What's new

Dear Life,

We have done some number crunching...and we have figured out that we are HALFWAY there!!!  Isn't that AMAZING????
Shoes really really really made the difference!  (So much so that my husband is wanting to do another shoe drive..hmmm...I think we need more creative ideas!!)

Basically...we need a couple thousand more Euros for our agency in Sofi's country, $1500 for our Post Adoption Reports, the money for Sofi's Visa, and travel.  It's amazing....to think we are halfway there!!!

Our homestudy is complete, we are just waiting for the final draft to be sent to us.  Then we can send it to USCIS (US immigration) for them to put our file together.
Once that is done, we send them our I800 (immigration forms) and our dossier (big fat file of Jensen facts) and send them off to Eastern Europe to be translated and sent to court.

We are hoping to visit Sofi for the first time at the end of the summer or early fall.

We can't wait.

We are so grateful for all of the love, support and prayers all of you have given us.  We are so grateful that there are so many people that are a part of Sofi's story.  Thank you.

He's a natural

Dear Life,

Today Kumaka started with his basketball league. 

He is the youngest on the team.  But he is amazing to watch.  HE HAS NO FEAR.  He was playing with high school kids who are very physical...and he held his own.  


He called for the ball, he tried to steal the ball (multiple times), he figured out how to pick up the ball from the ground, and he had a blast. 

It's like he was made to play.  I laughed out loud so many times watching him.  It was a joyous moment.  
I saw him loving every moment of it. 
I saw him doing what his brother does. 
I saw him playing with the big kids and owning his ability.
It was something to see.


I thought about those dark days...the days of uncertainty.  The days when we only heard doctors voices...and had no idea what to expect.  No one told us that we would see something as fantastic as my son saying "Hey guys...you wanna go play?" to high school kids. 

 No one told us that he would literally dance when finding out he was going to get to play.  No one told us that he would light up our life with his smile.



If only the doctors could have said "You know, we don't have any guarantees ..but check out this family's blog...contact this family...see what is available in your area," instead of scaring us.  So grateful to programs like Rancho Los Amigos Wheelchair Sports who treat kids in wheelchairs like kids....and teach them sportsmanship, independence, and love for the game.  


Today was a joy...today was another miracle.

I promise

Dear Life,

I promise to tell the truth.
No matter how hard it is.
No matter how bad it makes me feel.
No matter if it is not the happily ever after.

The truth right now?

I KNOW that we are supposed to adopt Sofi.

The other truth?

It is terrifying.

We are focusing on the steps to adoption...it's a great distraction to the reality of it. 
We are so busy gathering papers, collecting signatures, getting reports, and fundraising we don't have time to be afraid.
Unless it's midnight.
And everyone is asleep.
Right now I am admitting my fear.

I would be lying if I said it wasn't scary.
I'm afraid that she won't know how to handle having someone hug her. (That horrifies me...that she may not want to be hugged...but it could happen)
I'm afraid she'll get sick and die before we get her.
I'm afraid people won't accept her.
I'm afraid Kumaka will be sad.
I'm afraid my boys will resent her.
I'm afraid.

Now that my fears have been written down, I'm going to tell you that our family will not let fear rule our lives.
We will education ourselves, we will pray (a lot), we will talk (a lot), we will love each other (even when we make mistakes), we will recognize fear (and then figure out what we need to do to alleviate that fear), we will be patient (with ourselves and with others), we will forgive  (each other and others), we will love. 

We know that fear is not how God works.  LOVE is.  And although there may be (will be) difficulties, with LOVE, FAITH, PATIENCE, ENDURANCE, FORGIVENESS, and a lot of PRAYER we will be okay.  Because we love Sofi.  
And more importantly, GOD loves Sofi.

I promise to be honest....and to share the good and the bad.  To tell the truth.  
The best part of this story will be even better after passing through the challenges. 

Thank you for your support, love, and kindness.

Learning to "Carve the 'Dis' out of Disability"

Dear Life,

I've been sitting here contemplating the amount of blessing our family has received.  I've been contemplating how very lucky Kumaka is...to live in the United States....to have a family who loves him, supports him, provides opportunities that are not typical....and BELIEVES that HE CAN DO ANYTHING.  Not only that, but wonderful people have come forward and provide amazing and life changing  experiences.  

Last year at this time, Kumaka was in a cast.  A HUGE cast.

A very special young man came to visit Kumaka. 
I'm not really sure what compelled Aaron "Wheelz" to drive over, but that was the beginning of life changing events for Kumaka.

