Adoption T-Shirts!

Hey everyone!

First, a brief update: we are starting our homestudy this week! Please keep us in your prayers. We probably won't post another update until we have completed this part of the adoption process.

We are also getting closer to having all of the funds necessary to complete the adoption! Praise the Lord. We have decided to sell adoption t-shirts to help with the remainder of the funds needed. You can see the design below. The verse is one of our favorites: John 14:18, which says, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." We hope you like it!

Here are the details:
- The price of the t-shirts is $20.
- Sizes are adult Small - XL. XXL and XXXL are also available, but will be $5 extra (the company is charging us extra for those 2 sizes).
- You can give us cash or a check. If you do choose to give us a check, please make it out to Chris or Jessica Anest.
- We can ship your shirt to you! If you live outside the Raleigh area, please just let us know and we'll gladly send it to you.
- We will be taking orders until February 24. All the shirts will be ordered at that time, and you should receive your shirts shortly afterward (delivery time will depend on if we ship it to you).

HOW DO YOU ORDER?
You can comment here, on Facebook, or by contacting us directly (face-to-face or texts are fine!). We need to know how many t-shirts you would like, the sizes, and how you would like to pay us.

We love you all! We couldn't do this adoption without you.
Chris & Jessica

Quick Update

For the sake of brevity, I'm offering just a few updates in the form of what we're celebrating (praises) and what we're asking the Lord to do.

Praises:
- We turned in the last bit of pre-homestudy paperwork yesterday! Now on to the homestudy!
- We are nearing our fundraising goal. In fact, we are just under $4,000 needed.
- We should be starting the homestudy this month!

Prayer Requests:
- There is a lot to do in preparation for the social worker actually visiting our home. We have to re-submit a background check, get our home in order, and prepare to move, all in the midst of Chris's last semester of seminary.
- Lord willing, we will be moving off campus sometime this semester. We are working with our agency to figure out how to best proceed with the homestudy while we're not yet in our new place.
- Pray that the Lord will provide the rest of the money we need, whether that is through fundraisers or through adoption grants.
- Pray that God will give us perseverance to finish well.



Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! We are hopeful that this time next year, we'll have one more member of the family to include in all the Christmas celebrations. The Advent season is a perfect time for us to contemplate how we should wait, and who should be our ultimate joy. We celebrate Christ's long awaited first coming, and we long for the day when he will return again. Through the ups and downs of infertility, adoption, and whatever else may come our way, He alone is our peace (Micah 5:5).

As some of you may have seen on Facebook, we are getting closer to our fundraising goal. We are about $6900 away from being fully funded. If you would like to join with us in this journey to bring Baby Anest home, please click HERE!

With love,
Chris and Jessica

Is Adoption for Me?

"I'm happy that you're adopting, but it's just not for me."

Have you ever had that thought? I did. I have also heard that sentiment in various forms since starting the adoption process with Chris. I want to challenge that thought for a moment, though.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, adoption is for you. No, not everyone should adopt a child into their family. But beyond your responsibility to care for the orphans and widows (the command given in James 1:27), your very identity is wrapped up in adoption.

YOU are adopted, and God calls you his child (1 John 3:1)

YOU are adopted, and God gives you a full inheritance in Christ (1 Peter 1:3-4)

YOU are adopted, not because you were good enough but simply because God loved you and wanted to (Ephesians 1:5)

God adopted YOU to praise him (Ephesians 1:11-12)

God adopted YOU and gave you freedom (Romans 8:15; Galations 4:5)

When you are able, take some time and listen to this fantastic sermon at CrossPointe Church (in my hometown of Columbus, GA) on Romans 8 and our adoption in Christ.

Romans 8:14–17, “The Spirit of Adoption” from CrossPointe Church on Vimeo.

Yardsale Success

It's been a GOOD day on the adoption front. SEBTS, the seminary where Chris is studying, has a yard sale each semester. We participated for the first time today and raised over $150 for our adoption. Praise the Lord!

I was particularly excited that we not only got to raise money, but we were able to get rid of things we don't use and make some space for the little one when he or she comes home. It was also really encouraging that some folks gave us money without buying anything or gave a little extra when they heard what where the money is going.

If you remember this post, for each donation toward our adoption, we are writing the donor's name on the back of a puzzle piece that will eventually be a visual reminder to our little one and us of the incredible support and help we have in getting a little one home. Today, we added 25 pieces to that puzzle! That's right, 25 people came by and bought nearly everything we had at the yard sale. That brings us to a grand total of 72 puzzle pieces purchased so far. Thank you to all the friends and family who have blessed us. If you still want to get in on this project, there are 180 pieces left!

"I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand." Psalm 17:6-7

SEBTS Yard Sale, bright and early. 

Premier Fundraiser

I (Jessica) had the opportunity to go see a good friend of mine, Aileen, this past weekend. She and I were college roommates for a year, and she remains one of my dearest friends. The extra long weekend with my friend was so needed and the Lord was good to give encouragement about our adoption left and right from Aileen and her sweet family.

Even though she has already helped us in a huge way by writing a reference letter for our adoption (thank you, Aileen!), she offered to help us raise funds towards the remaining amount we need for the adoption. I am sure it may seem like we're always posting about fundraising, but the reality is that adoption costs are the biggest roadblock for most families. So it is a BIG deal to us that our friends want to help us!

Here's what Aileen has offered: she sells a wonderful line of jewelry called Premier Designs, and for everything I sell from now until September 15, she will donate a portion of her commission to us. One of the great things I learned about Premier is that they donate a significant portion of their profits to missions. So not only do they offer a beautiful product, but they are sure to give back, too!

To the men who are thinking that this fundraiser isn't for you: I KNOW women in your life would love for you to give them a thoughtful gift, especially if there is a birthday or anniversary coming up :) It's not too early to start thinking of Christmas gifts, either!

Click here to view the catalog online. Click "browse the catalog" to see the jewelry available. You will need to provide your name, e-mail address, and the access code. The access code is STAR.

If you are in the Raleigh/Wake Forest area and would like to place an order, just contact me. I have order forms that you can fill out. You can pay by either check or credit card. If you are NOT in Raleigh and would like to order some jewelry, just send an e-mail to the address provided on the website above. Be sure to say that you want your order to support the Anest adoption.

All of the orders will be placed on September 15, and will be shipped to me. I will then distribute the items to everyone who has ordered.

Let me know if you have any questions!

My favorite pieces from the Premier catalog. Check out the online catalog to see more!

Viewbooks

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you saw that I posted this photo last night. What is this, you ask? These are our viewbooks. When we finally get the last few documents needed to BEGIN our home study (not sure if that was clear on Instagram), complete the home study, and get on the waiting list, this will be what birthmothers view to help choose a family. The birth mother also often keep one copy of the chosen family's viewbook as a reminder. The viewbooks are essentially a narrative of our lives together in pictures. Some of you are in them! It was a huge moment to get these in the mail, even though we are likely still several months from anyone else ever looking at them. 

The most significant thing for me is thinking of the precious woman who will give life to our little one. The thought of her looking at these books is overwhelming. Whoever and wherever she is, whether she is already pregnant or not yet, we are so grateful for her. I pray for her often, and I would love for you to join me!