The 1500 Tree Project

About a year and a half ago I stumbled across this incredibly inspiring blog and "met" a family who was fundraising and getting ready to meet their little forever baby boy across the world in Taiwan. I was completely in awe as I followed their journey and completely nervous for them when I read the post that they would be traveling. I cried tears of joy with them as I read the post and saw the pictures of them meeting their son Levi. I had never actually met Angela before, but I emailed her right away and left comments on every post to compare their journey to adoption with ours. I shared with her about Baby K and the emotional turmoil we were going through. Angela and her family seem like amazing people that I want to meet someday (anyone have a plane ticket to Georgia they want to let me have??). When I read that they were going to be adopting again to bring home a sibling for Levi I was thrilled to help!! I will let her share her story here!


From Angela:

In 2012, on a warm Saturday morning in November, my husband and I waited anxiously in a bright orphanage.  For those of you who don't know me, I'm a friend of Naomi's...and we had been e-mailing and chatting long before this moment.  I've prayed for her, she for me, and we have found strength in one another as we worked through our adoptions.  At 9 am, that November in Taiwan, it was our turn, our time to become parents.  The director arrived, carrying a seriously adorable 6 1/2 month baby boy into the room. I burst into happy tears. Quiet. Happy. Tears. After months of waiting, piles of paperwork, and an indescribable amount anticipation, we were finally in Taiwan, holding our son for the first time.  

As most adoptive parents will tell you, the months of waiting, pictures, and videos could not prepare us for the incredible love we felt that morning in November. As we looked into our son’s curious eyes, we knew he would not be the last child we adopted. We did something crazy, in fact. Something inspired by our awesome God, who calls us to do things that seem crazy to many in the American world. We reapplied to adopt again, with our agency, that very month. Our son is going to be a big brother!

Now, we spend our days chasing, laughing, gardening, giggling, and dreaming. Life is pretty beautiful. Last month, we also announced the grand opening of an Etsy shop, The 1500 Tree Project. On the surface, the 1500 Tree Project is a way to fund our second adoption. 1500 trees made. 1500 trees sold. One fully funded adoption. But really, it’s so much more than that.

It’s cutting leaves out of colorful paper while my son toddles around the living room, babbling away. It’s thinking about designs as my husband plucks away at his bass guitar, practicing a bluegrass tune. It’s piecing together a tree when we chat about our days and our prayers, with the low hum of the baby monitor buzzing in the background with our toddler’s sleeping breaths. The 1500 Tree Project is love and hope, poured into a little 6×6 canvas. Joy really is the heartbeat of our shop and the spirit I pour into every piece I produce.

And we would love for you to join this journey with us. How?

Pray with us! Pray for the financial means to bring our child home, a favorable legal process, and the wisdom to parent our children well.

Buy a Tree! Join The 1500 Tree Project by purchasing a tree from our shop today. Naomi purchased the "Joy" tree, filled with a rainbow of colors!  They are $25.00. We are stepping out in faith and pray for financial provision. Airlines won’t fly us around the world for free, doctors need paychecks to buy their children dinner, social workers like money to purchase a cute top from time to time, and even orphanage nannies deserve a little monetary compensation for countless 3 am feedings. Purchasing a tree is the simplest way to support our adoption financially!

Share our Story! Like us on Facebook! Pin us on Pinterest! Share this post with your friends! Put us in your e-mails, your church bulletins, your bible study handouts, your weekly newsletters. And, if you are a blogger…we would love to write a guest post for you, too!

To celebrate our adoption, and thank Naomi for allowing us this guest post, we are offering a 10% coupon code to A Baby Sent from the Stars readers! When you check out on Etsy, use the code: STARS to receive your discount. Valid one week only!

Where will you fall in The 1500 Tree Project?

Much love,
Angie

The Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/The1500TreeProject
The Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The1500TreeProject
The Blog: 1500trees.blogspot.com

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I know I have been praying for Angela and her family for a long time, but I also know the financial aspect of adoption is not easy! So many of my readers here have helped me fund raise for our baby (that is coming soon), and I know they have the giving hearts to help another family... Thank you to anyone who might help! And follow Angela's blog to eventually see them bring home a sibling for Levi. 

Baby K and I purchased a rainbow tree for Baby K's collage wall in his room! I can't wait to someday tell him the story of Levi and his baby brother or sister and how we were part of bringing him/her home. Oh and we are number 47/1500!! What number will you be???

Thanks Angela for letting me be part of this journey!