So What's Next?!?!?

Well....we raised the money we need to submit all the paperwork for the adoption. This let's the Knox family "get in line" for a court date. They will need to travel to Addis Ababa for that date. There, they'll get to meet the children for the first time!!!! ****sorry, when that video is posted you'll have to provide your OWN kleenex**** They'll be in Ethiopia for about 7 days and then come home to wait for the rest of the paperwork to be finished so they can return to bring them home.

So - while we've jumped the most major of the hurdles - they're still needing to fund 2 trips to Ethiopia.

Time to pray people!!! We need some REASONABLE (like less than $1500 each) plane tickets!!! Their agency is hoping for a court date in January. Their in-country cost will be about $1700 for that trip. Two months later (hopefully shorter!!!) they'll return for 5 days to bring the children home....so 2 more adult plane tickets and 2 CHILDREN'S tickets and an in-country cost of about $1500!!! WOO HOOO!!!

We're guessing we'll need a total of about $10,000 to finish this up!!!!

The Knox' are continuing to fill out as many grant applications as they can get their hands on....and No Longer Orphans is continuing to take donations!

I can't even BEGIN to tell you how this whole experience has grown my faith! Watching Craig & Caylene step out in absolute obedience & total confidence that where God leads He will provide. If you've been sitting on the fence about taking a risk for God...SIT NO MORE!!!! He can do AMAZING, ABUNDANTLY more than we can ever ask or think!!!

Thank you Lord for letting me be a part of this incredible ministry.

Jill Ross

The JUMBO list of THANK YOU's!!!!

If you could only see the CRAZY jumping up & down going on over here!!! God has OVERWHELMED us!!!!

So in no particular order....the GIGANTIC list of INCREDIBLY generous people that are bringing these babies HOME!!!! WePay donators, check senders, t shirt buyers, fun run runners, friends, family, people we don't even know! 126 all total....$17,945....unbelievable.....the last $3000 in less than 4 days....miraculous!!!

Andrew Lawrence
Sallie & Brent Lumley
Jim & Betty Loosemore
Eileen Koehler
Heidi Hawley
Hillary Weeks
Peggy Lyle
Anna Engle
Jana Brietsprecher
Lynn Haug
Kelli & Steve Katke
Stephanie Brazil
Women of Steele
Rockelle Ruiter
Lisa & Kirk Christensen
Benjamin Ross
Robi & Lance Warwick
Poppy & Granddaddy
Raylene Lawrence
Micah & Allison Johnson
Scott & Michelle Stevens
Virginia & Jesse Cheney
D'Anna Jones
Mary Jean & Jeremy Inman
Angela & Blake Buri
Rachel Napier
Brittney Ruiz
David & Kathleen Honcoop
Peter & Julie Bishop
Jessie Honcoop
Karen & Scott Finkle
Joy Hill
Kim Gibson
Kerrie King
Kelli Cox
Renee Thomas
Myndi Stout
Shellee Lenssen
Eric & Heather Meyer
Janice & Todd Stires
Gina & Rick McCarthy
Beth & Roy Moxley
Sue & Kim Mellor
Jamie Anderson
Darcell & Brett Meyer
Jim & Lisa Retzer
Cheryl Birks
Cody Wuestney
Jamie & Todd Kinley
Ashley & Brody Teare
Brian & Jolene Jacobs
LeVenna Cai
Becky Elfers
Duane & Tammy Drader
Chris Mathis
Shirley Cornelius
Audrey Largent
Ashley Kisor
Ashley Drolette
Edward & Connie McBride
Edith Kennedy
Tiffany Dixon
Kayla Thomas
Scott & Lori Ackerman
Rachel Kovanda
Becky Pfeifer
Todd Vanek
Rachel Olson
Heather Lively
David Ledbetter
Brenda Gingerich
Mary Baldridge
Tatum Weed
Bridgett & Justin Morgan
Jennifer Booker
Kara Riebold
Donald Kackman
Jay Rubin
Risa Parker
Heidi Kerr
Trina Hayes
Lori Brown
Mike Edstedt
The Rubin Family
Valerie & Kevin Branson
Diane Fanning
Laura Fanning
Nicole Capato
Terri & Mark Anderson
Andrea Farmer
Vicki Hopkins
Kelli Krogh
Marjorie Nelch
Stacey Pommerenck
Corey & Adrienne Ries
Jason & Christie Rees
Curtis Scholtz
Tarri Steiger
Crystal Senigo
Rebekah Spotts
Kendra Trump
Lindsey Stoval
Jamie Anderson
Tabitha Green
Becky & Tommy Phelps
Karen Heston
Debbie Gagon
Margaret Downs
Nancy Schwartz
Alex Baldridge
Debra Albanese
Barbara Haas
Jean Flis
Adrienne Berquist
Susan Inman
Kim Osantowske
Cheree Alsop
Krystle Donald
Shauna Clark
Zachary & Danielle Fudge
Mary Ellen Furman
DesaRae Janszen
Larianne Austin
Hope Sherman
Amanda Snyder
Adika Colston

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU doesn't even BEGIN to be enough!

