Hewett Happenings

Getting Close

2010-12-04T22:17:00.002-06:00

This time next week, we will be somewhere in the air, on our way to Uganda. Can you believe it?! God has definately shown his hand through this entire process. He has moved His people to give generously to provide for us to be able to bring these two precious little ones home.

The four of us will be leaving out on Saturday, the 11th. John and Jacob will be returning on the 21st, so they will be here to take care of the little ones left at home, and to be with them at Christmas. Michael will be flying out on the 19th, to stay in Uganda with Sarah and I until we get everything finished up and bring the boys home.

Thank you so much for your financial support, as well as your prayer support. Please continue to pray for all of us during this time. It is going to be difficult on all of us being away from each other. I will try to post updates as I can.

Miracles!!

2010-10-27T13:15:00.003-05:00

Just in case you were wondering, God is still in the miracle business. As you know, we are in the process of adopting a little boy from Uganda. Our friends, the Myers, are also adopting a little boy from the same children's home. We started the process in April. We have been working to raise $30,000 to bring these two boys home. As of the first of October we had raised about $10,000. This amount covered all of the "paperwork" expenses - home study, Uganda lawyer, immigration fees, and other state-side related expenses.

Jacob and Sarah had their fingerprints done on October 5, and John and I were scheduled for October 22. On the 14th, Sarah called me to say they had received their immigration approval. In case your math is a little rusty, that is nine days!! Miracle #1. She e-mailed our lawyer to let him know they had received the approval, and what was the next step. She told him that we were still working on raising the rest of the needed money. The next day, she called to say they had received word that their court date, in Uganda, had been set for the 22nd. We were all in panic mode, because we didn't want money to be the thing that kept us from getting our boys. We both started calling and e-mailing family to see where we could borrow the rest of the needed funds NOW.

John came home for lunch that day, and we were stressed over the money. Our family gathered in the kitchen to pray that God would provide, as he already had. During that prayer, Jacob called to tell us that the e-mail they had received was actually for another family, and Isaac (lawyer) had told him to expect a mid-November court date. That could count as Miracle #2. We still needed $20,000 but not quite as urgently.

Saturday morning, Sarah called to say that they had been promised $5,500 towards the adoption. Miracle #3. We knew at this point, they could at least get over there, and buy us a little more time to get the money raised. We went into hyper-drive sending out e-mails and newsletters.

Wednesday night at church, John was called to the side by a friend at church. After a couple of minutes, I was also called over to join them. She said she had read the e-mail, and felt like God was telling her to give us the rest of the money we needed to bring these boys home. Yes, the remaining $15,000. Miracle #4!!

It took us about six months to raise $10,000, then we received $20,000 in five days. If that's not a miracle, I don't know what is.

We are still trying to raise a little more money to help with the legal costs when we finalize the adoption state-side, as well as to pay for Michael's airfare. Since ours and the Myers' paperwork got separated, we are no longer assured of traveling and staying together. John and Michael are both uncomfortable with me being alone in Uganda. I have to admit that the travel back home alone with my new little boy concerned me a bit as well. We're not sure if Michael will travel the entire trip with us, or just come out when John and Jacob have both returned to the states. We will cross that bridge when the time comes.

Now, we are praying for Miracle #5. Please pray with us that our immigration paperwork is approved as quickly as Jacob and Sarah's. We so much appreciate all of the prayers you have said on our behalf as well.

Thanks for taking this journey with us!

Getting There...

2010-09-02T17:33:00.006-05:00

It's been a while since I've updated, and wanted to report in on our progress. Our home studies are complete, and as of this morning, the immigration paperwork has been sent. Sarah also sent copies of our home studies to the lawyer in Uganda. We each need to send $2,000 to the lawyer, and then it's just a waiting game and fund raising blitz.

