Puzzle Picture Update

Hi Friends and Family!

You all have been so very gracious and sweet by helping us reveal our "PICTURE"!   Many pieces have been SOLD but many MORE are available yet!  Please see directions below and let us know if you have any questions!

Want to be a part of something BIG??!!

Here’s How this works—There are 252 Puzzle Pieces

1. To buy a piece simply comment the number(s) of the puzzle piece(s) you want and say “SOLD”. Each puzzle piece is the dollar value amount shown from 1 - 252 (so if you want to purchase piece numbers 5 & 45, you would comment 5 & 45 SOLD, and donate $50 dollars via my instructions that I will send you). As the puzzle pieces are purchased we will take those numbers out and the “Big Picture” will begin to be revealed!

2. When you purchase that piece or pieces, we will write YOUR name on the back of those puzzle pieces and when the picture is complete we will frame it in a clear frame so at any time we can pick it up, turn it over and be amazed all over again at HIS goodness and the LOVE that has brought her HOME!

3. Please REMEMBER NO ‘purchase’ is too small. Even buying the $1 piece helps us get that much closer to bringing our baby girl HOME. If we are able to ‘sell’ every piece, we will have just over $32,000!! WOW!!!!

4. Also, 25 of the squares have random prizes. I will notify you if you win a prize—the prizes range from VARIOUS gift cards, to African Memorabilia and our big prize of a $100 gift card to Target!

We are SO very GRATEFUL for the support system we have through both our loving Family and Friends. Jesus’ GOODNESS has show through in all of this as we continue to walk in Him.

ITS FINALLY HERE!!! FUNDRAISER UPDATE

IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s FINALLY time to begin our fundraising again to bring our precious baby girl HOME!  We have been so incredibly blessed already by the love “gifts/donations” we have received.

This fundraiser is going to be different in the way that you can help “COMPLETE” the BIG picture!  We are doing a Puzzle “Reveal” fundraiser!  You will also have a chance to WIN some great prizes and some African memorabilia!

HOW can YOU help you ask?  GREAT QUESTION!!

1) PLEASE continue to PRAY for us as we walk this journey out sight unseen!  It can get VERY overwhelming for each of the 3 of us in different ways and above all we want to keep JESUS and His plans “in front of us”!

2) PURCHASE A PUZZLE PIECE and help COMPLETE the BIG picture!

Here’s How this works—There are 252 Puzzle Pieces

1. To buy a piece simply comment the number(s) of the puzzle piece(s) you want and say “SOLD”. Each puzzle piece is the dollar value amount shown from 1 - 252 (so if you want to purchase piece numbers 5 & 45, you would comment 5 & 45 SOLD, and donate $50 dollars via my instructions that I will send you).  As the puzzle pieces are purchased we will take those numbers out and the “Big Picture” will begin to be revealed!

2.  When you purchase that piece or pieces, we will write YOUR name on the back of those puzzle pieces and when the picture is complete we will frame it in a clear frame so at any time we can pick it up, turn it over and be amazed all over again at HIS goodness and the LOVE that has brought her HOME!

3. Please REMEMBER NO ‘purchase’ is too small. Even buying the $1 piece helps us get that much closer to bringing our baby girl HOME. If we are able to ‘sell’ every piece, we will have just over $32,000!!  WOW!!!!

3. Also, 25 of the squares have random prizes. I will notify you if you win a prize—the prizes range from VARIOUS gift cards, to African Memorabilia and our big prize of a $100 gift card to Target!

We are SO very GRATEFUL for the support system we have through both our loving Family and Friends.  Jesus’ GOODNESS has show through in all of this as we continue to walk in Him.

We remain CONFIDENT of this:  We will SEE the GOODNESS of the Lord in the land of the living!  Psalms 27:13

Whispered Nudges and Prodding

Hello sweet Family and Friends,

I realize that it has been several months since I've given an update on our pursuit of Baby Girl "Flower" Coke but there has simply not been any movement.....UNTIL NOW!!

Please forgive me while I reach back and catch everyone up!  In early Fall we had a "potential" match of a 9 month old baby girl, but as in the adoption world, nothing is ever "in stone" until papers are drafted!  Jesus saw fit to place her in a Ugandan family's home (to which we are very thankful for).  So here we were though, back at square one.  At first it was somewhat frustrating, but in my heart I had a quiet peace and strength about that decision.  I think the one thing I have learned (this being our second time at this) is that above all JESUS is in total CONTROL and we are just along for the ride.  There is no use in wringing hands and worrying about something that "we" have no control over.  After all, HE is the Master of the waves and controls and commands those very waves, right?

So I must also touch on our fundraising...which has been somewhat on a hiatus.  We could just not figure out which way we wanted to flow with the fundraising and what idea would come next.  But I must say, that on those days where there hadn't been "any" donations or funds coming in and everything from "overseas" had been deafening with silence, in my heart I would pray quietly..."Dear Jesus, I just need to hear from you in some form, some way, just to KNOW that YOU are STILL in this journey and that we are doing the right thing and truly HEARING from you."  And I promise you that if it wasn't that VERY day or the NEXT I would go out to our mailbox and inside would be a BLESSING check with a sweet card/note attached from different people.  Y'all JESUS IS IN THIS and DOES have a PLAN and PURPOSE for this sweet Ugandan Baby Girl Coke!  He says to testify of His GOODNESS and I will shout it all day long that HE IS GOOD!  We are going to be revealing our next Fundraiser within the next few days and let me tell you...your gonna LOVE it and have a chance to be part of a "bigger picture"!

