Give Up An Addiction (just for today)

I have worked really hard this year to give up some things that I love. It was prompted by some medical issues, but it has been difficult none the less. I quit eating anything that contained even the slightest amounts of SUGAR, DAIRY and YEAST. I have been free of these things for a year now and my body has never felt better. As you can imagine that has limited the kids of things I can eat in general. But it has been worth it. I am not going to ask you all to give up what I have (although I guarantee that you would feel good if you did) Today I am going to ask for something a lot easier then that!

On the 7th day of Christmas Olena needs from you:

No Expensive Drinks (just for today!)
I know most people can't get by without having there coffee or their diet coke. But I know you can do it just for today!
ONE day is all we are asking. What would you normally spend on drinks like this in a day? Maybe it's only a couple of dollars. You might not think that would help. But it will. EVERY little bit helps!!
Plan: stop drinking, save money, donate money. Easy! You would have spent it anyway. Now you are spending it to save our beautiful daughters life.

It's just one day. We can all give up something for just one day! Go on, give it a try, for Olena :)

We All Like A Refund!

Who doesn't like getting money back at the end of the year?
Most of us look forward to the tax season because we get a refund. Money we can use on anything we like. It doesn't have to go toward our bills if we don't want it too.  And if you don't get one, you wish you did, am I right?!?! Refunds are the best.

So, on the 6th day of Christmas Olena needs from you:

 

Contact your local representative and tell them to save the adoption tax credit.

 

I know this sounds like a strange request for a gift. But it would really benefit our family and Olena if you were to do this. Here are the facts taken from  adoptiontaxcredit.org

The Facts
The adoption tax credit provides financial benefits to families that open their homes to children through adoption from foster care, inter country adoption, or private domestic adoption.
The adoption tax credit, with a maximum of $12,650 in 2012, has helped to offset the high cost of adoption for hundreds of thousands of families since it was established in 1997. The IRS estimates that the credit benefited 96,949 children and their families in 2010. With more than 100,000 children in U.S. foster care available for adoption and countless millions of orphans and abandoned children around the world, the continuation of the adoption tax credit is vital to providing love, safety, and permanency through adoption to as many children as possible.

The Need
The current adoption tax credit is set to expire on December 31, 2012. If that happens, adoption may require a cost insurmountable for many American families, resulting in fewer children finding love and permanency through adoption. Although the credit remains through 2012, many families will not benefit because it is not refundable. In 2013, the credit will decrease to only $6,000 and will be available to very few adoptive families.
Congress must act now to pass legislation that will protect and extend the adoption tax credit and encourage the right of every child to grow up safe and loved in a family of their own.
Help us take action today! You can find your Representative and Senators’ contact information by visiting:

HERE

I contacted our representative today and asked him to vote to keep the tax credit. It's EASY!! And, you will not only be helping our family, you will be helping hundreds of children that might not find homes if people can't afford it.

We are hoping to be able to get this tax credit to help us pay the costs of getting Olena home. Again this gift will cost you NO money, just a few minutes of your time. Can you spare that today to help out hundreds of families, including mine?? I know you can :)

Help us get our refund next year!!  Thanks
PS you can follow progress on this facebook page save the adoption tax credit

What Can You Buy For $5

What would you spend $5 on every day?? Can't think of anything. Here are some examples:





So, On the 5th day of Christmas Olena needs from you:

Five Measly Dollars. 

I know you are all very sick of me asking you for money. I understand. I am also sick and tired of asking. I hope you all understand how difficult it is for me to ask. But, I am trying desperately to bring my daughter home. I am trying desperately to help her know that we love her. I am trying desperately to do all I can. But I alone am not enough.
So today, I ask if you could find it in your hearts, to share a measly $5 with Olena, to help her find her way home. It's not much, but it could make a big difference to us. Thank you

On The 4th Day Of Christmas...

On the 4th day of Christmas Olena needs from you:

A mention in your family's Christmas letter!

