Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Updates & New T-shirt Info!

There hasn't been many posts on the blog lately and I haven't given many updates on Matsy Grace. To be honest, it is mainly because waiting is hard and I don't know any answers. And some most days, it's just easier to just not talk about. If there is anything I have discovered, it is that most people don't understand adoption. People understand pregnancy. They understand that in 9-10 months, there will be a baby. The process to getting to the end of the 9-10 months may look different with sicknesses, scares at the doctor, easy pregnancies, etc.. But several things are certain... there is a baby, a specified time for the baby to be born, and ultrasound pictures to constantly look at. 

Adoption is different. There is never a timeline. (Any timeline you are given can change at any minute.) There aren't pictures until close to the end. And I don't know the answer to most of the questions people ask. If you ask me and I take a deep breath, don't be offended. It's the constant question... when is your little girl coming home? And to that question... I do not know the answer.

We filled out our first application to adopt in March of 2013. When we filled that out, I'm not sure what I thought. I can tell you that I never thought we would experience as many delays as we have. But, in all things, God is working for the GOOD of those who love Him. We feel very confident in being called according to His purpose. So... we wait. 

For now, I have two blessings that wake me up every morning that I am choosing to not miss out on. They deserve for their mommy to enjoy the joy they bring. I'm choosing to live in this moment. When God is ready for us to have an official referral for Matsy Grace, He will bless us with #3. Until then, we are excited to enjoy life with our 2 boys and (are being refined daily to) be content in waiting. 

So......... on the fundraising side. 
God has blessed us beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine. I would never imagine that people would be so generous to us. It just makes me cry joyful tears thinking about the way God uses His people. 

To be completely transparent, we have raised about half the funds we need to bring Matsy Grace home. No, we don't know a timeline. But there are different stages in this process when different fees are due. We are prayerfully ready to get back on the fundraising train and be ready when these parts of the journey come! We are going to do one more set of t-shirt orders and then we have some other fundraisers planned for the fall! Please join us in praying for these!! 

So... for the t-shirt order info!! 

Our old design is back!! Yay!! Our last order was slightly different, but we got that worked out since changing printing companies. We are also adding a NEW COLOR AND STYLE!!!! 

I am super excited about it!! If you haven't seen our design before. This is it....



They are printed on SUPER soft Next Level Apparel Unisex t-shirts. The cost is $20 and the sizes run Youth XS-Youth XL and Adult S- Adult 3XL. Shipping (if needed) is $3 per shirt. If you are local, we deliver :) 

Ok.... ready for the big reveal???? I am SO excited!!! THE SHIRT IN THE PICTURE IS NOT OUR SHIRT! Our shirt will be a Front Print ONLY with the same design as the other shirts. However, the Africa will be gray. 


V-NECK TAHITI BLUE NEXT LEVEL SHIRTS! I am in love. I hope you are too :) 

They are $20 as well. And you will never want to take it off. I'm sure of it. 

So.... that's it! You can purchase t-shirts through PayPal on the right side of the blog (enter size/s by clicking special instructions) or by mailing a check to 345 Westwood Ave, Jackson, TN 38301. 

ORDERS WILL BE OPEN FOR 1 WEEK. I AM ORDERING JULY 30. Shirts will be printed in around 10 days and shipped within one day of being printed. 

Thank you for being a blessing to our journey to Ethiopia to bring home Powell #3! She is so blessed already. God has big plans for our youngest! 


And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28



Wednesday, July 9, 2014

June 2o14!

June brought lots of excitement to the Powell household! 

Highlights:
  •  Noah completed 2 weeks of swimming lessons! 
  • Micah's thyroid levels at his check-up were perfect! 
  • Aunt Megan came for a week long visit before their big move to TX! And... she passed nursing boards! Yay for a smart auntie and new adventures for Uncle Craig and Aunt Megan!! 
  • We experienced our first MudFest... Tennessee style. 
  • The boys had their first sleep over! We braved it with 2 of our sweet friends' babies overnight and had a BLAST!
  • I think we may have set some type of record... we were in 2 wrecks... in 7 days. And neither were our fault. So... the minivan is on vacation at the body shop for about a month.
  • I turned the exciting 2-7... It was so exciting that my beloved Wal-Mart birthday cake (the one thing I request yearly) had my name spelled T-i-s-s-a-n-i. It made for a good laugh since wreck number 2 happened on my birthday :)
  • The boys have gotten old enough to play together. It has been such a joy to enjoy their interactions and watch their love for each other grow!! 
Happy July! 

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Fun Month of May!

My blog updating has been spotty at best lately. But... We have had such a FUN month!!

Instead of writing a long blog that you could care less about reading about the past month, how about a picture collage!? 

Okay, great! 



So the highlights....

