, Dec 10th we finalized her adoption.

If you would like to look back at our journey to pick up Faith check out our travel blog. http://travelingtofaithinchina.blogspot.com/

Some Holiday Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:44:00 +0000

Had to add this cute pic of Sera

A little more about Grace . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:44:00 +0000

We have been told that Grace is 7 or 8 years old. However, I would guess her to be a few years older. It is hard to be certain her age as most of the villages do not have medical facilities or calendars. Grace was born in a very rural area of Ethiopia. To our knowledge her father is deceased and her mother disappeared a few years ago. She is really tall at 4'6" and very thin. We have been told that since being brought to the city she has learned some English. We are not sure if she has ever been to school. I know that I am biased but I think she is absolutely beautiful!

The WHOLE Story . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:39:00 +0000

We are still waiting to get more information about our daughter, Grace. I can’t wait to learn more about her so that I can share with you. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the WHOLE story behind our current adoption. We have shared bits and pieces but decided to wait until the adoption was final before we gave full disclosure.

We began this adoption in March 2009 when we accepted the referral of two unrelated girls who were ages 3 & 7. At the time we were unaware of some issues with our home study which did not approve us to adopt unrelated children. This is a long story in itself and I will not rehash it again. Because of the way our home study was written we had to give up the referrals of these two girls.

We prayed about what we should do from there and felt lead to accept the referral of a 7 year old girl who was HIV+. After a month went by we thought that we would be ready to be submitted to court. BUT after several conversations with our adoption agency (who has been wonderful through all of this) we discovered that the girl’s mother had decided that she just could not let her go. Initially, the mother had brought her daughter to the orphanage to be adopted because she, too, was sick. The mother has AIDS and had been very ill. She wanted to find her daughter a family before she passed away but when it actually came time to say goodbye she could not. Although we grieved the loss of this little girl, we could not be happier that she will continue to have the love and support of her mother. We think of them often and keep them in our prayers.

By this time we were getting close to time for the court closure for the rainy season. We accepted the referral of another 7 year old girl. As we continued waiting through the two months of court closure I feel in love with a little girl on our agency’s waiting list. But, if you remember back to our first lost referrals we were not approved to adopt two unrelated girls. I will be honest this part is ALL GOD!! I contacted our home study agency director through email and just laid out my heart. She emailed me back a short time later saying that she would approve us for two unrelated girls. That is when we accepted the referral of our little Sera.

When courts opened back up in November we were to be submitted to court immediately. Everyone’s papers were ready to go!! This is where the story gets fuzzy and I wish I had more details. Apparently, just days before our papers were to be submitted to court the agency representative found out that there was an issue with the older girl’s situation which would make it impossible for her case to pass through court. Sadly, we had to let her go, not knowing what the future will hold for her.

Well, as you can imagine by this time our family was a little gun shy. Many of you are probably unaware that we lost the most recent referral. We made the decision that it was in the best interest of our family and our children to wait until our adoption was final before we disclosed this most recent loss. This leads us to Grace, our daughter. After we lost our most recent referral an older girl was brought to the orphanage. We accepted her referral and decided to name her Grace.

So that is the WHOLE story! It has been a wild and crazy ride. While we don’t understand why we had to take this ride we know that God does. We can’t wait to see what God is going to do through this adoption.

Thanks for taking this ride with us.

A little more about Sera . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:09:00 +0000

Sera's birth name is Yabsera which means "work of God". We believe Sera is somewhere between the age of 15-24 months. She is small and developmentally delayed so we chose to make her on the younger end. We have chosen a birth date of June 28, 2008, which is Darren's birthday.

Sera was born with Polydactyl of her hands and feet. She has seven fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. Sera also has Nystagmus, which is an eye disorder. It causes her eyes to wiggle and float. We are not sure to what extend this affects her vision. According to the adoption agency it does appear as though she can see. We will not know any other information or whether these birth defects are part of a syndrome until she has further testing once she is home. I can tell you one thing though . . . she has a smile that lights up a room!!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:35:00 +0000

INTRODUCING

our daughters

Sera Maas

Grace Maas

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:07:00 +0000

Again, this is a time when I do not have the words to describe what God is speaking in my heart. Fortunately, there are some wonderful Christian women whom God has given the gift of speaking(blogging). Please read these post and allow God to speak to your heart . . .

A Place Called Simplicity

Building the Blocks

Kisses From Katie

Sweet Jacob

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:25:00 +0000

This is my sweet Jacob. He looks like a healthy two year old but Jacob actually has significant needs. Jacob has Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy. He is nonverbal(has started making some sounds) and has limited control of his arms and legs. He is unable to sit unassisted but has gained pretty good head control.

Jacob is an absolute joy to be around. He is always happy and laughs with his whole body. Jacob is very intelligent for a child with his significant needs. Jacob came home about a year and a half ago and I have never been away from over night.

I will be leaving to pick up our two new daughters in the next 6-8 weeks, I hope. I don't even know how to begin to prepare Jacob for me being gone for a whole week. If anyone out there has any advice or suggestions for preparing a special child for being apart the first time I would appreciate any assistance. Another concern I have is how Jacob will respond when I return home. Anyone have experience in this area?

Fall Video

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Fall Update

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

I said I would do better about posting BUT I have not!! So, here are some fall pictures.