After a CRAZY past few months with Christmas activities with the Kids Church program and some BIG Family "life changes" (a new God-timed career path for Kevin) for the past few weeks I've had this feeling in my heart that I need to get on the ball and finish all of the paperwork that we can at this time...And it is proven to be "needed"!  It is with this update that we would like to ask you to pray as our Attorney Alice in Uganda and her team begin the investigation of an abandoned 3 month old baby GIRL that we just received word on THIS week!  Oh my mamma heart tries sooo hard not to get too "emotionally" involved but when you lay with your 5 year old Son at night in the dark and hear his tiny, but mighty heart-felt prayers for his "baby sis" (unprompted) you DO get attached...but JESUS knows this boy's heart and KNOWS that when the timing is right...she will come!

So until then, we WAIT, WATCH and PRAY and KNOW that HE IS GOOD!

We remain CONFIDENT of this:  that WE will SEE the GOODNESS of the Lord in the land of the living!!!  Psalms 27:13

Patience and Peace in Waiting....

Hi!

So since our last post we have been SUPER busy FUNDRAISING, thus the delay in posting!  Since our last "conversation" we have held one "Hoagie and Pizza" fundraiser that raised over $1,000 and are in the throws of planning a Community wide Spaghetti Benefit dinner being held this coming Saturday evening!

We don't have too much of an update at this time on our sweet baby girl, but our dear "Auntie Alice", who also happens to be our Attorney in Uganda is working so very hard to get that ball rolling and speed up this process!  We are eternally grateful to Jesus for "heart" connections and even though someone isn't bloodline related, through Jesus, we really ARE related.  She is the sweetest lady ever!  She has poured her heart into our family since our adoption of Malachi and has become such a huge part of our family.  My younger Sister, Carrie and her husband David actually got to meet Alice last year on a missions trip to Uganda that they took!  Only JESUS could have arranged such a meeting!  It was precious!  So if you could, would you please pray for Alice as she continues to work on our behalf with our sweet baby girl?  Not only this, but she is in the process of planning HER WEDDING which will happen in December and we are FERVENTLY praying that we will be able to be there for this special event!!!!

We have been matched with a 9 month old baby girl and they are working on completing the orphan investigation as she was abandoned and is in an orphanage.  Please pray and agree with us for her safety, health and the speed of this paperwork.

Jesus has promised to us that this will be the following....

1)  a faster than normal adoption

2) the TOTAL favor and raising of $35,000

3) that He is already preparing our Judge's heart for our case and we will find God's divine favor

4) that He has ALREADY sent an "Angel" with a divine charge to LOVE our baby girl while she's in this orphanage as only a mamma's heart can and that when we arrive she will settle right in with us and will know MY love to her as her Mamma!  He is MORE than able as He sent an Angel named Moses to save Malachi's life that day in May in Uganda on those railroad tracks!  What Satan has meant for evil Jesus will redeem because BOTH of our Ugandan children have a divine call on their lives to return to Uganda for His work one day!

We have also added a new way of online giving if you aren't familiar with PayPal.  This new way is called YouCaring and can find our link to the right of this post!

You all have been so supportive and amazing and we are truly blessed by your prayers and generous giving!  We pray Jesus LAVISHES his divine blessings on you!

Love,

The Cokes (ps...we will be REVEALING her name at the Spaghetti dinner)!!!

IT'S MOVE TIME!!!

It's with GREAT excitement that we share that we have been matched with a BABY GIRL from Uganda!  We cannot really share any more information at this point, BUT it's MOVE time!  To say that Malachi is excited is an understatement!  He is anxiously awaiting more news!!

So with that most of you know (from Malachi's adoption) the enormous mountain in front of us financially!  BUT..... just as we have been praying from the start of our sweet Baby girl's adoption and have witnessed first hand the Goodness Of The Lord in Malachi's own adoption, He WILL meet EVERY need!

We are kicking off our Fundraising with a Marianna's Hoagie (and Pizza) Sale!!

Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing any OR even taking an order form and being extended arms for us and selling to YOUR family and friends!!  We would be SOOO thankful!

Some of you have been asking how you are able to donate if you do not live close by.  Well we have actually ran into some issues with our Go Fund Me account, so we have deactivated that and are now using PayPal!  Please see the information to the right on this blog for more information!

Above all we COVET your prayers for our Baby's protection and health as we continue to try and raise funds to get her HOME ASAP!!

Many Blessings,


Kevin, Marissa, Malachi and "Baby Girl Coke"!

When HE speaks....WE MOVE!

Dear Family and Friends,

It's FINALLY TIME!  The "Paper Pregnancy" has begun! 
 
We have been somewhat "silent" the past few months as Jesus has been doing some pretty amazing things behind the scenes and we've had a front row seat to watch it all unfold!  I will start out by saying...Adoption is messy, but also so very beautiful and redemptive!

One of the VERY FIRST pictures we received of Malachi (Age...approximately two months)

We cannot begin to imagine what our family portrait would  have looked like if we had not taken that first step out of the boat on white capped waves and said a somewhat fearful yes 6 years ago!  It was our best YES yet to date!  But here we are again, standing on the same boat looking at those white capped waves that seem somewhat higher this time and we have answered God's gentle calling with a more confident YES this time.  You see, it seems that once you have had to walk totally and wholly by nothing more than faith that the second time around doesn't seem as scary, because we have first handed witnessed the "goodness of the Lord".  We want to be totally open and honest that this time around there are a few BIG unknowns, due to the new Children's Law but we have been given a peace that passes ALL understanding from Jesus and the more important "Go for it" from Him.  I was just thinking today, as to how to explain it to you all.  And the analogy that kept popping into my head was that there is a battle and we are running head long into it carrying our banner and declaring that Jesus has already gone before us and as we are faithful to hear His voice in this we will claim the VICTORY for Him!  He WILL win this battle and get all of the glory for it! 

