Below is an e-mail update I sent out to all adoption contacts tonight... Please read below about our latest fundraiser....
_________________________________________________________________
Hello to everyone tonight!!!
We are very happy to update everyone on our adoption paperwork. Our dossier (large packet of adoption paperwork) has been successfully translated into Russian and was sent to the D.C. Consulate a couple of weeks ago. We are anxiously waiting to hear that it's successfully completed this step and it's in Kazakhstan. We are currently back to the exact point we were at last May.... so we are praying and ask that you join us in covering our paperwork in prayers.
Just a reminder that our blog is a great way to stay up to date with our adoption and our family... the website is: http://www.gobblefamilyadoption.blogspot.com/
We completed our fingerprinting again today at the Immigration office in OKC and things are rolling along!
We have about 15-20 cookbooks left.. (YEAH!!) so, if you need a few more.. let me know!! The cookbooks have been very successful and so far I've heard nothing but great things about them... Lots of compliments, and positive feedback. If you would like to purchase one, they are still available for free with a minimum dontaion of $10.00. :-) Check out the link on the right side of the blog, or e-mail me and I'll send you details. If you have some and are selling them, you can continue to sell or feel free to give any unsold books back to me... Thank you so much to everyone who bought a cookbook and helped to sell... You guys are all amazing and remember that Phil and I prayed over every family/person who would touch the cookbooks!
We have also been selling lollipops again.. and almost sold one case! Thanks to everyone who has helped us.
We are trying to have a teacher's luncheon every couple of weeks and those are very successful as well. We have one planned for this Friday...
I know it seems that we've been fund raising forever.. I totally agree.. and it's been well over a year, but we still have babies to rescue and save. God commands us to care for orphans... and then tells us to obey his word. God has blessed us to date with ________ dollars!!! Thank you Lord!!!! We have to have several MORE thousands when we travel.. so, we still need SEVERAL thousands of dollars!!! I know that it is an insane amount of money... and it makes NO sense as to why it would cost so much to take an orphan, but it does! The one who calls us is able.. and HE will PROVIDE!!!!
Our newest fundraiser is different and we aren't asking you to buy or purchase a THING!!! I know that's a huge relief!!!
We are kicking off a recycling fundraiser. I have looked into doing a fundraiser of this nature several times, but didn't "feel" it until today... ha ha!!
We are going to be collecting the following items:
Used cell phones
Ink Jet Cartridges
Laptop/Notebook Computers
I-Pods
Digital Cameras
They will pay for ANY of the above items, broken, cracked, or in perfect shape. I don't know about all of you, but in our house alone we have about 4 old cell phones and I can start saving ink cartridges. I just think this would be a good way to make some extra money for our adoption by ridding everyone of unwanted "stuff" you already have. Please dig out those old cell phones and above items and send them our way. I plan to make some drop boxes and place around, but I would be happy to pick up any of the above items from anyone. If everyone would donate 1 old item, and ask a friend or family member if they have an old phone they'd like to donate as well... I think we could make several thousand dollars while also doing our part to recycle. If all of you would ask you friends and family and even consider forwarding this message/e-mail to them, we would appreciate it SO much... Ask you employer if you can save ink cartridges for us.. etc.. The possibilities with this fundraiser are huge!!!
You can mail items to us if you'd like: Phillip and Lanetta Gobble
(e-mail me and I'll be happy to give you our address!)
There is NO ending date to this fundraiser, so if you use up an ink cartridge in 3 weeks, don't throw it away.. consider giving it to us.. or if you get a new cell phone... please, think of our kiddos in Kazakhstan!
I would love to send in a huge shipment of items by the middle of March!
(If you have questions about this or want more info.. please ask.. or check out the website: http://www.greenschoolfundraiser.org/)
I know that the response is going to be outstanding and thanks in advance for your sacrifices and unwavering support!!!
If you have items you can or will donate, please reply to this message and let me know... I would appreciate it SO much!!!
In closing I want to share an awesome quote that I recently heard at a revival... The Preacher was talking about how we all have born in us the desire to be great... or do something great.. He continued to say that in order to experience greatness you have to be inconvinced!!!! Wow.. I immediately knew that God was using that to remind us that GREAT things are happening here... and yes, we are daily and have been for over a year inconvenienced, but the GREATNESS (of experiencing God's will for us!) is yet to come!!! Isn't is awesome how God always encourages us when we need it the most?
He is such an AWESOME God!!!!
Please remember the boy(s) in your prayers along with all the other 145,000 million orphans who are alone tonight...
Thanks so much for sticking with us through this LONG AND TOUGH journey!!!
Please remember that Phil and I are praying for you... always!
Have a great day!
Lanetta Gobble
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7 comments:
I've been following your blog for some time and as a fellow Kaz family, I must tell you that your words "but we still have babies to rescue and save" are shocking. Our son from Kaz is a gift and a blessing but we in no way believe we was in in need of a rescue or saving. It was us, my husband and myself, that were in need of a child. Many in the adoptive community believe that the attitude of "saving" children will be harmful when you go through the process of discussing adoption with your child. Every child is a blessing and it he/she is going to be the one who eventually decides whether their adoption was a positive thing - we can only offer true answers about their adoption process and birth families.
I wish you the best of luck with your adoption but encourage you to seek out information that will help support your understandings of the impact of adoption on children.
