OVERVIEW on WEDNESDAY

Hello to you at the end of this absolutely GORGEOUS day in mid-May!!! I'm loving the sun we're getting lately!! Mark and the boys took in a baseball game last Sunday. Charissa and I took in a beautiful praise and worship concert. I'm a hibernator normally during the winter (actually anything under 70 degrees ;) so these sporadic warm Spring days are fun for me to see the SUN!!!

Some of you will remember that about 15 months ago I wrote of how God had been working in our hearts and challenging us to step out in faith and open our hearts and home to older orphans, so very close to being put out on the streets on their own to fend for themselves. We truly thought our family growing days were over until that time of hosting an older orphan from the Ukraine and God speaking to us through her and the others on the hosting adventure trip. We realized that while we no longer felt we needed more children, there were about a bazillion children also residing on this big blue ball with us that truly NEEDED PARENTS!! So, we embarked on a very different faith walk, stepped out and said, "Here am I, LORD."

Our first and greatest hurdle was the reality that our hosted "summer sister" was one of four sisters. We took several months just searching our hearts to see if we really felt we had it in us to raise a total of 8 children!!! We decided that if He took us there, then He'd be faithful to carry us through. After all, in the Word it says He will never leave us nor forsake us. Well, no sooner had we begun our paperwork, than a friend contacted us from the Ukraine (she was there adopting her son) to let us know that "our girls" were being adopted by another family from the states. We were shocked but happy that the girls had found their forever family so soon after being freed for adoption.

After that, we just sat back and waited. Were we being called to the Ukraine? Or were we being called to older child rescue? We explored several different options while waiting to hear His voice down one of the paths we were exploring. Then, one day last October, the 27th actually, our dear friend, Amy, called to tell us she and her husband were home from Russia with their new son, Alex. (Amy was our Daniel's foster Mom when he was an infant.) She then proceeded to tell us that their biggest regret was having to leave his best friend behind. She told us how heart wrenching it was watching their final good-bye. Then, she proceeded to ask us if we'd go get her!! Okay God, we're thinking we just heard your voice...

After many hours spent with Amy and Dan looking at photos and discussing their trip, we discovered that Alex's best friend also had another friend, the same age, there in the orphanage. And, that it was quite a small orphanage, so that if we brought home Alex's dear friend, we'd be leaving this little girl without a buddy her age and developmental level. So, as of this time, we're open and seeking to bring home two 11 year old girls with a seizure disorder. We've been working on this since that day back in the fall, but just a couple weeks ago had our homestudy approved in the wake of all that is going on in Russian adoptions. So, we wanted to share our news with you!!

In International adoptions, it is wise to be prepared, so we have actually been approved to adopt four children, just in case... There may be siblings to one of our girls. And, as a rule, Russia prefers not to break up sibling groups. So, we are just trying to be ready for wherever the Lord leads. No, we still can't imagine parenting a family of 8, in case you were wondering! But, we'll learn as we go, if need be. We've got some time between now and then to also get some additional education in regarding the issues we'll most likely be dealing with adopting older children, such as attachment issues.

Well, to keep you updated on how our work is coming on our orphan rescue project (aka: older child adoption ;) I'm updating my blog. See Penny type :) Our friend that directs an adoption agency recommended I start a blog last year to help keep friends, family and fellow orphan-hearted peoples up to date on what is the latest haps and prayer needs. Please stop in frequently and keep in touch. I love to hear from you!

When Dan and Amy were in Russia still, they met a man who feels so very strongly about getting Alex's buddy home to the States that he has been working hard to help us raise the funds needed. We have received a little over $28,000 so far. But, I am really excited because we've come up with some great ideas just brainstorming with friends!! As I've said, there is no way we could do this on our own and we really are hoping you'll join our orphan rescue team!! Do you have any creative ideas for raising funds?? A homeschooling family that are our friends held a bake-sale for us and made $170 for the girls' adoption fund!!! Are you or your teens involved in a group that would be interested in doing some sort of fundraiser for us?? There are so many types and we can send you flyers or pics, whatever you need to help promote your project. Are you involved in a youth group, service club, couples group, etc. that would pull together and do a dinner, movie night, car-wash, bake-sale or silent (or not so silent) auction, or pass out flyers for a fundraiser "day" at any of the many food places that participate in those very generously?? Can you designate some of your eBay sales to this rescue of precious human lives? Many high schools require service hours for graduation, could you or someone you know "adopt" the girls for your/their hours?? Our adoption agency is a non-profit 501(c)3 agency. So, we qualify for tax-deductible donations. Speaking of taxes, have you considered giving a gift or tithe from your income tax refund?