Thank you for giving these children a HOPE & a FUTURE!!!!

Thank you for helping an INCREDIBLE family do something so TOTALLY beyond themselves!

These children will have a LIFE because of YOU!

Thank you.......

2 down....147 million to go!!!!

WOW!!!!!!

God is GOOD!!!

Thank you SO MUCH!!!! We only have $1906 to go!!!! Your generosity is OVERWHELMING!!!!

We're SO CLOSE!!!

America World (the Knox' agency) wants all their paperwork submitted THIS WEEK! We need $7700 to submit the paperwork - thankfully we're only $3189 short.

PLEASE consider joining with us to bring these children HOME! They have lost so much already....their mother died in January & their father was leaving them home ALONE (they're 4 & 2) in order to go to work and make less than $2 a day transporting people on his bicycle.

These children have lost so much....but God is in the redeeming business!

He knew the Knox family would be their provision before the beginning of time. He knew they'd be loved & cherished & provided for through the miracle that is adoption. He knew that so many other people would get to come around the Knox family to bring these kids home! Think of the stories Craig & Caylene will be able to tell them of how LOVED and SPECIAL they are. They were SO WANTED that 100's of people stepped up to bring them home.

We can't share their names or pictures....but here's a sneak peek!!!

The RUN!!!

We had soooooo much fun!!!!! There were 72 runners & lots of friends & family around to cheer them on.

A GIANT thank you to everyone who came out to help! We even had a warm fire & propane heater to help stave off the 33 degree day!

We raised over $3000 with 100% going to help the Knox family with their adoption!!!! WOO HOOO!!!!

I'll post pictures soon - my camera is still buried :)

The fundraising has hit OVER DRIVE!!!

We're STILL jumping up and down excited for the Knox family!!! The reality of raising $8,624 MORE before November 23rd seems a bit daunting....but like Peter we're keeping our eyes on Jesus!!! The Knox family has DEFINITELY stepped out of the boat and is walking on the water. Caylene told me last night she fell asleep praying & this morning she woke up praying. And then just today they've received $1200 in donations!!!! THANK YOU so much!!!!

We're working hard on our 5k Fund Run/Walk to be held November 20th. We had a VERY generous donation from Eric Meyer of Farmers Insurance in Colfax to buy shirts for the first 100 to register. As of today we have 72 people registered!!!! And MANY of them are from out of state that just want to support the Knox family. Thank you SO MUCH!!! Join us in praying for some FABULOUS weather that weekend!!!



Our newest addition to the fundraising portfolio are these super cute Africa shirts! ***Kelli-you & your girls make such cute models*** They're $20 & come in kids size small to adult size XL. The Knox "sweat shop" was open until 2am on Sunday morning...she was excited that we were able to get an extra hour in with the time change! I looked like a little old lady hunkered over my sewing machine & Caylene had BLISTERS from cutting out so many Africa's!!! We made 64 shirts in less than 2 days! WHEW! But the AMAZING part was that less than 2 days later we only have 27 left!!!! Is God good OR WHAT!!?!?!?

I can't stop thinking of the story where Gideon had finally listened to God to rally an army against the Midianites. He had gathered 32,000 men to fight but God said that was too many, because when they won they'd boast in themselves and not God. So God told him to let anyone who was scared go home and 22,000 left. God said that 10,000 men was still to many....he finally got down to 300 men to fight the Midianites...and of course they WON! and of course God got all the glory.

God is WAY bigger than $8624. He knew from the beginning of time that there would be this "rush". He knew that because the Knox family was willing to step out of the boat their lives would be FOREVER changed! We can trust that His plans are to give these 2 children a HOPE & a FUTURE and that his plans for the Knox family are to prosper them & not to harm them!

To God be ALL the glory - forever & ever! AMEN!!!

The Knox family has a REFERRAL!!!!!

We're just bouncing off the walls here! The Knox family has accepted a referral for TWO little ones!!!!

