Adoption 1/2 marathon/10k info!

Hey faithful friends & family runners!

Here is all the info you need to know about the Adoption ½ marathon/10k on May 30^th!

First, we need you all to register for either the ½ marathon or 10k by following these instructions provided by the manager of the event:

1. Each runner needs to print the mail in form on the website http://www.nwtrailruns.com/
2. It is available as both a PDF and a Word document. Every runner must use a paper entry form.
   
3. In the coupon code box on the paper entry form write CHARVET15 and subtract 15% (not 10%) from the entry fee for the distanced selected (either ½ marathon or 10K). This coupon code will not work with on-line registration that is one reason it is important to use the paper entry form.
4. Mail the paper entry form and payment to:
   NWTR
   c/o MerGeo
   6310 NE 74th St. Ste. 204E
   Seattle, WA 98115
5. The envelopes must be postmarked by midnight Saturday, May 22nd. This provides our small staff plenty of time to process your group.

*****Also, please email us your T-shirt size and the name(s) of your sponsors so we can include them on the back of your T-shirts!

Here are some tips for getting sponsors:

• Use the sponsor letter we attached to the original email.
• Try asking local, family owned businesses oppose to big corporate companies.
• Ask co-workers, friends and family to support your run. One idea is to ask an individual to support you per mile. (for example, 50 cents, $1, or $3 per miles)
• You can keep your sponsor's funds until the day of the run or send them to us at : 7027 S. 125th St, Seattle, WA 98178.

Once again, we both want to thank you so much for your participation in this fundraiser to help us bring home our baby! Thank you for every mile you train for and for the sponsors you receive! May God bless your hard work and perseverance. We truly cannot express our gratefulness to you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

~Andrew & Megan Charvet

Supporting our adoption through shopping while saving you money and being green!

We have been blessed with another family setting up another online store with some great cleaning products and they are going to donate 100% of the proceeds to our adoption! Anyone that purchases the Shaklee product lines: Always SAFE, Always Works and Always Green products 100% proceeds are going to our adoption! Make sure to mention the Charvet Adoption Cause so that we they know where to send the proceeds!

The products speak for themselves as they are the only tried and clinically tested supplement company in the world. A family can save in just ordering the Get Clean kit (used in the White House!). Cost $180 but would cost a family $3200 if they bought the same cleaning power at K-Mart and its safe and non toxic to the environment! The savings is HUGE as Shaklee works in concentrated amounts and re-useable containers.


Here is the site: Charvet Shaklee Cause
(Don't forget to mention Charvet Adoption Cause!)

 Here is some more information about Shaklee and their products!

10 Reasons Why Shaklee Get Clean Is an Exceptional Value

10 Reasons to love Basic H

Get Clean

If you have questions feel free to contact us and we will answer or get the answers to any questions you may have!

Thank you for you support and thank you to Dan and Kim Gerarden for making this opportunity possible!

Andrew & Megan

Traveling to Ethiopia twice!: An unexpected change!

Andrew and I knew going into international adoption that there would most likely be some unexpected events, time extensions and heartache, we just didn't realize there would be such a huge change this soon into the process.

Yesterday through a conference call with our adoption agency, we learned that the government in Ethiopia is now requiring all adoptive parents to travel twice to Ethiopia instead of once. Apparently, one of AGCI agency workers went to the court and found a notice posted on the door that stated the change in travel requirements and that it was effective immediately. The government has also implemented more strict investigations on children to make certain they are truly an orphan. (this is a good thing).

We believe that part of the Ethiopian government's reasoning for these changes may have to do in part with some negative media in the U.S about unethical adoptions. A few weeks ago, CBS did a special report on Ethiopian adoptions. The reporters picked one situation from one specific agency out of thousands of adoptions and chose to focus on it. In doing so, they portrayed Ethiopian adoptions in a very negative light.

The other reason for the additional trip is because there have been cases where families have traveled to Ethiopia after receiving their child's referral, and then changed their minds about wanting the child once arriving to the country. This is a very sad truth but unfortunately it does happen.

This news about the additional travel was hard for us to swallow at first because of course our minds instantly thought "more travel= more money". However, we believe that God does have a perfect plan! He has been so faithful in the finances thus far and we are confident that He will continue to provide!

So what will this additional trip entail and what is the new time frame? Most likely, we will travel to Ethiopia 2-3 weeks after we receive our child's referral. We will spend 5-7 days getting to know our child and will go to the Ethiopian government to open our adoption case and present ourselves to the court. We will than have to leave Ethiopia while the court makes their decision and finalizes the adoption. AGCI is thinking that this process could take anywhere from 4-8 weeks, at which time we would travel back to Ethiopia and bring home our Child!!!