The precious Police that took care of Malachi where He was found the first day!

When Jesus speaks, we need to move.  For quite a few months He has been silent, and I have to say at times that silence was deafening.  BUT it was in that time He was refining and preparing our hearts for this new adventure.  It's so easy sometimes to place God in our perfect little boxes and begin to control and dictate how our lives are going to play out.  But if there is one thing I learned from a precious friend is that WHO ARE WE to put God into our feeble little boxes?  He's the King of Kings and the Creator of the Universe.  He hung each and every star in the sky and named them one by one!  He can do ANYTHING.  When we think that there is NO way, He says, "Umm, excuse me, step aside and watch me display my power!"  As we are stepping into this new journey to our baby girl, He has had our minds on rewind and has been flashing us back to 2011 when He did ONLY what He could do in Malachi's adoption. 

Our "Ruling Day", with our Attorney Mark, in Jinja, Uganda!  He is OURS!

There are some "unknowns", but what we DO know is that Jesus has been Captain of this Ship and Master of the waves through ALL of this and we "KNOW" that we "KNOW" that THIS is our Destiny! When God says "I've given it to you, Go get it" (Deuteronomy 1:6-8).  So it's with holy confidence that we are RUNNING headlong into this destiny!   Once again, to be totally honest with you, we have some HUGE hurdles ahead.  First and foremost we DESPERATELY NEED and COVET your prayers for guidance.  Not only for us, but for our Attorney Alice along with our Agency team.  Also, that Jesus would already be preparing the Judge's heart for our case.  Looking back to Malachi's adoption there were SO many mountains that needed to be moved and we KNOW without a doubt that it was truly only the prayers of faithful people that helped move those mountains!  And secondly, if you feel led in your hearts to give monetarily we would be so humbly grateful.  As we laid our needs before the Lord, God was so very faithful in supplying EVERY need for Malachi and we truly believe that He will indeed prove faithful again!  No amount is too small!  In fact the Bible says, He takes the "little we have" and makes it "GRAND"!  By sowing into our precious Flower's little life, you will be touching generations to come! 

We are so very grateful that you allow us into your lives so that we may share what Jesus is doing in ours!  We love you all and are so very blessed to call you family and friends!

Cannot WAIT to share more soon!!

Many blessings,

Kampala, Uganda standing on a hill overlooking the City and Lake Victoria in the background!  Precious Memories!

What do you do when…..GOD IS SILENT?!

What do you DO when….GOD IS SILENT?  I'm talking about the "Cricket chirps, silent"!  Have you ever had to walk down this path?  I think at one point in our lives we have ALL had to experience this "SILENT" period.  There are times when silence is welcomed, but there are also those times during that silence that you feel you might just lose your mind!  The Bible talks about there being "Wisdom in silence" ... True.....sometimes, but I think in this world we live in today we are so not used to that "silence/quiet".  But it is in those "quiet" times we really learn to "listen" for His voice and we find out who we are and what we are made of.

For the past few months I have been walking that "silent" path.  Now along the way He's provided little "whispers" and they have been "treasures" to my heart.  Speaking of "heart" a few months ago as I was standing at my kitchen window one rainy morning washing dishes (because yes, I am one who thinks washing dishes by hand is therapeutic (at times)…sick I know) the Lord spoke to my heart.  I was having a deep inward struggle with the news that had just come in about Uganda and the New Law they were beginning to get ready to pass.  We were having this conversation back and forth and it went a little something like this….

ME:  "Lord, I don't understand how all of this is happening again?  You called us to adopt our sweet little Flower from Uganda!  You spoke that to us through several people and even confirmed it in both of our hearts, so we stepped out in faith and proclaimed bravely to the world that we were taking the plunge again and jumping feet first into this wide, scary but exciting ocean of International Adoption.  Where are you in this?"

GOD:  "Well, you told everyone that you trusted me and that you would follow me and listen for my voice…Here is what I'm speaking...BE STILL AND KNOW THAT "I AM GOD".  I AM NOT MAN, I DO THINGS "MY WAY" AND I OPEN DOORS THAT NO MAN CAN SHUT.  MY WAYS ARE NOT YOUR WAYS...YOU NEED TO LET ME DO THIS MY WAY.  YOU ASKED THAT FLOWER'S STORY WOULD BE JUST AS DYNAMIC AS MALACHI'S AND THAT I WOULD GET ALL OF THE GLORY….didn't you?"

ME:  "Gulp…..why yes, yes we did…"

GOD:  "Well, then let me do my thing.  "

And at that moment, I felt settled in my heart that we are NOT to move from Uganda at this point.  I cannot explain it, BUT I know that we've not felt released from that Country.  Jesus knows our hearts and how so very much this Mamma's heart is connected to that Country and it's precious people.  I cannot explain it, but Africa just gets in your heart and blood.  It's God-given, I firmly believe.  We have tried to seek out a few other avenues for other countries, but so far those have turned up nothing and I don't think that is a coincidence.  The deep love that Kevin and I both feel for this Country goes far beyond that "natural", it's definitely a "supernatural" connection.  And to just prove HOW awesome Jesus is, after this little kitchen chat we had, I looked out the window as I have for the past year and saw a "precious surprise" in our tree.  I'm here to tell you, I've NEVER seen this until that day.  Now you can't really see it during the sunlight, it's only visible on the "dreary" I need a "boost" days…!  But isn't GOD SO COOL?!  (top of the bottom two branches about half way out…is a HEART)!