We have raised about 30% of the money we need. After the $2,000 to the lawyer, the rest is just travel and living expenses. Don't get me wrong, that "just travel and living expenses" accounts for about $10,000 or more for each family. The airfare itself is going to be $5,000 - $6,000. That seems ridiculous, but it's just the way it is. I'm sure there will be more things that pop up, but the next big hurdle is the travel money. It seems like every time we have a "need money by" deadline, God provides just the amount of money we need. I've tried the "God, we need it all NOW", but He hasn't fallen for that bit yet. I really don't expect Him to either, for that matter. We have said from the beginning this entire process was going to have to be a God thing, and He has definitely shown us His hand.

We do have a couple of fundraisers planned. The church is still working on the dinner/auction. I will post more when the date is settled. The other thing is a children's picture day. We will be selling $10 coupons for a 10 x 13 "Antiquities" portrait. We get to keep the money raised on the coupons, then we get a bonus for having over 100 people photographed, and a bonus on packages sold. This has the potential to be a very big fundraiser.

Thank you for your continued prayer and support in our journey to bring Emmanuel and Ephraim home!

10% in, 90% to go...Crazy Love!

2010-05-04T22:02:00.007-05:00

For those of you reading my blog from Linny here is a little history. I am the mom to five children, ranging in age from five to 24. Our youngest four are adopted, all domestically. We have felt for some time the call to International adoption. Our oldest son has just returned from a 10 week mission trip with an organization called Come Let's Dance. While there, he found a sweet little boy named Emmanuel that had been found abandoned on the streets in Uganda. We feel that God has placed Emmanuel in our lives, and we are currently in the process of raising money to bring him home. There is another little boy, Ephraim, whom our Children's Pastor and his wife are also working on bringing home. We are working together to bring the boys home together.

Well, about 10% of the funds needed to bring Ephraim and Emmanuel home! That means the home studies are paid for!!! This has come in without too much hoopla. The march is about to kick into full gear. We have a yard sale planned for May 27 and 28. We also have wrist bands ordered that should be in some time next week. Our church's women's group has a silent auction/dinner scheduled for the first Sunday in July. We're praying that we will have the majority of the funds raised by that time, and we can use that for travel expenses.

If anyone has any ideas for fundraisers, we are open to suggestions.

We have a couple more pictures of our little man. In some pictures, he looks so big, and others, he looks so little and vulnerable. I'm ready for him to be home! I know, patience...

Please continue to pray with us as we work to bring Emmanuel and Ephraim home.

Above is a picture of Ephraim whom the Myers family is working on bringing home.

Officially Started

2010-04-22T16:00:00.003-05:00

Well, we met with Hannah and Debbie from Heritage yesterday, turned in our application and fee, and officially got the process started. Got another BIG packet of paperwork to start on, and a list of things we needed to get together or working on. Now I need to schedule doctor visits for the kids, John, and the animals. Oh, and get the house cleaned up.

Several people have asked about a time-line of when we expect to have the boys home. IF we had all the money today, we could possibly have them home in about four months. Since we don't have the money, realistically, we are hoping by Christmas. The Ugandan government shuts down quite a bit around November/December, so we need to move quickly to get everything complete.

As far as fundraisers, we are looking at selling wristbands, having a yard sale, and the church is doing a dinner/silent auction for us the first of July. I would honestly LOVE to have the majority of the money raised before July, and just use that money for travel. I know that in the end, God is in control of this whole process.

After we were done at Heritage yesterday, we took the kids to Incredible Pizza. They all had a blast. I can't wait until we have the opportunity to take Emmanuel as well. I know it may be a while until he is ready for all of the excitement, though.

We have been down the adoption road before, and know the process can be daunting, but the international aspect is even a little overwhelming for John and I. Please keep us and the Myers' in your prayers. It is greatly appreciated.

Moving Along... With Friends

2010-04-10T13:58:00.011-05:00

Things are beginning to move on the adoption front. We have decided to have Heritage Family Services do our home study, just to make sure all the paperwork is done correctly. We do not want any "surprises" that could possibly be avoided.

