Leaving for Ethiopia in 4 days!!!

Can't believe it's almost time.... 4 days to go and we're off to Ethiopia to Finally meet our son!!! WooHoo!! I've been so full of emotions and cry at the drop of a hat.  I keep daydreaming about what it will be like the moment we see our son face to face..... and then I remember how incredible that overwhelming love and joy felt when I gave birth, saw and held my 4 beautiful babies for the first time. Absolutely nothing like it in the world!!! 

As soon as we pass court, he will legally be an "Archie" and we can then show his face and say his name. We're asking everyone to please keep us lifted up in prayer and pray that we pass court right away so we don't have to cover his face with these hearts any longer!  :)

Our 2 older children are going with us..... Michael Jr. is going on this first trip for our court appointment and our oldest daughter Jasmine is going the second time for our Embassy appointment when we get to bring him home. Michael Jr. is so excited and can't wait to meet his brother!! He's already packed and ready to go with his "Ordinary Hero" gear!

  

Our upstairs hallway is full of luggage / donations.

I hear it's a 14 hour trip going there and 17 hours back! Whew!

Bring on the Ambien!  :)

Been happily busy packing, collecting donations for the children in our son's orphanage, finishing travel paperwork, completing adoption educational requirements, making sure we have everything we need.....on top of the crazy busy everyday life of a typical mom of 4 very active athletic kiddos....school projects.... homework....sports practices/games every night of the week....sign making.....piles and piles of laundry, cooking (well, not so much cooking  LOL! - more like eating out), cleaning, volunteer work and growing my Rodan+Fields business across the country.  Whew!!!
But there's one more thing that we are so excited to add to our list of activities...something new to our family....SOCCER.  We hear our son LOVES soccer and we can't wait to see him play!

My sweet Jayla enjoyed helping me put 50 candy bags together for the children in Ethiopia. She really wishes she could go with us on this trip and meet her brother and pass out the candy. Every night at dinner, she prays and asks God to bring her big brother home by Christmas.  Love her heart! I know she will definitely be going with me on many, many mission trips in the future. She's a little world changer in the making!   :)

My amazing and dear friend Kelly Putty (founder of Ordinary Hero) was in Ethiopia again recently and went to see our son at his school. She always tells me how sweet and shy he is. 

Love this picture of that visit....such a beautiful smile!

This is his school's library.

My hubby sporting his new "Simply Love" t-shirt............

From the bottom of my heart......I want to sincerely thank all of those who have donated financially toward our adoption, donated clothes for the children in the orphanage and formula for the babies and most importantly for all your Love, Support and Prayers! What a blessing you are to our family and to these precious orphans! I can't wait to see their faces light up when we hand out the donations.

Before we leave, we're asking all of you to please keep our family in your prayers. We can't wait to share everything with you guys when we get home.

Please pray over the following........

- Safe travel and our health

- Pray for our children that are staying home (Jasmine, Jayla and Malik)

- And for my sister (and her children) who will be caring for them while we're gone.

- For a blessed and special time with our new son and for him to know and feel how much we love him.

- Pray that we pass Court on Nov. 3rd

- Pray for us and our new son when we have to leave him and come back to the U.S.  Not sure how I'm gonna held this one.

- Pray over Michael Jr. (who is 12) and that this trip will be life changing for him.

- Pray for a quick Embassy date so we can have our son home by Christmas!

Last but not least......

- Pray that CHRIST will be Glorified in all that we do!!!!!!

LOVE and APPRECIATE YOU ALL!!!!! 

~ Crystal

Faith & Love is all you need..God will do the rest!

“Whoever receives a child in My name, receives Me.”
- Matthew 18:5

I don't even know where to begin. There are not enough words to express how Awesome our God is and what our family is feeling right now. April of this year, most of you know that we made the decision to step out in faith and move forward with adoption of an older child from Ethiopia....not knowing where the money was gonna come from at that moment. The Lord has blessed my husband and I both with awesome careers and business, but I mean...with a big family... 4 children...who has an extra $30,000 just sitting around?  LOL!
We DID KNOW however that it was time to stop talking and start doing. I'm telling ya, God would keep me up at night...tugging and tugging at my heart especially for this precious boy you see here.



Couldn't get this verse out of my head.......
Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act.  - Proverbs 24:12

I kept hearing the Lord say...."Don't worry about the how, when and why. Just trust me my child..... faith and love is all you need.....I will do the rest!"

