Shoe update....

Dear Life,

I only have a few minutes.  I am so tired.  Tired in an exhausted, amazed, unbelievably blessed way.  I have heard of things like this.  Never have I been witness to or been a part of such an outpouring of love.  Below you will see three pictures.  They are of my dining room.  These are the shoes we received this weekend. 
 These are NOT the shoes that are being shipped from Arizona.  These are NOT the shoes from Indiana.  These are NOT the shoes from the local schools that have done shoe drives and some of the other local people that have been collected.  The number we have counted to right now is 5175.  There are over 1000 pairs of shoes in my dining room.  Maybe even 2000 pairs.  When we think about the scope of our shoe drive, the amount of people that have been touched by Shoes for Sofi, we are so amazed and it truly brings us to tears. 
 When we think about the sheer number of people that must have donated shoes, all of those people have heard of Sofi, of her story, and purposefully donated their shoes to bring her home, that is truly a miracle.  We really can't even thank you enough for the sharing of your shoes.  This story started with a very special little girl, and is ending with love from all over the country.

  She will come here, she will be taught her story.  She will know how very loved she is.  Thank you.  Thank you. Thank you.

An unfiinished story

Dear Life,

I want to tell you the story of a beautiful little girl.

Her name is Susanna.

She lives in Eastern Europe in the same country as Sofi.

She is six years old.

She has Spina Bifida.

Unlike Kumaka and all of his friends (including Sofi's), Susanna's Spina Bifida Story is different.

Susanna's back lesion has NEVER been closed.

Susanna has hydrocephalus yet has NEVER had a shunt.

Yet the  orphanage staff speaks of how amazed

they are with the girl moving around her bed

as she is the first child with spina bifida they

have seen do that.
Unfortunately Susanna NEVER LEAVES HER CRIB. 
She has never played with the other children outside of the crib.

Susanna not only interacts with the other child in her room but she has formed a significant relationship of friendship with him.

Their beds are one next to the other and they

exchange toys and “talk” to each other.

The caregivers explained whenever the girl

starts vocalizing, the boy joins her.

They have seen her reach out through the bars of his bed and try to “fix” his clothes the way the caregivers do.

Kumaka has a voice because of his parents.

Sofi has a voice because she will have parents.

Susanna has no voice.

She has no one to fight her battles.

We are praying that SOMEONE will read this, will see her picture, will ask for more information.

Susanna  desperately NEEDS parents who will step in, fight for Susanna to receive the correct medical care and bring her home!

Susanna deserves a chance at life.  A chance with a family.  She needs a miracle.

Susanna is a miracle.

Hopefully she's your miracle.

Their story

Dear Life,

A child was born six years ago.
Our child.
We were terrified of what caring for him would entail.
We were even scared that his life would not be a long and full life.
We didn't know what to expect.

Over the past six years, our son has had to deal with difficult things.
Multiple surgeries.
Multiple infections.
Multiple bone breaks.
Multiple hospital stays.

We were warned.
We knew that could happen.
We didn't care.

The day he was born was one of the most difficult days of our lives.
It was also one of the most beautiful.
We met an angel on earth that day.
We call him Kumaka.

His smile lights up the whole room.
His strength buoys us up in times of difficulty.
His determination defies all odds.
His life is a miracle.

We didn't choose Spina Bifida.
It chose him.
But Spina Bifida does not keep him down.
It does not define him.
His spirit, his strength, his determination is his.