Jump over to KnoxFamilyHeartCandy.blogspot.com for all the juicy details!!!

God is SOOOO GOOOD!!!!!! WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!

They have a REFERRAL!!!

The day we've been waiting for is FINALLY HERE!!!! The Knox family has received their referral!!!!! That means they've been matched with a child - or in their case CHILDREN!!!

They're SO excited! They've been open to the idea of a sibling group & God has given them a 4 1/2 year old boy & his 2 1/2 year old sister!!!!

So.....what this mean for No Longer Orphans & the Knox family is that we need to raise $11,000 by THANKSGIVING!!! The total needed is $16,000 - and we've raised almost $5,000 already. What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than helping bring 2 children HOME!!

We ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with us. Prayer support, financial support, emotional support - it's ALL needed!!!

Things to pray for:
*the health & safety of little S & little R!!!
*a QUICK court date! Craig & Caylene will travel to Ethiopia for court. They'll be in Ethiopia for 1 week meeting the children & making their court appearance. Once they pass court the children will be legally theirs - then they can share pictures with all of you! They will come home & return to Ethiopia in 4-6 weeks to bring the children home. Court could be as early as the end of DECEMBER!!! SOOOO exciting!!!!
*for a quick & easy transition for their new little ones and their "old" little ones :)
*check out their blog at: KnoxFamilyHeartCandy.blogspot.com for more information!!!!

Ways to provide financial support:
*send a check made out to No Longer Orphans to Matt Ross, 2041 Prune Orchard Rd, Colfax, WA 99111
*donate with your credit/debit card through WePay at NoLongerOrphans.blogspot.com

Ways to provide emotional support:
*send an email to Craig & Caylene at: craigk21@hotmail.com
*send a card to them at: 754 Lanky Rd, Colfax, WA 99111
*send Caylene a text at: 509-592-5884


Let's OVERWHELM them with our support!!!!!

Get your NLO 5k Tshirts!!!!

We're so excited to announce our first annual 5k Fund Run!!!! It's November 20th in Colfax, Washington. Pray for GREAT weather and a HUGE turnout!!! We have kids to bring HOME!!!

Even if you can't make the run you can order a Tshirt!!! They're only $20!!!

Send an email to NoLongerOrphans@gmail.com for your registration form.

We're OFFICIAL!!!!

We FINALLY got our paperwork back from the State. No Longer Orphans is an OFFICIAL non-profit organization!!!!! We're now starting the process to become a tax-exempt (501 c 3) organization - so we're not done with paperwork yet -but we're MUCH closer!!!!

SOOOO....we now have THREE ways to accept donations!!!

1. Send a check payable to NO LONGER ORPHANS - c/o Matt & Jill Ross, 2041 Prune Orchard Rd, Colfax, WA 99111

2. Set up a monthly bill pay or EFT. Our account is with Bank of America ABA# 125000024 and our checking account is #17327610.

3. Make a secure donation with your credit/debit card through WePay - just click on the WePay link in the right column.

We have just over 100 people that are interested in supporting No Longer Orphans!!!! If each of us did a monthly donation of $40 we could raise enough to give a child a home in just 6 months!!!!! oh the thought of it gets me all teary-eyed!!!!!

PLEASE pass us along to your friends & family!!!!! It's been SO EXCITING to see GOD MOVING!!!!!

You have to meet Ben!

This is one of the most generous kids I've ever met! That he happens to be my son....well I'm crying just writing this post.

For the last few years he's raised an animal for 4H to sell at the fair. This year he chose to raise a sheep. Well being the only sheep on our farm - he was pretty lonely....so he pretty much followed Ben around all summer long...picture a 131 lb dog that likes to eat grass.

We were both getting a little sad at the thought of selling Domino at the fair. I kept reminding myself that we already had 3 dogs! We didn't need another one. Then Ben & I talked about what he was going to do with the money he made selling Domino - and that if he had a really good purpose for the money - it would make it easier to sell him. Ben agreed & eagerly asked if he could give the money to the Knox family to help them bring their baby home. We both thought that was a GREAT IDEA!!!

So fast forward to the fair last weekend. I love living in a small town. Word got out what Ben was going to do with the money he earned from Domino. Typically a sheep at the fair goes for $4-$5/lb (if you just took it to the market it would be $1.10/lb - but the community here is CRAZY generous to their kids!). Knowing what Ben was going to do one of the businessmen in town bid Ben's sheep up to $7/lb!!!! THEN he stood up & told everyone what Ben was going to do with the money & suggested we auction him off again as a donation.....and a generous farmer bid $3.75/lb.....that's $10.75/lb for 131 pounds of sheep.......for a grand total of $1408!!!!