We truly cannot proceed in this adoption without a team effort. If you've ever felt the tug to help orphans, but were not sure how or were not going to adopt yourselves, we'd love for you to jump on our bandwagon and give us a hand in this concert!!! The more the merrier!!! The more beautiful music we can make together. There are so many types of instruments in a band and everyone has a distinct part. If your part is prayer, please pray. If your part is having a garage sale for Russian orphans, THANK YOU! If your part is collecting recyclables for the girls over the next 3-6 months, you go!! If your part is hosting a lasagna dinner in your home for 5 couples, enjoy!! (to do this simply: buy a Costco lasagna, salad and bread, charge each couple $20 and you've just made $100 for the girls, WHEE!!!! And had a date night, too!!) What about getting your Sunday School class together to hold a huge garage sale, or bake sale or both?? How about skipping a few lattes for the saving of a life? Can you send this blog address along to others in your circle? Now, that's an easy one! Will your church allow a pocket change collection for the adoption?? (Tape their pics on a large water bottle and set it out each time the church is open.) One girlfriend hands me her pocket change every time we run into each other!! How awesome is that? Do you have a hobby that could make a little extra money to bring home some girls in need of a family?? Not everyone is a piano player. Just find your instrument and play and we will sing our THANKS as we proceed because the Lord asked you to help in this way or that, and you did.

We already, so early in this process, feel the love for these orphans from so many of you as you stop and ask "How's it going?" Thank you for your care!
We love you and so appreciate your hearts, Penny

P.S. Will you please send this blog address to those in your address book?? If everyone helps a little, through prayer, giving and spreading the word, they'll be home in no time. Also, if you know of companies looking for tax-deductible donations, we'd love to be considered ;) We have a formal proposal packet to offer to potential large donors. Let us know if you need one.
And, another thing: you can reach the Daytons at a8662774@juno.com
On Facebook, we are at Jewel's Adoption Extravaganza.

P.P.S. I, personally, am sending this note to almost 500 of my closest kin and countrymen ;) If each of those receiving it, just from me, would collect/donate/raise $88, our rescue fund account would be complete, the girls will be home in no time and EACH donor would be a forever hero!! We realize that some of you can give $8.80 and some of you can give $880 or even $8,800. We gratefully appreciate any amount you can share to help save these precious lives!!!

Will you please help these children become a part of a forever family that they
may no longer be called orphans, but, rather, chosen children?
If you can help, please send a check (no amount is too small!) to:
God’s Waiting Children
1865 Herndon Ave., Suite K125
Clovis, CA 93611
and put a note designating it for “Dayton” in the envelope
www.godswaitingchildren.com
Most of all, we ask you to
please pray for us to be able to bring home the rest of our family soon.

Carrying On!

Happy Sunday! Many "Thanks" to my Blog-master Brooke for posting my last entry for me while my 'puter was misbehavin'!!
I'm having so many thoughts rumbling around in my brain, I'm having trouble sorting them to place them here in B & W! You'd think with several days off-line, I really could have worked this through, but alas, NO!

The bottom line is that "Our girls" opened up a new dream for us. We had not planned on growing our family any larger until meeting a great group of orphans and spending time with them last summer. We had our "Summer Sister" for 6 weeks and mid-trip did fun group activities with the other host families and their summer children. As a family, we absolutely fell in love with these children from afar that had lost everything including their home, family, friends, and possessions. What to do?????

In looking at what we have to offer, we realized once again how very rich we are. Not necessarily monetarily speaking. But, in so many ways! We have the knowledge of a loving God, our Father in Heaven; His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ; the Holy Spirit, and all that He does for us. We have an intact family, both our own nuclear family here in our own home and our extended family. We have the most amazing church family, which serves truly as our family in a myriad of ways since our extended family is not very near by. We have a snug home that keeps us both warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We have the vehicles we need for both practical and fun times. Our God, has indeed, supplied all of our needs.

So, now that we've been shown afresh, up-close and personal, the needs of the orphans overseas, what are we going to do about it? Our plan is to continue on with our orphan rescue "project" and see where God leads each step of the way. We'll be heading to Ukraine once the home study and all of the other state-side details are completed, with what they call a blind referral. Meaning: it'll be a great surprise to see just who God does have in mind to join the Dayton family.

We would love for you to stay on our team, or join if you haven't already. Please pray, spread the word or give as you feel led to do. We feel strongly that we are to continue, with God's help, to bring an orphan or orphans home, that they will feel the love of a forever family and that very special feeling of being wanted, no longer unwanted. May God bless your day, Penny

Orphans Need Homes

Hello, hello! Well, my blog experience is all of four days old and I realize I've been trying to play catch up and pack 6 months worth of God's working in our lives into a few entries in order to bring you up to date with us. So, from now on I'll try to be a bit more succinct, though I cannot guarantee anything. I come from wordy Scottish stock.