So at Christmas we like to contact every person that we have ever known and tell them all about our family and how our year has gone. I don't usually do this, I think I was as little scarred from my parents telling the whole world about every little detail of our lives every year. But I do plan to do it this year!!! And so should you :)
What we are asking is that this year, in YOUR family's Christmas letter, to all your friends and family, that you mention OUR FAMILY and OLENA. It doesn't take much and it doesn't cost you anything. But it could make all the difference to our family.
You could go into detail about orphans in Ukraine and all about our story, or it could be as simple as "I have been following the story of a family that is trying to raise money to bring their daughter home from Ukraine. If you or anyone you know could help them out in any way, or you just want to follow along with their journey please visit www.themaurinfamily.blogspot.com They would really appreciate it. "

See easy :)

Letters like these are sent all over the world. Through you, our story could reach someone that might be able and looking for someone to help this Christmas. You could be the difference!!

The Joy Of Christmas

I love listening to the Prophet and his counselors speak. This years Christmas devotional didn't disappoint. I wanted to share some feelings I had while listening to it, with you.

Last night President Uchtdorf said "Every gift that comes from the heart allows opportunity to build and strengthen our bond of love."

"We have been given so many gifts from a loving Heavenly Father.  The gift of the Holy Ghost, the miracle of forgiveness, personal revelation and guidance, the Saviors peace and the certainty that death is conquered."  There are obviously many more but lets think about those. Do we think of these gifts with the excitement and wonder of a child? Have we received them with humble gratitude and joy? Or are we too distracted every day to even notice the many great blessings we really have?

It is really easy to become overwhelmed and lose the spirit of Christmas.
President Monson said this " Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts. We find real joy when we make the savior the focus of the season. We can keep him in our thoughts and lives as we go about our work that he would have us do here on earth."

This year we were led on a different path then we planned. We had no reason to think that we would be headed over to Ukraine at any point in our lives. We had not planned to host a child in our home and we definitely were not planning to realize that she was in fact our child. We were just going about our life, doing normal everyday things. Trying to live in a way that we could humbly receive the gifts given to us from our Heavenly Father. When through those amazing gifts, we were led to Olena. This is most definitely the work HE would have us do. We were meant to meet her. There is no doubt in my mind.
President Monson spoke in his talk about the elderly, but I feel his words also ring true for orphans like Olena. He said "What they need is a sense of belonging, and assurance of being wanted. Loving hearts, not merely a dutiful formality, not merely a room in a building, but room in someone's heart and life. We cannot bring back what was lost, but we can help them live in the warm glow of a sunset, made more beautiful by our thoughtfulness and by our unfeigned love!"

We are trying desperately to give this feeling of belonging to Olena. It is something that is and has been missing from her life, and from the lives of other orphans all around the world. They long to belong (especially those that are older) to someone. They long to feel like someone is interested enough to ask them how their day was. They long to call someone mama or papa and to hear the simple words I love you. We (people with family around us) hear those words all the time and probably take them for granted. Its just something you say. But to these kids it could be the difference between having a life and ending their life. I know that sounds harsh but that is the reality of their lives. We hope to change that for Olena. We do love her and we want her to know that.

President Monson said "Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. You'll not know what Christmas is unless it's in your heart."

As a young girl in my home, my parents would always make sure that we read the Christmas story before we opened any presents. They wanted to make sure that we remembered the REAL meaning of Christmas. Even as a child I remember feeling inexpressible joy listening to that story and being with my family. That short story of the birth if Christ brought the spirit strongly into our home. I felt not only the love of my family members but I also felt the love of my Heavenly Father.  I wanted to feel this same feeling in my home, so we continued this same tradition with our kids. We want to be able to share that love and spirit of peace with Olena. We want to help her understand the love that we have for her but also the love that our Heavenly father has for her. We want her  to understand that we were led by him to meet her and bring her home. We want to offer her the priceless gift of an ETERNAL FAMILY.

