'Tis the Season!

As I sit here reflecting on this Christmas season, I can't help but be thankful for the memories we've created this year.  We have enjoyed time as a family, as well as time with each of our families and some of our friends...from a chicken stew to Thanksgiving meals to Christmas gatherings.  We have cooked and baked lots of yummy food and treats.  Paisley has been a little more aware of Christmas this year.  While she doesn't like Santa up close, she LOVES looking at Christmas lights!  She absolutely had a blast at our annual tradition of the Festival of Lights.  She also seemed to enjoy unwrapping presents moreso this year.  We started new traditions this year with breakfast on Thanksgiving with best friends and continued traditions started in 2014: attending our Christmas Eve service at church, opening new jammies and a Christmas book on Christmas Eve, making cookies together for Santa, having Christmas morning together as a family, and eating baked pancakes (my mom's recipe) and sausage for breakfast on Christmas china. 

I am also super excited for what's to come.  Typically, I am super sad for the Christmas season to end...don't get me wrong--Jesus' birth is just the beginning of the story and Easter's a'comin'!  But, I love the hustle and bustle of the season...the decorations...the music...the lights...getting to see family and friends...wrapping presents.  However, this year, I am filled with excitement and anxiousness for the next few months.  We.  Can't.  Wait.  To bring Levi home!  It seems like it is taking forever, but we know it will be here soon enough!  Most of the paperwork is complete, and the main thing left is the completion of our home study and receiving our immigration document. 

We have been blessed beyond measure with words of encouragement, prayers, and donations over the past few months!  Words can't express how much you each mean to us!  We have had a couple of fundraisers (t-shirts/cookbooks/coffee/Wholesale Boutique/Jamberry), sent out support letters, and are planning a few more fundraisers in the next month or two.  We still have a ways to go, but we are well on our way!  God continues to impress upon our hearts His will for our lives...our faith and reliance on Him are growing daily! 

Current fundraisers include:
*"To Belong...To Be Loved" T-shirts = www.booster.com/tobelongtobeloved2
*Enderly Coffee = http://enderlycoffee.com/grahams/graham-fundraiser or contact us
*Cookbooks = filled with recipes from around the world...contact us
*And as always...donations can be sent: directly to us, to LNBC (tax deductible--please give us a heads up you made a donation so we can make sure the church is aware), or to our YouCaring page. 

Fundraisers to come include:
*Painting Night
*Babysitting for Date Night
*Auction...some items include: Roy Williams autographed basketball, Jimmie Johnson autographed hat, Dale Jr. autographed used driver's shield, Jeff Gordon leather jacket, pottery, and more!  
*Arbonne

Sorry it's taken us a month or so to update.  We will try to be more regular as updates happen...especially as we get closer to traveling!  

We hope your New Year is full of JOY!  Much love...Phil, Celeste, & Paisley

It's a boy!

It's a boy!

We have committed to a child!!!  This makes the process all the more real, knowing he is our son (barring any unforeseen circumstances in country between now and our court date).  Phil and I struggled with going through profiles and narrowing down to only a few possible children.  However, we were able to do that with an unbelievable peace-that could only come from the Holy Spirit.  We were looking at a girl and 2 boys.  We then struggled with clarity and guidance as to who God would have us become mommy and daddy to.  We had been thinking we would adopt a child with Cerebral Palsy and were reminded afresh of this fact one day, so we were able to narrow it down to 2 children.  We then received information that the girl had been placed in foster care in country and wasn't available (we have since received conflicting information, but are considering it confirmation from God on who we were meant to adopt).  So, we committed to a 3 year old boy with Cerebral Palsy.  Unfortunately, we do not have much other information.  It looks like it doesn't affect him too much...in a few pictures we have seen, it appears only to affect 1 or both of his hands.  However, we won't know anything else until we go to get him. 