Last year we started talking about ways we can give back.
How can we help other children with Spina Bifida have a wonderful life and opportunities like Kumaka has?
One night, we were perusing Children's House International file of children needing to be adopted.
We noticed the program for children in Eastern Europe that have Spina Bifida.
We started looking at all of these beautiful children.
We wept.
We contacted someone from the agency.
She sent us files of a few children.
We saw the most beautiful, brown haired, brown eyed baby girl.
Our eyes immediately teared up.
It was like she was calling for us from the computer.
We started the initial paperwork.
And we started praying.
Praying for wisdom on how to raise the funds necessary to bring home our girl.
We've been blessed by many...
We've done a few different things.
One day I found a website that does shoe drives for fundraising.
I called them up.
We discussed what was necessary.
We signed up.
5000 pairs of used shoes is what we have to collect.
" I can get that done" I thought to myself.
I had no idea the magnitude of what 5000 pairs of shoes was.
I just knew that we needed that money to bring home Sofi.
I knew that we could do it somehow.
I started posting the shoe drive on Facebook.
A few pairs of shoes started coming in.
We went on our trip with Make A Wish and didn't talk about it at all.
We came back and it was Christmas.
January 1st we barely had 1000.
I knew we could do it.
We just needed to talk about it.
So we talked more.
Shared photos.
Asked people to do drives.
We started getting more shoes.
And then two weeks ago happened.
One day our shoe drive blanketed Facebook.
It was being shared by so many people we couldn't keep track.
As fast as we could count, people would bring more.
We then started seeing a phenomenon we didn't expect.
Shoes coming from all over the United States.
People shipping their shoes.
We live in California, but we have received or will soon receive shoes from: PA, OH, IN, AZ, TX, ID, UT, GA, OR, FL, MD, and MA.
We have or are receiving from Inland Empire, Orange County, San Diego County, Los Angeles County, Kern County, if not more.
Driving home from San Diego to pick up the second load from Cardiff, my husband started talking about this crazy shoe drive.
We have seen miracles.
We know God's hand is in this.
We know that Sofi will come home in large part because of this.
And to see SO many people work SO hard (some people we don't even know) to help bring home our Sofi,
We KNOW He is here and He is in charge.
When we think we don't know how we will do it,
He provides a way.
And you all have heard Him.

This story is about love.
Love for a little girl.
A little girl that was born into nothing.
Born into emptiness.
She already has more love than she knows.
As she waits for everything to be completed,
We pray that she can feel the love that we have felt.
That it can sustain her during this wait.
She will be alone only temporarily.
Her story is your story.
It's your story because you shared your heart with us.
There are no words that we can say to express how grateful we are to each pair of shoes that was lovingly given to bring home our girl.
One pair or twenty; it's all the same.
You loved Sofi.
And for that, we can only say thank you.
We love you too.

An article and shoes for sofi

Dear Life,

We have been blessed.  When I think of the amount of love and support our journey has received, I KNOW that God's hand is in this journey and no matter how hard it is, we will see it through.  Today we had a pizza fundraiser at our local Lamppost Pizza.  The owner is an amazingly giving man, who generously donated 30% of sales towards our journey.  So many of our friends and family came to support us, coworkers, bloggy friends, friends that have only found us from facebook, really amazing and FUN night.  And then there is the shoe drive.  My friend Edie writes for the Orange County Register and she wrote this article that came out today.

Giving old soles is good for the soul

By EDIE CRABTREE

   FOR THE REGISTER

   What do you do when your dreams are big and your heart even bigger? If you are Fountain Valley couple Stuart and Tracy Jensen, you open up your heart and your home to a beautiful brown-eyed girl who needs a place to call her own.

   The Jensen family, already busy with five boys ages 6-18, thinks there is room in their ranks for one more special addition – Sofi Rose, a little girl born in Eastern Europe with what Tracy likes to call “extras.”

   Sofi, like the Jensens’ youngest son, Kumaka, was born with spina bifida, a congenital defect that can cause a wide range of both physical and neurological complications.

   Over the last six years, Tracy has learned to navigate the medical world, fight for what her child deserves, and fill out countless insurance forms. Most of all, however, she has learned as she has watched her child blossom into a confident, spunky young man, that people cannot be defined by their limitations – that the sky is the limit, even when you reach for the sky from the confines of a wheelchair.

   Now, the Jensen family hopes to take this hard-earned knowledge and use it to give this little girl the life they feel she deserves. As is often the sad truth, there just aren’t resources available to help Sofi. She has spent her entire life lying in a crib, despite having just turned 3 years old.

   When questioned as to why the family would want to take on the challenge of a second child with special needs, Tracy replies:

   “We are not delusional or eternal optimists. We know what we are getting into. We understand the challenges both she and our family face. We also know we have more than enough love to give this sweet angel and are anxious to give her the opportunity to smile. She hasn’t smiled yet. She hasn’t spoken yet. We can give her that gift.”

   As you might expect, while the Jensens’ abundance of love comes without a price tag, the adoption does not. The family is currently holding several fundraisers to help offset the costs of the adoption, estimated to be around $25,000.

   This is where shoes enter the story. The Jensens are collecting gently used shoes, which will then be turned over toan agency distributing shoes to people in need. The best part? They will pay them for the shoes – $3,500 for 5,000 pairs.

   They currently have roughly 1,600 pairs and are desperately looking for additional “shoe fairies” to help them meet this goal, and get one step closer to bringing their little girl home.

   Any style of shoe is welcome, with the exception of slippers, so long as they have no holes and the soles are intact.