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:36:00 +0000

We had an AWESOME weekend!! Saturday was our Both Hands/Lifesong work day. If you have not read about our Both Hands/Lifesong Fundraiser follow this link to find out more.

Here are some BEFORE pictures of Mrs. Fuller's home.

Here is a rundown from the days work . . .

We met at Ms. Fuller’s home at 10:00a.m., got organized, and went straight to work. We were able to clean up the massive amount of leaves, mow the lawn, and add new landscaping to her yard. We also put a fresh coat of paint on her patio, front door and mailbox. There were a few items around Ms. Fuller’s home that needed to be replaced. A garage door was hung and storm door was replaced in the garage. There will be someone coming out this week to replace some broken storm windows and gutters. Inside her home we were also able to do some repairs to her refrigerator and add a remote to her ceiling fan. The joy on Ms. Fuller’s face was priceless!

We were so grateful to have the Lexington Herald-Leader come out and do an article about our project. You can read the article at Lexington Herald-Leader.

There is still time to donate to the adoption fund. You can follow the directions on the fundraising letter you were sent or to donate electronically follow this link and look for the Maas Family's donate button.

We will be posting a video of the work day very soon. So stay tuned!!

Fundraising

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Hi to all my blogger friends! Sorry we have been so quite recently. Trust me it is not quite at our house!

We are in serious fundraising mode for our adoption. There are a few opportunities for you to get involved and help us raise the remaining funds needed to pick up our girls.

1. This coming Saturday we will be completing our Both Hands Fundraising project. We, along with our friends, will be spending the day working on a local widow's home. She is a wonderful Christian lady and also an adoptive mom. We are asking friends and family to sponsor us as we spend the day working(same concept as a walk-a-thon). If you would like to know more about this project follow the link on the left sidebar.

2. Also on the left sidebar is a link to our Just Love Coffee Store. This organization sets families up with an online coffee shop. $5.00 of each purchase will go to our adoption fund. Lots of great international coffees which would be great Christmas presents!

Hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Adoption Fair

Southland Christian Church, Building F, Room 116 A (The Atrium)

Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, 1-4pm.

Southland's Adoptive Families Support group is hosting an Adoption Fair with adoption professionals, financial institutions, and Orphan Care groups.

We will see you there!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:05:00 +0000

Coming for ONE night only on November 4th. Follow this link to see where it is playing near you. Hillsong United: We're all in this together

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:44:00 +0000

Orphan Sunday from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Hungry from Southland Christian Church on Vimeo.

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:18:00 +0000

STAPLES IN OUR HOUSE THIS WEEK

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:37:00 +0000

The flu bug has hit us hard. It is slowly filtering through the family.

Faith says, "Mommy, I am not happy anymore. I am sad."

Mommy says,"Faith why are you sad?"

Faith says, "Mommy I am sick."

Bad News/Good News

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:46:00 +0000

As with all adoptions there is a rollercoaster of emotions and today was no different.

BAD NEWS
We had been anticipating the opening of Ethiopian courts today. Well, it did not happen. Not sure why but the courts did not open. Praying they open tomorrow so cases can start moving again.

GOOD NEWS
Just a few short hours after learning courts did not open we did receive some good news. Our case is finally ready to be submitted to court! So when courts do open back up, hopefully tomorrow, our case will be submitted for a court date.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Rebecca) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:03:00 +0000

We are still here!! I am sure all "10" of my regular readers have been concerned about my whereabouts! The last month has been a time for reflection and reorganization. As I have disclosed previously our current adoption has been a growing experience for our family, especially me. I have spent the last month processing the ups and downs of international adoption and coming to terms with the realization that I am still not in control. It was time to let God take over completely. That along with rearranging our daily/weekly schedule, including therapy appointments, I have felt a little out of sorts. BUT I am back and feeling reorganized and rejuvenated!

I think it is time to give a little more information about our girls. I believe that we are finally ready to be submitted to court, as soon as it opens again. The oldest is 7 years old and is described as articulate and mature. We recently sent her a package which included some hair clips, jewelry, photo album of us, and a barbie. We received pictures and a video of her getting the package and she never let go of that barbie. I think she and Miranda are going to have lots of fun playing together. The younger girl is approximately 15-18 months old. She has polydactyl of the hands and feet. She also has what is called Nystagmus, which causes involuntary eye movement. Our agency sent us the cutest video of her laughing. Stay tuned for more info . . . .

Now, what else has been going on. I have come up with a monthly menu schedule with grocery lists. I believe I am almost done with it. This really helps with budgeting and time preparing for meals.

We had Jacob's annual therapy re-evaluation. I can't believe the boys have been home for over a year. Unfortunately, I had to rework his therapy schedule which took some time to figure out. He sees four different therapist weekly/biweekly. Trying to do his schedule, school schedule, doctor's appointments, and Faith's speech therapy is crazy to figure out. Plus I try to schedule in some fun time!! I think we finally have everything back on track and I feel much better knowing what is going on when.

Miranda, Ethan, Faith & Gabriel are doing really well. They are just blossoming! Sometimes they say something and I think, "wow, I did not know you knew that". They are like sponges and soak up everything they hear and see. We are in our third year homeschooling Miranda and I think we are really starting to feel comfortable. I feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to love and teach every one of our children. GOD IS SO GOOD!!!