There are many times in our lives when God calls us to go somewhere or do something. He wants us to step out in faith in a situation that seems extremely ridiculous so HE can AMAZE us with what He does. Most of the time we miss out on these exciting opportunities because we are unwilling to move--or let Him move through us. When He asks us to move, He never asks us to go alone. He asks us to move because He wants to go somewhere and He wants us to move with Him!

God touched many hearts and donations started coming in. I was so overwhelmed with joy by the love shown from my friends and people I have never even met. Can't tell you how much every donation meant to our family! I would of course cry every time someone gave....this whole process has been so emotional and life changing!

Anyway, with the donations, we still needed over $20,000 to cover all of the fees for our adoption and it's getting closer and closer to our court date everyday. My husband and I kept praying, believing and we knew without a doubt that God would provide....we just didn't know the how and when.
But when God tells you to do something, HE will provide all the resources necessary to accomplish HIS will.

Sooooo long story short.......
My husband used to play in the NFL and last November, he gets a phone call from his agent that he hasn't talked to in I think like....10 years!!! The agent asked him if he ever played in California and if so....said he could possibly have some money coming to him...something about workers comp in CA. I have no idea and still don't understand it.....but God knew. HE had it all planned and was waiting to surprise us at the very end. Fast forward...we forgot all about it....honestly, didn't even think anything of it....and now that we're down to the wire....getting closer to our court date to meet our precious son.....recently got a phone call from the agent and laywer saying that the settlement was finished and a check was in the mail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What?!?!? Are you kidding me?!?!  WooHoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I fell to my knees and wept with so much praise and thanksgiving to our awesome God!!!!

Wow!! HE is Always on time!!!!! After all these years....we just now receive this money....a month before we have to leave for Ethiopia?! We are overwhelmed with God's goodness! HE had it all planned for such a time as this!!

On top of it...the Lord increased and blessed my business with record breaking growth and volume in August!

So needless to say.... EVERYTHING for our Adoption was paid for last week!!!!!!!!!!
Isn't our God A-M-A-Z-I-N-G?!

We also want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has donated and prayed for our family!! Our hearts are overjoyed!!!! 

October 29th, we're off to Addis Ababa to finally meet our sweet son face to face! We wake up everyday excited to cross off another day on the calendar.... each day that goes by is a day closer to the moment I've been dreaming of!

I pray that our family's story of Faith touches you in some way! Always know that our God is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think... in Jesus Name!!! - Amen

 

WooHoo!! We Got A Court Date!!!!!!!!!!

WooHoo!!! Woke up this morning to the best news ever!!!! We got a Court Date for November 3rd!!!!!!  God is soooooo Good!!!  Can't stop crying and thinking about that day....the day we get to see our son face to face!!!!!!! 
Time to start booking flights and planning our trip!!!!
 
 Jumping for Joy!!!!  Praise God!!!!

  

Pictures worth a thousand words....

When the awesome Ordinary Hero teams got back from Ethiopia and visiting my son's orphanage....we received some more wonderful pictures of him and a short video clip of our sweet son saying " I Love You Momma and my dear brothers and sisters....I can't wait to see you!" Of course I was bawling as the translator was relaying what he said.

My friend Kelly told me that when they went back to his orphanage the 2nd time to give him and the other children clothes...that he was carrying around our photo album with him....the one pictured here..  :)  Do you have any idea how much that made my day?

Between us there are many miles
But, separately, we can share our smiles
Although not physically there, it’s true
My heart has traveled to be with you!

Look at that smile as he sees the gifts that we sent to him.   :)

And I absolutely LOVE this picture!!

Nothing makes me happier than to see him Praying!

An Orphan's Prayer

(Poem from the adoptive magazine "All God's Children")

I am waiting...somewhere far...far...away on the other side of the world. I may not know who you are or what you look like, but some how deep in my heart I know you are out there. That one day you will come and find me. It's a long journey,and it takes a lot of time... I wish it could be easier. But I know that the ones who come for me will not count the cost. They will only see the joy of finding me. For now I abide in the fields of the fatherless. Day by day wondering why I was born here and not somewhere else? Asking....why my life couldn't have been different.

It is so lonely...Even though I am surrounded by hundreds of other children, I know something is missing... I know in my heart I need a place to call home. My arms long to be wrapped in a father's embrace..I long to be saved by a mother's love...

Gazing out the orphanage window I offer a prayer of hope,"Oh, God, please help them come quickly." Even as I lay there in the darkness each night somehow I feel assured, that no matter how lost I appear I am not alone,

Holy hands guard my steps, sacred fingers wipe my tears, touching my lonely heart. The one who made me, the God that knew me before I was born, hears me every time I call. He whispers his promises in my ear. I listen with hope to His voice.

