Farewell

Dear Friends and Followers,

I want to start by saying thank you. Thank you for the years of supporting my mom and I as we opened Gifts of Grace and by all the purchases made. Thank you for praying for us and Nik and Stacy. Thank you for everything that you did. You have no idea how much of a blessing it was to us and Nik and Stacy.

As many of you know, my family and I recently moved from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania. I had planned on reopening the shop once we got settled and I had time to research tax laws, but after finding out that Nik and Stacy had decided to no longer adopt, those plans were put on hold as we prayed about who/what organization to support next.

As I began to look at the list of things that needed to be done to legally reopen the shop, I also began to look at my plans for the next year to see where Gifts of Grace fit. As I began to think and pray about it, I couldn't see how I could run a business and attend college at the same time. I wasn't able to see a way that I could successfully balance both. After lots of prayer, we have made the hard decision not to reopen Gifts of Grace.

One of my favorite things about running Gifts of Grace was all of the people that we got to meet whom we wouldn't have met otherwise. Getting to hear their stories was such a neat experience. My favorite thing about running Gifts of Grace though was watching how God worked. He took a simple idea and turned it into a successful business that raised well over $1000. Thank you again for your support. It's been an amazing three years!

Emilie

Important Update from Nik and Stacy

Below is a very important update from Nik and Stacy. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

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Family and Friends,

When we started the process of adopting from Ethiopia, the estimated time frame was 18-24 months, but at this point we have been waiting for 3 years at this point, and the estimated wait time continue to increase.

In addition to wait time increasing, the cost has grown significantly. Longer wait means more paperwork, which means more fees. Longer wait also means that orphanages are caring for kids for longer times in the transition homes, so program fees are climbing.

Beyond this, the political situation in Ethiopia is quite unstable. There has been a push to emphasize domestic adoption--Ethiopians caring for their own rather than adopting them out to other countries. We think this is a good emphasis, but sadly it means that many in Ethiopia have moved against international adoption, or at least not in favor of it. This sentiment has resulted in difficulty for many adoption agencies in that country, such that many agencies have closed in Ethiopia.

For all these reasons (timeline, finances, destabilization and uncertain future), Stacy and I have prayerfully decided to withdraw from the Ethiopia adoption process.

The money already invested in the adoption has been paying for ongoing costs of the agency operating both in U.S. and maintaining transition homes in Ethiopia. Thus, none of the funds we've invested will be reimbursed to us. The options for shifting to a different country were not great (completely starting over in terms of timeline and costs).  But at this point our hearts remain drawn toward caring for orphans, and we are considering the possibility of beginning a domestic adoption.

While our hearts are incredibly saddened over this, we are trusting God and being comforted by him. We don't regret God's leading us into this process to begin with, and we trust his greater purposes in the world that transcend our vision and desires. We believe that his heart is for the good of orphans and we want to reflect that in some small way. Please take a moment to pray that ineffective governmental systems that inhibit care of orphans would make progress toward effectiveness. 

"Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation. You have been the helper of the fatherless. You will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more" (Psalm 10).

Grace,

Nik and Stacy

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Our hearts are grieved for Nik and Stacy, and we know that they would appreciate your prayers. Thank you all for your support over the past few years. We would appreciate your prayers as we decide how to best continue with Gifts of Grace. We will be sending out more information in the weeks to come (who/what we will be supporting, when we will be reopening, etc.). Unfortunately, it will not be possible for us to reopen on the target reopening day (October 1st) though. Thank you for your patience!

If any of you in the central Pennsylvania area know of a lawyer or CPA that would be willing to meet with us for a few minutes to talk about Pennsylvania small business laws (or answer some questions over email/phone), we would greatly appreciate you letting us know. Thank you!

Emilie & Debbi

Big Changes!

Lots has happened over the past few months, and I'm not sure where to begin. Gifts of Grace has been growing, and I am just so amazed when I look and see how God has used our little business. It has been a great year so far. 

Lots of changes are in the works for my family and I. In May, I graduated from high school. Next month, we will be moving from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania. 