So in the days and weeks that have followed this conversation, I have constantly been reminded to BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD….and that He's got this.  We've not made any progress, but in the past week, through Malachi's illness, I have made connections with a fellow Ugandan Mamma who happens to have just went through the same exact thing with one of her Ugandan Littles.  We've been chatting and getting to know one another and it just so happens we have A TON more in common that any "natural" connection could have set-up.  Nope, this is a God-given, "supernatural" connection and we are looking into some-things.  So we humbly ask that you all continue to pray for us as we try and navigate this crazy wild second international adoption to our precious sweet "Flower"!

We are so thankful to you all and just feel incredibly blessed to be able to share what God is doing in and through our family!

Until our next update….!

The power of a single seed

Seeds....there is so much power packed in one tiny seed!  Did you know that the mustard seed is the tiniest seed yet when it grows it is the fastest and biggest of them all and grows into a large tree where birds actually come and build nests?!  It may be TINY but packs a HUGE punch!

We are still waiting to hear some feedback back from our contact about the one African nation we are praying into and as we are still in a "holding pattern" just out of the adoption gate so to speak, the Lord has been talking to my heart about "seeds".

I was on my daily walk last week listening to a sermon and the speaker was talking about seeds oddly enough.  He talked of how the seeds we plant now will have a lasting effect for generations to come.  And how the Lord may be delaying the present to have a greater impact on future generations of our family!  I had never thought of that but made perfect sense to my heart and head.  Last week I must admit I spent a few days wringing my hands and trying to see how " I " could move things along.  A bit OCD maybe?!  Yes, admittedly so.  But as I was walking and listening to this sermon, the tears began to sting my eyes and roll down my cold, wind blown cheeks.  I heard the Master whisper " peace be still" to my worrisome heart.  He said, "do you trust me with your precious flower's seed"?  WOW!!  My "spiritual" answer quickly was Umm, yes Jesus of course...how silly of you to ask!  BUT then my "natural, OCD, control-freak side" kicked in and after some soul searching I gave a slight, silent, gulp whispered yes.  Truth be told we ALL have things and areas where Jesus needs to gently remind us that the issue is really TOTALLY in His control and He's the Master of the waves!  We only need report in for our boat trip, and climb aboard, He will steer the ship!

I do not doubt for a minute that He gave me this seed analogy for nothing!  He knows how much I do enjoy "nurchering" plants and flowers in my yard and watching them grow!  It's calming and relaxing to me.  I can see that Flower is in her incubation time underground.  While we cannot physically "see" the effect of the seed that was planted we know that she's "there" and Jesus is watering her and shining the light on her.  In due time she will peek her precious stem above the soil and we will see her beauty and smell her deep fragrance!  She will be perfect and will be a dynamic force for Jesus!

For now, stay warm for you are being nurtured by the King of Kings!  The creator of the Universe!  Stinking Amazing!

When the WIND shifts directions...

Well, you can never be fully prepared for "life things" when the wind picks up!  It seems when you have just figured out "Boating with Jesus 101" and your sailing along smoothly, the wind picks up,  waters begin to stir and then the crashing waves come!  Just like Jesus to change up the game or is it that the game plan never changed and we just assumed that it had?

So last night we received some disheartening news from the Adoption Agency we had been looking into...it seems with this New Children's Bill being passed, they have suspended their Uganda program.  Wow, the initial emotional WAVE that hit me last night was like a kick to the gut.  Instantly the feelings and emotions of the "yucky" stuff from Malachi's adoption came flooding back, and continued to crash over me for a good while.  But as I received encouraging and uplifting words from my closest gal-friends, Mom, Sisters and then my husband...oh my dear sweet, encouraging, loving husband.  Those worries and fears began to dissolve and I began to re-focus.  I could honestly feel my "shell / skin" toughening again and my head and eyes rise to the "hills" where Jesus is.  You see, we KNOW that our precious "Flower" is already picked for our family.  She's a rare African beauty and since she's rare and ours it's taking her a little longer to "grow".  She's not ready to be picked for our family bouquet yet.  Oh but when she is, she will be radiant and so fragrant!

We ask that you continue to pray for us as we look into a few leads that we have for another Country.  As Kevin and I were talking last night, He gently yet firmly reminded me and my heart that when we "stepped out of this boat" we prayed and asked Jesus to give our precious Flower just as a dynamic story as her older brother's.  So now it's our job as her parents to entrust that to Jesus and keep our eyes fixed on Him, the Master of the waves and storm.  We've stepped out in FAITH and now we will rely on His GRACE to carry us.

We humbly ask that as we have become transparent with you our precious family and friends as we share our story with you, would you please commit to pray for us DAILY?  Like I have said, Adoption is NOT for the faint of heart.  It is a daily necessity to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus for the wind can change in an instant!  But thankfully we know the CREATOR of BOTH the WIND AND WAVES!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
Marissa, Kevin, Malachi and "Flower"

Getting out of the boat....!

Well that didn’t take long…

JUST as we climbed out of the boat to begin our journey / walk on the water we were slammed with a huge crushing wave.  It doesn’t take the enemy long to try and drown what God has ordained, so to speak.  Less than 72 hours after we excitedly shared our hearts and plans to pursue our precious “flower” a.k.a., Baby Girl Coke from Uganda we were hit with some pretty LARGE news.  While we knew this was a possiblility, we just did not realize that it would come so soon.  

On Wednesday as Malachi and I (Marissa) were having lunch I received a text from our sweet Attorney/dear family friend Alice in Uganda.  In her words, “parliament had some debate on the New Children’s Bill.  It seems they are now requiring adoptive families to bond with the adoptive child(ren) for one year “in-country” in order to adopt.” (YIKES...this is a HUGE OBSTACLE)... I have to tell you, in that instant I had a divine peace, as did She.    But you know how the Enemy tries to invade your thoughts and cast doubt.  Try as I might to keep the peace, unfortunately I took my eyes off the Master of the waves and quickly  began to sink.

