God's provision

I realize it's been such a long time since I have written.

I am so sorry.

The banquet was amazing.

We were overwhelmed by the kindness. 

The people...

The prizes.... 

 and the end result...

We raised over $7800!  

All praise be to the Lord.

Also, that night, God had a surprise for us.

The SHOW HOPE foundation, 

established by Steven Curtis Chapman,

called as we were leaving for the banquet.

They partnered with the Tim Tebow Foundation

and provided us with a grant of $8,000.

To learn more about Show Hope click here.

All we can say is "AMAZING".

We are deeply humbled and completely grateful.

Today, the day before we celebrate the birth of Jesus,

I want to take a moment

and remember God's provision.

He provided the Savior.

He provided restoration.

He provided the very best.

He gave His OWN son.

To be born of a virgin.

To live a sinless life.

Even to die.  On a cross.

For our sins.

So that we could have a relationship with God.

Provision.

Salvation.

Restoration.

This Christmas season, may we remember the giving of the ultimate gift.

Sacrifice.

 

The amazing part of this story is that God’s provision did not end

that night in the manger.

He continues to provide.

He richly provides.

The very best.

May you be in awe as God meets all your needs this year.

To God be the glory.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches 

of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 

Merry Christmas!

~Matt and Katie Long and family

UNC Basketball FANS!

Carolina Fans!

Want to add a signed "Roy Williams"

 ball to your collection? 

Like watching games?  

Live? 

Like, in the stands?

Any plans for December 30^th?

Come to the Banquet 

Friday, November 14 

for your chance to win 

this ball AND 

2 Basketball tickets 

to the UNC vs. William & Mary Game 

on 12/30.  

LIVE AUCTION starts at 7pm!

BUY BANQUET TICKETS HERE

Can’t come to the Banquet, 

but still love prizes?  

Check out 3 GREAT prizes.  

Entry tickets still available.

BUY RAFFLE TICKETS HERE

Disney, Great Wolf Lodge and Wilmington.. so many trips!

Adoption Fundraising Dinner

*FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14

*6:00-8:30pm

*TICKETS: $10*

Cornerstone Baptist Church,

5736 Inman Rd, 27410

Dinner ticket sales end 11/11

Buy Banquet Tickets HERE

Amazing Prizes!

*Raffle   

*Live auction @ 7pm   

*Silent Auction

Can't make it to the Banquet?  

Enter the RAFFLE!

Need not be present to win!

$10 Raffle Prizes/ 3 for $25

 Only 100 tickets per prize.

*Wilmington Weekend Getaway

*GREAT WOLF LODGE Getaway

*4 Park Hoppers to Disney World

Buy RAFFLE TICKETS HERE

Contact Matt or Katie Long 336-644-6403 

or Sherri Speight 944-1841 for tickets.

21 Days and counting...

Eat food. Win Prizes.  Support Adoption!

The Adoption Banquet is just 21 days away!

We have sold over 100 tickets to date!

Get yours today!

Tickets are $10 each

Click HERE to buy tickets

MENU:

Carter Bros. BBQ & Fixins’

Texas Roadhouse salad, rolls & peanuts

Hotdog option for kids

Desserts catered by Food Lion

Drinks included

Amazing prizes will be available through raffle, 
silent auction and live auction!

Cash & credit cards accepted.

Live entertainment.

Come hear Matt and I speak about adoption

 and special needs!

See you there!

Chick Fil A Gift Basket for Silent Auction

Sterling and Diamond Necklace

Flip Force Gymnastics Birthday Party

Great Wolf Lodge Getaway with $250 in gift cards

Available to win through $10 ticket raffle

Banquet countdown is on... just 28 days away!

We have already sold over 80 tickets!

Buy yours today!

Ticket sales end November 9^th

You can buy your tickets through the link below

 BUY TICKETS HERE

or see Matt or Katie Long (336-644-6403)

Banquet Details:

Friday, November 14

6-8:30pm

Cornerstone Baptist Church

Tickets $10 each

(under 3 are free)

MENU 
Carter Bros. BBQ & fixins’

Texas Roadhouse Rolls & Salad 
& bagged peanuts w/ free appetizer coupon attached!

Desserts catered by Food Lion

TONS of Prizes... here are a few!

 Gun Accessory Basket donated by Colfax Gun & Ammo  

 Chick-Fil-A Basket donated by Brassfield CFA.  Includes Small catered tray of your choice

Fresh Market Gift Basket + $25 Gift Card 

Flip Force Gymnastics Birthday Party ($175 value)

See you there!

Prize of the DAY!

FRESH MARKET GIFT BASKET
Complete with $25 GIFT CARD!

Come to the Banquet on Friday, November 14
from 6-8:30 pm for your chance to win this!

Cornerstone Baptist Church, Greensboro 27410

Buy Your Banquet Tickets HERE!

My Top Ten List... for today!

Coming up...Adoption Fundraiser Banquet!

Friday, November 14

6:00pm - 8:30pm

Buy your tickets HERE or in person!

$10 gets you Carter Bros BBQ, Texas Roadhouse rolls and salad, dessert, drinks and more!

…and that includes a FREE raffle ticket too!