But what I worry about most is that no one wants to look for me. The fields are vast and there are so many scattered all over the earth. I wonder how one little child, so lost can be found?

Yet he calms my heart and assures me,that He will find you. That he will make sure that you hear His voice clearly. He has promised me that He will make a way through the fields. That he will personally cut a path,and lead you right to my orphanage door.

My prayer is... When he speaks... Please don't forget to listen... When he calls don't be too afraid to go. For I am waiting somewhere, far,...far...away, on the other side of the world... TO COME HOME.

  Our other 4 wonderful children have completely opened their hearts and have been absolutely amazing about the adoption and can't wait to have their brother home!! 

Below is the most special picture that we put in the photo album that was given to him!

Please keep our family in your prayers and that our case will go smoothly. Also, please help us get the word out about raising funds to cover the costs. We need to raise $10,000 asap for the Ethiopia in- country fee. We are so thankful and truly touched by the donations given so far. God is sooooo good!

Praying for peace and patience as we wait to get a court date as some days are hard for me (the Mommy). What gets me through is knowing that he's in the Lord's hands and that God's timing is perfect!!  Amen to that!

THANK YOU all for your love, support and prayers!!!  ~ The Archie Family

Most SPECIAL Day....a Smile We Will Never Forget!

My amazing friend Kelly Putty (founder of Ordinary Hero) posted this on her recent Blog.  (Read below the pic)
She's in Ethiopia now and tells the story of the day she told our Son that he has a Forever Family!!!! My heart is so full of joy...I can't begin to explain how blessed our family feels!

Praying you will find it in your heart to make a Donation to help us bring home our son! Look at that Smile on his face as he sees for the first time... pictures of us...HIS FAMILY...that's he's been hoping, praying and waiting for!!

Will you Donate $20 Today? Please help us bring our son home. 

Thank You So Much!

"The most amazing thing for me in ALL that I do for OH is to advocate for the waiting children. I had the privilege on this trip to tell one of my little buddies that has been waiting for years to be adopted, THAT HE HAS A NEW FAMILY!! This little guy is 10 or 11 and has been on our wait list for the longest time, simply because he is older. We have continued to advocate for him and one of the sweetest families ever has fallen in love with him. He will join their family soon. This little guy has the sweetest spirit and my heart has always broken for him and another boy that are left in this orphanage because I watched them wait. With each visit I had here there they sat and waited. Now this little guy is going to go home to his forever family.....and the best part is that we will be neighbors! He is coming to TN. He was really nervous when we asked him to sit next to us off by himself. He didn't know what was going on. I brought the translator over and began to talk to him. I said "You know how you have been wanting a family, and you have been wanting to be adopted?" He said, "Yes". I then pulled out the photo album of his new family and flipped open to the picture of all of them with his new Mother, Father, two sisters, and two brothers and they were holding a picture of him, and I couldn't even get the words out as tears were filling my eyes. I sat there and gathered myself and then finally the words came. "You now have a family." I introduced him to all his family members and then at the end I pointed to him and said his name. He had the biggest smile ever and it was the most precious thing. All those on our team standing around and watching were crying. I can't even tell you what joy this brings me as I see this little boy out in the middle of no where, thinking that everyone has forgotten him, feel God's love and favor as he now knows he will not live there the rest of his life. There is one more older boy like this one that we are still advocating for. He is simply precious!"  - Kelly Putty (Ordinary Hero)

You can follow all the wonderful things that Kelly is doing through Ordinary Hero by reading her Blog here: http://www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/

Overwhelmed with Tears of Joy!! Our son knows he has a family!!

Oh my!!! God is so Good!!! Overwhelmed with tears of joy right now!!! Just got done chatting on Facebook with my precious friend Kelly Putty, (Founder of Ordinary Hero) who is in Ethiopia right now. She told our son Today that he has a family...he now knows that he's no longer an orphan!!! We sent pictures of us and some gifts with Kelly to give to him and she said when the translator told him....."he lit up and was soooo excited and soooo sweet!!"  Kelly said they took pictures and got it all on video and that everybody was crying!!! She'll be sending it to us soon so we can see the whole special moment!!!! My oh my....Can't tell you all how much this child is changing our lives already and we haven't even met him yet! Our hearts are filled with so much love and joy and we just can't wait to get him home!!!  :)

A Video that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

Dear Friends & Family!