  • My little sister, Hayley, graduates HIGH SCHOOL!! 
  • 4 Birthday Parties (All my boys' best buddies are another year older!!)
  • Our first trip to the Strawberry Festival in the huge town of Humboldt, TN
  • Noah's End of the Year Mother's Day Out Program (He was the cutest, of course.)
  • Mother's Day Cookout in Mississippi
  • Micah's First Time to touch a FISH!
  • Our College crew made it through their first semester with us! Yay Summer Break! 
  • Uncle Craig came to visit us from Minnesota!
  • More Trips to the friendliest USPS (seriously! They are so patient with me!!) for our adoption
  • Trip to the TN River with sweet friends!
  • We are surviving healthier eating habits.. and my boys have finally decided it's not so bad! 
  • LOTS of play dates
  • LOTS of backyard playtime!
  • and..... the biggie.... my baby boy turned ONE!!! 

Okay.. so now you know where I've been. You can rest easy tonight. 

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Intentionality

Different seasons in my life bring different theme words. There was a very difficult season in life when I had to learn to choose "JOY." During another season, finding "REST" in God's promises was essential. 

I'm so thankful for a God who always provides me these "words" to focus on. It is probably much more a product of a struggle I am going through or another area of refining God sees in me. Either way, I'm thankful for a God who is constantly refining me and revealing Himself to me through my weakness.


During the season of life I'm currently in, I am finding that I must be INTENTIONAL. If I'm not intentional, my goals don't get accomplished. If I'm not INTENTIONAL, the default is always negative.

If I'm not intentional about quiet time with the Lord, it doesn't happen. 
If I'm not intentional about what I eat, I make unhealthy choices. 
If I'm not intentional about praying, I don't pray. 
If I'm not intentional about helping others, I serve myself.
If I'm not intentional about not complaining, I complain.
If I'm not intentional about listening to God, I listen to my own selfish desires.
If I'm not intentional about slowing down, I fill my life with too much busyness.
If I'm not intentional about how I spend time with my kids, I spend time doing something useless.
If I'm not intentional about spending time with my husband, we get caught in the grind of life. 

If I'm not intentional, my default is always negative. 

At the end of the day, we all want to have a purpose. Living life on purpose causes me to have a plan. Having a plan causes me to set goals. You can't fulfill goals without being INTENTIONAL. 

What are you being intentional about today?! 

Could someone else benefit from you being intentional? 
Could you benefit from being intentional? 
Could God be glorified from you being intentional?


For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish it, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish. {Luke 15:28-30}

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. {James 1:2-5}

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus {Philippians 3:14}

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil {Ephesians 5:15-16}

Monday, May 5, 2014

1 WEEK OF TSHIRT ORDERS!





God is just SO good. I know I say that a lot. But... He's not only GOOD.. He is so perfect in all of His ways! 

We are starting ANOTHER t-shirt order! I never would have imagined that we would be starting t-shirt order SEVEN! Can you believe it?! Thankfully... God is bigger than our imaginations and He is helping bring our baby girl home in a BIG way... THROUGH T-SHIRTS! :) 

Ready for the exciting news?......... These t-shirts will be a little bit different! They are SUPER SOFT! These will be Next Level Apparel shirts. For Easter, we participated in Forget the Frock and instead of spending money on traditional Easter outfits, we ordered shirts that went towards a cause. (**See Pic Above**)  Since our hearts are very much sitting in Ethiopia right now, we chose another adopting family from ET! When we received the shirts, they were INCREDIBLY soft and comfy! So... we thought we would mix things up a little and have our LOVEethiopia shirts printed on these! Unfortunately, because of the more expensive style of shirt, prices will go up a little for these shirts. I hope you will enjoy them as much as we have! 

WE ARE ONLY TAKING PRE-ORDERS FOR ONE WEEK!! Shirts will be printed within 7-10 days!

I will place an order on MONDAY, MAY 12! 

Adult Shirts are $20 
Youth Shirts are $15
Shipping is $3/ shirt if needed

SIZES: YOUTH XS-XL / ADULT S-2XL

HOW TO PAY:
1. Click the donate tab on the right side of the blog! Under special instructions, include your size(s).
2. Write a Check! (If not local, can be mailed to Frank and Tiffani Powell, 345 Westwood Ave., Jackson, TN 38301)
3. Cash given to us in person

God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protections. Psalm 18:30

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Welcome to Our Story!

It has been 13 months since I started blogging at mississippimeetsethiopia.blogspot.com. I've taken little breaks here and there for different reasons, but it has really been fun letting you see little glimpses into our lives. At the beginning of this year, we moved up to the big 'ole state of Tennessee, so I thought it was appropriate that we change blogs. With that being said....

You are here. Reading my rambling on the story God is writing for us. The name for this blog came from a verse in Proverbs:

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9

God hasn't written our story like I would have ever imagined it would be written. We have tried to make our plans, but our steps have looked completely different. And for that, I am thankful. 

We definitely aren't worthy of the story he is writing with our lives, but we are blessed for His guidance and grace. 

Thanks for following us on our journey with God through marriage, parenting, and adoption!