His Story of Grace

It has been a whole year since Grace became ours so today we celebrate her "Gotcha Day" and God's amazing story of Grace.  I am still completely in awe of God's fingerprints throughout our journey to Grace and His faithfulness to His word.  

So here is His Story of Grace - 

Throughout the adoption process, I had been learning to listen to the Lord so I would journal our conversations that were full of encouragement, guidance, and His promises.  On October 21, 2011 I was spending time with the Lord and all He said to me was "7,4."  I am not a number kind-of girl and He had never told me a number before, but I wrote it down.  I usually ask Him to explain if I don't understand, but for some reason I didn't ask this time.  So I completely forgot about this number and our process continued on.  

It was the end of May and we got a call about a birth mom due the middle of July.  We presented our profile to her and waited.  In the waiting, the Lord reminded me of "7,4" and I thought maybe this is our baby Grace and she will be born on 7/4!  Well the birth mom ended up choosing a different family so I assumed I had interpreted the Lord incorrectly.  

Then on June 25, 2012 we get a call about another birth mom that is due the next week.  We presented and then had a phone conversation with her the next night.  She chose us to be her baby girl's forever family and we were completely ecstatic!!  She was scheduled for a c-section on July 5th.  I said to the Lord, "that is really close to 7/4!!"  Then 2 days later, her c-section was moved to July 3rd.  Man we were jumping around this 7/4 date!!

About 2 days before we flew out to Kansas, it hit me - Kansas is one of the only states that allow birth parents to sign away their rights just 12 hours after the birth.  Her c-section wasn't scheduled for the morning but at 1:30 pm which meant she wouldn't be able to sign until the early morning of 7/4!!!

I finally understood! Grace would become ours on 7/4!

What a sweet word to hold onto in the midst of a very uncertain couple of days!  There were ups and downs, twists and turns from the moment we got into Kansas BUT the Lord's faithfulness was our constant.  Both Grace's birth mom and dad signed away their rights and Grace became officially ours on 7/4!!!!  

"But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvelous GRACE." 
Gal. 1:15

This was the scripture the Lord led us to for our Grace shirts at the very beginning of our adoption process.  I love the way He chose and called Grace into our family!  She was the perfect addition to our family and has been such a blessing to all of us.  

Thank you Father for our sweet Grace, your undeserved gift to us!  

Matching Grant

Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you may have already heard we feel that God has called us on a new journey to provide a “forever” family to a child through the process of adoption.  We have started down this path of adoption and will be excited to bring Grace home very soon. We have felt led to pursue a daughter from the States and are now waiting for the specific child God has for us.

We were recently awarded a matching funds grant to help with the expenses of our adoption through Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc. a non-profit private operating foundation.  Hand in Hand will match any funds that are donated through our friends and family for the expenses of our adoption.  All funds received through our friends and family will be matched dollar for dollar by Hand in Hand up to $2000.   All donations are tax-deductible. If the grant is fully matched, they will pay $4000 toward our adoption!

Please find enclosed a grant award letter that will explain more about the matching grant program from Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc. You can find out more about Hand in Hand through their website at www.handinhandadopt.org. If you have further questions about the Hand in Hand matching grant program please feel free to give us a call at 334-450-9848 or email us at cristalkohring@gmail.com.  You may also contact Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc. with any questions you may have.  They can be reached at 913-248-5015 or by e-mail at handinhandadopt@gmail.com.

Please send all donations made payable to “Hand in Hand Christian Adoption” postmarked by January 31st to: (for tax purposes please include our name on the outside of the envelope only…do not put our name on the check itself)

Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.

Wes and Cristal Kohring

18318 Mimosa Court

Gardner, KS  66030

  

Thank you for your prayerful consideration in helping Grace find a “forever” family.

Walking Hand in Hand,

Wes & Cristal Kohring

Christmas Shopping Fundraiser

Christmas in just around the corner - I can not believe it but the decorations are coming out and the shopping has begun.  

Want to bypass all the crowds of busy people or waiting in long lines? 

 

Why not do all your shopping online through AMAZON?  

 

It is a great way to get exactly what you want at great prices AND support our adoption!  A portion of the proceeds from any purchases made through the Amazon link in our sidebar will go directly to our adoption!

Shop till' you drop and help bring Grace home!

Yard Sale Results!

2 yard sales in one month might not have been the smartest thing for us to do, but the Lord provided in BIG ways through them!  We ended up making over $1400 between both of them and still had 2 truck loads to donate to Goodwill! 

 Thank you to everyone who donated items for our sale and the wonderful friends who sorted, organized, priced, and worked the sale with me.  I couldn't have done it without you! 