I pray Ben's generosity will inspire others to live a generous life! He's only 10!!!!! I know he's inspired ME!!!

Thanks so much Ben. I know how much you love your little sister and how excited you are for the Knox family to know that same love!!!!

WOW!

That's all I can say! WOW!!! God is so good!!!! The support we're receiving!!! AMAZING! The encouragement - you're all so incredible! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Thank you SO MUCH for forwarding us on to your friends & families! We're receiving emails almost daily from people we don't even know!!!! THANK YOU!!!

Because of YOU - Children are going to have FAMILIES!!! I can't stop pinching myself! My family was and is SUCH an incredible support system. I can't imagine not having them in my life! Cheering me on....encouraging me...loving me through my mistakes...laughing over all our shared history! Can you even IMAGINE?!?!?!

I remember the first picture we ever saw of Ellie....she looked so empty...

8 months and 1 family later....
WHAT a difference a family makes!

Join us in praying for the Knox family as they embark on the world's biggest yard sale/adoption fundraiser this weekend!!!!

Let the heavens open Lord & rain down your provision on them!!!

WOOO HOOOOO!!!!

No Longer Orphans!!!

I can't even describe how excited I am to FINALLY be sharing this!!!!

We have submitted the paperwork to start a non-profit called NO LONGER ORPHANS!

After we came home from Ethiopia I was in this funk....it almost felt like postpartum depression! I couldn't put my finger on it. Matt was worried. I was frustrated with myself! How could I be feeling so ick...Ellie was home! She was healthy! She was adjusting better & faster than we ever could have imagined.

It finally hit me. I didn't know how to process everything I'd seen. All the babies with arms upraised wanting to just be noticed. Children swarming around you....so excited for a balloon or a sticker. All these children. Why Ellie? Why would God chose HER? What about all the others? It was so unfair!!!

Meanwhile a day didn't go by that someone didn't say "I would so adopt, but it's just too expensive." It was all I could do to not shake them and say "SO WHAT!?!?" It's just money! We're talking about giving someone a LIFE. This happened over and over. With me biting my tongue and trying to tell them that God would provide.

So rewind 10 years. I was sitting in my living room, trying to tell God that what I was doing with my life couldn't POSSIBLY be right. I had all this education, leadership potential, bible knowledge....and I was a stay at home mom of 2 little boys with a seemingly silly little jewelry business to make ends meet. As clear as a bell God said to me, "Jill, you're not ready to hear all the plans I have for you. Just keep doing what you're doing." I left that meeting a new person. I had a purpose! I just wasn't ready to hear it yet.

I jumped full force into Premier Designs. More babies came, more moves...yet God blessed my seemingly silly jewelry business. Our team grew and grew. 2 years ago Premier became OUR business. Then, on a purely commissioned based income, during a recession, God asked us to adopt Ellie. I've never been good at telling God no - so off we went. Of course God provided and we were able to pay cash for all of it.

Now here we are. 147 million minus one. Ellie is home. Yet she left so many behind. Where do we go? How do we help? There has to be more we can do!!!!

Thus the birth of NO LONGER ORPHANS.

We're going to choose 1 family to sponsor (you'll be able to read about them SOON!) They will be our focus until all the funds have been raised to bring their child home. We'll connect anyone that would like to help provide pray support and/or financial support to their blog. You'll have the joy of being a direct part of helping a child come home!

My business has always been about keeping it personal. I want NO LONGER ORPHANS to be that way too! You'll be able to see the impact of your support....directly...through pictures! videos! stories! I can't wait!!!!

God is moving. Every day He gives me confirmation that this is His will. Just last night I innocently asked a dear friend if they were done having kids. She said "well, I'm almost 40, I just don't think it's going to happen" (she has 2 adorable little girls). I said "why don't you adopt." "Oh we would in a heart beat" was her response. "There's just no way we could afford it." She started sobbing when I told her what we're going to do....sobbing....they'd looked for organizations that would help them with funding...and hadn't been able to find anything. They thought that door was closed!

The verse we chose for Ellie is Isaiah 45:2-3- I [God] will go before you and level mountains, I will break down gates of bronze & cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I AM THE LORD.

That is the verse we've chosen for NO LONGER ORPHANS. God is working!!!! Gates of bronze, bars of iron, seemingly closed doors, finances, uncertainty - they're nothing to Him. He is Jehovah-Jireh, our provider! I can't WAIT to see what He's going to do!!!