Could she be home in March???

Happy New Year's EVE!  This is going to be my LAST call for giving towards adoption!  Feels pretty great actually to say that!  I just went online to hypothetically books flights and I believe we're looking at close to $3000 for our ending travel.  Plus we need to pay per night to stay at GLA and also pay for transportation in Haiti.

Within the coming weeks we should hear that her passport has been printed!  It could take two months or so after that for her VISA to be ready.  This means we should be going to get her late winter or early spring!!!!

If you would like to give towards the final costs of this adoption process you can click the button on the upper left side of the screen and that gives you a paypal option.  Thank you so much un advance!!!!

Please pray for our family!  I am in prayer over the best school for kindergarten for these two Kraft kiddos next fall as well as where I should teach, be it their school or ?????

I am also in prayer over what the time should look like after she comes home and until I am done teaching.  Ideally, there would be as little time where she would be outside of my care as possible.  If she came home April 20 then I would need no care between getting her and summer.....if she came home a month before that, March 20, then I would look for family/friends to watch the two of them in our home for the last month of school, giving them lots of time to bond as brother and sister, rather than being in a school setting.  So keep this in prayer for us!  Obviously I am not in control of the WHEN, but God knows all of these little details and the time that we are given to go get her will be perfect.  Have a blessed last day of 2015 and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Adoption Time Line

Dossier to Haiti - May 2013

Dossier submitted to IBESR - November 2013

Referral - July 2015

Socialization Trip - July 2015

Exit IBESR - September 25, 2015

Adoption Decree/Exit Courts - November 2, 2015

Enter MOI - THANKSGIVING DAY 2015

Passport printing - yet to come

I600 Approval - yet to come

VISA - Yet to come

Travel to bring her home - COMING IN 2016!!!!!

Give To The Max - A.K.A. give to the Mack's Sister's "Let's Get Her Home Fund!"

November 12 is "Give to the MAX" day, a day set aside to encourage people to give above and beyond what they normally do! The adoption process is a cycle of highs and lows, because every ti,e good news comes, then lots of money is needed almost immediately!  There may be some out there that have this kind of money at the ready, but I have a feeling most of the families adopting children do not!  I am grateful to non-profits like "Lifesong for Orphans" who allowed adoptive families to raise money during their adoptions, offering the giver a tax receipt (automatic if your gift is over $50 and by request if it is less.)

God has worked in some really miraculous ways during Miss C's adoption.  Steps that were taking 14 weeks or longer have taken 4 weeks!  Steps that have taken 4-12 months for others happened in less than 2 months for us!  With these miracles comes the big bills.  I know as miraculously as He is working through these steps to get her home, He will also provide financially!

Please consider giving this week to help cover the costs of flights!  When we get to that point, I will have 3 flights to book (and hopefully a 4th, for my mom to come along and help!)  Mack is saving eery penny he finds for his flight, then I have my own flight and Miss C's one way flight home.  I likely will have only a matter of days to book these flights which ends up being much more costly that usual! Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration! If you choose to give, you can click the paypal link above and to the left.  If you wish to pay by check you can mail your check to:

Lifesong For Orphans

Kraft Adoption #3660

PO Box 40

202 N. Ford Street

Gridley, IL 61744

The Newest Kraft!

It is with great joy that I announce the news of an adoption decree for Miss C!  The steps past my July visit have been nothing short of miraculous.  I have prayed and asked God for a miracle of course, and these steps have been just that!  We have sailed through 3 big steps VERY quickly, much quicker than has been seen lately!  Thank you all so much for your prayers!

There are many more steps to go that involve applying for her passport and the U.S. side of things with immigration and her VISA.  When I got to this step with Mr. M., I felt like I was truly on the downward slide.  We then got STUCK for a very, very long time in what is called MOI.  Please, please continue to pray!  My mind keeps fast-forwarding.  I initially was told to not expect less than a year from my July trip.  I have been secretly (and not so secretly) hoping maybe the end of April or early May....then I would take my leave and not return to school this year.  At this point it is very possible it could be earlier than that!

Thank you Jesus for your miracles and moving mountains to bring my sweet girl home!

Two Years Home

Two years!  Wow.  I can believe it and yet it's hard to believe!  We have been through so much!  HE HAS BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH.  He has grown tremendously.  I often grieve the three years I did not have him and then often I cannot remember ever not being his mommy!  The emotions are so complex.  The emotions he has to deal with are more than any little one should ever have to deal with.  I pray for more and more healing over his little life every day!  God has marked this one for greatness.  What an amazingly, special gift from God he is!  I could write a novel about how blessed I have been to be his mommy for the past two years.  Instead, as we finish a short week of school and head off on a little get-away together, I will leave you with some precious pictures.  I you have followed our journey you cannot help but see the hand of God in each and every photo.  God has truly transformed this child and is growing him more into His image and likeness day by day.

I Samuel 1:27-28

 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

OUT OF IBESR!!!!!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!  I was sitting on a bus, on my way to the zoo with my 5th graders when my phone dinged with an email.  Prior to going on my 2 week trip, I knew full well that it was taking people 6 months and even more than a year to exit IBESR after their trip.  It was a really discouraging thought to go and meet her and still be stuck in the "black hole" of IBESR for so long.

I open the email to find the miraculous news that after just a month and 9 days, IBESR had authorized the adoption!!!!!!  I was interviewed by IBESR on July 31 and on September 11, they had the papers ready and we could be out!  THIS IS A HUGE and incredibly FAST step that we just took here!!!!  Thank you JESUS!!!!! We are officially out of IBESR today, September 25!

What happens next is that our dossiers go to Parquet, then to Courts and after that time I will have the adoption decree and my Clara will have the last name KRAFT!  From there her passport is applied for, the adoption is finalized on the U.S. side of things and then her VISA!  We still have MONTHS to go here, but I was told to expect at least 4 months post Haiti trip in IBESR and God has cut that time in half!!!!!  Before we know it there will be a new Kraft!  Thank you so much for praying!  Keep it up!!!!!!  I see God is planning on doing amazing things in, through and for this little one and our family!  AMEN!

12x12 for Clara!

If you're gift is less than $50 please attach a note that says you want a tax receipt of you do!