From the mouths of babes, I tell ya!! Kailyn watched the video linked below with me. I bawled. When it was over, I squeezed her and told her I loved her.
She said, "I really liked that movie mommy. It was beautiful." I kid you not. What a girl.
It is about 8 minutes long but worth the time. It will give you a glimpse into how Josh and I felt when we met and held Kailyn for the first time. Our prayer for her (and our future child[ren]) is the same as the couple in the video: that she will get to experience adoption twice -- once by us, her earthly parents, and once by God, her heavenly Father.
Enjoy!
April
http://vimeo.com/36862661
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Fundraising Explanations
I have been thinking a lot lately about the money end of adoption. As you probably noticed on the right hand side of this page, there is an adoption fundraising thermometer. Josh and I thought and prayed a long time before posting this "gadget" or "widget" or, as I call it, "thingy majig" on our blog. It is a humbling and awesome thing. Let me explain.
We feel God is calling us to adopt. We also know adoption costs a lot of money when traveling the private adoption (or international) route which is where we feel God leading. We know how much money we earn, we know our monthly expenses. It doesn't add up. Plain and simple. We also have experience on our side -- Kailyn's adoption cost more than I made in an entire year while working at Calvin Theological Seminary and yet we wrote the cheque to the adoption agency and it was paid for. It was all God. Let me repeat, it was ALL God. We give him the glory.
And so we know that God is in control. He has given us the desire to expand our family and he will provide. He will provide (it was worth repeating!).
We have set our goal at $25,000. This amount is gleaned from friends who recently adopted their son through a private agency. Crazy right?! This covers legal fees, counseling fees, homestudy and parenting training (PRIDE) plus minor costs like RCMP finger printing, local police checks, child welfare agency checks and medicals.
We are hoping to raise funds in three ways at this point:
1. sponsoring our team for the Warrior Dash this summer (see an earlier post ... more details to come).
2. making and selling items created by me (www.foryoubyme.shutterfly.com); and
3. direct donations using the Paypal button or cheque or cash.
We have so far paid for our homestudy and our PRIDE training which is $4100 -- the amount on the thermometer at this point. I hope this is making sense!!
Well, that's enough money talk for now -- more details to follow.
Blessings to you!
April
We feel God is calling us to adopt. We also know adoption costs a lot of money when traveling the private adoption (or international) route which is where we feel God leading. We know how much money we earn, we know our monthly expenses. It doesn't add up. Plain and simple. We also have experience on our side -- Kailyn's adoption cost more than I made in an entire year while working at Calvin Theological Seminary and yet we wrote the cheque to the adoption agency and it was paid for. It was all God. Let me repeat, it was ALL God. We give him the glory.
And so we know that God is in control. He has given us the desire to expand our family and he will provide. He will provide (it was worth repeating!).
We have set our goal at $25,000. This amount is gleaned from friends who recently adopted their son through a private agency. Crazy right?! This covers legal fees, counseling fees, homestudy and parenting training (PRIDE) plus minor costs like RCMP finger printing, local police checks, child welfare agency checks and medicals.
We are hoping to raise funds in three ways at this point:
1. sponsoring our team for the Warrior Dash this summer (see an earlier post ... more details to come).
2. making and selling items created by me (www.foryoubyme.shutterfly.com); and
3. direct donations using the Paypal button or cheque or cash.
We have so far paid for our homestudy and our PRIDE training which is $4100 -- the amount on the thermometer at this point. I hope this is making sense!!
Well, that's enough money talk for now -- more details to follow.
Blessings to you!
April
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Let's get started . . .
Hello all,
It is time to introduce myself. My name is Josh. I am the pastor at the Wallaceburg Christian Reformed Church. I am the father of two wonderful children and the husband of a wonderful wife, April.
It is an exciting time in our family. We already have a lot going on but we have felt the call to adopt once again. That means going through home studies, questionnaires, working through a profile, and so on. It is busy but always a fantastic experience.