President Eyring said this "Success in giving joy at Christmas usually involves help from others. It is rarely found in solitary effort. Joining with others spreads the joy and makes it more lasting. Shared joy can come from creating and offering simple gifts of love."

This is what we are trying to do. We love Olena and while this journey has been incredibly hard work, we know with all our heart that it will bring us everlasting joy. We know that you all can't follow the same journey as us. But you can join us on ours. We know that we can NOT do this alone. Our solitary effort is not enough. We need you all to spread our joy this Christmas.
I am truly grateful for this journey we are on. I know we were led by the spirit to our daughter and I know that our lives are forever changed for the better because of it. I echo the words of President Eyring when he said "I know that the spirit can lead each of us in many and simple ways, to give love and joy to others at this season of rejoicing."
We hope that you can each feel of the spirit of Christmas this year and help us, to offer the priceless gift of JOY to Olena this year. Merry Christmas!

Day 3

On the third day of Christmas Olena needs from you:

Talk to 3 people about her!

A few people make a difference, a lot of people make ALL the difference. No matter what you do or where you are the likelihood that you are going to speak to at least 3 people today is is pretty high. Why not just add us and how people can help, into the conversation. It's easy, and best of all it doesn't cost you a cent. Here is how you can do it:

Option #1: You are at the grocery store and while walking the isles you run into a friend and you say " Have you heard about this family, that are trying to adopt an orphan girl from Ukraine? They are trying to raise money to help them get over there by Christmas. You should check out their blog www.themaurinfamily.blogspot.com (in case you forgot) and read their story. You might be able to help them."

OR

Option #2: You are at the gym lifting weights and the person next to you asks to jump in on the machine you are using. You say "Sure that would be fine, but could I ask a favor of you? I know of this family that is trying to adopt an orphan girl from Ukraine. They could really use some help raising money to get her home. Could you please check out their website and read their story.

See how easy it is!! You could add it in everywhere ...

Option #3: You are at the ______________ and you start a conversation with________________. "Hey, I know of this family that is trying to adopt a 13 year old orphan from Ukraine. They really need some help raising the money to get her home. Why don't you check out their blog and read their story. You could help them this Christmas!"

It doesn't take much to do today's task. Just a little time out of your day. I know you can do it!!!
P.S You don't have to be in America to speak to your friends about us or to help us. SO friends in England and Australia PLEASE  SHARE OUR STORY as well. Isn't the internet great :)

12 Days Of Fundraising

So December is here. This is the month we hope to travel to Ukraine. So we are going to need every ones help this month to make that happen.We still have a lot of money to raise before we go. We need to have our current owed fees paid in full before we travel. $9300 and when we arrive we will need to pay $12,500.

So to help you find ways to help us we have taken an idea I found on the here and  for the next 12 days we will be giving you all some ideas on ways you can help us. It will be like your little gift that for Olena!
This holiday season is all about giving, right? So pleases help us with our Christmas gift and play along with us.


Today, since I started late (yesterday was Lucy's baptism, so we were busy all day) I am going to ask for 2 things.
On the 1st day of Christmas Olena needs from you : One Facebook post!!!
Please share our blog, which ever blog post you feel will best help us out, on your facebook page. One share from every one will definitely get our word out to a lot of people. Its not hard to do. Hit "share" and ask your friends to read it and help us out this Christmas. It takes only a few seconds to do, but could be a giant help to us!

On the 2nd day of Christmas Olena needs from you: Two meals.
As an orphan, as long as she is in school Olena is given two meals a day. That really isn't a lot of food. While she stayed with us we had a hard time getting her to eat, because I think she was used to being hungry most of the time.
What if you were to figure out how much money it would cost you to eat two meals in a day. Probably not a lot. Well, we are asking that you help us by donating the money for those two meals to help us bring our daughter home. Think about how much money it costs you to eat two meals and donate that to us! Surely you can sacrifice two meals worth of money to save a child, Right?!?!