We're Still Here!!

Hello everyone!

Its been way too long since I posted an update! The holidays and then getting extremely sick just stopped me in my tracks!

Now, nearly well and getting a handle on being back to work and school, I finally am able to breathe a tiny bit and give an update on our adoption process.

To date we have fund raised $1,040!!!! That's exciting news! To break it down, those amounts came from:

Pure Charity Crowd Fundraising: $720 (check it out here! https://www.purecharity.com/cotogna)

Christmas Roll Fundraiser: $320

Yes, this is below our goals in this area. I ended up not advertising for the roll fundraiser beyond word of mouth and that still netted $320!! This change in plans was due to just feeling overwhelmed with the holidays approaching. Yes, probably the holy spirits prompting too because I became very SICK. If I would have had more than the 4 orders I had, I would have had to cancel at the last minute!

So here's where our numbers are for our first deadline February 20th.

$2,400   (due Feb. 20th - first deposit down to American World Adoptions)

$1,040   currently raised

$900      our contribution from savings

$200      VISA card I earned from a Christmas Verizon deal

$2,140   TOTAL

$360      Shortfall

We are SO CLOSE!! Here's the good news - AWAA will let us do this in two payments if we need to. Even so, we prefer to stick to the deadline and not change it. That and the 5 months from March till July I have money budgeted to help us finish most of phase one (in other words there's not any money there to make up for this shortfall in the following months).

We are BELIEVING that God will come through - one way or another!

That has prompted our next fundraiser - a Super Bowl fundraiser! I'm working out the details but I will be posting all about it this week! It'll be an inexpensive way for many folks to get involved and maybe win a nice cash prize too!

Beyond the money, we are also working on getting our house ready to pass an inspection. That means finishing our family room (its open beams right now - yeah, no drywall!). I'll post more on that later.

In any case, we are getting so excited to see God move and work this year! He's good - He's called us - He will provide!!

Thank you all for keeping us in prayer - for praying for our daughter Tori who is right now in an orphanage or foster home in China and who is praying for her own miracle - a family.

Lets bring Tori HOME!

Janelle