What we've been up to

I haven't posted much about us lately, so I thought I'd take a few minutes to do that now. (And as I've mentioned before, I'm not going to do an adoption update until after Vera's fundraiser has ended. All adoption-related posts are about Vera until my birthday! )

William is playing soccer for the 4th straight season, and he's getting better & better!
His passing skills are really starting to develop.









During the first game of the season, while in goal, he dislocated his finger. Here he is, being nursed by the assistant coach (always helps when that coach is also Daddy!)














I was so excited to get the privilege of picking Zack up at the airport 2 weeks ago... it's great having him back home!












William received his very first report card, and it was great! We'd been looking for an opportunity to take him to Medieval Times, and we thought this was a great time to do it. We all had lots of fun!











We took William to his second Lowe's Kids Clinic, and he made a Frankenstring Magic Trick. He has a blast (but all that hammering will definitely give you a headache!)












We met our friends the Davis family at church a little early last night. They were wanting some family pictures made, and the lake area was a great place to do just that. Zack took the official photos with his camera, but I snapped a few while we were there, too.

The first picture looks like it should be on a campaign poster...
Looking Towards The Future













I am thankful for the Davis family and their friendship. Deanna has become an especially special friend of mine, and I know without a doubt that God's fingerprints are all over our friendship. Our families' lives have intersected repeatedly over the years. Our husbands grew up together. We all worked in ministry together at another church. And now we are in church together again: Deanna leads our women's ministry, where I'm actively involved; and Jeff led the mission trip that Zack just returned from.

And an added bonus to all of this? Our kids are now friends, too! We are especially thankful that William has friends at church now, something we'd been praying for.









I just love this picture of Deanna with her 2 girls (her son & William were off hunting for deer tracks by the lake at the time).

Vera = Faith

I found out that Vera's name

means FAITH in Russian

As we begin our second adoption journey, we are following God in FAITH, just as we did when we brought William home.

And we have FAITH that God will call (or is already calling) a family to step up and commit to Vera.

Someday our FAITH will be turned to sight - how awesome that will be! But for now I continue to have FAITH in the One whose existence I simply cannot deny.

He is the air I breathe
He painted the beautiful sunrise I saw this morning
He performed my miraculous physical healing from cancer
He led me to a husband who provides for & honors our family
He clearly directed us to our son, half a world away
He is living in the tender heart of my son

He is in the hopes of orphans like Vera

And in the hearts of families who step out in FAITH

to bring these orphans into their families

Please consider a small tax deductible gift to Vera's fund.

Getting Closer!

Three weeks from tomorrow marks the finish line for Vera's fundraiser

...and we only need to raise $420 to reach our goal...

Let's get there ahead of the deadline. Please consider a donation to Vera, and make a difference in her life!

Friday Five Dollar Challenge

CHALLENGE
We're challenging a minimum of 10 blog visitors

to donate $5.00 to Vera's adoption fund TODAY

MATCHING FUND
A matching fund will match donations made each Friday
(up to $50 matched each Friday)

Your tax-deductible gift can help Vera's dreams of a Mommy & Daddy come true!

26 days...

...left to raise funds for Vera

...only $490 away from our goal

Your tax-deductible gift can help Vera's dreams of a Mommy & Daddy come true!

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
those who help others are helped.
Proverbs 11:25

Don't Forget about Vera!

If you've donated to Vera's adoption fund, thank you!

We have 27 days remaining in the fundraiser.

We still need to raise $525.

That's less than $20 per day!

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Vera's fund.

Any amount you can donate will get us closer to our goal, and will provide that much more support to the family that commits to Vera's adoption.

Reece's Rainbow Homecomings

Here's another great video I want to share, showcasing the homecomings of so many Reece's Rainbow children.
(Thanks to Michelle for putting it together and allowing fellow bloggers to post it)



Wouldn't it be awesome to see Vera and Olya* in this montage?!

*Olya is another beautiful child from Reece's Rainbow. Michelle & her family are raising funds for Olya's adoption fund.

While I'm Waiting, John Waller

If you have a few minutes, please listen to this song. I find it very appropriate for our adoption journey.

But isn't it also applicable to so many facets of life as we wait on God's direction, and as we await Christ's return?

Friday Five Dollar Challenge

It's Five Dollar Challenge Friday...

CHALLENGE
We're challenging a minimum of 10 blog visitors to donate $5.oo to Vera's adoption fund today

MATCHING FUND
A matching fund is in place that will match donations made each Friday
(up to $50 matched each Friday)

Make your donation today, and make a difference for Vera!

Reece's Rainbow

Take a few minutes to watch this amazing video by Andrea Roberts, founder of Reece's Rainbow (and Reece's Mommy!)... (Click on the Reece's Rainbow link to view)



Reece's Rainbow

He's Back... So let's get back to fundraising!

A sense of normalcy returned to the Dove household last night, as Zack returned safely from Norway & Germany. I look forward to all the stories he has to share, but he was beyond exhausted when we got home. By the time we pulled in the driveway, he'd been traveling for 23 hours straight!

We are thankful that God provided safe travel and a good experience for all involved. Please be in prayer for the pastors and church planters they worked with while in Norway. And pray for the Norwegian people: that they will be awakened to the truth of God and the gift of His Son.

And now that Zack is back, I want to return the blog focus to Vera's fundraiser. Some people have asked about progress on our own adoption. Once we complete the fundraiser, I'll start sharing a little about our adoption. But not until after we do this for Vera and help her find her family!

I've increased the goal amount to compensate for paypal fees, and because we're doing so well with so much more time to go.

