Head Over Heels

Just wanted to send a big THANK YOU to everyone that came out to the Chick-fil-a fundraiser to help bring my little one home to a forever family! :) 

So far we have raised $12,000!!! :) The money has been raised through various fundraisers as well as people who have sent checks in the mail saying God placed it on their hearts to send me a donation! So thankful for the outpour of love, friendship, and prayers through this journey.

Another blessing, I had been praying for a generous tax return this year...and God blessed me with $3,000! So now my adoption fund is up to DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....$15,000.00!!!!! Wooooo Hoooo!!! :)

GOD IS SO GOOD! :)

Please pray for the remaining $5,000 to come in very soon! It is needed in a huge way!

A dear friend of mine, Ridley Barron, recently completed a book of the tragedy he walked through with his family and a healing that can only come from the power of forgiveness. Ridley has offered to donate 20% of the book sales that come from friends that I refer. So please visit www.ridleybarron.com and click on "store" to purchase "Twist of Faith." THEN send him an e-mail at info@ridleybarron.com and tell him you are supporting the O'Hara adoption! :)

You can also donate at staceyohara.chipin.com (no www. in address) or if you don't like to donate online, please e-mail me at staceyohara1@gmail.com and I can send you my address. There have been a lot of people that felt more comfortable sending it through the mail.

It's amazing to me how I can already be head over heels in love with my child when she's not even here yet! God is preparing my heart and God is preparing my little one to be in my arms forever!

In Christ's Love,

Stacey

Half Way There

Happy New Year! :) I'm amazed at how fast a year goes by, but I'm so excited to see what God has in store for 2012! 


The adoption journey continues to keep us busy. I'm happy to say we have raised close to ten thousand dollars which puts us at the half way mark!!! The prayers and support of many have helped us reach this half way point and I know God will provide full funding when the time is right. The agency is ready to move forward with matching me with a child, so I can't wait for the day when I can call them to say I'm fully funded!


Some of the ways God has been amazing me, have been through all of the various fundraisers, receiving a card in the mail with a check for $750.00, another friend writing a check for $500.00, and then recently another friend stopped over to the house with a check for $300.00!!! :) And if all of that wasn't sweet enough, a colleague from school told her family to take the money they would spend on her this year for Christmas and give it to me to help bring my baby home...yes I have often been in tears because of the outpour of love from those that surround me. 


I'm so grateful to be at the ten thousand mark and need the prayers and support of my family and friends for the last ten thousand. 


If you would like to contribute to  bringing Baby "O" home, please visit staceyohara.chipin.com. (There is no www. at the beginning of this link)


You can e-mail me at staceyohara1@gmail.com with any questions.
Have a wonderful and very blessed 2012! :)

When You Least Expect It...

When you least expect it...love comes walking in! :) These past couple of weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions. Thoughts of adoption, new evaluation system at school, and my classroom has been a revolving door of subs to help out in Pre-K land. 


Then, one day after my students had left, two of my colleagues came walking in my room. They surprised me by kicking off a fundraiser that was not only being done at my school, but  at my mom's school as well! They wanted to help raise money to bring baby "O" home to a forever family! Staff members can wear jeans to work for every five dollar sticker they purchase. I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and huge hearts of these two schools. I'm forever grateful!


Then love walked in again in the shape of a sweet little girl named Kate. She was raising money by running laps to support her school. Kate and her mom decided that instead of running laps for school, Kate would run laps for my baby to come home. Several people donated money per lap. Here's where it gets fun...I thought that Kate would run maybe 5 to 7 laps....but Kate the GREAT amazed us all...she ran 36 LAPS!!!! :) So far the total is $660.00. 


Love walked in on my life when I least expected it. I am so grateful for two staffs full of amazing people, and for Kate who showed us all that you are never too small to be used by God in a HUGE way! :) 


Love to you all and thank you for helping to bring my baby home...