TODAY…My Top Ten List of Prizes would include:

1. Maid Brigade House Cleaning.  Just in time for Christmas!  Seriously… how great would that be?  2 hours with 2 people cleaning my house?  Awesome!
2. $200 in Handyman services.  I know this guy.  He works fast!  Broken door?  Fixed.  Trim work?  Done!  Paint touch ups?  No problem.
3.  The Jumpin Bean Gift Certificates.  I just love coffee.  I also appreciate local businesses.  And I love coffee.  Kevin makes an awesome Blended caramel mocha.  Yum.
4. Gia – $25 Restaurant gift certificate.  Yum. This place is all small plates.  So you can order 4-5 things and not break the bank.  I like to try a little bit of everything, so this fits me to a tee!
5.  Sunset Hills Photography Package.  Pictures… just in time for Christmas.. and Christmas cards… perfect!
6. The Wilmington Weekend Getaway.  Go to the beach?  Yes, please!  5 passes to the Fort Fisher Aquarium and $50 for lunch at a cute café?  Sign me up!
7.   A Sweet Mess Cake.  These are beautiful.  And delicious. And they are cake.
8.  Celebration Station Unlimited Play Passes.  Have you met my sons?  They have a lot of energy.  Maybe one night of unlimited play would make someone sleep in past 7:30am.
9. Mama Ginna’s Pizza Certificate.  Pizza is always a go at our house.  So this is a definite winner.
10.  Bur-Mil Driving Range passes for 2.  This would be for Matt and Matthew.  Some good father-son bonding time.  Over golf.

So what are you waiting for?  Get your tickets!  

Come to the banquet! Win prizes.  

And support adoption!

The Dossier...

HUGE UPDATE!

We are sighing with a little bit of relief!

The dossier has been submitted!

PRAISE THE LORD!

3 months of paperwork-gathering was placed in a FED-EX box and sealed tight.

Done.

Me, AJ and Annabelle at the adoption agency mailing the dossier.

What is a dossier? (doss-ee-aaa)

Ours was 28 documents, each one notarized, certified and apostilled.

Several $100 dollars went into completing that stack of papers. 

It was also sent along with a check for $4500 to pay lawyer fees, 

translation fees and all sorts of other fees.

The papers include:

Marriage license

Financial history

Medical clearance

Police clearance

Application to adopt

Several letters of reference

Home study

Pictures of our family

And so much more…

So now we wait.

Hopefully in 2-4 months we will be invited to travel and meet “Janie” for the first time.

Pray with us.

Proverbs 5:21

“For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths.”

The Paperwork Puzzle

Last Friday was an exciting day!

We finally received approval from Homeland Security to continue with our adoption.

We had traveled to Charlotte on August 14 to be fingerprinted.

Then we had come home to wait.

But in the waiting time, we weren’t just waiting.

We were collecting original birth certificates, marriage licenses, reference letters, financial documents, copies of our passports and so much more...

Not to mention....

 school started

soccer started,

homework started

 and planning the next fundraiser started.

So, just yesterday (Monday), I visited the adoption agency to review all of our papers and sign and notarize a rather large stack of documents.

I thought I would be there 30 minutes.  

I don’t do well estimating time.  

It took 2 hours.

So then today comes.  After a fitful night of sleep, 

I beat the alarm and hopped out of bed at 6:20 am.

Destination: Raleigh.

Location: The Secretary of State

Mission: To Apostille  28 documents… all in one day.

2 hours of driving, a big coffee, rain and traffic and I was there!

Seriously, the lady behind the counter was so nice. 

Proof that God goes before us.  

Even when are just apostilling things.

I handed her my painfully scrutinized, signed and organized stack of papers.  

She handed me a receipt and told me to come back at 1:30.

When I called, the original time I had been told to come back… 4:30pm.  

Again… thank you Lord.

Time to Apostille. 

So by now, I am sure you are asking, what in the world is APOSTILLE??

Yup.  Before adoption, I had no idea what it meant either.   

Basically, it’s an international verification that your documents are legit.  

It is one more level of security.  

And money.  

And headache. 

But… then you’re done...with paperwork… for a while.

So let me summarize…

I gathered 28 documents, and several of them have multiple pages.  

And they took months and hours and $$ to compile

And Notarize

Drive to Raleigh.  4 hours round trip

Pay $210

Arrive.  Wait 5 hours.  

Visit an old friend while waiting.

Drive home.

Next step is tomorrow.  

Copying all of our dossier. 

Twice. 

Dossier is a fancy word for our stack of apostilled papers.

Then… back to the adoption agency… to mail this precious stack of papers… 

with a check for $4500.

It gets to our country

gets translated

gets to an official

 gets reviewed

 and then we get to go visit “Janie”!

To God be the Glory!

The countdown is on....

"The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Details... Part 2

So this is us… a family of 7.

  

5 children.  

2 Adults.  

2 dogs. 

1 cat.

Big family.  Big hearts.  Big grocery bills.

Busy.  Busy.  Busy.

Our oldest child is 13 and our youngest just turned 2.

AJ has Down syndrome.

And… did I mention Matt had a stroke in December? 

Yup, and he’s not even 40.

So we paused as we thought about adopting Janie.

What would our future look like, adding another child?

What about sleeping arrangements? 

School?  Bills? Vacations? College?

Is the mini-van even big enough?

But then we were confronted, convicted, and called.

God introduced us to a precious girl whose only future 

consisted of 4 walls- her orphanage.

So we were faced with a dilemma.

Two directions. 

Stay… or… Go.

To stay: to be complacent in what we know, 

what we are comfortable with and what is safe.

OR

To go:  To follow the Lord where He leads.  

To respond in action to His not-so-subtle nudges to go in a direction 

completely opposite from all common-safe-sensible living.

What would you choose?

We chose to go.

Deuteronomy 31:8  “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."