As for his name, his psuedo-name on the Hand of Help and Reece's Rainbow websites is "Jonah".  Phil and I would like to keep part of his given name, but we have had a boy's name in mind since we were pregnant with Paisley...Levi.  The other day, I looked up what "Levi" meant--it means "joined in harmony"!  What a perfect confirmation that this was our little guy!  Phil and I are in love and excited to bring Levi home.  We have started talking to Paisley about her brother and showing her his picture.  So...meet Levi!!!


On another note, Phil and I are working on some items to 'auction' off to help us raise funds.  Some of the items we have received are: an autographed driver's shield by Dale Earnhardt Jr., an autographed Jimmie Johnson hat and picture, a couple of special edition Hendrick hats, a football autographed by some of the 2007-2008 Carolina Panthers, and a cowboy hat autographed by Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban.  We are trying to get an autographed football by the Tarheels and an autographed basketball by Roy Williams.  If you have any item/service/gift certificate you'd like to donate, let Phil or I know!  :)

Again, we know that this is a trying time for many of our friends and family, as well as the world we live in.  We truly appreciate all of your prayers and support!!!  It is our hope that you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving together, a time filled with love, laughter, and holiday memories!

Love,
Phil, Celeste, and Paisley

So, not to keep bothering you guys with fundraising opportunities...but we totally are... :)   Help us bring our new addition home from Eastern Europe!

Our next opportunity for everyone to get involved is locally roasted coffee! $15/bag!! What a great gift combination for Christmas...coffee and shirts-- your friends will be warm and alert!!!

(the coffee)
http://enderlycoffee.com/grahams

(the shirt)
https://www.booster.com/tobelongtobeloved

(Arbonne)
I have an Arbonne fundraiser going right now on Facebook...let me know if you use Arbonne or want to try it and I'll add you!  

[or as always, donate directly on the YouCaring page (not tax deductible) or by mailing a check to Lake Norman Baptist with "Missions-Phil & Celeste Graham" in the memo line (tax deductible)]
https://www.youcaring.com/phillip-and-celeste-graham-457917

Orphan Sunday

What an emotional day at church!  We were privileged to hear Dr. Sherri McClurg (executive director of NHFC) tell her story...and she was followed by a call to action from Pastor Matt, who preached on James 1:27-"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world."  Today felt much different than Orphan Sunday's in the past...it had much more meaning.  We have narrowed it down to a few children we are praying over, seeking clarity and guidance as to who He would lead us to become mommy and daddy to. 

We are busy trying to figure out fundraisers and researching grants.  Look out really soon for links to online fundraisers, including t-shirts, coffee, Jamberry, Wholesale Boutique, 31, and Arbonne...lots of different Christmas gift ideas!  Also, look out for a date or two where Phil and I (and hopefully a few helpers) will watch your kiddos while you get some Christmas shopping done--just make a donation to our adoption fund!  While it is easy to get discouraged with the financial part of adoption, we are holding fast to our faith in Christ, knowing He will provide!  :)

Celeste

So encouraged and blessed by all of the support, hugs, comments, and prayers!!!  We are experiencing so many different emotions--overwhelmed, excited, anxious, scared, courageous...just to name a few!  But, we serve an all-powerful, loving, peaceful God who is there to calm our fears and anxieties, give us hugs when we feel overwhelmed, and provide for our every need.  :)

We posted this on Facebook, but for those who are following the blog and not on Facebook...
There are 2 ways to donate right now...

*https://www.youcaring.com/phillip-and-celeste-graham-457917

*if you would prefer to give a tax-deductible donation, you can send a check to:
Lake Norman Baptist Church
7921 Sam Furr Rd.
Huntersville, NC 28078
with "Missions-Celeste/Phil Graham" in the memo line
~if you don't mind, the church has asked if you would give us a heads-up if you choose to do this, so we can keep records to make sure nothing gets confused~ 

We are hoping to hold some fundraisers in the near future...stay tuned! Feel free to share!

Our story continues with another amazing twist...

"Adoption is when a child grows in its Mommy's [and Daddy's] heart, instead of her tummy."  #NovemberisAdoptionAwarenessmonth    

     Sooo...Phil and I are starting the adoption process for a child with special needs from Eastern Europe.  Sooner than we originally thought, but God has been laying the groundwork for a while and continues to confirm His call for our lives.  Lord willing, we will soon (in the next year) have our new addition home with us!  While some of you may be slightly surprised, others knew this was coming.  