One thing I did forget to mention is that we are using pseudonyms for the girls in order to protect their privacy.

During our hosting experience, I heard someone on the radio say, "It's not that we want more children, it's that these children need parents," speaking of orphans. Doesn't that just hit the nail on the head?!? Last week, I suppose because it's National Right to Life month and there was a lot of adoption talk on Christian talk radio, I had a girlfriend tell me what I had already heard on another radio broadcast, "If one family in every Bible believing church in America would adopt an orphan, it would clear out all of the orphanages in __________." Oops, I can't remember the rest of that quote, but I'm sure you get the idea. Right?

Well, we were pretty sure we'd done our part. After all, we've adopted four. Sounds, pious, huh? We're really not, it just looked so in print. Without Jesus, none of this family would be a unit! He put us together piece by piece and holds us together day by day. When we began adopting many moons ago, it was because we wanted to have children in our lives to raise for Christ. When we stopped adopting 3 years ago, it was because we live in a relatively small home, weren't sure where we'd put any more kiddos and my hubby was going to attempt to build us a home within the boundaries of L.A. County, doesn't get any worse, we'd been told. (Now, we're sure that was an accurate prediction!) So, we just decided it was time to halt our family growth for the sake of sanity. Years ago, we were in the process of adopting Drew and Daniel as we were paying 2 mortgages for 2 years on 2 - 50 year old homes and taking turns living in one while renovating the other to live in, and then the big move and living in our "new" home while renovating our first home to become a rental. The whole endeavor took almost 2 years. We absolutely did not want to try building a home, homeschooling, and adopting all at once, this time around. I'm sure it's been done, albeit by families of sturdier stock than us, though!

Borrowing a Sister

About mid-way through our hosting we were blessed to be able to "borrow" Aliana's older sister for a week. We had begun to have an inkling of feeling that the Lord would be asking us to step in and seek to rescue these orphans from the sad future that Ukraine would offer them as they aged out of the orphanage stage of life at 16 years old. By this time, we had found out that Aliana was one of FOUR sisters, all under eight years old! The whole idea of becoming a family of TEN was earth-shattering to us when we thought we were done at a comfortable SIX! However, we did feel this could very well be an area of our life that we were supposed to follow along in faith and see just what the Lord had in store for us. So, we decided that the wise thing to do would be to spend some time looking into the heart of Aliana's oldest sister while she was here in America. After all, whatever caused them to become orphaned would be most prevalent in her little life as the oldest child, which in most dysfunctional families means: the little "mom." Christiana's host family lived about 6 or 7 hours north of us but so graciously agreed to rearrange their schedules and meet us halfway, not just once, but two weekends in a row!

Well, what a week it was! Christiana was a strong-willed blessing to us! She did help get her little sis in order (and vise versa) when we were having an issue and the language barrier was hindering our reasoning abilities. Normally, the one not involved in the present issue-at-hand would step in and reason it out for us in their native tongue. And, on we'd go! We found them to be very desiring of love and, for the most part, our approval. What fun it was having THREE little girls to play dress-up; watch princess movies together; splash each other in the pools around town; encourage one another to be brave at the dentist! The week, in general, opened up our eyes to rescuing older children by way of adoption. It had been over 10 years since we had last considered adopting an older child and had pretty much closed our minds to it for reasons not to be published here. During those years, we had used child sponsorship through World Vision to help older, poverty-stricken children around the world.

"But, what about the fact that there are FOUR of them?" you ask. Well, that is precisely why we began thinking in terms of a rescue adoption, at all. We were told that large sibling groups do not get adopted very often in the Ukraine and so many of the girls, after getting too old for the orphanage, enter into prostitution in order to just survive. It is so easy to go through our comfortable American lives without really considering the plight of the orphan on the other side of the earth. Sort of like scrooge says before his conversion, "Are there no poorhouses; ie:orphanages?" But, borrow an orphan for a while and no longer can a blind eye be turned upon their plight. Their eyes hold you in your memories of them. We just could not allow this large sibling group to suffer a life of being "unwanted." We don't have much, we'd say, but we have more than they have and we can share. Just ask our 5 year old, sharing is a big thing in her little life. She'll share the meal in front of her if someone else looks like they might need a bite to eat. And, with 3 teenage brothers sitting across the table, there is always someone looking like they need another bite to eat!