Overall, we feel that this change can be very positive for children and their adoptive parents. Yes, it will be hard to spend time with our child for a week and then have to leave him for 1-2 months. However, these children are getting great care in Hannah's Home and it will give Andrew and I time to adjust to the very real fact that we will soon be becoming instant parents :-)

Please continue pray for the children of Ethiopia, that these new changes will keep the children safer and that the government, as well as all the individuals involved, will refrain from unethical practices. Thank you!

Meg<><

Run for a child!

We are inviting everyone to run with us on May 30th 2010 in a ½ marathon to help raise funds for our child! The ½ marathon is approximately 13 miles on the St. Edward state park in Kenmore, WA. This a a beautiful trail run!

We are asking everyone who participates in the run to try to get at least one sponsor. Your sponsor can be anyone such as a business, a friend or even your grandma!

We have included a link to a 10 week ½ marathon training schedule for you to follow if you wish. We have personally used this training plan and it has worked for us in the past! Remember, you don't have to be a “runner” to do this. Anyone can work up to this 13 miles even if you never workout or train!

We have also included a link to a sponsor letter template that you can give to your potential sponsor!

Feel free to alter this letter if you would like to.

Here is a flyer that can be posted around your workplace if you like to let others know also!

We will be providing adoption t-shirts for the run with a list of sponsors on the back!

Please let us know by APRIL 15th if you plan to participate by e-mailing us at megandrew7@gmail.com!

Thank you so much everyone for helping us bring home our child by your commitment to run with us! We look forward to training and running with you!

Megan & Andrew :-)

God's amazing provision!

Just 2 months ago was when we really started in our fund raising endeavor for our adoption fund. When we first began, the thought of $25,000 seemed so far out of our reach. It was truly a huge step of faith for us to rely on God to provide this much money is such a short amount of time.

Last night Andrew sat down to calculate our funds thus far. In order to send our first chunk of money into AGCI and get our home study started we needed to have $8,790 to send in with the paperwork. After doing to calculations, Andrew announced that we had 8,790.04! We have 4 cents over what we needed! Not 4 cents less but 4 cents over! How amazing is our God!

Praise the Lord for His provision!

~ Megan

Buy some coffee, help a child!

Dear friends,

Just Love Coffee generously gives us $5 dollars from every bag of coffee purchased through ‘our store’ to help raise money for our adoption fund! Every month they then send us the money reflective of the amount of bags sold. Our goal for this fundraiser is to raise $3,000 which means we need to sell 600 bags of coffee! If 100 people commit to purchasing 1 bag of coffee per month instead of through your current coffee supplier (ie Starbucks or Cutters), in 6 month we could reach our goal!!!

In addition to helping us bring our child home from Ethiopia you will also be contributing to a local orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Thank you & God Bless,
Andrew & Megan Charvet

Please visit: http://www.justlovecoffee.com/charvetadoptionjourney

Support Andrew and Megan’s adoption fundraising through your grocery shopping!

We all know that spending money on certain things—like the mortgage on a home—rewards us with greater value long-term. We call these “investments.” But have you ever considered that other routine expenses can be investments as well? It’s true! When you do your shopping through us—routine purchases such as shampoo, laundry products, vitamins, and even toilet paper—we give back a percentage of every sale, giving you greater value for your money. Our website offers hundreds of top-quality, competitively-priced items for your health, personal care, and household use. Each item also carries a 100% money-back guarantee.

For the month of February we are very excited to donate 100% of the proceeds from each client sale to Andrew and Megan, helping them in their effort to raise money to bring home their child! You’re going to do your grocery shopping anyway; why not use your grocery budget to make a difference in someone’s life?

Questions? Contact Tim & Jenn Lindberg, 1-866-241-4386 or smyliefaced4@yahoo.com

 
Ready to shop? www.andrewandmeganadoption.info


Want to see a price comparison of some everyday items found at Wal-Mart vs the website? Price Comparison Sheet

God is good!

Wow! We wanted to thank all that attended our Ethiopian Dinner on Sunday! We both felt so incredibly blessed by everyone who supported us! It was a HUGE success! With you help, we raised more than twice our financial goal for this fundraiser! God is good! Thank you to all the great helpers that stayed all day helping us set-up, decorate, serve, and clean-up! Thank you to all of you that donated so many wonderful items for our auction! Thank you for our awesome kitchen crew- we couldn't have done it without you! And thank you for all who attended and for those who lifted the night up in prayer!
May God truely bless you all!!!