   If you have shoes to contribute, please contact Tracy at fivejensen  boyz@gmail.com  . In lieu of shoes, you may make a cash donation straight to Sofi’s account by visiting youcaring.com  / adoption -fundraiser/bringsofirosehome/29572.

   You may also read more on Tracy’s blog. To read Tracy’s blog, visit fromamomofboy s. blogspot.com  .

The Jensens are collecting gently used shoes, which will then be turned over to an agency distributing shoes to people in need. The best part? They will pay them for the shoes – $3,500 for 5,000 pairs.

We already have had amazing support and love from EVERYWHERE.  Literally!  We have shoes from all over California, and we have shoes coming from all over the United States.  People are gathering their shoes, and mailing them to us from as far as Pennsylvania.  There is a huge shoe drive in Arizona and someone is bringing them here.  People are sending them from Ohio and from Illinois.  There are shoes coming from so many places I can't even keep track.  And the minute this article came out, I started receiving emails from people.  It's so amazing and wonderful to see people come together to bring our sweet girl home.  I see His hand in all of this.  

We are working hard to finish our paperwork for our homestudy, and the social worker is coming next Saturday.  Things are moving forward...we are getting very busy.  We appreciate everyone...every single person who prays for us, donates shoes, money, or buys a raffle ticket.  We appreciate all who have bought a cupcake or a pizza slice.  We appreciate ALL of God's angels....we know our angel will be here with us soon.   I can't wait to share pictures of Sofi with all of you.  Her journey is your journey.  You are all a part of her story.  I will write it....you will all be in it.  She will know how many people love her.  Thank you.  We have no words that can say how much thanks we have.  

The deets

Dear Life,

I want to share an update as to where we are in our adoption process.  (If you want to know more about our adoption read HERE and HERE and HERE) It's kind of listy...that way it's easy for ME to check off when things are done.  Cause checking things off is the BEST!!!!


Fundraising things are here:  
We have a Scentsy party going on, a MAJOR shoe drive going on (So far we have 1376 pairs of shoes....and the shoes keep on coming.  I have no doubt we will be able to collect our goal of 5000 pairs and earn $3500 dollars towards our Agency Fee.  :)  We are blessed to be able to have a Pizza Party at our local Lamppost Pizza place...and they are so generous in donating 30% of sales for the day to help us.  Mimi's Jewelry has the pendant raffle tickets going on until February 6th.

Below you can see what we have done, what is partially done and what still needs to be done.    

Fundraising is hard....but we have seen miracles...  miracles that teach us over and over that God is helping us...this is God's work we are doing...and He will provide.  We have people bringing us shoes from at least 50 cities all over the United States.  People care.  People want to help bring our Sofi home.  People are good.  It has been so heartwarming to hear how our little shoe drive is affecting not only us, but those helping us raise shoes.  It's truly been amazing. 

One day two weeks ago we received two anonymous donations...one for $250 and the other for $1000.  I have no words to even match that kind of giving.  Last week a dear friend sent $200.  I texted her to thank her for her continual support and love.  She told me that someone had sent her money for Christmas to buy a coat...and instead she's helping bring Sofi home.  I cried. Not to mention Joanna's Sessions for Sofi...she sent us over $1000 as well.   So many moments of LOVE....and generosity.  We are so blessed to witness such examples of wonderful people sharing what they have and for their sweet belief in what we are doing.

Below is all we are needing to pay for and below that is the check off list we are working on for the Homestudy.  Checking things off is awesome!  We are having a major house painting party on January 19th, and we our social worker is coming to the house the following Saturday.  So excited to be able to report progress!  PRAYING SOFI STAYS HEALTHY AND COMES HOME THIS YEAR!


PROGRAM FEES PAID TO our adoption agency in the US

Application Fee $700 (PAID $700)
Agency Fee $6500 (PAID $150) Owe 6350
P.A.R. (Refundable) Deposit – $500

FOUNDATION FEES: 3rd PARTY FEES PAID THROUGH agency – FEES DIFFER BY FOUNDATION

FOUNDATION “A”: 
$1000 EUR due at match, (Received $1000 EUR grant from country agency)  
1000 EUR (Received $1000 deduction from country agency) due at dossier submission, 
4000 EUR due prior to 1 st trip, (Received 1000 EUR deduction from country agency) Owe 3000 EUR
2000 EUR due prior to 2nd trip 



Additional Expenses incurred by family:

HOMESTUDY/DOSSIER EXPENSES:

Home Study Estimate $2250 (PAID $2250)
Post-adoption/Post-placement Report Estimate (requirements and cost varies from state to state) ($300-$1000)
Adoption Education Internet Courses ($30-$50 each)
CIS Filing fee $720
Fingerprint Charge (3 @ 85 each ) (PAID 2 @ $175)
Passports (2 @ $170 each) (PAID $340)
Document notarization (cost varies) – estimate only $500

PRE-TRAVEL EXPENSES:

2 Trips - Round Trip airfare for 2 adults (@ approx $1000-$1500 per person, per trip) estimate
only $4000 +
Child’s one-way airfare (cost varies, estimate only) $500 +

IN-COUNTRY EXPENSES/FEES: Estimates will increase due to daily exchange rate for USD to EUR

Lodging and meals (2 people – 5-7 nights each trip) – estimate only $100 - $200/night $1000+
Medical for child’s Visa – estimate only $100
Child’s U.S. Visa $230
Incidentals (amount varies depending on family desires and tastes) varies
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angels’ Haven Application

Homestudy Fee Agreement

Adoptive Parent Information forms (one for each parent)

Education (10 hours)

Three Signed Releases

Employment Verification for each applicant 

Medical Reports for each applicant

Three Letters of References (No family members please)

FBI and DOJ/Child Abuse Clearances (For all household members 17 and over) (Approx $70-$85 each)

Home Verification Statement

Guardianship Statement

Copy of Birth Certificate for each applicant

Copy of Passport picture page with full names stated

Copy of Marriage Certificate

Divorce Decree (if applicable and certified)

Death Decree (if applicable and certified)

Certificates of completion of required on-line education

Financial Information Form

Most current Tax Return

School Report or report card if any children in the home

Medical form for any children in the home

Criminal Record Statement

Grievance Policies and Procedures

Waiver of Liability

Stationery card

New Wishes New Year's Card

Elegant holiday invitations for your friends and family.

View the entire collection of cards.

Her name is Sofi

Dear Life,

Today I had the opportunity to spend some one on one quiet time with my ten year old. 

It was a time I will treasure.  He asked me a lot of questions and said something quite hilarious.  He asked me a lot about Sofi.  
About why her birth parents don't want her.  
I told him that in some countries, it's not very easy to care for children with birth defects; they don't really know what to do with them.  
He said they were mean.  
I told him they weren't mean...they just live in a different kind of world.  
He asked me how long it would take to bring her home. 
I told her we hope to bring her home this year.  
He asked me how come so many people love me.  
I chuckled at that.  
I asked him what he meant.  
He said "you have a lot of friends....and they all like to help.  Like your friend who donated her Christmas coat money for Sofi...and all your friends that give you shoes."  
I thought about that.  
I do have a lot of friends.  
A LOT of friends.  
People who love our family, people who love Sofi.  
People I know personally, people I've never met.  People willing to share our story....and sometimes even dealing with the backlash of other people's negative opinions.  
I told him that we are truly blessed, and Heavenly Father is working hard with all of the people who are touched to help us to bring Sofi here to our family.  
I told him I was sorry that I couldn't take him to her country with us when we go.  
He said that was okay, he didn't want to go.  
He said it was too sad....he didn't want to be sad.  
But he did ask me to bring him something when I go.  
I said "absolutely!".  
As we were talking about the orphanages, I told Stuart that there is a child I read about that was fourteen years old, with a Spina Bifida lesion that had never had surgery.  Kawika asked me all kinds of questions about that. 
He asked what a hole in the back looked like.  
(Kumaka's lesion at birth was  a hole in his back...we were able to see his spine...some kids have a bubble covering the spine)  
I told him that I never showed him the picture because it was pretty graphic.  
He told me he wanted to see it.  
I asked him if he was sure.  
He said "Mom, I watch The Walking Dead....I can handle it."  What an awesome mom I am.  
Great..my son watches zombie stuff so he can handle real life gore.  HMMMMM
"Mom, I want to see his back."
"Okay" I say.  

I was so glad to have that conversation with Kawika.  And it made me realize that I really need to take the time to spend more alone time with each of my kids.  Have conversations with all of them...one on one.  My kids are really awesome.  I was so impressed with his knowledge, his sensitivity, and his questions.  I was really touched that he recognized that people love us, and Sofi and that is why they help...whether it's with money, shoes, or praying.  He is seeing that we are able to do the impossible....only with God's grace.  We are so blessed...and I am so glad our children will be witnesses to a miracle.  Her name is Sofi.