My thoughts ate away at me.  I went from having a supernatural peace to spiriling into crazy thoughts.  My thoughts went anywhere from, “wow, it’s like Rwanda/Uganda all over again” to “I don’t know if I can handle this emotional rollercoaster again” and finally to “well maybe we “mis-heard” and are supposed to adopt from another African Nation”.  Uh, can you say ALL of these thoughts occurred because I forgot “boating with Jesus 101”…NEVER TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE MASTER once you step out of the boat!

After I pulled myself together with the help of Jesus, my Husband and a few very close awesome gal-friends, I was reminded of this very fact by Jesus.  He spoke quietly to my racing heart and said, “Marissa, don’t forget that you and Kevin asked me to make “flower’s” story JUST as dynamic as Malachi’s.”  Gulp…!  To which I replied…why yes we did Lord, thanks for the reminder…! 

So, with that, We will dig our heels in and NOT BE MOVED.  When the next wave comes, and I’m sure it will, this time lesson learned.  DO NOT TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE MASTER!

In conclusion, we humbly ask that as we seek Jesus in this that we FIND Him and He brings clarity to this.  President Musovini still will need to sign off on this bill.  So please pray that Jesus moves on His heart and perhaps something different can be done to protect this program of adoption from corruption and give these poor kiddos a chance to belong to a family.

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

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Coke…party of FOUR please?  Eek!  After 4 1/2 LONG years, and MANY requests from Malachi, he is FINALLY getting a little Sister! As we have been talking about this around our house Malachi has decided to name his little Sister, "FLOWER"!  So we know she will be GORGEOUS and RADIANT in EVERY way!

When you ask?  Only Jesus can answer that!  Ha ha ha!  After much prayer and planning we are officially announcing that the Cokes will begin the crazy, wonderful, scary, adventure known as International Adoption again.  While some may say, “oh this will be a breeze since you have already experienced it once.”  May I caution you to not let that fool you!  Each and every “situation and case” has its own challenges.  Things will be somewhat different for us this time around as we will be working with an actual Adoption Agency instead of adopting independently.  How is this different you ask?  Well, through an Agency we do not have as much “control” as to how “FAST” our paperwork flows.  But we also know that we serve a God who we trust completely and order’s our steps!

We (as of now, providing there are no unexpected “surprises” from in-country) will be adopting again from UGANDA!  This beautiful country has captured our hearts in only a way Jesus could orchestrate!  Uganda is known as the pearl of Africa and She definitely lives up to her name! 

As we say yes, and answer the call that Jesus has placed in our hearts, we do it knowing just how much we will have to completely depend on Him again!  As those of you who walked with us through this journey to our Malachi Kirabo Moses, know it is not for the faint of heart.  There are many twists and turns (including unexpected Country changes), however we KNOW that as we in FAITH, “Step out of the boat” and keep our eyes on Him we will walk on water!  Malachi’s adoption taught me (Marissa) one VERY IMPORTANT lesson.  At the beginning of his journey, we prayed that if Jesus were calling us to do this we felt two things needed to happen.  1) That He supply  “EVERY SINGLE PENNY” of our needs and 2) that He would get ALL of the GLORY for this!  And friends, I am here to tell you, BOTH things happened.  Jesus continually exceedingly met our needs and Malachi continues to bless those who hear his incredible story!  (If you do not know his story, please feel free to read…(http://carissashaw.com/2015/11/uganda-adoption-story.html)

I once read a book that simply said that God is IMPRESSED by and actually ENCOURAGES us to pray BIG and BOLD prayers!  So our precious family and friends, as we have shared our EXCITING news with you, our hearts are SO full of FAITH and EXCITEMENT!  We simply ask that you PLEASE pray for us and BELIEVE with us that Jesus will meet our EVERY need and use our heart-born daughter’s incredible story (because we have prayed that She too will have one) to give God ALL of the glory!

Much Love,

Kevin, Marissa, Malachi and.........!

UP AND RUNNING

GUESS WHAT???!!!  We are BACK UP AND BLOGGING AGAIN!!!

....EXPECTING JESUS TO DO **LOTS OF CRAZY THINGS** THINGS IN 2015 FOR US "THE COKES"!!!

Declaring 2015 the "YEAR OF INCREASE" in EVERY area of our lives!!!

Like our blog and follow us this year!!!!

YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED....JESUS IS "IN THE HOUSE"!!!!

QUICK UPDATE!

Greetings Family and Friends!

Just wanted to give a quick update and "PRAISE THE LORD"..!

As I had mentioned we were going to try and go two weeks EARLY to our i-600a fingerprint appointments yesterday. We were unsure if they would even see us or would we have to wait all day to possibly be "squeezed in". Well, I'm happy to say that once again God has shown "favor" to us and we were able to get our fingerprints done yesterday in about a little over 1 hour!! The trip was about 2.5 hours from our home so we were taking a gamble anyway, but thought hey, why not? The folks there were quite nice and so gracious to allow us to do this 2 weeks ahead of schedule!!

We are SO excited and just practically bursting with excitement and anticipation! As I had mentioned in my last post, I guess a good way to describe it would be to say that we are eagerly anticipating or waiting EXPECTANTLY for "THE CALL" to come anytime....prayerfully SOON!!