April and I have started this blog so that people can join us on the journey. We are part of a family. We are part of the body of Christ. That means that we have brothers and sisters all over the place and we are counting on support, encouragement, and most of all, prayers as we go through this process together.
Every adoption journey is different. We have been on this road once already and it was hard! But as we look back on it we can see that God was preparing us and making us wait for the daughter that he had in store for us. This journey that we have started will be different. We will face different hurdles, experience different blessings. There will be times of tears and times of joy. But here's what we know: God has a plan for our family and he is in charge of putting it together. I can't wait to see what he has in store.
It is time to introduce myself. My name is Josh. I am the pastor at the Wallaceburg Christian Reformed Church. I am the father of two wonderful children and the husband of a wonderful wife, April.
It is an exciting time in our family. We already have a lot going on but we have felt the call to adopt once again. That means going through home studies, questionnaires, working through a profile, and so on. It is busy but always a fantastic experience.
April and I have started this blog so that people can join us on the journey. We are part of a family. We are part of the body of Christ. That means that we have brothers and sisters all over the place and we are counting on support, encouragement, and most of all, prayers as we go through this process together.
Every adoption journey is different. We have been on this road once already and it was hard! But as we look back on it we can see that God was preparing us and making us wait for the daughter that he had in store for us. This journey that we have started will be different. We will face different hurdles, experience different blessings. There will be times of tears and times of joy. But here's what we know: God has a plan for our family and he is in charge of putting it together. I can't wait to see what he has in store.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Homestudy Reflections
Published today, written on Sunday, April 28 (it needed a few days breathing space!)
Today was a busy day ... Sundays usually are busy with a pastor husband but generally are interspersed with moments of rest; but not today. Josh and I headed to our adoption practitioners office this afternoon for individual interviews. Yes, you read correctly -- Josh and I had to be interviewed individually. This is protocol, mandated by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. It was a little nerve wracking going into the interview but our practitioner is warm, honest and professional. She tactfully and easily kept the conversation going while exploring and jotting notes while we each spoke honestly on our views and styles of discipline, the privacy rules in our home, sleeping arrangements and family background. It is interesting to have to reflect and answer these kinds of inquiries. Talking about the questions later on in the car, I am reassured by listening to Josh's reflections, we are most definitely on the same page in our parenting and everyday life.
Second, all these questions about our motivation to adopt, our upbringing, our household rules and routines really makes us think about really why we want to adopt a child and what we are willing to already sacrifice for the sake of this child who is yet unknown to us. We feel strongly that God has given us the gift of adoption. He has placed this specific desire in our hearts and we feel our family is ready to move in that direction but there are so many intimate questions our practitioner has to ask. She acknowledged this process for me by saying if we were to have a biological baby tomorrow, no one would think twice about us taking him/her home from the hospital. No questions but rather, "congrats and good luck!" But because we are adopting, we need to be thoroughly checked and rechecked. It makes my heart (and my head and my bank account!!) hurt.
BUT
Is it worth it? Absolutely. I am already in love with my third child and he/she might not even be conceived yet! Isn't God good?
I know that our road to adopting our child will not be a walk in the park. I also know there are a host of challenges awaiting me when this child arrives in my arms but I am totally in. All the way. 100%.
Then my heart and my mind asks when? When will this be a memory, a process that we can look back on and say, yes, there were hoops, a lot of hoops, but it is ok? I say that now about Kailyn's adoption. Easy. She was a million times over again worth it. I would jump through all those hoops in a heartbeat for her. And the best part is is that we jumped through them not even knowing who and where she was. And so it will be for this child.
Mandates, protocols, processes are in place for a reason and I am thankful we live in a country that desires that the adoption process is thorough but I hope they hurry. I am almost ready!!
April
Today was a busy day ... Sundays usually are busy with a pastor husband but generally are interspersed with moments of rest; but not today. Josh and I headed to our adoption practitioners office this afternoon for individual interviews. Yes, you read correctly -- Josh and I had to be interviewed individually. This is protocol, mandated by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. It was a little nerve wracking going into the interview but our practitioner is warm, honest and professional. She tactfully and easily kept the conversation going while exploring and jotting notes while we each spoke honestly on our views and styles of discipline, the privacy rules in our home, sleeping arrangements and family background. It is interesting to have to reflect and answer these kinds of inquiries. Talking about the questions later on in the car, I am reassured by listening to Josh's reflections, we are most definitely on the same page in our parenting and everyday life.