I have contacted another family that brought their daughter home from Mercy/Uganda in August, and am waiting to have some questions answered by them. Also, some friends of ours are joining us in this journey and bringing home a another little boy from the same children's home. I can't wait to go on this journey with them. It will be fun to share the adventure, and also for Emmanuel to have a familiar face here in Oklahoma.

Our church family is rallying behind us, helping us make this possible. Tonight, the Women's Fellowship was won over by our two little cuties, and they are making plans to help us raise some of the needed funds to bring Emmanuel and Ephraim home. Words cannot express what it means to us for our church family to be supportive.

In the next couple of days, I will be getting a donation button set up so you can help as well. Keep an eye here to follow our progress and keep up with events that are being planned to make these dreams a reality.

Emmanuel

Ephraim

Thank you for keeping all of us in your prayers!

Emmanuel Tumwebaze

2010-04-01T23:26:00.005-05:00

Help us bring Emmanuel home!

As some of you may know, we have talked about adopting another child for some time now. We have received the paperwork to start the process twice, and have not followed through with it. We have felt that we were being called to international adoption, but perceived the cost as prohibitive. It appears God is now trying to stretch us. Michael has just spent about ten weeks in Uganda, and has found a precious little orphan who is in need of a home. His name is Emmanuel.

The following information was given to us about Emmanuel from the director of Mercy Childcare Ministries:

Emma has been with us since 2007. He was brought to us by the local authorities who found him abandoned in Nansana. The police tried to find out about his details but nothing was discovered. By then Emma was not social, he would not easily trust anyone, it seemed that he was earlier abused before he was abandoned. He used to wake up at night and cry and walk around the house. After like a year the lord changed him and he is now social, he knows that people around him love him and recently he started school.

We have the opportunity to bring Emmanuel home to join our family, but are totally dependant on God's miraculous provision to do so. We estimate the total cost of this adoption to be about $15,000. This is actually about 2/3 of what most international adoptions cost, but still much more than we can afford on our own. We feel like God is calling us to provide this precious child a home, and we will do everything we can, but we are totally dependent on outside financial support to make it happen. Any thing you can do to help would be greatly appreciated. May God bless you for your prayer and support!

Emmanuel (God with us) Tumwebaze (let us thank God)

Craziness!!

2009-05-28T15:47:00.002-05:00

This is just a quick update on what's going on with our family. Tomorrow, Friday, May 29, Hannah's picture will be on "facebook Friday" on Six in the Morning (around 7:40). I posted a note on their fan page, along with a picture of Hannah, and I got a message saying they wanted to use my post and her picture. This weekend our family, featuring Hannah, will be on the Children's Miracle Network Telethon on OKC channel KOCO during the 1:00 -2:00 hour. She will be doing a "welcome", then we will be interviewed during the hour telling Hannah's story and how Children's hospital played a part. Hannah is also going to be interviewed on Channel 2's mid-day program on June 15. That is Tulsa KJRH. That will be the day after the Endeavor Games, and hopefully we will have some video of her participating to show in the air.

Later that week, we are hoping to be able to go down to the Dallas area and spend a couple days with Cody McCasland. Cody is one of Hannah's friends we met last year at CAF. Cody was recently featured on Dateline NBC. The links to that interview can be found here: www.teamcody.com Go to the page that says "Cody Sightings", and all the links are there.

Please keep us in your prayers over the next couple of weeks. It's going to be pure chaos. This weekend OKC, (we were just there yesterday), next weekend to Louisiana, then the next week is the Endeavor Games. Oh, and don't forget birthdays for my three girls - Dawn the 30th, Hannah the 2nd, and Alexis the 7th.

Please pray for our traveling safety - and sanity.