We've been fans of "Wheelz" since Kumaka was a baby.
He has always been an example of doing what you love...and not allowing anything to stand in your way.
I mean...really...check this out:

How could that not be inspiring?
And then yet another inspiring person contacted us.
Christiaan Bailey has become a family friend...and another huge example to Kumaka.
Christiaan lives life his way....has fun doing it...and even more important believes in the "groms" as he calls Kumaka.

This week he brought Kumaka a BoxDesigns WCMX team chair and patiently taught him how to balance. (He has to learn this because this chair has no brakes and no anti tippers....so when he does wheelies he has to balance or he will tip over...and yes it's already happened LOL...hence the helmet!)

Christiaan was on his way to New Zealand,  but he spent almost an hour with our little man.

Providing Kumaka with a new way to look at his chair.

In his words: "I hope this is a turning point for him...looking at his chair as a fun toy instead of a restrictive tank he has to use".

That is more valuable a lesson than anything Kumaka could learn in school.

LIVING LIFE.

Showing Kumaka that HE defines who he is...not his disability...not a surgery...not a broken bone. 

He has healed from last year....the year of casts and surgeries.

And now his spirit is healing.

I can't wait to see what he will do.

And I feel so blessed to have these opportunities for him.

This summer Kumaka has been invited by OceanHealing Group to go to Costa Rica.

This will be an amazing week....of learning to surf, zip lining, fishing, quad riding, snorkeling, horseback riding, among others.

It will show him that he does not have limits.

He will leave his chair behind him....and see the world in a new way.

HUGE.

Blessing.

HUGE.     

Steps to Sofi update

Dear Life,

We've been incredibly busy.  Not only have we been trying to keep up on getting through our day to day craziness....we've been doing it with one car.  WHY?  It's as if we are going to be challenged....even as we are incredibly blessed.  And that's ok.  My husband's transmission broke.  Little by little and with some assistance from family, we have paid to fix the transmission.  (if you've ever had to replace a transmission you know how much it costs)  This Saturday the transmission was put back in after being rebuilt.  And it still doesn't work.  The stupid truck only drives in reverse.  Somehow I don't think that will work with our local law enforcement.  So...we trudge forward....with one car...figuring out how to get everyone everywhere.  It's working out okay. We will be okay.  (It makes for long days...but at this point I'm grateful for one working car). 
Besides typical family business, we've been visited twice by our Homestudy social worker.  Robert was a fantastic man, very supportive, and very knowledgeable.  He was also very quick.  He has turned in a draft for our Homestudy that is now at CHI (our adoption agency) getting reviewed by their social worker. Once that is done, it will get notarized by our homestudy agency and that step will be complete.  Once that HUGE step is done, we will be able to send it off to USCIS (which is immigration) for our i800a.  The processing fee for that is 720 dollars. It is imperative we figure out a way to fundraise for this asap. Once we pay for that....we will be able to send off our dossier and that approval to Sofi's country...for their courts.  Once they go over it...and hopefully accept us...then we can make plans to see her.  I can't even believe that we are getting that much closer to seeing her.  

 As much of you know, our shoe drive was fantastic...it covered ALL of our fees for our agency and even some for the other country's fees.  Miracle for sure. The diamond pendant helped us pay for our passports, for fingerprinting, for our FBI background checks, and for the costs in ordering birth certificates and our marriage certificate.  Our immediate need is the fee for immigration...so please please pray that we will find a fantastic way to creatively fundraise for that.  Below you will see that our lists is growing smaller.  We have really seen miracles....when we first posted this...I was VERY intimidated and scared.  I really had no idea how we would accomplish it all.  All we knew is that Sofi belongs to us.  Sofi needs to come to our family. And seeing this list shows me that God is helping us achieve the hard things to get her here.  We all pray every night for Sofi...that she can stay healthy, that she can know...somehow feel...how much she is loved.  And we pray that we can get all the things done we need to so that we can get her here.

    

YOUCARING SITE

PROGRAM FEES PAID TO our adoption agency in the US

Application Fee $700 (PAID $700)
Agency Fee $6500 (PAID $6500)   Thank you shoe drive
P.A.R. (Refundable) Deposit – (PAID $500)  Thank you shoe drive

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) Have $2872 us dollars (thank you shoe drive) ...how that translates we don't know yet...will probably owe a small amount more)
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) (PAID $195)
FBI Background check $18.00 x3 $54  (PAID $54)
Fingerprinting for FBI check $20.00 x3 (PAID $60)CIS Filing fee $720 THIS IS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY
Biometric Fingerprint Charge (3 @ 85 each )
Passports (2 @ $170 each) (PAID $340)
Document notarization (cost varies) – estimate only $500 Notarization services being donated
Apostille fees (state certification on dossier documents) $20 per document (Approx $200)
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

A lesson in shoes

Dear Life,

I've been quiet.  I've been trying to process all that has happened in the last few months.  It's a little overwhelming.  When you watch miracles happen in your own life...obvious miracles...it can take your words away.  Thank you for letting me have some time to process.  There are a few things I wanted to share.  Our testimony of God in adoption is pure and true.  We have seen small and large miracles.  Things that we cannot deny.  TRUTH is truth.