I believe the sweetest part of the whole sale was my boys desire to be a part of raising money for their sister, Grace.  Jonah was determined to have a cookie and lemonade stand for him and Micah to run and they were AWESOME!

Before the sale, Jonah said to me "Mom, all the money we make is ours right?"  Me: "yes Jonah it is all yours"

Jonah: "Ok good, we will then give it all to you to put in Grace's adoption fund!"

Love love love their love for a little girl that they have never met or seen that will someday be their sister!  

By the way, they ended up raising $33 selling very yummy cookies made by Judy Dobbs and Hannah Vest!

Again, thank you to all who donated or volunteered your time and help.

Paintings for GRACE

I am so excited to announce our next fundraiser - 

Holiday Canvas Paintings!  

Our sweet friend, Molly Spivey, is offering her time and abilities to help us raise money for Grace.

  She is amazing and her paintings are as well.

All Paintings are $25 and all proceeds go directly to our adoption fund.

This will make great holiday gifts for friends, family, or teachers!

Christmas Ornament Painting

Sizes range from 11x14 to 16x20 depending on number of ornaments needed

Fall Thanksgiving Painting

16x20 size canvas

If you are interested in ordering any paintings, you can leave a comment on this post, email, or message me on facebook with your information.

Thanks!!

Words of Life

Have you ever had one of those days or weeks where the enemy takes all his arrows out of his quiver and starts firing one after the other?  And before you can even recognize what is happening, you have suffered some injuries to your heart, some wounds to your mind?


Well I sure have and one day last week was definitely one of "those" days. I was sitting at my dining room table filling out multiple adoption agency applications when the enemy started firing. 


Proof of funds?  Net worth?  Financial Plan?


I could feel the stress mounting and the tears welling up in my eyes.  Satan knows my weaknesses - the spots where I am most vulnerable to his attacks.  MONEY!!


Then enters my Mighty Warrior, my Abba Father, my Shield!  Oh how I love how He fights for me, protects me, and bandages my wounds.


Listen to my truth and hold tight to my promises to you.  What I say I will do.  I am faithful.  I am a promise-keeper.   Trust Me!


And I respond with a Yes Lord, help me trust you.  Help me hold to your promises.  Then He began taking truths that He had planted in my heart over the past year and connecting them all together to show me the bigger picture.


Full obedience.  


"You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed." Ps. 119:4


So many times I try to get away with partial obedience, but that is really only complete disobedience.  God expects me to obey fully what He has called me to do.  Full obedience takes me out of my comfort zone most of the time and gets in the way of My plan for My life!
But I choose to fully obey my Master, my King because I love Him and fear Him.


Walk in expectancy.


Walk in a way that expects the Lord to act on His promises.  Too many times, like this night, I stand frozen in fear of the what-ifs or the mountain in front of me that seems impossible to move.  God says, "We live by faith and not by sight," walk in faith that I can move mountains.


At just the right time.


God's time is always the right time...He is never at the wrong time!  His time is the right time.  He steps in at just the right time, He delivers at just the right time, He speaks at just the right time, He rescues at just the right time, and He provides at just the right time!  Oh if I could only get that truth planted deep deep into my heart and mind, I would be stressed and worried a lot less!


Jehovah Jireh.


I have always known this name to mean "The Lord who Provides" and yes it definitely does mean exactly that but last year He began to reveal more about this name to me.  I came to realize that it also means "The Lord who Sees" which really confused me but after study and the Holy Spirit opening up my eyes I got it.  The Lord sees our needs before they are even known to us and therefore provides what we need.   He sees me!  He sees my needs and longs to provide for me!  


So when He kept saying this name over and over again here lately I knew He had more in this name for me.  I started my study again and praying that my eyes would be open to what He had in store for me.
Well there is more to His name - Jehovah Jireh.  


This name can also be translated "The Lord will be seen."  His provision for me is out of His great love for me but it is ultimately so that He can be seen and given the glory!  


Oh He continues to remind me that it is not about me, but all about Him!  We will be tried and tested, but in the hour of our great need God will see us.  Seeing our need, He will provide for us and He will be seen in the provision He makes.  


"Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." 
Ps. 115:1


Full obedience - Walk with expectancy - At just the right time - Jehovah Jireh


Lord thank you for speaking your truth into my life and opening my eyes to more of you!

Chick-Fil-A Fundraiser

Tonight was our Chick-Fil-A "Fun-raiser" (as Micah calls it) and we did have a ton of fun with all our friends that came out to eat yummy chicken and support our adoption!  We felt God's love through all of the smiling faces, hugs, and words of encouragement that received tonight.  Thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy night to join us for dinner!  Here are some of the sweet faces we saw tonight.