Trusting, Running, Selling

Ok, I'm just going to be real here as I talk about things involving trusting, running, and selling. I can't pretend like I have my act together on these three important things when I really don't. So please don't judge! Pray, show me some love by looking at these things with an open and caring heart, but don't sit there and think, "That girl's got issues." (Well, I guess you can think that if you want, since I am  already admitting that I do...) Deep breath, and here I go.

Trusting...

To those that visit our site pretty regularly looking for an update... I am so sorry! We have not had anything to report, but we are hoping for some good news soon. We did have an online meeting (webinar) with our adoption agency, and it was cool to get to see the faces of some of the others that are taking this same journey to adopt from DRC on this pilot program. I do have a few things I want to say regarding things we have learned about our adoptive child(ren) through meeting with our case worker and through the webinar, but I will save that stuff until I can find the time to write about it well. I just want to keep the focus of this post on what's going on with fundraising right now, and some of my thoughts about each of the fundraisers. Because here we are, nine months on our journey since we first applied to adopt. Almost all we had saved has been paid out (we have a little left of what we had saved prior to starting, in addition to all that has been donated/fundraised so far), and we are starting to feel the financial burden of this process trying to intimidate us. I call it a "burden" with hesitancy because this is a burden we are happy to carry. It is necessary (although we wish so much it wasn't, since many - including ourselves - hesitate to adopt due to the cost), and it is worth every penny. 

Ok, and here begins my "issues": I can't help but feel like a few people out there think it is wrong of us to be so open about our financial need, like we should've had ALL of it saved before we started and it's not their problem that we don't. I feel like maybe that thought, or something similar, is what keeps some from choosing to help. Unless you do feel that way, please don't take that personally. No specific person comes to mind. Maybe I think some people feel that way because it is ME feeling that way in those moments where I stress about the sum of money we are needing. But then I let God deal with my stress, and He reminds me that He called us on this journey and He won't abandon us no matter what the struggle is we face. It shows in me a lack of trust in God to provide, and I never want to be found not trusting Him. HE IS MY LIFE! So when I step back I realize that this isn't about me and my fears. This is about God, about doing what He has etched so deeply onto our hearts and sent us to do with the command to not worry about how or when He will provide. He's not bound to time, so He doesn't feel the pressure of time frames like I do. I need to keep reminding myself that. 

The second ugly thing in my thoughts/feelings sometimes is I feel like people get annoyed when I am constantly talking about something related to fundraising on Facebook... about yard sales or Scentsy products or t-shirts, or, more recently, a 5K. It seems these things don't get quite the response as other things I post on Facebook because they involve an investment into our adoption beyond hitting the like button. And, let me reiterate, nobody in specific comes to mind as I write this. Nobody has directly said anything to me to make me feel this way... it's just a feeling I get, even if it's a wrong one. Because my intentions are not to annoy people or tempt them to hide me from their Newsfeed. All I want is to provide everyone an opportunity to partner with us in forever changing the life/lives of an orphan/s, and I can't do that well without using social media. To those that have taken me up on such opportunities: You have made my heart glad and I delight in seeing your generosity, love, and desire to help. On the flip side, if you are feeling offended because you haven't done anything to help... please don't be. It is not my desire to make anyone feel like they are supposed to want to be involved in any of our fundraisers, yet I know with writing it is hard for you to see my heart. I am merely sharing what it feels like when something that means the world to you gets treated as if it's just another cookie dough fundraiser for a school. It hurts a little. But that hurt gets swallowed up whole whenever even just one or two people respond with a willing heart. All you willing hearts, you have no idea what it has meant to us. You definitely keep discouragement and frustration from overtaking us. May we be a blessing to you as you have been a blessing to us.

Running...

I have never been one that enjoys it. I started running (yeah... with large intervals of walking and jogging mixed in) as part of my gym routine in January and still don't enjoy it. But when a precious friend/runner asked if we had considered a 5K as a means to raise money, I decided that I would learn to like running. I will learn to like just about anything if it is going to help us bring our kid(s) home. We decided in the early summer that we wanted to try to coordinate a 5K Race/ Fun Run to benefit our adoption. Little did we know exactly how much work and money that entails. When we found out that it really wasn't going to be doable this year, that precious friend/runner at church suggested that we run in a race that has already been planned, try to recruit some others to join us as a team, and seek out sponsors to donate to our cause. I was a little nervous because, as is obvious above, I am struggling with some feelings of rejection at times. What if nobody joins us? What if nobody donates? But again I knew that God was telling me to let go of the "what ifs" and seek Him. 

