Drew's First Mission Trip

Dear Friends and Family,

Many of you may or may not know that the church I have been attending here in Wake Forest, NC is Richland Creek Community Church. One of the things that drew me to the church is their heart for missions. I believe God is calling me to the mission field in Ukraine this summer to help lead and assist on several construction projects.  This will be my first mission trip and it will be to serve the people that God puts in my path in Ukraine. The previous teams that went before me have assisted in completing a new Church building in the town of Kiev, Ukraine. For the past few years many people from our church have been lead to go and assist and minister to the Country of Ukraine.

It is a country that was previously a part of the old Soviet Union. After the walls of communism fell back in the early 1990’s, there began a huge influx of all types of mission teams traveling to Ukraine. These teams were comprised of doctors bringing medicines and health care, construction workers to build new church buildings, and most importantly, evangelism teams to bring the word of God. God is richly blessing that region of the Country, and four new churches have been started. Several of them have buildings under construction, or have buildings that are ready to be purchased.

With that being said, I would like to make a couple of requests on behalf of the Ukrainian people. First and most importantly, I would like to ask that each of you and your home church begin to pray for our team and the many other teams that will be traveling to Ukraine this summer. Specifically, pray that those who hear the gospel for the very first time will be open to receive God’s word. Pray that all of the teams would have safe travel, and that all of the families that are left back home would be taken care of. Please pray that God would do a miraculous work in and through those individuals and myself that are going out to fulfill the great commission (Matt 28).

I would like to also ask that you prayerfully consider supporting me on this mission with any contribution that you feel lead to give. Again, I would like to ask each of you to pray for us as we venture into the mission field of Ukraine to share the good news of Jesus Christ. If you choose to financially support me this year, I want to assure you that your gift will go directly towards this mission trip.

If you would like any additional information, I would be glad to speak with you anytime. Please feel free to call me on my cell at 919-357-1830. I want to let you know that your contributions are tax deductible, and you can make the checks out to Richland Creek Community Church and I will make sure that you receive a receipt for your contribution. Along with the check, on a separate sheet of paper, indicate that you want your gift to go towards supporting “Drew Douglass on the Ukraine mission trip”. You can mail your check to:

Richland Creek Community Church

3229 Burlington Mills Rd.

Wake Forest, NC 27587

(919) 556-9292

In closing I want to thank you for supporting the Ukrainian people, the team, and myself. As I mentioned your prayers and financial support are greatly appreciated. I look forward to sharing with you all that God accomplishes through our time in the Ukraine. Thanks again.

Drew 

Welcome to 2014

Well it has been six months since our last post on the blog and you can’t imagine all of the ups and downs that we have experienced.  We can definitely say though that there have been a lot more ups.  We do apologize for the long time between posts and some will be happy to know that we have set a new goal for 2014 to post at least once a week.  

So, let’s get everyone caught up on where things stand with the adoption.  From our families perspective nothing has changed.  We are still waiting and waiting some more.  We have also received some potentially bad news about the entire Ethiopia adoption program.  The Ethiopia government is currently reviewing the entire program to determine if significant changes should be made including stopping all international adoptions.  Please read through our adoption agency’s blog post to find more - http://adoptedbydesign.typepad.com/blog/2014/01/fast-pray-for-ethiopias-orphans-january-9-11.html

We thank all of you for your prayers and ask that you continue to pray for our adoption and that we will continue to follow God’s will through this process. We hold strong to the fact that all things filter through his hands.

As I mentioned earlier we will be posting a whole lot more and we will catch everyone up on what happened in the 2^nd half of 2013 and the rest of our goals for 2014.

Adoption Yardsale

We had a yard sale as a fundraiser for our adoption. It turned out great but it sure was a ton of work. Not sure I'll be up for another one for awhile. We worked for about two months prior to the day collecting items from friends and co-workers and to say we collected alot of stuff would be a understatement. We had thousands of items that were donated to us. We were overwhelmed with the love we felt as we watched items continue to come in up until the day before the sale. Drew said at one point that our house began to look like an episode of the show hoarders.