Second, all these questions about our motivation to adopt, our upbringing, our household rules and routines really makes us think about really why we want to adopt a child and what we are willing to already sacrifice for the sake of this child who is yet unknown to us. We feel strongly that God has given us the gift of adoption. He has placed this specific desire in our hearts and we feel our family is ready to move in that direction but there are so many intimate questions our practitioner has to ask. She acknowledged this process for me by saying if we were to have a biological baby tomorrow, no one would think twice about us taking him/her home from the hospital. No questions but rather, "congrats and good luck!" But because we are adopting, we need to be thoroughly checked and rechecked. It makes my heart (and my head and my bank account!!) hurt.
BUT
Is it worth it? Absolutely. I am already in love with my third child and he/she might not even be conceived yet! Isn't God good?
I know that our road to adopting our child will not be a walk in the park. I also know there are a host of challenges awaiting me when this child arrives in my arms but I am totally in. All the way. 100%.
Then my heart and my mind asks when? When will this be a memory, a process that we can look back on and say, yes, there were hoops, a lot of hoops, but it is ok? I say that now about Kailyn's adoption. Easy. She was a million times over again worth it. I would jump through all those hoops in a heartbeat for her. And the best part is is that we jumped through them not even knowing who and where she was. And so it will be for this child.
Mandates, protocols, processes are in place for a reason and I am thankful we live in a country that desires that the adoption process is thorough but I hope they hurry. I am almost ready!!
April
Monday, April 8, 2013
We're the Tuiningas
Hi. Welcome to our blog! This is a new endeavor for us so please be patient while we learn the ins and outs of the blogging world!
We'd like to take a few minutes to introduce ourselves.
Primarily it will be me, April, writing posts and updating our blog. However, I am sure Josh will chime in along the way. Adoption is close to our hearts and we spend much time and energy talking and dreaming about what adoption means to us, our family and our faith and how to make it a reality.
So, a little about me to start (Josh can write his own little intro post later on).
I am a wife (pastor's wife!) and a mom of two preschoolers. Josh and I have been married for almost nine years. He is my best friend and knows me better than I know myself sometimes! Our daughter Kailyn is almost 4 and our son, Jude, is 16 months. These stats alone should inform you that our home is always abuzz with all manner of things: dancing, wrestling, colouring, eating, and making messes in general. More about our kiddos later on.
A big change in our lives that happened recently is my new job. I am currently working four days a week at our local Christian elementary school for a one year maternity leave position. It has been a steep learning curve since I have been a full time stay-at-home mom for the past two years and taught high school before that. I can most often be found in the resource room helping kids one on one or in small groups. This is quite rewarding and I am developing good relationships with these students. I also teach grade 7/8 art and music as well as grade 3/4 art, music, phys.ed., health and French (yup, French!). This has been a good challenge for me since in the past I have taught secondary school history, English and geography along with a year of Special Education. I am blown away by my colleagues dedication and commitment to all the students who attend Wallaceburg Christian School (www.wallaceburgchristianschool.com). They are a testimony of God's faithfulness everyday. They truly love what they do and share the love of Christ freely with each of their students.
In addition to two kids and an almost full time job, I teach piano, lead our church's praise team, help coordinate the church nursery and sew when I have any spare time (http://foryoubyme.shutterfly.com).
Yes, life is busy but it is good. Really good.
I hear crying :) Gotta go!
April
We'd like to take a few minutes to introduce ourselves.
Primarily it will be me, April, writing posts and updating our blog. However, I am sure Josh will chime in along the way. Adoption is close to our hearts and we spend much time and energy talking and dreaming about what adoption means to us, our family and our faith and how to make it a reality.