I have to say I probably made some Prison Guards laugh yesterday! We came out of the building and I was SOOO happy and relieved that I did a little *LEAP*! Heck, if I was really talented I would have clicked my heels on the jump...but thought better of it! But as we were getting into the car, my dear sweet husband said...you do realize all of those men just saw you do that?! LOL! I just started laughing and said...ya know, I don't care...I'm gonna be a MOM and I'm sure there are going to be LOTS of things that I might embarrass my kids with....but I just don't care...I'm H-A-P-P-Y!!!!!

Okay, I believe that's it for now....stay tuned for more GOOD things to come!!

Blessings,

Kevin, Marissa & Malachi!

CONTRACTIONS...AND SUCH

Greetings Family and Friends,

Just wanted to give you a little update quick! Shortly after I sent out our last post, things started happening! (GOOD THINGS)!

In just two short weeks from mailing our i-600a form out (our form to ask the United States Government permission to bring an orphan into our country), we received our fingerprint cards to go and be fingerprinted by Homeland Security!! This is amazing...and a VERY quick turn-around! Wow, I"m telling you, God is moving and working in ways we are not even seeing! Those mountains are just crumbling! This is the VERY last piece of paperwork we need to do before we are able to package everything up and send it to Uganda! It's such a neat and weird feeling all at the same time. I guess that's why they call it a "paper pregnancy" b/c minus the growing stomach I have all of those same emotions of a pregnancy...believe me! Ha ha ha!

We were able to finish putting Malachi's Nursery together for the most part (pictures are coming soon)...I promise! But as I put the lightbulb in his little elephant lamp last night and turned it on it cast a soft and warm glow about the room. It was comforting and reassuring that God is working everything out, right down to the last tiny detail. I had this comforting feeling and know that He will be in our arms soon. Call it a hunch, or a "Mommy's" intuition, but I just know that I know!! I cannot wait to snuggle him and have "creamy" time with him as my Mom has been able to do with my nephews! It's such a great time and they have always loved it...so needless to say I've been stocking up on Baby Magic (hmmm, my favorite)!!!

We will update you as things progress!!!!

Blessings!

Kevin, Marissa and Malachi!

Waiting with Expectancy

Greetings Family and Friends!

Just wanted to send out this quick update (but you all know me, it's never "quick")! Ha ha!

Since our last post a month ago we PASSED our Well Water Test which then meant we finally PASSED our Homestudy!!! Praise the Lord! Just a little "extra" note....not only did we PASS the water test....there was NO (none at all) bacteria found in our water! How cool is God? Ha ha...we asked for it to just pass....and it passed with flying colors! God is so amazing to his Children!

Next we had to get our travel shots (which were a bit more pricey than we expected...ouch)! But we were both brave and took our shots (3) like two champs! Ha ha ha!

With passing the Homestudy we were able to mail out our i-600a form to the Department of State, which is the FINAL state-side paperwork! It is to request our government's permission to bring an orphan into the United States! Wow...we really cannot believe it is getting closer and closer! We just received word that our application was "checked in and received", so now we wait for a card to go be fingerprinted by Homeland Security. After fingerprinting, we will wait for our "permission slip" in the mail and then we will bundle all paperwork up and mail it off to Uganda!

On our way in the car this morning Kevin and I were talking about how "Great God Is" and how perfect HIS timing is...! Now we've always known this...but it's so amazing to see Him at work daily in our lives! I was marveling at how He cares enough about us and our "desires" to have us wait for His "PERFECT" plan! In our discussion we were talking about Moses and the Israelities and how they wandered through the desert for 40 years. Because they needed to learn that God desired His BEST for them! I said to Kevin ya know...I think 8 1/2 years is a LONG time to wait for my heart's desire...but as I reflect, I'm so grateful for the things He's shown me along the way through this trying and exciting journey of infertility and adoption! The tears I've shed... I'll tell you, Malachi is one VERY MUCH LOVED little boy already!!

Just a bit of a financial update! As of our last post, we had been blessed and only needed approximately $8,000 to finish our "estimated" budget. Well, since then God has never stopped working on that! We have received so many financial love (blessing) gifts since then. Our estimate is now down to needing approximately $5,000! Wow, in ONE month God took care of $3,000! How amazing is that? How great truly is our God! Please continue to pray with us that His will be done and that we raise the final monies we need! God is in total control!

I've been having these dreams of being in Uganda and finally getting to lay hands on our precious Son! What a day that will be when God completes the plan and dreams He's always had laid out for our family! I'm so glad that He painted our family portrait! It's so funny, somehow I just don't think this one trip is the end for our family to Africa. Whether we adopt again or perhaps do some missions work there, I truly feel God is drawing our hearts there! How neat and great is that?! I just get teary-eyed thinking of a love for a Continent that I've never even been too...definitely is God's doing!

Please be watching for more to come....!!! We are waiting with anticipation and EXPECTANCY for "THAT PHONE CALL" prayerfully one day soon!

Much love and prayers,

Kevin, Marissa and Malachi!

LIVING & WALKING BY FAITH

Greetings Family and Friends!

Wow! Okay, sorry it's been so long since I have updated our blog. A lot has been going on in the past month and a 1/2 since I last posted...we've been busy, busy, busy!