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T22:00:00.003-05:00

I woke up to a very nice surprise yesterday. Michael was home! He had told me he wouldn't be able to make it because he had to work. Well, I was awakened by Hannah poking me in the hiney, and saying "Bubba's home." I immediately went in to check, and sure enough, Michael was home. I already knew Dawn and JJ would be at church, so that just capped it off.

We had a fantastic church service, then we went to Chili's for lunch. After we all sufficiently stuffed ourselves, we came home for picture time. Got a couple good pictures of all of the kids together, and a decent one of all eight of us.

After pictures, the older kids watched the three younger ones, and John and I had a date. First off to the AT&T store to pick up my gift - an iPhone. I didn't realize that if it wasn't time for an upgrade, the phone is $400. Needless to say, I didn't get the phone. I guess I will have to wait until December. That wouldn't be so bad if my Blackberry would quit acting goofy. I don't know if it's the phone, the BB software, or the service provider, but it's really getting on my nerves.

After we left the store, we went to Muskogee to see "17 Again". John had told me we could go to any movie I wanted, he was in for a good "chick flick". Well, it was - a chick flick. It was cute, but not so sure about how good it was. With a theater of about eight people, John was the only guy. Oh well. He asked for it. I have a great husband.

Hope everyone had a great day!

Fundraisers

2009-04-29T09:04:00.002-05:00

We are gearing up to raise money for a couple of events Hannah is going to participate in. The first being the UCO Endeavor Games. This will be in Edmond in June. Hannah will be running in a couple of events, as well as participating in a few clinics with, as she says, "kids like me." The second event will be going back to La Jolla in October to the Challenged Athletes Foundation triathlon. To raise money for these, we are going to have the silicone bracelets, available in hot pink and royal blue, that say "Hannah can!! Philippians 4:13" They will be available for a minimum donation of $4, $5 if they are mailed out. We are also working on putting together a t-shirt that will say "I'm a Hanna fan, because Hannah can! Philippians 4:13". These will be available for a minimum $15 donation. A portion of the proceeds of both of these will go to both CAF and CMN (Children's Miracle Netowrk).

The bracelets will be here in about two weeks, and we are just going to start taking pre-orders on the t-shirts. Let me know if you are interested in either one. I will post pics when we get them in.

On another note, Hannah is back to her old self. Thank you for your prayers.

Have a great day!

Excitement!!

2009-04-26T19:53:00.003-05:00

We had some excitement around here this week. I received a call from Boys and Girl's Club Thursday afternoon that Hannah wasn't feeling well, and I needed to come pick her up from school. The girls usually stay late on Tuesdays, and now Thursdays, to practice with the BGC after school music group. When I got there, Hannah was asleep in a chair, by the front desk. For the next hour, she was either OUT, or crying inconsolably. I couldn't get her to tell me what was wrong. She eventually told me her eye hurt. I tried to get her to let me look at it, but again, she was out. When it was time to pick up Alexis, Hannah finally came to enough to say that her head hurt. Finally she was able to tell me she had fallen at school. Then the fun began. The search was on to find someone who was with her when she fell so I could find out what actually happened.

Little miss had fallen on the playground and hit the back of her head. (We have since found out that she fell a second time within a short period of time and hit her head in the same area) The picture above is what Hannah looked like while OUT from a concussion. Sorry for the poor quality, it was taken with my cell phone. My neighbor, who happens to be Lexi's teacher, graciously took care of Lex and Nathaniel so I could rush Hannah to the ER. She was starting to come around some by that point. We were triaged, and the nurse went ahead and ordered a CT for her. She told me to go back to the waiting room and they would get her for the scan, but to let her know if she started showing any more symptoms (more headache, trouble walking or talking, or vomiting). About a minute passed, then the vomiting began. Needless to say, we were "fast tracked" back to ct and a room.

Praise the Lord, the ct showed no skull fracture or brain bleed. She started to come around and we got to come home. Yesterday she still wasn't quite acting like herself, so I took her back yesterday for a second ct, and it too was clear. This morning, she was still a little "off" until she was awake for a couple of hours. I know it's probably going to be a couple more days until she it fully back.