As you can imagine, I wasn't sure how the move would effect Gifts of Grace. With a different state comes different business laws and a lot of unknowns. We, at one point, wondered if it might be time to close Gifts of Grace. After praying, talking with my parents, and doing a little bit of research on Pennsylvania’s small business laws, we have decided to keep Gifts of Grace open. :-) 

The shop will be closed as we move and then figure out how to reopen Gifts of Grace in another state. Until then, you can use the coupon code MOVE15 during checkout to receive 50% off your order. We want to sell as much as possible before the move (the more we sell, the less we have to pack)! The shop will close for the move on August 1st. We are hoping to reopen by October 1st, and we would appreciate your prayers as we make this transition. 

Thank you all for supporting our business throughout the past couple of years! You are amazing, and we couldn’t have done it without you. 

Emilie 

Two Years Ago

Our Etsy shop opened on October 31, 2012 

On October 31, 2012, a small shop called Gifts of Grace opened. The shop was created to raise money for adoption, and was started by my mom and I when I was 14. 

My burden for orphans started at young age. When I was four, my mother said something that most moms say at one time or another. We were at the table and I didn’t want to eat my supper, when she explained how some children in the world did not have enough food and that I should be thankful that I did and eat my supper. This struck me in a profound way, and I immediately went into my bedroom. Moments later, I came back with various items that I wanted to give to those children. Unfortunately, although I asked several times over the next few weeks, we couldn’t find a way to give to children that were in need.

In the summer of 2012, I read a great deal of books. “Do Hard Things” by Alexis and Brett Harris and “Kisses from Katie” by Katie Davis were ones that really impacted me. Those two books served to rekindle my burden for orphans and bring it back stronger. Again though, I was faced with a dilemma. What could I do to help?

Mom and I tossed back and forth ideas for about a month until she suggested an opening an online shop in order to raise money for children in need. After talking it over and praying about it, we decided that this was the best option. Then we started planning. Who were we going to raise money for? What should the shop be called? What should we sell in the shop? Over the next few months, we began to get some answers.

‘Gifts of Grace’ was chosen for the shop name. We chose the name because of what we decided to sell (items that could be given as gifts) and because God had given us the grace to be able to do this. The main question was still unanswered though. Who were we going to give the money to? After some searching and discussing different ideas, everyone came to the decision that the shop proceeds would go towards Nik and Stacy Lingle’s adoption expenses.

We first learned that Nik and Stacy were adopting from their cousin, Christina. Once I found out about this, I began to pray about giving the shop proceeds to Nik and Stacy. Even before we discussed it, mom and I had came to the same conclusion. All the proceeds from our shop would go towards Nik and Stacy Lingle’s adoption expenses!

We sold the first item from our Etsy shop on March 5th, 2013! 

The next few months were full of more planning. We contacted Nik and Stacy and started getting to know them. I created a website, business cards, and Facebook page to start getting our name out there. The response was overwhelming! In November we had a booth at a local craft fair to kickoff the shop, and we raised over $400!

Our Etsy shop opened on October 31, 2012. God has been with us every step of this journey, and He has provided in so many ways. We have gotten to hear some extraordinary stories from some amazing people. Year to date, we have been able to raise over $1,000!

Nearly two years after opening Gifts of Grace, my burden for orphans and adoption has only grown. Over time, God has channeled that burden towards the foster care system in America. He has guided me towards working with children in foster care by becoming a foster mom after I graduate college. I am excited to see how God will continue to use Gifts of Grace in my life and in the lives of others as we enter into the third year of this special journey.

-Emilie

Spring Newsletter + Giveaway

Happy Spring Everyone!

Aromatherapy Bracelets

School is almost finished, and we will be on summer vacation soon! As we will be visiting family for a couple of weeks in June, our shop will on vacation from June 1-17. Until then, you can use the coupon code SUMMERVACATION to receive 15% off your order!

Africa Necklace- Glossy Black

In case you missed it, Nik and Stacy wrote an update on their adoption and we posted it here: Update on Nik and Stacy's Adoption. God has been good, and you all have already purchased enough items from our shop to raise nearly $100 this year to go towards Nik and Stacy's adoption expenses! That is about double what we had raised last year by this time!