First, before you read any further....PLEASE watch this heart-wrenching video and you will see why we made the decision to step out on Faith and why we can't rest until we get our son home! I pray this video will open your eyes and speak to your heart....  

(make sure to pause the music at the bottom of this blog first)

We want to give a Big Heartfelt THANK YOU to the many who have generously donated towards our Adoption! You should of seen our kids when we were picking out some gifts and pictures of our family to send to our son in Ethiopia. They were so happy to be shopping for their brother that they haven't even met yet but have in their hearts.
My friend Kelly Putty, who is the founder of Ordinary Hero is taking a team of people on a mission trip July 7th and they will be visiting our son's orphanage and will be able to give him the gift from us. We don't even know if he knows yet that he has a family. And what's so special is that my friend Kelly who opened our eyes to Adoption and took the picture of this precious boy that we couldn't get out of our heads or hearts....will most likely be the one to tell him that he now has a family that can't wait to bring him home!

 I had a feeling that when we decided to take this step of faith that everything would move fast..... and it is!! Praise God! We're praying, believing and expecting a phone call soon that we have a court date, but friends...I come before you humbly stating that we still NEED HELP with our costs.

Please prayerfully consider and choose one of the many different ways below that you can help us raise this money and change the life of an orphan who deserves and is waiting for a family of his own:

1. Make a Donation through our DONATE link at the top of this blog. ($10, $20 really adds up and makes a difference if everyone gives)

2. Get the BEST skin of your life by becoming my Preferred Customer! Your support of my business truly means alot! I give fabulous Free gifts for Referrals too!  :-) 

3. Purchase a cool t-shirt, bag or accessories through Ordinary Hero and Click on the Affiliate Drop down menu when checking out. Click on MY name and 40% of the sale total goes towards our Adoption.

4. Spread the word and Forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!

5. Last but not least....PRAYER!!

We can't THANK YOU enough!!!

Your support, love and prayers mean the world to us! 

WooHoo!! We were submitted to Court!!!!

WooHoo!!! Soooooo Excited!!! Just found out that our Dossier was submitted to the Ethiopian court yesterday, June 20th!!! Yay!!!  Praise GOD! Now we just wait to get a court date.
We're praying and believing that we hear something soon. The only thing that could slow us down is the costs. We still need to raise around $25,000 so we can bring our son home. We never know when they will call and say it's time to come to Ethiopia so we need to be ready.

We have a humble request:
We are asking all of our friends and family to please prayerfully consider partnering with us on our Adoption Journey. Every $10, $20 or more really adds up if everyone gives. Please don't feel like your $20 won't make a difference because it truly will!
If at least 1000 of my facebook friends each donated just $20...we would raise $20,000!!!!  Wow! I can't tell you how much this would mean to our family and our son who's waiting in Ethiopia!
(who is pictured here with a heart on his face....we can't show his face or give his name yet)

You can help us "CHANGE THE WORLD" for this precious orphan child!

Will you make a Donation and help us bring our son Home?
THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!!!!!

In Christ's Love,
The Archie Family

We are Fundraising with Ordinary Hero!!!

This is my sweet daughter, Jayla wearing this pink LOVE tee....isn't it adorable? They have alot of other awesome apparel and accessories for you to choose from. If you place an order...make sure to click on the Affiliate Drop down Box when checking out and click MY name so our family gets the credit. We will receive 40% of the product subtotal as credit into our Adoption fundraising account.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! ♥

Order HERE

Orphan Statistics

• It is estimated there are between 143 million and 210 million orphans worldwide (recent UNICEF report.)
• The current population of the United States is just a little over 300 million… to give you an idea of the enormity of the numbers… (The current population of Russia is 141 million)
• Every day 5,760 more children become orphans
• 2,102,400 more children become orphans every year in Africa alone 
• Every 15 seconds, another child in Africa becomes an AIDS orphan
• There are an estimated 14 million AIDS orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa (a number higher than the total of every under-eighteen year old in Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland combined)
• This figure is estimated to reach 18 million orphans in Africa alone by 2010 (only two and a half years away)
• 8 out of 10 children orphaned by AIDS lives in sub-saharan Africa Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but… 
• Each year 14, 505, 000 children grow up as orphans and age out of the system by age sixteen
• Each day 38,493 orphans age out
• Every 2.2 seconds another orphan ages out with no family to belong to and no place to call home
• In Russia and the Ukraine, studies have shown that 10% – 15% of these children commit sucide before they reach age eighteen
• These studies also show that 60% of the girls become prostitutes and 70% of the boys become hardened criminals 
• Another Russian study reported that of the 15,000 orphans aging out of state-run institutions every year, 10% committed suicide, 5,000 were unemployed, 6,000 were homeless and 3,000 were in prison within three years…

May our hearts grow softer and our voices rise louder…     
 
“Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.  Deliver the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked.”  Ps 82:3-4

Dossier DONE and Sent off!!!