So we decided to go for it. As we prayed for direction as to what 5K to run, God literally mailed it to us. It was totally surreal.

Let me back up for a minute. There are not a whole lot of 5Ks to choose from in our big ole city. After speaking with that running friend of ours, we had decided a couple months ago we were going to choose a local school's 5K fundraiser. Brielle goes to preschool there, so we figured it would be a good place for our registration fee to go to since we do have to pay that to run. But after checking the date of it a few weeks ago, we found out it is the exact same morning that we had already bought tickets to Disney on Ice as celebration of Brielle's 5th birthday. Brielle chose those tickets over having a party, so we couldn't cancel on her. So this 5K plan fell through the day after I posted on Facebook that we were trying to organize a team. I was afraid that we would not find another run that would be suited for us. Then, my worry disappeared as God reassured me that He has a plan. 

A few days pass. Brett brings the mail in after work and sits at the kitchen table, going through it. I join him, and my heart was just totally overjoyed when in my hand I held a postcard from our adoption agency, Lifeline. The front reads: "R(un) for One: Hope for the (un)adopted. Saturday September 29, 2012". On the back is all of the details. That date is the weekend after Brielle's birthday. When I saw this, I was just like... Wow! No way, God! This is perfect and AWESOME! Perfect date, not a big registration fee, and perfect cause that our registration goes to!! It was just incredible. Lifeline is a non-profit Christian agency that works in our country as well as many across the world. But they don't just work to place orphans into forever families, although that in itself would still be an amazing thing. They don't stop there. They also work to bring care to the orphans that are not being adopted. There are between 147-163 MILLION orphans in the world. How many get adopted per year? Roughly 250,000. But as those are being adopted, millions more are still being orphaned. This is an epidemic that most of the world ignores, whether on purpose or out of lack of awareness. Ok sorry for the soapbox moment. Let me get to my point: The registration fee is going to now be used to help orphans, while the donations we raise are going to be used to help bring our orphan(s) home. We know two things: They are there, living in horrifying conditions, alone, with saddening statistics stacked against the hope of being embraced into a loving family in this lifetime. And we also know that more than anything our hearts long for them to be home NOW... So we can show them how much we value, cherish, and adore them and tell them how much they are loved. So we can kiss them goodnight and tell them everything is ok when they awaken from a nightmare. So we can teach them about the amazing, unfailing love of Jesus Christ and raise them to trust in Him as their Savior, Redeemer, and King. So we can provide their basic needs, which are currently going unmet or poorly met. So we can show them the love that Jesus has shown us by adopting us into His family. 

And we don't have pictures or know their names or their sex or their age, but we know that they are there right now because God has set in us an insatiable love and desire for them to be here in our arms as our son(s)/daughter(s). That is only one or two less orphans out of 147-163 million. Nevertheless... it is still one or two less. So we pray that the desire God rooted in us to pursue adoption take root in the hearts of believers, and we pray for the orphans without families pursuing them, and we donate and we speak out for them. And now, we get to run for them. My heart is broken yet overjoyed all at once. Because God is faithful, and beautiful, and the giver of everything good. Love for orphans, though sometimes excruciatingly painful, is good. Adoption is good. Those precious children, made in His image, are good. Through loving and serving and accepting them, we love and serve and accept Jesus Christ Himself. Another unintended soapbox moment. I will step down now and give you the details, lest you be interested in joining our team:

When: Saturday September 29, 2012, 8:00 am
Where: Birmingham, AL. 4800 Valleydale Road
Cost: $30 if registered by September 26; $35 on race day


As far as trying to raise money, all I know to do is just ask. "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corin 9:7) In other words, if you don't have much to give but it has been decided in your heart, $5 is a beautiful gift. It is a matter of what is laid on hearts, not the actual number. There is no amount too great or small, and we have seen exactly how a bunch of small amounts come together to make a big amount (ie: our yard sale). We are just going to trust God and obey His lead, and whether or not this fundraiser ends up raising the amount we need now is not going to concern us or rob us of any of the joy we get to experience along this 5K journey! And after a crazy 1st month of internship derailed my workout/running schedule, it felt good to get back on the treadmill today. I only have 13 days to prepare and to try to raise some money, but I am determined to not worry. Even if we raise nothing, it will still be an incredible cause that our registration fees go to. And, it will be my our first time to complete a 5K race. Hopefully I can learn to love running between now and then. Didn't love it today... but I did like it, just a little.