Starfish Necklace- Brown

Last week we had a Facebook party and we added five new items to the shop! You can still enter the giveaway here:a Rafflecopter giveaway

Africa Onesie- Newborn

How has your spring been so far? Let us know in the comments!

Emilie

Update on Nik and Stacy's Adoption

Several of you have been asking over the past few months how Nik and Stacy's adoption is progressing. They were kind enough to write an update so that you could know what has been happening.

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Over the past several months, there has been a lot of discussion in the Ethiopian government about the condition of their international adoption program. The governmental agency responsible for the international adoption program released a 42-page document about the condition of adoption in their country, highlighting the challenges and other alternatives.

The document contains 1) pages of unsubstantiated claims about corruption and inefficiency in the adoption process and in orphanages, 2) suggestions for correcting these problems, and 3) alternatives such as focusing on domestic adoption (Ethiopian families adopting Ethiopian orphans).

This document became the basis for countless meetings of parliament and special interest groups that took place around the turn of the year. And it created much uncertainty for all families in the pipeline for international adoptions from Ethiopia. Basically, families were completely uncertain as to whether Ethiopia would remain open for adoptions.

All that to say, through our adoption process we have very much felt the meaning of "waiting on the Lord." When we started the paperwork, we were told it would be 18-24 months before we brought a child home. But we've already passed the 18-month benchmark. Over the past year, that timeline has slowly crept up to something more like 40+ months. Imagine being pregnant for 40 months! The anticipation is protracted and the hope seems distant.

But we know the Lord reigns over all of it. So we are patiently recallibrating our expectation to match what he has planned from the beginning. It may be late 2015 before we are matched with a child, or it may be longer. But we know that whenever it happens, his timing is perfect. And at the end of the day, this process is not about us and our timeline. It's about exercising the kind of patient love that God has shown toward us.

If you wonder how to engage orphan care, start with the biggest thing first: Pray. 1. Pray that God would graciously maneuver in the details of government to allow for safe and quick adoption, so children can receive care in loving families. 2. Pray that Christians in particular would take up the cause of the voiceless and needy, participating in orphan care in whatever way God leads them.

Nik and Stacy

Winter Newsletter 2014

  Hello friends!

Black, Red & White Africa Necklace

The past year has been amazing. We have been able to see God work through Gifts of Grace in so many ways. We have been able to meet many new people, and I have been able to learn so many things about running a business. Who knew how much actually goes into running one! Last spring, we had a booth at the Craftastic Day Craft Fair. We were also able to meet Nik and Stacy for the first time in April (sorry that there is no picture, the one that we took did not turn out)!

Maranatha Craft Fair November 2013

This past fall we had a booth at the Maranatha craft fair, and it was a huge success. While we were there, we were invited to participate in the Handmade Holidays craft fair in Schofield, Wisconsin. We accepted, of course, and redid our booth design using the dividers that my grandpa made (pictured below).

Handmade Holidays Craft Fair 2013

Thank you to all the people who stopped by at either of the booths, it was a pleasure to get to know you!

As some of you know, we only planned on supporting Nik and Stacy for the first year of our shop's existence, and we planned to help a different adopting family each year. Well, we have decided to keep supporting Nik and Stacy's adoption! Eventually there will be a time when they will have completed the adoption and no longer are in need of funds, but we are going to continue to help them until then.

Changes in Our Shop 

Blue & Silver Africa Necklace

As we were reviewing our shop towards the end of 2013, we decided to make some minor changes. Here is a quick review of all the changes that are taking place:

• We're in the process of adding new items. We have lots of items to list: Africa necklaces, flower headbands, aromatherapy bracelets, washcloths, hats, crocheted headbands, and more!  Watch the shop to see as we list new items: etsy.com/shop/GiftsofGracebyEmilie
• We also lowered our prices by 10%*! This change doesn't affect shipping prices at all (US shipping is still free). Awesome!

Thank you so much for helping us to raise money for Nik and Stacy!

Have a wonderful year,

Emilie

*The prices were rounded to the nearest $0.50.