We spent most of January preparing and praying for our Baby Coke Adoption Fundraiser we held on February 4th! Wow! What a great time that was...and what an excellent turnout! God definitely is still on the thrown and truly running this whole operation! We had a great evening of having the priviledge to host all of our dear family and friends and got to share our hearts on Africa and where we see the Lord taking us with our adoption of Malachi! It was a special evening, full of a delicious dinner of Spaghetti & Meatballs and excellent homemade pies from precious ladies! We were so blessed by all who either donated their time, talents of cooking, baking and serving to just praying for us and being here! Kevin and I were truly blessed by all who attended and those who were unable to attend but sent their love! Malachi is truly already in the hearts of all we know! God moved in great ways that night. We came into the evening with a total of an estimated $14,000 needed for the adoption and God cut that in half almost! We are down to only needing an estimated $8,000. When we started this adventure our prayer was that if this is what the Lord had for us then we knew that He would be the supplier of the funds and that He would move mountains to make that happen! And boy has He?! We have dear friends who have a 6 year old son and 10 year old daughter. Each night they pray for Baby Malachi and pray a prayer of blessing. Well, a month or two ago my friend called me and said she wanted to share what her son had prayed for Baby Malachi's financial situation the night before. She said he prayed ...please help them get the money they need...and we don't just want some of it, we want all of it and some extra too! Wow...doesn't the Word of God say that out of the mouths of babes praise is perfected?! How amazing and humbling is that?? Just totally blessed our hearts...so everytime time we look at that $8,000 amount (and to us that is alot, we say God we're trusting you to supply ALL of it and some extra too) God is so faithful and so good to do just that! We just have to remember that when a Mountain rises in our path we remind our mountain just HOW BIG our God is... and say with faith, Be Moved! And in His Word, He promises that!

Another praise the Lord is that we were blessed by friends in our church with an Ultra-Violet Light system for our Well! As we have shared with many of you our water has not been passing the bacteria test for the Homestudy because of it being a point or so off the required amount for passing. We were faced with this obstacle for the past 6 months or so roughly of going through the riggers of pouring up to as much as 5 gallons of bleach down our well to try and "clean out the pipes" of bacteria. All the while having the "Joy" (severe sarcasm here) of smelling like bleach! So much so, that when you sweat or the wind blew through your hair you could smell it...not a great experience and DON'T recommend it to anyone! Ha ha ha! But prayerfully with this new Ultra-Violet Light System we will not have to endure that and when we take the sample in later this week pryaerfully it will PASS with flying colors. So please pray for that!

So now your probably wondering where we are in our process. Well, here is the breakdown! Once we PASS the well test, that is the last thing we will need for the Homestudy to be completed. Once that is done , we will have to file an i-600a form that basically states that we will be traveling to Uganda to adopt "an orphan" and we will also have to be fingerprinted by Homeland Security. Then when we pass that test, we will send documentation to Uganda. They are currently searching for Baby Malachi now. We do not have any idea who or where He is, we just have specified that we would like a BOY up to the age of 8 months old.

Prayer Requests (please agree with us)
1.) That God would miraculously provided the remaining $8,000 we need!
2.) That our Well Test Passes
3.) That even now God would protect our precious Baby until we can get to Him!

Many blessings and love,

Kevin, Marissa & Malachi

NEW YEAR'S BLESSINGS

Warm Greetings to our Family and Friends!

Wow, it is truly hard to believe that we have just entered into 2011. Kevin and I were just reminiscing about entering into 2000 and what a big deal that was...11 years ago! Boy does time sure fly! And I must say through the journey of 11 years there have been many UPs and DOWNs as life goes. But through it all there has been one thing that has remained the same and never changed. One thing that remains the same, yesterday, today and forever, Jesus! To which we are so grateful to have Him in our lives!

After talking and discussing this new adventure into Uganda, we agreed that we would not "officially" start the search until January 1, 2011. We wanted to start the new year off right!! So at 12:00 am last night while watching the BALL drop in NYC (via TV of course...we're not crazy enough to get in that crowd), we sent an email to our dear friend Tina of Mugisha Ministries and gave her the official " G-O "!! Ha ha ha...it was such a neat and thrilling feeling! But we had also been discussing the "gender" thing. We realize that at the beginning of this Ugandan adventure we had said that we were not going to specify gender. However, through this all we have just been feeling uneasy about that and I have been feeling like we were meant to go with a boy. And so the deciding factor was this. On Christmas morning as we were gathered with my family, our nephews, Landon and Brendon informed us that every night they still "Pray for Baby Malachi"! So we took that as our "sign from the Lord" that what we were feeling was correct and that Baby Malachi was still to be in Uganda. As my Mom said, for all we know he could be living in Uganda and have Rwandan roots and heritage. A lot of people fled Rwanda during and after the Genocide. So who knows really, but Jesus! :-) But we're happy!

But the most exciting news came at 12:09 am this morning via email. It was at that time that Tina sent us an email letting us know that we are family number 2 in line for Uganda!!! Oh my goodness...oh my goodness!!! AHHH!! SOOOO exciting, yet still having to put ALL of our trust in the Lord financially. But we know that God promised in His word to show his mighty works and that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed (and that is T-I-N-Y) He will always be there and prove Himself faithful! So we will continue to walk by faith and trust Him down to the last penny!!!

We love you guys and covet your daily prayers for our growing family!!

Many blessings,

Kevin, Marissa and Malachi!!

A FRESH WIND

Greetings Dear Family and Friends,

Wow! Can I just say how BIG and GREAT oh...and AMAZING is the God we serve??!! As one of the favorite songs of our kids in our Christmas play goes..."Shout it from the roof tops, shout it in the streets, come on everybody spread the news with me...." I want to SHOUT it from the roof tops...how amazing God has been in our adoption journey. Please allow me to explain....

As those of you know who have been following us on our Rwandan adoption journey, the doors to Rwanda in August were unexpectedly closed due to a program that the government is preparing to enter into called the Hague Convention. It is a good program as it protects kids from Child Trafficking, but the time line was rough b/c we didn't have all of our paperwork completed and just couldn't make the August 31 deadline. We were so disheartened because we truly believed that God was beginning to move and then the doors were shut all of the sudden. But as a very dear friend told me, "delay in the kingdom of God does not mean denial"...that has helped me over the past few months as we've just went through the motions of waiting and praying for God to open the doors to Rwanda quickly. But little did we know He was preparing to surprise us with an all together different plan and path.

