All I want for Christmas is a winning lottery ticket

Last Wednesday we took a two hour road trip to Portage to visit Pauquette’s adoption agency.  I’m not sure what I was expecting; all I knew was that I had really psyched myself up for it.  I had psyched myself up in good reason too, after all this was the most serious adoption action we’d ever taken.  This meant my dream was getting closer to becoming a reality *cue the happy dance*

We met with a fantastic woman named Lynn.  She explained the process to us in more detail along with the cost and what to expect along the way.  She told us that their Interstate program worked with agencies in Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Chicago among several others and that most of the babies adopted out of these programs are not white.  Lynn was very knowledgeable in all things adoption related and her heart for adopted children and transracial families was evident.  It was a pleasure meeting her. 

We decided that we’ll look at another agency or two.  While we both really liked Pauquette’s and have heard excellent things about them, we want to make sure we are getting the best fit our family and our needs.  In the meantime I think we might start working on our 18 hours of required education.

The financial aspect of this whole process still discourages me and scares me sometimes.  I look at where we are at and think that we have so far to go.  “At this rate MaeLynn will be 5 years old before she gets a little brother or sister,” I think to myself.  Alas I have to remember God’s goodness, faithfulness and timing—it’ll all work out in His time.  He is already working in amazing ways and we have been able to save more than we had anticipated.  Regardless, it would be really convenient right now if His plan and timing involved a winning lottery ticket or something of the sorts.  Tis the season right?

Prayer points

• Guidance in picking an agency that meets our needs
• the biological parents of our child-for their health and well being
• Guidance in planning a potential craft/garage sale fundraiser in the spring
• Our finances: that we would be wise in our spending and that God would provide extra money for us to put away to pay for the adoption

How you can help

• Pray for us
•  Buy a puzzle piece, the price is up to you.  If interested please email me at Elizabeth.gosse@gmail.com
• Make a delicious meal!  Buy Wildtree products or host a Wildtree party.  All of the money I make with Wildtree after taxes and supplies will go into our adoption fund.  Go to www.mywildtree.com/lizgosse 

Thank you everyone for your outpouring of support and prayers.  We are truly grateful.

Our journey begins!

They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  Well this is step 2 or 3 out of what could be a million steps.  Our journey could take 6 months or it could take 6 years.  I’m not sure what God has in store for us.  All I know is one thing:

We want to adopt a child

There, I made it cyberspace official.   In our hearts we long to bring an infant into our home that would otherwise not have a home or worse yet, not have been born at all.  We know there are people struggling out there with unexpected pregnancies.  Our desire is to come along side one and provide a home for their child—a child in the United States, perhaps of a different race.  Idealistic?  Sure.  Possible?  Absolutely!

We titled our blog “Piecing together the Gosses” because in essence that’s what we are doing in the coming months and years.  In each post you’ll see the progress we are making on our adoption fund through our puzzle.  We purchased a puzzle with 500 pieces in it, each piece representing another addition of money to our adoption fund.  An average adoption ends up costing $20,000-$30,000.

In addition to the picture on the front of the puzzle a different picture will develop on the back side of the puzzle.  On each piece we plan to write down where the money came from-from who, where or what.  This gives our adoptive child a story.  They will know what it took to bring them into our family-all 500 pieces of the story.

When you think about it an adoptive family is a lot like a puzzle.  Each person or piece comes from a different part in the box (in my case Massachusetts, in Clint and MaeLynn’s cases Wisconsin) yet is made by the same Creator.  Each person or piece looks slightly different and when all of the pieces come together they make a beautiful picture.

We invite you to come on this journey with us as we piece together our family!

How you can help

• Pray for us
•  Buy a puzzle piece, the price is up to you.  If interested please email me at Elizabeth.gosse@gmail.com
• Make a delicious meal!  Buy Wildtree products or host a Wildtree party.  All of the money I make with Wildtree after taxes and supplies will go into our adoption fund.  Go to www.mywildtree.com/lizgosse

Prayer points

• the biological parents of our child-for their health and wellbeing
•  Our meeting at Pauquette’s adoption agency on November 21^st: patience in waiting for it and guidance with how to proceeds
• Our finances: that we would be wise in our spending and that God would provide extra money for us to put away to pay for the adoption