WooHoo!!! Finally DONE with the Important Documents for our Adoption!! They are officially on their way to Ethiopia!!! You have no idea how great it feels to finally have it done and sent off! Sooooo Excited and Relieved!! We are going out to dinner Tonight to celebrate as a Family!!  
Please keep us lifted up in prayer that everything goes smoothly and that every financial need is met. We truly appreciate all of you that have prayed for our family or sent a donation!! The love and support of our family and friends means so much!!

Love you all!

Hugs,

Crystal

Endless Paperwork

Oh my! Been up to my ears in Adoption paperwork (Dossier) since 7 am this morning and this is just the beginning. All of my friends that have adopted kept telling me about this part and I thought they were exaggerating. NOT!  There's so much more to do and I'm trying to not feel overwhelmed. I'm just so darn anxious to get to Ethiopia! I know I need to have patience....just wish it didn't take so long. I keep looking at "G's" picture...knowing it's all worth it in the end when I get to see his face! Can't wait till the day we get to bring our son home.  So very emotional.....

A Mother's Love

Completed and sent off some more paperwork yesterday and now anxious to hear back that everything was approved. Man, I wish this whole process didn't take so long. My heart is in Ethiopia EVERY day....ALL day....constantly thinking and praying about a sweet little boy (I'm gonna call him "G" for now) and he doesn't even know it yet. It amazes me how you can have so much love for someone you haven't even met. And then I realized....it's simply a mother's undying love for her child! It's exactly the way I felt when my biological children (Jasmine, Michael Jr., Jayla & Malik) were in my belly. I hadn't seen or held them, but yet loved them with every bit of my soul and all of my heart..so much it hurt!! There's no greater gift on earth than being a Mother and I have more than enough love and room in my heart & home to give to a precious child that deserves to have a family of his own and a mother's love!


 I absolutely cannot wait till the day I get to wrap my arms around "G" and look him in the eyes and say  "there are no orphans of God....you are a precious gift and you are loved....we are your forever family...I will always be here for you, I will always be by your side no matter what, I will wipe every tear...I will pray for you...you are no longer alone....I will always be your mother and I will love you all the days of my life!"

As we celebrate the love we have for our mothers this Mother's Day, we're also mindful of the orphans who live each day without knowing a mother's love. For many of these children who are waiting for adoption, the girls are chosen first and the boys keep waiting...and waiting... and waiting. It absolutely breaks my heart! 

Will you help us bring home our son?

Praise God...we have raised around $6,000 so far through donations and the OH fundraiser, but we still have a long way to go. Generally, adoption expenses will total anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000, so from our hearts, we are asking our friends and family to prayerfully consider making a donation to help us bring home our precious son. Any amount is greatly appreciated and truly makes a difference!!

Between Michael and I, we have at least 1000 friends and family and we realized that if everyone gave just $20, we would raise $20,000 for our Adoption!! Wow, what a tremendous blessing that would be! Will you help us get the word out and stand with us in prayer?  I can't begin to tell you how much this means to our family and what a difference you can make in the life of an orphan child. We want to thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts!

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little. ~Edmund Burke

We WON 3rd Place in Grant Contest!! :-)

Yay!!!! WE WON 3RD PLACE in the Ordinary Hero Grant Contest!! A BIG THANK YOU to all of our friends and family that purchased t-shirts, bracelets, bags and even bought Sheep to feed children in Africa! We came in the Top 3 because of you guys! The Grant $ and commissions we made from your sales are going directly to our ADOPTION! Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts! We love and appreciate you all!! ♥

Help us Win!!!

I am so excited that Ordinary Hero is offering an awesome $500 GRANT to the family who sells the most gear from now till Monday...We want to Win it BADLY and YOU can help! Buy a cool shirt, cool new bracelet, hats, SHEEP, raincoats and CLEARANCE items! Very important to select MY name (Crystal Archie) on the affiliate drop down box when you purchase! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

If we sell the most...WE WIN the Grant!!! Happy Shopping!! :-)

http://www.ordinaryherostore.org/

    

$4500 raised so far!!!