A Little Bling and Flapjacks

Went to church today, I love my RCC peeps, and many were asking how much money has been raised and how much is still needed for the adoption. 


Recently, a friend from church, Lori Stone, put on an AMAZING jewelry party for me and Rhonda Wicks helped put together a Pancake Breakfast! Both of these events together raised close to three thousand dollars. :) I also need to mention a sweet man by the name of Tom Davis. He is the owner of the Captain D's in Spring Hill, TN. He did not know me at all and yet he provided all of the food for free for the Pancake Breakfast. Talk about the kindness of a stranger. What amazed me the most is that he expected nothing in return. Mr. Davis, your kindness will never be forgotten.


I've decided to view this financial journey as a staircase with twenty steps. Three of the steps are already behind me and there are seventeen steps to go. 


I will admit it angers me that adoption costs so much. I understand that people at agencies need to be paid for their work and that there's A LOT of red tape to work through, it's just frustrating that money stands in the way of a child being home in their mother's arms where they belong.


So even though the staircase seems steep, I will keep taking one step at a time to bring my little one home. I'm writing these blog entries so that one day I can pass them along to my child. I want her to know I'm already in love with her and that God already has a plan for her life. 


I've had a couple of e-mails asking how they can help if they couldn't make it to the fundraisers. If you would like to make a contribution towards the adoption, you can visit staceyohara.chipin.com there is no (www.) in the chipin address.


 If you have any questions you can e-mail me at staceyohara1@gmail.com.


Waiting for the next step...

Hitting the PAUSE button...

Many people have asked how the adoption journey is progressing. I haven't blogged for awhile. School started and that's another whole blog in itself. I'm on Fall Break right now and doing a lot of reflecting on what God's doing in my life. Sometimes I wish we could see the future, but I know God gives us 24 hours in each day for a reason. So I'm trying to live in the moment of each day...but still wanting so badly to have my little one home.


Obeying God and moving forward in this adoption journey....has REALLY ticked the enemy off. He's shaking everything around me, but I won't give up...I will finish this race and I hope you all will join me in praying for my little one and my family.


My agency is ready to present my profile to birth mothers. We are hitting the pause button for now due to funding. The agency said a birth mom could select me right away and I would need to be fully funded. So I told them we would need to wait while I did some fundraising. 


I recently had a jewelry party which was an amazing evening with friends who came out in full support! 
This coming Saturday, October 22nd, we are having a Pancake Breakfast at Captain D's in Spring Hill, TN. It will be from 7am to 9am and it will be 5 dollars at the door. So come on out for some family fun. Hope to see you there! :)

When God Speaks It's Time To Move

Last month, I had the opportunity to share on stage, with my church family, what God was doing in my life. Below is what I shared...

"Over the past few years, God has been stirring something in my heart, but I wasn’t sure when I was suppose to move forward with what He was saying to me.

This past Christmas Eve, God spoke very clearly to me. He said “Stacey, you’re sitting in a house full of love with an empty lap.” Without a doubt I knew God was calling me to adopt.

I have recently completed my home study and have been approved. I am now moving forward with the adoption agency.

This is one of the biggest steps of faith I have ever taken, but I know I am walking in obedience. Any time doubt starts to surround me, God says “Stacey, how big is your God?”

Two verses have come to mind during this journey: 

Proverbs 3:5,6

Hebrews 11:1

What I’ve been learning through this experience is that when you say YES to God and follow His will, you start hearing his voice in ways you’ve never heard before." 

And so the journey continues...

New Beginnings

Well, I can't believe I'm actually setting up my very first blog! :) Perhaps I'm a little behind the times, but like most of the human population, it's hard to find time to be still and actually write about life and the thoughts stirring inside.
God is shaking me awake and for the first time in a long time I'm finally listening to His voice. I'm starting on the most amazing journey I've ever been on...so I'm holding on for the ride!
Here begins the faith walk.