Happy Friday everyone! I’m in love with these two ladies today…both have such huge hearts and both are passionate about orphan adoption. Courtney is the proud mama of one sweet boy from Uganda and Jillian is in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Orphan adoption is always on my heart, so take a minute, check these girls out and see if you can help them while doing a little shopping at the same time.
Hi! I am Courtney…and I make the pieces you see on the Restoration 5:17 blog, which started as a fun hobby, then turned into more of an online shop. I have always enjoyed refinishing and repurposing old pieces…and after hearing friends and family tell me to take it public for quite some time…I have decided to listen! I really enjoy making each piece and feel like each one has a purpose and a place. It has become so much more than just redoing furniture for me! I am Mommy to Gracie (bio, 5 going on 18) and Owen (adopted from Uganda, 4 going on 73), and wife to firefighter/paramedic Josh. The verse that best describes our family is 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” . I LOVE the fact that this has also inspired the name of our little biz. Each member of our family (yes, even the little ones) has a heart for Jesus, Africa, orphan care, our community, those in need, and mission work. So, a minimum of 10% of each purchase made will be given to one of these needs.
For Christmas this year, I will be posting some really great pieces to give as gifts! This will include several frames, smaller tables, bigger pieces, cradles, decor, and lots more!
Hello friends! I am honored to be taking over Shay’s blog today. Who am I? I’m Jillian. A Christian wife, dog mom, and wanna-be crafter, runner, and blogger over at awaitingethiopia.blogspot.com. My amazingly athletic, dedicated, disciplined husband, Chase, and I will be married 7 years in December. We live in Austin, TX (well, technically Round Rock) and can’t imagine being anywhere else. We have been the best of friends since middle school before becoming high school sweethearts. And I am so blessed to do life with him by my side. Oh, you’re thinking I must be at least in my late twenties or thirties… no, we got married when I was 19 and he was 18. In much Chase & Jillian fashion, we didn’t waste any time once we knew we wanted to get married. “Why wait?!” has been a pretty fitting motto for us over the years. We’re kind of known for quick decisions, putting our minds to something, and just doing it! We have 2 four-legged children,our Mini Schnauzers, Major and Macy.
When we first got married most people thought we were pregnant. Once we got past that question, the next was, “When are y’all having kids?” At first we thought we’d wait 5 years. Then 5 years came and went and we just kept waiting “until”. Until… we had a house, until we were in a place financially where I could stay home, until we were “ready”. Over the last few years, watching my cousins families grow through adoption, I have been feeling God putting adoption on my heart. I kept putting it off and trying to ignore Him, but I finally mentioned it to Chase about a year ago. It didn’t take him long before he was on board, and once he has his mind set on something it’s pretty much a done deal. I was dragging my feet, researching agencies, trying to research costs, find out every single aspect I could about what we were signing up for. We both knew we were feeling drawn towards international adoption, and everywhere we looked God kept drawing us back to Ethiopia. In July, we finally decided on an agency and submitted our application to the Ethiopia program. We have been paper chasing ever since! We couldn’t be more excited about what God has in store for us, but know that it won’t be the easiest road. At the beginning of it all, we were both wondering where on earth this money was going to come from. Let me tell you, this has been the most faith-building adventure of my life and we’re only 4 months in! God has provided for us in ways I can’t even explain– putting the finances in place right before the next payment was due, putting people in our lives right at the right time, and reassuring us at times when we’ve thought, “What are we doing?!” He has been so good to us.
Right now we are waiting on a few more pieces of paperwork and legalities to be complete so we can submit our dossier to Ethiopia and get on the official waiting list for our very first child. We are requesting a boy or girl, 0-18 months. We are beyond excited and so thankful for this journey God is taking us on. This year has been full of blessings and we can’t wait to see what’s ahead. Please stop by my blog to get the latest updates and check out my Etsy shop, www.etsy.com/shop/awaitingethiopia. Thanks for getting to know us and thanks to Shay for letting me stop in!
Sheaffer {Pinterest Told Me To} says
What awesome women, amazing products, and great stories! Thanks for introducing us!
Marie Matter says
i love, love the pieces on restoration 5:17! these are great ideas for christmas because they will bless so many by just buying one gift. thank you so much for sharing!!
Courtney Willis says
Thank you sweet friend!