In awe of the giving hearts, generosity and love shown towards our family's adoption! Every time we get a donation, tears roll down my face as I picture our new son smiling when we arrive in Ethiopia to take him home!

God provided....1st Homestudy - Done! :-)

I have to admit...I was a little nervous about the homestudy today. Been cleaning the house since I woke up and rechecking all of the paperwork to make sure everything was all good.  :-)  For some goofy reason....I had the "Leave it to Beaver" family in my head.  LOL!

Feel so relieved to finally have the 1st step out of the way.... I've been told that there's soooooooo much more to do....but definitely worth every bit of it in the end when you bring home your new child!

We've just started this whole process and I've been so overwhelmed with God's goodness and the way he touches people's hearts to give. We received a few donations towards our adoption yesterday and today that completely surprised us and broke me out in tears! There was a certain amount we needed for the homestudy tonight and God provided every bit of it and more!!
HE's been trying to tell me....to just go for it....to not worry about where the money will come from...to trust in HIM....but I kept putting it off due to fear! The Lord is definitely teaching our family so much right now....and we see the fruit of this lesson everytime someone gives!

Our hearts are full of joy!

A BIG THANK YOU to those that have given so far.....you have touched our family tremendously and we pray the Lord will bless you above and beyond what you could ever imagine! 

Every donation gets us closer to Ethiopia and will help change the life of a precious orphan child!!!

Getting ready for our Homestudy on Monday

This week, Michael and I have been getting all the paperwork ready, background checks, Dr.'s physicals, etc. for our homestudy. We're so excited and can't wait to get the ball rolling!

Our homestudy is scheduled for this Monday the 18th and we're asking our friends and family to prayerfully consider donating towards our adoption. Even if it's only $10, any and every amount is greatly appreciated and truly makes a difference. We need to raise $1300 by Monday!
Every donation gets us closer to bringing home a new son. This precious boy so badly just wants a family of his own. Please help us....help him.


Every 2.2 SECONDS, another orphan child AGES OUT with no family to belong to and no place to call home.  :-(

Stepping out on Faith!!

Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows we know and holds us responsible to act. Proverbs 24:12

Ok....here we go!! As a family, we've been talking and praying about Adoption for awhile now. It's time to stop talking.... and time to step out on faith! God has been tugging at my heart and when you know that you know that you know you're supposed to do something....you can't stop thinking about it and you're always reminded of it! Yes, we are aware that we already have 4 children and No we're not crazy....we are just an ordinary family with more than enough love to go around and we most definitely have room for a precious child that wants a forever family of his own.

The older orphan children weigh heavily on my heart daily and I know that's the direction the Lord is taking us in. There is one young boy in particular from Ethiopia that our family can't stop thinking and praying about. He has been waiting for a family for a long time and I cry everytime I see his face. We actually have his picture on our refrigerator and the kids talk about him all the time as their brother. They keep telling me "let's go get him!" I wish it were that fast and easy, but there's a tremendous amount involved (paperwork, court dates, costs, etc.)

The average cost/fee's for International Adoption is anywhere from $20,000 - $30,000 and that's the only reason we kept putting it off. I started talking to other people and friends that have adopted recently, and I was always giving them the adoption expense excuse. I kept saying " I so badly want to adopt but we just don't have an extra $30,000 sitting around." All of them laughed and quickly put me in check by saying "We didn't have it either." They listened to their heart and just went for it and trusted that God would make a way...and HE did!!! Through donations, fundraisers, etc., they were able to bring their new children home.

So that's where we are right now! As a family, we're done using that excuse and completely trusting that God will provide! We are so excited because our 1st home study is this Monday, April 18th!!! WooHoo!!

We are asking all of our friends and family to join us in our journey by lifting us up in prayer and if your heart feels led to donate, we greatly appreciate any gift amount you can give. Every $10, $20 + donation gets us closer to bringing home a son from Ethiopia! We thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts and can't tell you enough how much this means to our family!

You can make a difference in a child's life today!

The Donate Button at the top of the page is through our Archie Family Adoption PAYPAL account.

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation towards our adoption, please mail your donations to the address below with note attached, OR click HERE and enter Archie Family Adoption into the *Send Us A Message* Box.
100% of your donation will be credited to our family's adoption. God Bless you as you Give!

Donations can be mailed to:

Ordinary Hero Foundation, Inc                           

P.O. Box 1945

Brentwood, TN 37024

(Attach note: Archie Family Adoption Donation)

To the world, you may be only one person, but to one person, you might be the world!