Love,
Andrew & Megan <><

Ethiopian Dinner and Silent Auction!

We are 3 weeks away from our first fundraising event! 
We would love everyone to come!

Please email us at megandrew7@gmail.com to RSVP 
so we know how many to plan on! 

~ Andrew & Megan

(Click on the image to make it larger)

Happy New Year!

2009 is officially gone and 2010 is here! 2009 was a busy year. Megan started nursing school in the spring and now is 1 quarter away from finishing her LPN while continuing to work part time. I have completed another year with the Fire Dept and started on-line school towards my 2nd degree. We both have been very busy.


Meanwhile God has led us to adoption. Megan and I both thought we would have our own children before we would adopt. God had a different plan. Sometimes I wonder how this will work with everything that is going on and because we are both working and in school. God certainly has His way in picking His timing. Probably because if it was up to us, life would always be ‘too busy’ and it wouldn’t happen on our own.

Our “official” application is on the way as we wait anxiously to start our home study and find out the next step in our journey. The one thing I am most “worried” about is the financial aspect of the adoption. Thankfully we both have been blessed with good stable jobs however, the demands of work and school, being ‘newly weds”, and buying and remodeling a house over the last 2 ½ years has not left us much money to save. To come up with $20,000+ seems like (and is) a lot. God has been faithful so far and I know he will continue to be. He blessed us with a large gift at Christmas time just after we found out from the agency that we should have about half ($10,000) up front and had no idea how we would come up with that amount. We are far from what we need but God is good providing $1 at a time. So many people have been blessing us with donations toward our adoption. Thank you to everyone who has and will give to help us bring our child from God home from Ethiopia.

I just want to give everyone a heads up that the Ethiopia Donation Dinner and Silent Auction will be at the end of this month at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday Jan 31st from 5:30 – 8:00 pm. We will be sharing a traditional Ethiopian meal and silent auction. We will also be sharing more about our adoption. We are asking for a $5 minimum donation to help cover the cost of food. All donations will go towards the expenses of our adoption. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. We ask that you RSVP to megandrew7@gmail.com by Jan 29th to help us know how many to plan for. It will be a fun evening and we would be blessed to have your attendance ! Thank you for your support!

We are looking to forward to seeing God's provision and guidance this next year!

May God Bless you in 2010!

-Andrew

What is the difference between HIV and AIDS?

Can you believe that there is an estimated 650,000 orphaned children in Ethiopia due to AIDS?

     Since our decision to adopt an HIV + child, Andrew and I have been doing a lot of research on HIV/AIDS and thought we would share the basic information. Hopefully this will help answer some of the questions we have been receiving.

     HIV stands for: Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus is different than other virus' in that it searches and destroys the body's T-Lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) while continuing to replicate the virus in the body. In a sense, the virus kills the body's own defense system.

     AIDS stands for Acquired Imunudeficiency Syndrome. The diagnosis of AIDS is determined by a very low T-cell count as well as signs of serious infection. The time it takes for HIV to turn into AIDS varies from a few years to many years. Once someone has AIDS, it is very difficult for the body to fight off infections and other viruses due to the lack of T-cells. A person with AIDS is vulnerable to opportunistic infections and can die from an infection that a healthy person could easily fight off such as the flu.

     How can an HIV + person be treated? The good new is that there are Antiretroviral medications available that can slow and even halt the destruction of the immune system. The problem is that these drugs are very expensive and are not readily available in underdeveloped countries. It is a blessing to hear that a child who is treated with these antiretrovial drugs could live the rest of his life without developing AIDS. However, it is estimated that only a very small percentage of children are treated these medications in Ethiopia as well as other under developed countries.

Infertility:God's gift in disguise!

Today my husband Andrew and I recieved some difficult news from our doctor. Through infertility testing we have confirmation that we are not able to have children by birth. Although this was very shocking news, we know that God has a perfect plan for us! We are calling this news "God's gift in disguise" because at first, the thought of not having children by birth (at least naturally), made our hearts fill with sadness as we both long to be parents. However, God opened our eyes to adoption months ago and prepared us for this very moment. We feel that our diagnosis of infertility is yet another way of God leading us into adoption.

We would appreciate your continued prayers during this bitter sweet time. Thank you!
~Andrew & Megan

In the beginnings!

We are excited to announce the beginning of our journey in international adoption! After much prayer over the last few months, we feel that the Lord is leading us to adopt an HIV positive child from Ethiopia through an organization called All God's Children International.

We are asking for our church body to please pray for us as we start the very involved process of adoption.

Thank you so much,
Andrew & Megan Charvet