It took a number of wonderful people to help us prepare and make the sale a success. We are continually grateful to see how many people are invested in this journey with us. What a day it will be to share with our sweet girl how much she is loved and how so many people played a part in bringing her home.

We raised over a $1000.00 dollars towards our adoption costs and we had fun sharing the day with our friends. Thank you Lord that you are in the small details of this life and that you continue to walk with us through it all.

9 Months Waiting

We have survived another three months of waiting.We are hitting nine months of waiting since having our dossier sent to Ethiopia. We have seen some movement in referrals but still continues to be slow overall. We are still encouraged by what we see in the world of adoption and continue to hold strong to our believe that there is purpose in the "waiting". We have grown so much as a family during this time and have had our eyes opened in ways that we could never have imagined before.

We continue to ask for your prayers and encouragement as we wait for our little girl and if you don't mind can you also pray for our adoption yard sale that is planned for May 18th. Thanks so much!!

6 Months Waiting

We have gotten to month six in the waiting stage. It is amazing how quickly the days go but yet how slow it seems some days. We are super busy with life right now and we are thankful to have our two boys to keep us moving forward. We know their is a beautiful girl who will one day be a part of our family and so we will keep on walking this journey and thanking God for his faithfulness and enduring love.

We ask that you pray for us, pray for our sweet girl and for the many others who are waiting alongside of us. Pray for the birth mothers who will make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love and most importantly pray that God's glory will shine brightly among all of it. We love you all!!

Christmas Fun

We had a wonderful Christmas and I think in part it was because we really slowed down this year and tried to be intentional in what we "busied" ourselves with. Christmas 2012 was wonderful. Most of all we are so thankful for the greatest gift ever given. A precious baby born in a stable, the Savior of the world. Thank you Lord for your son, may we never take for granted that gift.

Day 24 - Food Gift Cards for Those in Need

Day Twenty Four:  Today we went downtown to hand out gift cards for a hot meal to people in need.  We drove up and down many streets, but their were very few people out today probably in part because of it being Christmas Eve.  Many local organizations were providing meals and special services to those in need as well today.  One way to look at today is to be thankful that their are places available for those in need here in Raleigh.

We will keep the gift cards in the card and hand them out as the need arises in the coming weeks ahead.

Day 23 - Treat for Salvation Army Bell Ringers

Day Twenty Three:  Who would have know that today's act of kindness would end up being a big bust.  Apparently we were to late and not a single Salvation Army  bell ringer could be found around North Raleigh.   We will have to move this to much earlier in the month for next year.

Day 22 - Pass Out Quarters at Aldi's

Day Twenty Two:  Today's act of kindness was simple, but it was definitely an opportunity for the boys to step out of their comfort zone.  We decided to pass out quarters at Aldi's so people did not have to use their own quarter to get a shopping cart. 

Day 21 - Pay for the Person Behind You at the Drive Thru

Day Twenty One: Today Drew took off from work and Owen stayed home from camp to have some one on one time.  Part of that time was a trip to McDonalds where they went through the drive through and paid for the person behind them in line. Told you McDonalds was one of our favorite restaurants.  The life of a family with small children.  Drew tried to get some pictures of the person behind him in line, unfortunately picture taking is not one of his strong suites.

Day 20 - Anonymous Notes of Encouragement for My Co-Workers

Day Twenty: Today was a fun day.  On my break at work I took time to write words of scripture in the hope that it would be an encouragement to the ladies I work with.  I then taped it to their driver side window so it would be the first thing they saw when they got to their car.

I am blessed beyond belief to have the job that I have at LLLC.  It is an unbelievable place to work.  The ladies that I work with have helped me and my family in ways that I will never be able to repay. They are the family that we do not have in North Carolina.  It was a gift to return a small token of what they have given me. 

Proverbs 27:17 - Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Day 19 - Buy Lunch for Someone

Day Nineteen: The boys and I went to their favorite restaurant. Wait for it. McDonalds.  Gotta love one stop shopping; chicken nuggets, french fries, and a toy. Except on this day we decided to forgo our meal and bless someone else with a meal of their own. 