Lanetta- please ignore someone who isn't strong enough to put a name with their words. How you love your children is no one's business but yours. You and I both know that you will always do what is best for your children! I don't understand how someone can read someone's personal blog and tell them what they believe! Your blog is about what you and your family believe! I think the line- "Every child is a blessing and it he/she is going to be the one who eventually decides whether their adoption was a positive thing - we can only offer true answers about their adoption process and birth families." Is unreal! Yes every child is a blessing, but the child is the one to decide if the adoption was a positive thing? This parent adopted a child? WOW. Can you ask your biological child if it was a positive thing for him/her to be born? As parents we try to give our children the most positive,loving, and amazing childhood and life we possibly can. WHO in their right mind would sit down with a child and say...so are you glad we adopted you or would you have rather stayed in an orphanage. Really?
Anonymous- if you are against what The Gobbles believe then why are you reading their blog?
It is this sort of "you were saved, it was a positive thing" that makes adopted children have issues when they are older. The person above is right on in many ways. It is not for US as parents to tell the children "we saved you." That is just awful. More like "you saved us." You need to become more educated on adoption before even starting to think about talking to any adopted child. There are many many many professionals in the adoption world (that have been involved with adoption and adopted children for a long time) that write about this issue and they all pretty much agree with Mrs Anonymous.
Yes, it is of course very important to give children a positive, loving and amazing childhood so when they are older they will clearly see that adoption was (is) a great wonderful thing. NOT just assume it is because parents say things like "we saved you" to a child and force THEIR beliefs about adoption on a child. Ultimately the decision is theirs, just like any other decision people make in life. We can educate, pray, lead, support, etc but in the end, it is up to the child to think their adoption was positive. That is not "insane" as stated above. It is a FACT!
There are many adoptees that do not feel adoption was a blessing. Again, research is key. It is all part of the adoption process. Just as a pregnant mom does research on what types of food to eat, how to stay healthy, etc. this type of research is IMPERATIVE to the health of our adopted children.
The issue is not whether the child would have rather stayed in an orphanage or not, it is much much deeper than that. You need to be able to understand the loss associated with adoption through the eyes of your child.
With adoption comes the loss of identity that your child will need to be able to grieve - healthy not feel it was forced. Or feel in anyway that life is better here than in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan will ALWAYS be the place of your childs heritage and the place where their biological family remains. You can't say "we saved you from Kaz" - that is sooooo wrong.
I too wish you luck and hope you do pick up a book or two written by an adoption professional.
Lanetta- again you know what you are doing. I refuse to go into a debate on my friends blog- however I will say that no where in Lanetta's post did she say she would EVER say to the child we saved you. If she feels that way now does that mean she will stress that on the child? No. When I was pregnant with my daughter her tests came back with an extremely high chance of her having down syndrome. Being 21 the 3 doctors (military) that we saw said "you are young, you can have plenty of babies you should strongly consider abortion" Well I felt strongly that this child was mine..down syndrome or not. The doctors were rather rude when I told them no to the abortion even after they gave me a list of local clinics. I joked with family that I "saved" my daughter from the evil doctors. NEVER once would I ever consider telling my perfect daughter that the doctors were pushing for me to abort when she was born perfectly healthy. Even if she would have had down syndrome she still would have been perfect. I really can't believe that one word can get comments of this sort on a personal blog. Again if you don't like it don't read it.
Also if you are going to quote me you should get it straight. I never said "insane".
No one ever said "we saved you from Kaz"!!!!! I don't believe that any child anywhere should live without a family that loves him/her. I don't believe that any child should live without enough food to eat. What we are doing is giving a child those things. Is it going to be a easy road? Who knows. Will the child have adjustment issues? Maybe. As educated parents we will seek the proper care for our children. The thought of a child that is not getting hugged, kissed, and love breaks my heart. The thought of someone bashing a friend because she was writing someone on HER blog about HER adoption breaks my heart too.
I have no doubt that there are strong views about adoption out there. Don't think that just because someone said the word "saved" that we aren't reading, in support groups or taking the situation lightly. When adoption happens it is most of the time either party's first choice. The parents have to grieve not having their own child (in some cases, not all- I know I grieved) and the child's first choice is to of course be with his or her family. A child will grieve a loss of surroundings, smells, etc of the home he/she has known. In no way is this taken lightly! Don't "educate" someone because a word that not everyone agrees on is said.
This afternoon I had to make a phone call to a friend that adopted through the foster adoption program. I called because I remember at the adoption party reading a card that the caseworker sent them. Their son was 5 when he was adopted and the card to them read "Thank you for saving (his name) from the foster care system"
I asked her about that card, and she said she never thought it was negative in any way. The saving that they needed came from the saving he needed.
Remember it is HIS plan not ours. May God Bless all the children that have been adopted, and ones waiting to be adopted.
Lanetta I would consider going private my dear.
Seriously?? Where do people get the nerve?? I wonder where these moms find the time to "educate" everyone on how to take care of their own lives. Besides the point that you never even said anything about what they are ranting about. How annoying...hats off to you girl! Love ya!!!
Can I post on my blog about your recycling fundraiser? I do try to help out or planet so I love that recycling can help you get your son(s) home...
ok, as I read the above comments it simply frustrates me. how do people think they have the audacity to sit there and tell you your intentions with this whole thing. you know God has called you to do this. and your not just "saving them", your giving this child a loving home and family. not only that, if it was just a rescue I dont think you would be going to through all of this process.... you already love this kid, and you are doing as you have been called. and NO ONE has the right to judge that, or even you for that matter. Dont let these people make you doubt yourself or your calling. It takes a special person to commit to work hard to go through this process to be able to welcome this child into your home. Its sad to me that they are telling you to get more educated how about THEY DO. Read the bible.... there is some good adoption information in there as well.
Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.
Isaiah 1:17
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.
Proverbs 31:8-9
And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
Matthew 18:5
I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!
Matthew 25:40
I think God is THE OFFICIAL adoption professional down. :)
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