So, a little about me to start (Josh can write his own little intro post later on).
 | |
| Happy to be outside in the snow! |
A big change in our lives that happened recently is my new job. I am currently working four days a week at our local Christian elementary school for a one year maternity leave position. It has been a steep learning curve since I have been a full time stay-at-home mom for the past two years and taught high school before that. I can most often be found in the resource room helping kids one on one or in small groups. This is quite rewarding and I am developing good relationships with these students. I also teach grade 7/8 art and music as well as grade 3/4 art, music, phys.ed., health and French (yup, French!). This has been a good challenge for me since in the past I have taught secondary school history, English and geography along with a year of Special Education. I am blown away by my colleagues dedication and commitment to all the students who attend Wallaceburg Christian School (www.wallaceburgchristianschool.com). They are a testimony of God's faithfulness everyday. They truly love what they do and share the love of Christ freely with each of their students.
In addition to two kids and an almost full time job, I teach piano, lead our church's praise team, help coordinate the church nursery and sew when I have any spare time (http://foryoubyme.shutterfly.com).
Yes, life is busy but it is good. Really good.
I hear crying :) Gotta go!
April
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Adoption Rocks: Building Our Family One Kid at a Time
Our
family is thinking about kid #3 and we are so excited!! We've decided
to keep a blog for this adoption journey as we need help.
We've titled our blog Adoption Rocks: Building Our Family One Kid at a Time because we really love adoption and we love seeing how God is working in our family. We believe that God is calling us to adopt our third child and we are fully ready to dive in although not without some trepidation and fear.
First of all, we'd like you to start praying. Pray for our family, especially our two children, as we prepare ourselves and our home for another child. Pray for the child that will eventually become a Tuininga -- whether he/she is already born or not. Pray for his/her birth mom -- she is precious to us already and we love her and the decision she will eventually make for her child.
Second, finances. Adoption in Ontario is very expensive. We are talking thousands of dollars. We have already spent a bunch but we know there are many more costs coming. We know that God is faithful and that he uses his people in mighty ways. We would love it if you would join us financially in helping us grow our family.
There is a fundraising button at the side of this blog that will track our fundraising progress -- we hope to see it grow quickly!! So, how are we fundraising? Well, our first go will be participating in the Warrior Dash (www.warriordash.com) in Barrie on July 20. We would love you to check out the link and then sponsor our team as we get dirty and sweaty running and completing crazy obstacles through mud. Yes, mud. Fun right?! Chat with us if you'd like to pay money to see us cry while trying to complete this "dash"!! Oh, and we are so far a team of seven so we aren't the only crazy ones plus there are thousands of other participants!
That's all for now. We'll get the word out and try to post often.
Josh & April
We've titled our blog Adoption Rocks: Building Our Family One Kid at a Time because we really love adoption and we love seeing how God is working in our family. We believe that God is calling us to adopt our third child and we are fully ready to dive in although not without some trepidation and fear.
First of all, we'd like you to start praying. Pray for our family, especially our two children, as we prepare ourselves and our home for another child. Pray for the child that will eventually become a Tuininga -- whether he/she is already born or not. Pray for his/her birth mom -- she is precious to us already and we love her and the decision she will eventually make for her child.
Second, finances. Adoption in Ontario is very expensive. We are talking thousands of dollars. We have already spent a bunch but we know there are many more costs coming. We know that God is faithful and that he uses his people in mighty ways. We would love it if you would join us financially in helping us grow our family.
There is a fundraising button at the side of this blog that will track our fundraising progress -- we hope to see it grow quickly!! So, how are we fundraising? Well, our first go will be participating in the Warrior Dash (www.warriordash.com) in Barrie on July 20. We would love you to check out the link and then sponsor our team as we get dirty and sweaty running and completing crazy obstacles through mud. Yes, mud. Fun right?! Chat with us if you'd like to pay money to see us cry while trying to complete this "dash"!! Oh, and we are so far a team of seven so we aren't the only crazy ones plus there are thousands of other participants!
That's all for now. We'll get the word out and try to post often.
Josh & April
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