We saw a nice gentleman looking a little tired after a long day of work towing cars.  We met him as he was walking into the McDonalds and stopped him. We handed him a gift card and told him that we wanted to pay for his lunch and that we hoped he had a very Merry Christmas.  It seemed like it changed his whole demeanor.  We hope it was a blessing to him as much as it was to us.

Day 18 - Cupcakes to the Pediatrician's Office

Day Eighteen:  Today we made cupcakes for the staff at the boys pediatrician's office. They were chocolate topped with vanilla frosting and to make them festive we added crushed candy canes. 

It is so important to remember the ones who play a role in your life. We get so caught up in our busy days that we forget to stop and look at those that we come into contact with. God puts people in your life for a reason and I am guilty like so many others of not taking the time to see the people for who they are in HIS eyes. 

Day 17 - Leaving Surprises On Door Steps

Day Seventeen:  Today the boys and I put together packages of candy and cards that we delivered to random door steps in nearby neighborhoods.  The boys thought this was quite fun although I was a little nervous that we were going to get mauled by dogs.  The Lord watched out for us and we had a great time.

Day 16 - Passing Out Candy Canes

Day Sixteen:  Today we decided to pass out candy canes to holiday shoppers in North Raleigh.  The boys ran around the store telling people Merry Christmas and handing them candy canes.  Some people were very thankful for this random act of kindness and some were skeptical.  It was a great reminder to the boys to consider others during a time when it is easy to consider themselves.

Day 15 - Volunteering Our Time

 

Day Fifteen: Today we went to the Ronald McDonald House in Durham with friends from our church small group and this was a very meaningful time for our family.  We prepared BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, corn on the cob, rolls, and dessert for the families staying there. 

This act of kindness was a reminder of why it is so important to give pack to others especially this time of year.  The Lord really showed me how fortunate I am to have a health family.

Day 14 - Gift for School Custodian

Day Fourteen: Today we wanted to bless our wonderful custodian Mr. Jesse.  He works so hard to keep our boys school clean and orderly.  No small feat I am sure. He was very gracious and humbled by our gift.  We are so appreciative of all that he does.

Owen giving Mr. Jesse his card and gift certificate for dinner out on the town.

Day 13 - Encouraging Notes on Cars

Day Thirteen: I hope today brought a smile to the faces of the many people who got in their car and saw an encouraging card waiting for them.  The boys and I had to go to Costco so we thought we would make the best use of our time and decided to encourage others with a small card that we had made beforehand. 

Both of the boys took time to make cards that included their own Christmas artwork. Owen put his cards on the small cars and Lucas put his on all of the SUVs.

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Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

Day 12- Treats for the Mailman

Day Twelve- Today we left treats for the mailman in the mailbox. This time of year you see the mailmen and woman scurrying around later than usually to get everyone's packages to their loved ones during the holiday season  We wanted our mailman to know his hard work does not go unnoticed and that we appreciate it. Hopefully, he will feel an extra dose of love today in the form of some yummy treats that will be waiting on him.

Day 11- Flowers to Someone

Day Eleven turned out to be more than we expected. We were supposed to give flowers to someone who we thought might could use them. We were going to give them to a lady at our old church who has played a special role in the lives of our boys but turned out she wasn't at work today. So I thought and thought about who could we bless with flowers. Turns out a friend of mine and the mom to kids in both my boys classes at school was home with the flu. What a better way than to brighten up her day with some flowers. We decide to also leave her some orange juice and chicken noodle soup. We left it on her porch and then sent her a message saying their was a gift on her porch. I think she was pleasantly surprised.

It was a great day and I hope that my friend felt loved and thought of.

Day 10- Doughnuts To School

Day Ten was a sweet act of kindness. Drew and the boys went by Krispy Kreme on the way to school and picked up hot, fresh doughnuts for the staff. Nothing like a Krispy Kreme doughnut right off the convey belt. When they are hot I could inhale like a dozen myself. Shhh, don't tell anyone. It's our secret!!

We love the boys school and the staff is unbelievable  There is no greater feeling than to know when you can't be there to love and teach your children there are teachers who stand in the gap for you. They have helped mold and mentor my boys and for that we are so so very thankful.