GOD lives.

GOD exists.

GOD loves us.

GOD knows our needs.

GOD LOVES THE LOST CHILDREN.

GOD loves our little Sofi. 

GOD has blessed our adoption journey.

GOD has sent us on this journey...and GOD will see us through.

We found Sofi....

We KNEW we needed to bring her here...to be her family.

We prayed.

Step by step.

We realized that we needed our Homestudy money..$2250. 

It was becoming time sensitive.

We prayed more.

It was becoming stressful.

Without a homestudy we couldn't move forward.

Within three days...THREE DAYS of a pleading tearful prayer...an anonymous donor sent us first $250 and then an hour later another anonymous donor sent $1000.  

The next day I sent the money in for the full amount.

We prayed again...how do we raise more money?

Fundraising is challenging at it's best and impossible at it's worst.

One night, as I searched various things, I came across Angel Bins.

I contacted them...and the “Shoes for Sofi” shoe drive was born.

In December we started the drive...we got 1000 pairs pretty easy.

We went on Kumaka's trip, and then Christmas happened.

Shoes did NOT happen.

We knew January would have to be a big push for shoes.  

We needed a little under 4000 pairs in one month.

I knew....I had a strange knowledge that we could get 5000 pairs.

Never...never...never...in a million years did we think we would see our shoe drive go almost viral.

Never did we even imagine that we could get double of what our goal was...much less over 12,500 pairs.  

Never did we imagine we would earn $9422.

And yet we did.

That covers ALL of our agency fees.

And part of our in country agency fees.

HUGE miracle.  

HUGE.

How many people were touched by “Shoes forSofi” by sharing our story and collecting shoes or donating shoes?

We'll never know.

There is another aspect of the Shoes for Sofi story.

My dear friend Cristina Barber is an English teacher for MacArthur Middle School.

She had been collecting shoes and even counting them and storing them in her own garage.

She and  Lisa Morgan, the CLAS teacher for their district, decided to make the shoe drive a lesson for her 130 students.  

First, she printed off this post from my blog entitled "Their Story" 

Cristina explained that the blog was a type of poem.

The students then had the weekend to interpret the "poem" (my blog post) and do a circle map where they defined words...and of course they all wanted to know WHAT IS SPINA BIFIDA?

When the students came back to school on Monday, she then had a story about a girl named Andrea who has Spina Bifida along with some information about what Spina Bifida is from Kids Health.

That same day the classes discussed Angel Bins, and how they could be a solution.

The students did circle maps for both the Spina Bifida article and the Angel Bins information.

The paired off and discussed what they learned.

They went home and had to discuss what they learned with their parents.

That night, the students had to create a rough draft of a tri fold brochure explaining the whole project:

Who were the Jensen's and what are they doing?

What is Spina Bifida?

How does Angel Bins give a solution?

On the back they had to share a personal quote about the project.

They were also given one day to collect shoes if they wanted to.

Boy did they want to.

These kids were so touched by our story, by Kumaka, by Sofi.

They wanted to help.

And they wanted to know the outcome.

We were invited to school the week after the drive ended.

All five classes were invited to"meet the Jensen's" (Me, Kalani, and Kumaka) at lunchtime for a question and answer session.

We were treated like celebrities.

The kids wanted to hug Kumaka and give him high fives. 

They took turns asking questions, some directed at me and some directed at Kumaka.

These kids melted my heart.

I wanted to share some of the quotes that were given on their final projects:

"We are capable of helping others in need, such as the Jensens.  Even one donation can make a difference."    Maggie 

"Heart-warming, emotional, and more words that are far beyond."  James 

"Find out what's possible, if you never give up."  Jaymy 

"It is our job to protect the children of our generation."  Moses

" I didn't know how involved, determined, and courageous some families are, until now."                                                                                                              Luisa

"So we think a problem is going to get in the way.  No, we can achieve anything we dream of."    Sami 

"We are all different, and that's what makes up beautiful."  Arianna 

"We are capable of so much.  We start nations, we've gone to the moon, we've been to the bottom of the sea … the least we can do is bring Sofi home."  Logan 

"Money is made every day, but the bond of love the Jensens have for Sofi is once in a lifetime."   Rogelio 

"You don't have to be big or rich to make differences, all you have to do is care."  Tyler

"If we are capable of buying shoes, then we are capable of giving shoes."  Esmeralda 

Me, Kalani, Nico, Kumaka and Cristina

This teacher taught 130 children about Spina Bifida, about adoption, about supporting others in the community, about service, about children in other countries....the list goes on.  If I had my way, she would get teacher of the century award.  She is a true teacher...she loves her students as much as she loves her friends.  All of that from a shoe drive.