I have no doubt that with 34 days left in the fundraiser, we can exceed this goal. Be a part of Vera's hope - donate today! And please continue to pray that a family will step up and commit to Vera very soon.

One more day!

Have I mentioned that Zack comes home tomorrow?
And can I just tell you how excited I am?!?!?!?
(of course, William is, too)

I'm so thankful that God gave him the opportunity to go to Norway and Germany, and I'm thankful that I have a husband who actively seeks to follow God's path.

Yet, I've also really missed him. It's tough having your best friend half-way around the world for 12 days.

But soon, he will be back home! About 34 hours to go...

More Norway

Today is Zack's last full day in Norway. He & his buddy Jeff will be traveling by plane/car to Jena, Germany on Saturday. Please pray for safety & health for both of them.

Yanira, Joseph & Deena (the other three from "Team Norway") are headed back to GA tomorrow. Please pray for travel safety for them as well.

Friday Five Dollar Challenge

Happy Friday - and it's challenge day! We are doing great on our fundraising for Vera - but let's keep that momentum going...

CHALLENGE
We're challenging a minimum of 10 blog visitors
to donate $5.oo to Vera's adoption fund today

MATCHING FUND
A matching fund is in place that will match donations made each Friday
(maximum match of $50 each Friday)

Make your donation today!

Tomorrow is the Friday Five Dollar Challenge

We've now made it past the half-way point on the fundraiser!! Thanks to all those who've given so far. I'm excited that we've made it this far already with more than a month left. I know we can exceed the $1,000 goal!

Don't forget that tomorrow will be our second of 7 Friday Five Dollar Challenges. If you were thinking about making a donation today, WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW! Why? There is a matching fund that will match the first $50 of donations made each Friday between now and the end of the fundraiser.

Come back tomorrow and donate $5.00 to help Vera and her forever family!

Fighting for Life

Please take a moment to click on the "Fighting for Life" button on the left hand sidebar. Be in prayer for Ruslana and her family!

A compelling quote

"Adoption is not just about couples who want children - or who want more children. Adoption is about an entire culture within our churches, a culture that sees adoption as part of our Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself"
Adopted for Life (The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches)
Russell D. Moore

Click here to order this awesome book - it has been a major eye-opener for Zack and me!

Chip-in for Vera

We continue to make great progress towards our goal for Vera's adoption. Slava Bogu (Praise God) and THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed so far!


You can make a difference - please donate today by clicking on the chip-in link on the left hand side of our blog. Thanks for your help!

Go Vols - Mike Hamilton & Adoption

Just when I think I couldn't love the University of Tennessee any more than I already do, I read THIS story about UT's athletic director!

And I was able to find their blog, too - click HERE to read all about God's provision for them in bringing their children home from Ethiopia.

H.R. 213

Check out the picture at the bottom of this post - a copy of the email I just received from my State Representative (you can click on it to enlarge it). Glad to get this positive response regarding The Adoption Tax Relief Guarantee Act of 2009, H.R. 213. If you haven't taken the time to contact your Senators and Representatives (it only takes a few minutes!), please CLICK HERE and read the blog post that provides easy instructions. Thanks for your support of this important act!

And if you're a blogger, I encourage you to write a blog post and encourage your readers to do the same.

Norwegian Food

In true Dove fashion, I present to you a post dedicated to food...

Cream soda












Lamb wrap from a Pakastani area in Oslo









Norwegian Nation Cake









Carrot Cake









Dessert time









Fresh Shrimp

How you can support our adoption journey

As you probably know by now, we are about to begin the process to adopt from Ukraine again. We are excited and anxious to meet the child that God has chosen to be a part of our family.

So how can you help?

PRAYER
So many of you played an important role in William's adoption by supporting us through prayer. And we need your help again! Please pray for:

• Those who will assist us in the adoption process (U.S. coordinator, Ukrainian facilitation team, etc.)
• Timely and accurate processing of all documents
• William: he is excited about becoming a big brother, but will definitely be faced with some adjustments
• Zack & me: that we make wise decisions throughout the process, and that we will be the parents God wants us to be for both of our children
• All three of us as we attempt to brush up on our Russian language skills

Please especially lift up our little one who is in Ukraine, waiting on a family. Pray for his/her health and happiness, for those who are caring for him/her, and for the biological family. Pray that he or she will readily adapt to a new family, language, and culture.

And most importantly, pray that God will be glorified throughout our journey.

FINANCES
Another way that many of you helped us the first time around was through financial contributions. We are forever grateful to those who supported us in this way, and made the dream of William's homecoming a reality.

We have been discussing and planning our second adoption for a while, and have been able to work our finances so that we will be able to fund this adoption ourselves.

Because we will not be asking for financial support, won't you please make a tax-deductible donation to Vera's adoption fund, so that she can have a forever family? This would be a great honor to us and our children! There are 43 days left in Vera's adoption, and we need to raise $670 more to reach our goal!

Norway, part 2

Here are some pictures that Zack took in Oslo on Sunday. He can elaborate on things once he's home, but here's a little of what they did yesterday:

• Walked around the city a little bit
• Attended 11:00 AM service at the Baptist Church (they were having an outreach event)
• Lunch with a couple of church planters
• Evening church service at one of the planters' churches

The Baptist Church










They have Sunday AM outreach services periodically (monthly/quarterly?), and the service included some secular jazz.









The service is followed by a time of fellowship, with coffee & cookies









Hard Rock Cafe









Nobel Prize Museum









Oslo's Opera House































Zack and the cat from He-Man (just kidding, but he did say it reminded him of Battle Cat, and I have to agree!)



















Oslo University













Parliament











Evening church service at Thor's church