It is with that that I proudly declare that we are now adopting from Uganda, Africa (which is right above Rwanda on the map)! We are elated! There is one word to describe this process as I'm told "Whirlwind"! Things have a tendency to happen FAST in Uganda! Gulp....just teasing! Ha ha ha! Allow me to explain one of the many reasons why God is so amazing with this adoption so far.

About 2 months ago, a dear friend of ours had a African Children's Choir(called the Watoto) (http://www.watoto.com/home) come to their church. The Choir she explained had brought jewelry to sell made by Christian Women (who are Moms to orphaned children) who had Aids and were trying to earn a living. She said she noticed a beautiful hand-made wooden bracelet and her husband bought it for her. Well, when we met and I told her our story one day she said the Lord asked her to give that bracelet to me as a "symbol" of faith that God was going to do just as he promised and give us our heart-born African Child. And let me tell you when I took the bracelet and placed it on my wrist I knew that that bracelet had been made just for me! You see, I have a hard time finding bracelets that fit my wrist and it fit like a glove! Just like the Cinderella slipper, that bracelet was destined to be mine all along. Well, what I've not shared is that the bracelet and children's choir was from, Yep, you guessed it...Uganda! Isn't God SOOO neat!!!

Now, Rwanda is definitely still in our hearts and so is Malachi (whether he is from Rwanda or Uganda). And as the Lord has been speaking to us, Rwanda is not our Season right now, and who knows, that may come sometime later! We are pleased and excited to say that we are NOT going to specify a Boy or Girl...we are going to let the Lord decide that!!!! To which my Mom (who is dying for a granddaughter...even though Kevin teases her that she had 3 girls to raise) is thrilled!!! Ha ha ha! Love ya Mom!!!

So, we are absolutely thrilled and will ask that you continue to pray with us as we start this new adventure and ask that you please keep the many friends of ours that are still awaiting Rwanda to open back up the grace and peace to hold steady as they await their children!

Much love and Prayers,

Marissa, Kevin and ________ ?

UNWAVERING FAITH

Warmest Greetings our dear Family & Friends,

Well, it has been a little while since I've posted and updated you all on anything and so I thought I would take a moment and do that today!

We quite honestly do not know that much more than we did since our last post. But we do know that God is in complete control of all of this. I will have to be honest and say that I am human and have a Mommy's heart and I'm growing impatient! Ha ha...just being honest! Kevin and I talk frequently about this and dream of the day when we hear those words, "the doors are open again"! We cannot wait! As far as my impatience goes, I know God must expect that to a degree. It does not mean that I do not trust Him completely to handle everything it's just that I'm human and well...you know! But I am again and again reminded that He is in control of this and knew the beginning to the end of this and that's where we just have to STAND and believe that in His perfect timing the end will come! The end being that we bring Malachi home forever!

Some positives are that we are pushing ourselves to get as much done on our end as possible so that when things do open back up we are at the door waiting with papers in hand! We FINALLY completed our 10 HOURS of online adoption training...phew, that was a task I must say! We had quizzes (4 each) after each module completed and needed an 80% average or better....talk about stressful and feeling like we were back in school...but we managed! Ha ha ha!

So as we begin to jump full swing into the Holiday Season, Kevin and I just ask that you continue to pray for us and ask for God's favor and (quick) timing! Hee hee hee...that's my ONLY Christmas wish this year!

We will continue to update you all as soon as we know anything!

Many, Many blessings and thanks!

Kevin, Marissa & (Baby Malachi)

STREAMS IN THE DESERT

Greetings Family & Friends,

This is just a little update...not much has changed as of yet. We are still counting on God to move our "Mountain" and bring Malachi home to us soon.

As I have said before, I do have mostly good days where I'm strong and ready to wait as long as it takes for him, and then there are the "ugly days" when all I want to do is cry because I just long to hold my little man in my arms. But then, I give it all back to Jesus and say...get me through this rough patch...and He always does. It just hurts my heart so much sometimes. But I guess we are human and He understands that and He continually supplies "Streams in my desert"! It definitely is just such a miracle of God the creator to place a love so deep in your heart for someone you have never even met yet. He may not be our "biological child" but as I have said before, he is our HEART BORN son and it's so neat to see God's plan unfolding....even if we are on a "slight detour"....! Let's just hope and pray it's not one of those "6 hr out of the way detours"! Ha ha ha...just teasing!

I wanted to share something with you that the Lord has been speaking to my heart lately. We sang a song in church a few weeks ago entitled...God will make a way...and it goes a little something like this.... "God will make a way, where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way...." and when I heard and sang that this is also what I heard him speak to my heart. He said, get ready, I'm about to move mountains on your behalf. He said, all I ask is that you have faith the size of a mustard seed (and if you've ever seen one you know just how small they are)...so all He is asking for is faith, hope and trust to which we have given all to him! His word and promises do NOT return void....so we will just wait and stand and believe that this is ALL part of His plan and that He knows what's best for timing and situations! We want to be in His "Perfect Will" for our lives and family!

We will truly rejoice when Malachi comes, it will be a celebration and feast for all to see! But above all God will get the glory because He has orchestrated this thing to perfection!

So PLEASE just continue to pray with AND for us as we continue on this journey and that God would begin opening doors and moving mountains just as He has promised! Remember...He IS a God of the impossible making ALL things possible!

With love,

Kevin & Marissa ( & Malachi)