This ordeal made us realize that even though she is a pretty tough cookie, she can still be fragile. As for me, I think I've had enough drama and excitement for one week. Between me going to the dentist Monday, and this beginning Thursday, I'm looking forward to a nice, quiet week.

CMN Photo Shoot

2009-04-21T14:25:00.008-05:00

A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of going to Frontier City, in Oklahoma City, for a photo shoot for the 2010 CMN Calendar for OU Children's Hospital. The kiddos were VERY excited, but a little disappointed that the park wasn't actually open, but had a fun time none the less. It didn't hurt that we got to ride the carousel after the shoot was over.

I am excited for the opportunity for Hannah to be a representative for CMN. OU Children's is where all of her specialty doctors are. I can't say enough about well we have been treated by all of the clinics we have been to, and that actually covers quite a few. And of course, our personal favorite is Jonathan Day in the Prosthetics clinic. Jonathan and his team ROCKS!!

The calendars should be ready to purchase in the fall, and they will sell for $5, with all procedes benefiting CMN Research Institute in OKC. I will let everyone know when they are ready to purchase. Here are a few pics from the day. Enjoy!!

Still not real savy with the posting of pics, but I'm learning.

Pictures!!

2009-04-20T14:03:00.007-05:00

We had a great Easter. The girls went to the Eggstravaganza at church on Saturday, then after the Resurrection Celebration at church on Sunday, we went to John's sister's for a family celebration. It had been several years since we had been with his family on Easter. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too cooperative, so we had the egg hunt in the house. That was a little interesting to do, considering we had 13 kiddos, ages 3 - 10. They had a blast though.

On another note, I was snuggling with Hannah Sunday morning, and she had her little head laying on my chest. She said "I can hear your heart." I asked her what it said, and she responded "I. Love. You." Made my heart melt. I am truly blessed with the best kiddos in the world!

Tuesday Recap

2009-04-15T18:55:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was an eventful day. The girls and I headed to Oklahoma City Monday night, because we had two appointments yesterday morning. The first stop was to see Jonathan, our favorite prosthetist. Hannah has had her new running legs for about six weeks. When we went in for our two week check, they had to put new soling material on because she was already wearing through it. Well, four weeks later, and we had to have part of it re-glued. Let's just say that she LOVES her new legs. Jonathan said she had gone through about half the tread on these soles, so I figure in about another month or so, we will be making another trip to get new soles.

Alexis was scheduled to have her hearing tested. We had already noticed that her volume level had been going up lately. That, combined with the fact she had received a not-so-great result on her hearing test at school, (and the fact that it had been over a year since our last good check), I decided it was time to once again make the trek to get it checked. After we had to go see the Nurse Practitioner to get her right ear cleaned, we were able to go ahead with the test. This was probably the most un-eventful test she had ever had. She did GREAT!! Even when the audiologist startled her by talking too loudly in the earphones, she was able to calm herself back down and finish the test. The good news is - her hearing hasn't deteriorated since last February. That also means it didn't improve either though. We now have an appointment for the end of May to further discuss the possibility of surgically correcting her conductive hearing loss, and doing more reconstructive surgery on the outside of her ear. We will see what that holds. They think she may be big enough now to do some more of the needed procedures.

Well, I have two little girls that are ready to go to bed, whether they know it or not, so I guess I need to oblige them.

Oh, pray for Stellan and his family. This precious little guy will be headed to Boston for possible surgery. Pray for healing of his little heart, and wisdom for his family.

Hello Blog World

2009-04-06T12:33:00.002-05:00

This is the first post of our blog that looks into the lives of our crazy family. Hope you find this journey as fun as we do. It's a fun ride!!

Hope to learn how to make this a "pretty page" before too long, so check back for pictures.