Amazing right?

God is good.

Miracles happen.

We have witnessed them.

Shoes for Sofi...a miracle

Dear Life,

In December, when we announced our Shoe's for Sofi shoe drive, I somehow knew we could reach our goal.  I don't know how I knew this, but I had faith that it would not be a problem.  In December, we got to 1000 pretty easy, but then we went on Kumaka's wish trip, Christmas and New Years happened, and we pretty much began anew on January 1st.  We started talking alot about it in January, a few of our friends started sharing our posts about the shoe drive and all of a sudden the shoe drive took on a life of it's own.  People kept asking me what I would do if we didn't get the whole 5000 pairs.  I knew that somehow they would come in.

Boy did they.  Every day I looked out my window.  And this is the craziness that started showing up:

This is Arizona >>>>

There is a dining room under all of those shoes.

Last week, every day the mailman, FedEx, and UPS drivers all brought shoes.  There were bags at my doorstep every day.  I had friends at my house every single day helping me to match and count shoes.  It was like manna from heaven...only shoes.

We went from 5000 on Monday to 12508 on Thursday. If I didn't witness it, I wouldn't have believed it.  It was truly inspiring to see how many people love us, and want to help bring Sofi home to our family.  

"24000 pairs of feet marching to help bring Sofi home."   

by Nina Thompson

Children's House International 

(the amazing case worker who introduced us to our angel) 

When our goal was 5000, we were expecting to get a check for $3500.  We surpassed that goal and then some.  Our agency will receive a check for $9422 next week.  THATS HUGE.  It's a miracle.  That will cover ALL of our agency fees, and some of our fees to the other country's agency.  That is truly miraculous.  This is what it looked like on Friday when they came to pick up the shoes:

Haulaway kindly donated TWO 21 foot bins to put our shoes in (which was a Godsend because our garage was way too full)

This is how it went:  We helped throw bags of shoes in the boxes...that yellow thing in front was a scale.  It weighed the box when it was full.  We did that 25 times. 

These ladies were at our house EVERY day last week...counting...banding....and watching miracles happen.  We could not have finished everything without them.

This is the Angel Bins Truck....we FILLED it to the brim!

This is the big truck that brought those bins to our house.

And this is the truck that took our shoes away.  

This is where we send our thanks to all of you...even if you donated just one pair...or if you shared the story with someone....or if you just prayed for our princess.  God heard...and through all of you He delivered big time.  

From California:

Azusa

Bakersfield

Buena Park

Burbank

Calabasas

Camarillo

Canoga Park

Cardiff

Carlsbad

Cerritos

Chino

Chino Hills

Corona

Cypress

Fallbrook

Fountain Valley

Huntington Beach

Irvine

La Mirada

Ladera Ranch

Lake Forest

Lakewood

Lancaster

Long Beach

Newport Beach

Norco

Northridge

Oceanside

Orange

Palmdale

Phelan

Placentia

Porter Ranch

Reseda

San Diego

San Marcos

Santa Ana

Seal Beach

Signal Hill

Simi Valley

Tustin

Valencia

Vista

West Covina Tulare

West Hills,

Westiminster

Whittier

Woodland Hills

Shoe Drives:

Sowers Middle School

Vista View Middle School

Walker Junior High

Avio Anaheim Club

Ada Harris Elementary School

Montessori of Malibu Canyon

The Way of No Way Academy of Martial Arts,

Pi Kappa Phi's at CSUN

All Over the United States:

Winston Salem, NC
Denver, CO

Delta, CO
Fort Worth TX
Meridian, ID

Limerick, PA

Philadelphia, PA
Westminster MD

Atlanta, GA
Woodstock, GA
Marrietta, GA
Vestavia Hills, AL
Hoover, AL
Glendale, AZ
Fort Wayne, IN
Berne, IN
Indianapolis IN
Huntertown, IN
Lewis Center, OH
Hillard, OH

St. Clairsville, OH

Canal Winchester, OH
Ridgeland, WI
Clayton, WI
Hillsdale, WI

Louisville, KY

Wheeling IL

Forest Lake, MN

Gila Valley, AZ

Provo, UT

Meridian, ID

Buffalo, NY

THANK YOU!