     Let me start from the beginning….I fell in love working with children with disabilities when I was in the 7th grade...heck, I practically grew up volunteering at The Children's Center in Winston-Salem.  I received my Bachelor's degree in Child and Family Development with an inclusive Birth-Kindergarten teaching license.  I've worked for several years with a family who has a child with Autism (whom I love dearly!).  I started out my teaching career in an EC Pre-K class and then taught a More-at-Four class, all the while working on my Masters degree in Special Education.  From there I opened up Cabarrus County's Day Treatment classroom and have since moved to teach special education in a resource setting.  On another note, I have always loved going on mission trips.  So, when the opportunities really began to arise at church three to four years ago, I wanted to jump right in.  

            (Phil: I grew up with almost no interaction with disabled children.  When Celeste began serving at Lake Norman Baptist in the Special Buddies class, I kept my distance—it scared me to be around those children.  Now, I serve with her, and I absolutely love those kids!  Also, I had never been on mission trips to the extent Celeste had.  So, when the topic of going on a mission trip to Eastern Europe got brought up, I hit the brakes.  But, God began to work in my heart…)

    Now to pull it all together...  Phil and I went on a mission trip together to Eastern Europe with LNBC in 2013.  It was the most amazing experience to say the least.  While there, Phil became buddies with a little girl we met at one of the orphanages.  She had mild cerebral palsy and wore shoes that were 2 sizes too small (don't worry, she had stable shoes that fit by the time we left!).  She stole his heart!  It blessed me beyond measure to see his interactions with her, as well as with the men at the adult handicapped center.  We came home talking about pursuing adoption.  Little did we know, Paisley had traveled with us to Eastern Europe—which put a hold on those pursuits.  

    Fast forward to this past summer...  Earlier in the spring, another trip to Eastern Europe had been announced at church and I expressed interest in going to Phil.  Timing didn't seem right, (Phil: I found the brake pedal again!) so the topic sort of died down.  When the opportunity to host orphans from Moldova came up, we prayed about it and took a leap of faith--to host two teenage girls for the month of August.  That ended up falling through at the last minute because of an issue in-country.  But, God has an ultimate, sovereign plan!  After praying about it and receiving support from family, friends, and my school administration, we decided that I would indeed go on the Eastern Europe mission trip.  I actually went a few days early with a couple of others to one country and we met the rest of the team in a neighboring country a few days later.  Another amazing, Spirit-filled experience!

     Prayers, events, sermons, and conversations that have happened over the past few months and even years have seemed to confirm God's call for Phil and I to not only adopt, but to adopt a child with special needs.  Do we know that this is a life-long commitment?  Yes.  Is it going to be difficult?  Sure.  But, we are trusting in the Lord and taking a leap of faith--which is all He asks us to do!  

     Hence the reason we have created this blog.  To journal our thoughts and chronicle our journey.  

• Please pray that God will guide our journey each step of the way.  
• Pray that each step will happen in His timing.  
• Pray that God will prepare our hearts, our home, and our family as we prepare to welcome a new addition.  
• Pray that we would be able to discern who is meant to be our son/daughter.  
• Pray that God will sustain our faith and provide financial support so we will be able to carry out His call.  
• Pray that we will be His light to a dark area of the world as we go through this process.

Look out for a link to our YouCaring page, if you would like to donate towards the adoption.  We also hope to figure out some fundraisers to help with raising needed funds.  If you would prefer to give a tax-deductible donation, you can send a check to Lake Norman Baptist Church with "Missions-Celeste/Phil Graham" in the memo line.  If you don't mind, the church has asked if you would give us a heads-up if you choose to do this, so we can keep records to make sure nothing gets confused.  

     Thanks for reading this shortened, but long-winded glimpse into our life.  We hope you are as excited as we are to embark on this journey!  :)