To sponsor us in this run through a donation upon us completing the 5K, there are a few different ways you can send me the amount that's on your heart. Just state the amount you are pledging and I will contact you as to how to get it to me in the week following the race. You can message it to me on Facebook, tell me in person, e-mail, or call/text. If you do not know us personally but want to pledge, you can do so by e-mailing us at richardsonadoptionafrica@gmail.com. Just include the amount you'd like to pledge and the best way to contact you (phone? text? facebook? e-mail?). Thank you in advance, whoever you are. I can't help but feel like there are going to be some that will support us in this way. 

Selling...

If you are my friend on Facebook, you undoubtedly know this already. But to those that don't, about two months ago I made the decision to start selling Scentsy brand products as a way to raise additional money for our adoption. If you haven't heard of Scentsy, it is described as "candles that are flameless and wickless. Decorative Scentsy Warmers use a 25-watt light bulb to heat scented wax. The scent is warmed out of the wax without the harm of lead, chemicals, or soot releasing into the air. There are more than 50 unique warmers and over 80 scents to choose from." In addition to warmers and other items that release a great scent (for example, Travel Tins and Scent Circles that can be used for cars or closets; a spray in many different scents to be used in any room; Scent Buddies, which are stuffed animals with a hidden scent packet to easily and safely fill a play room or child's bedroom with a wonderful scent of your choice), there is also a line of scented beauty products and products to use in your washer and dryer. I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time talking about Scentsy right now because, to be honest, it is not my undying passion. My undying passion is to bring my child(ren) home. So you can imagine how much it meant to me when friends and family alike came to my Launch Party and supported my new endeavor that is helping. Some of them bought so much that I fought back tears of gratitude. They weren't buying solely because they loved the products; They were buying to show me love... and I really felt it. 

Even though it cannot be a huge focus of mine in this stage of my life, this does NOT mean I don't enjoy selling Scentsy! In addition to the profit I make going to our adoption, I love being able to be confident about standing behind this product as a Consultant because it is high-quality, very useful (who doesn't want their house, car, body, and laundry to smell pleasant??), and I personally use it and have been impressed with how great it works. I haven't been as successful in raising funds this way because it does take a lot of time and effort. While I have enjoyed the two parties where I represented Scentsy as a Consultant, I do not have what it takes right now to try to convince people to host parties. I just am trying to get the word out that I have a product that is great for yourself or as a gift to others, and in buying it you help our cause. Maybe when I am finished with internship I will be able to put all the time and energy into growing my sales that I would like to. 

If you are interested in seeing what this Scentsy talk is about, you can look at the products/order from me on my website and have it sent directly to your home without even having any contact with me, which is especially great for those that aren't local but want to support our adoption in this way. My website is dezrichardson.scentsy.us (or just click here.). If you are local and want to smell the waxes before making an order, I would love to meet up with you and let you do that.

The 3rd and final fundraiser going on right now is our adoption t-shirt sales. This may sound pathetic, but they are still sitting in the box they were delivered in. In my mind I want to spread them out, take pictures, and list the quantities we have in the different sizes in hopes that someone will like the design, see their size, and contact me wanting to buy one (or two, or three...). But I haven't done that yet, and I think that part of the reason is that I'm scared. That sounds silly, and I hate to admit it because I just wrote a blog post a few months back about letting go of fear. But I have seen more than one adoption blog that have a post about what a failure their t-shirts were. And how they have boxes of them stored up in their garages. Wasted money, a failed investment that had hopes of a profit. We don't have a whole lot of room for failure in the financial part of our adoption timeline. Every penny counts. 

Oh! Side note, something I wanted to share that just typing "Every penny counts" reminded me about... a dear friend of ours told me that her teenage son is collecting a big jar of pennies to donate to our adoption. He decided he wanted to do that for us and asked her if she thought we could use them. I had to fight back some tears when she told me about it. The thoughtfulness, the love... So awesome. Ok, back to the t-shirts.

I have to fight through my fear of failure and get the word out there about all these shirts. After all, there have been some adoption bloggers who were so overwhelmed at the support they received in t-shirt sales. I think I still have a few people to contact that pre-ordered when I was trying to figure out how many I should buy, so I will start there... and I will get those pictures and the quantities up soon too. If you are interested in buying one, please leave me a comment below or use one of the contact methods I gave out earlier in this blog post. As always, I do not take your support for granted and I can never fully express our gratitude.