An Exciting New Venture!

As anyone who keeps up with the Autry family knows, we are adopting from Honduras. We are just a wee bit excited! Well as you also may know, adoption ain't cheap. So we have a little business venture in the works and I wanted to give you a sneak peak!

Several years ago, me and three other girls had a little stationery business called Loop De Lou. It was such a fun season of our lives. After we all had little ones, it became a bit too much to handle, so we decided to shut the doors after 6 paper filled years.

A few months ago, I started brainstorming ways that I could help raise money on an ongoing, consistent basis to fund our adoption. And it hit me! Stationery! I already know the business and I LOVE to design. Seems like a win - win! So, I have been busy working on some new designs to start up a new stationery business! And the best part is all of the profits will go to help bring a child into a forever family.

Here it is!

Speak Stationery! The verse is "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute". I want my future child to have a voice. I want all of the fatherless children all over our world to have a voice and I believe that starts with people who will advocate for them. So, this is my feeble little way to hopefully do that. The goal is that Speak would first fund our adoption and then continue to fund adoptions on an ongoing basis.

Here is a small sneak peak of a few Christmas card designs....

I am so excited to be designing again!! I hope you will consider Speak stationery for your Christmas cards and gifts this year. More info coming soon on how to order and access to all of my designs!!!

Here We GO!!!

I just opened my email and read these words..."Welcome to the Honduras Program!" Whoohoo!! What does this mean you ask? Well, we had to go through an application process to be accepted into the program. Now that we are accepted, we have to do some more paperwork and then we'll be matched with our family coordinator who will work with us throughout the whole process of building our dossier (which is the big 'ol packet of paperwork that will go to Honduras). So this is the first step in the process and it feels great to be accepted into the program!!! We can officially say "we are adopting from Honduras". We like to be official.

Also, this comes as a great time because the word on the street is, we are having a HUMONGO yardsale this weekend. We have A LOT of crap stuff to sell! If you are in the Jackson area this weekend, you should totally come. I'm pretty sure it's the event of the summer. Everyone will be talking about it. What? It's going to be 104 degrees you say? Well...what's a little heat when you're talking about raising money for babies?! (that sounds a little illegal...but I promise...wer're totally legit.) So C'MON!!

And also...look at this guy....I mean...he's adorable. He likes mud :)

Adoption: A Change of Course

Many of you who read this may know that sometimes I don't make babies. In our family, adoption is the way God has chosen to build our family. What a sweet grace.

So, we started to move forward with another domestic adoption back in December. We sent cards to some of our close friends and family to start the fundraising part of our journey. I sent our initial application off to the same agency we used last time for our little guy. Then we put our process on hold. We found a house we wanted to buy and we moved and we had lots and lots going on. We just didn't feel like it was the right time to keep moving forward.

And since putting it on hold, we haven't felt the freedom to move forward to take the next step. We've been circling around and around trying to discern where the Lord was leading us, feeling like maybe He was leading us in a new direction.

After much, much, much prayer (from us and some of our dear friends), we feel we finally have some direction! We are changing course! We are pursuing an international adoption from Honduras!

We sent our initial application off earlier this week and are starting the formal process of applying with a new agency. We are over the moon excited about this! Where we previously were thinking another newborn, the Lord began to grow our hearts for an older child. We are hoping to adopt a child or children ages 4 and under (we are open to siblings). I am so excited, but also know that we are entering a whole new world in this adoption arena. The Lord has always been so faithful to my little family. I am trying to focus my thoughts on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-anything that is excellent or praiseworthy.....instead of fearful thoughts of "what if____".

Our next step is to begin the formal application process and hopefully we will be fully accepted into the Honduras program. Then we begin what is called the "paper chase" in the adoption world.....compiling all the documents that prove our family worthy of adopting a child. We can't wait!

I'm sure you'll hear more about this journey as we progress.....but for now....we have lots of money to raise! No amount is too much to me....considering we will be going to get our children. I think I have realized that no amount of work, no amount of money, no obstacle can keep us from pursuing our children. I have been feeling for a while that I have a child(ren) that are out there and I have to find them. I'm so thankful for the Lord leading us in this direction. I know the road won't be easy....but I pray that ultimately Christ is glorified as we learn to not get in the way of His work. (Such a hard lesson!). My heart is oh so heavy for all the children around the world that sit in orphanages, in state custody, in conditions that my western mind can't even comprehend. I pray for their little hearts to be comforted, I pray for poverty to end and children to know what it is to go to bed with full bellies. I pray for the hearts of  fathers to be turned toward their children and for mothers to be able to care for those they gave birth to. I pray for the sweet Lord to return to make all things new. Until that day, I pray for God to work as us in this world, for Jesus to show his love to these children through his church. And I pray for our children....that they may know the love of a family sooner rather than later. May it be so.