Adoption journey

Over the past year, the Lord has been growing, teaching, and challenging our family in so many ways! We are responding to the Lord's leading and are expanding our family through the adoption of a precious baby!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Catering for Adoption

              Dinners          
Serves 2-4 people
(suggested donation)
Serves 4-6 people
(suggested donation)
Chicken Gumbo File (soup)
$15.00 (1 Qt.)
$25.00 (2 Qt.)
New Orleans style
Red Beans & rice

$15.00 (1 Qt.)

$25.00 (2 Qt.)
Crawfish or Shrimp Ettouffe

$18.00 (1 Qt.)

$30.00 (2 Qt.)
Jambalaya
$18.00 (1 Qt.)
$30.00 (2 Qt.)
Chicken Tetrazzini
$15.00 (6 x 8 ½ pan)
$25.00 (9x13 pan)
Lasagna          
$15.00 (6 x 8 ½ pan)
$25.00 (9x13 pan)
Mexican Chicken Spaghetti
$15.00  (6 x 8 ½ pan)
$25.00 (9x13 pan)
Vegetable Beef or Chicken Soup

$15.00 (1 Qt.)

$25.00 (2 Qt.)
Chili (traditional or white bean)
$15.00 (1 Qt.)
$25.00 (2 Qt.)

New Healthier Options
Suggested Donation
Homemade Granola (with almond, walnuts, & flax)
$10 (per 1 quart)
Homemade Plain Yogurt
$5 (per 1 quart)

Desserts
Suggested Donation
Peanut Butter Pie
$15.00
Butterfinger Cake (9x13 pan)
$18.00
Chocolate chip cookies (per dozen)
$10.00
Peanut butter balls (per dozen)
$15.00
Chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies “no bakes” (per dozen)

$10.00
Peanut Butter Cookies (per dozen)
$10.00
Chocolate Fudge
$12.00
Cupcakes (Per dozen)
$12.00
Decorated sugar cookies
(Per dozen)
$12.00

                    
Breads
Mini loaf
(suggested donation)
Large loaf
(suggested donation)
Zucchini bread

$7.00

$14.00
Banana bread (with choc. chips, blueberries or nuts)

$7.00

$14.00
Dinner rolls
$5.00 dozen
$10.00
2 dozen
French bread
X
$5.00
Sour dough bread
X
$5.00
Whole grain sour dough bread

X

$7.00

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Adoption Update and Christmas shopping!

We have completed out home study and are officially approved for International Adoption!! We are currently working on our dossier, which is a large amount of paperwork that covers our entire life time (birth certificates, marriages license, bank records and every other paper imaginable)!!

Check out our Etsy shop on-line to purchase an Africa shirt, crocheted winter hat, afghan, Christmas stocking, and more!

Are you a coffee drinker? Buy coffee and support our adoption! http://www.justlovecoffee.com/Gozafamily

If you are somewhat local, check out my food catering...for everyday meals, as well as parties!

We also have a donate button on our blog if you feel led to financially support our adoption.


Thanks for all of your prayers, encouragement and support along this journey!
Merry Christmas!!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

We're APPROVED... and Christmas shopping for Adoption!

We are officially APPROVED for International Adoption!! We have completed our home study! Our case worker with Bethany Christian Services is wonderful and such a blessing to have walking beside us on this journey! Since our home study is now complete, we will be preparing our dossier and sending that out in the next couple of months. Check out one of our exciting events coming up this month!

Christmas shopping for Adoption will be held Monday, December 13, from 6:30-9:00pm at Families Inc. in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Drop in and Christmas shop from the following vendors:
Mary Kay Cosmetics - Elizabeth Brown
Scentsy Flameless Candles - Jennifer Yates
Thirty-One Gifts - Courtney Adams
R J  Designs - Malinda Condra
Pampered Chef - Misty Magel
Goza Family Crafts for Adoption (Africa shirts, knit hats, girls hair bands/bow, jewelry, purses, paintings, blankets) - Kelly Goza 
Just Love Coffee - Amazing coffees and blends from Africa, Central & South America
Also featuring a Silent Auction for a portrait drawing by incredible artist and art professor Stephen Strickland, who's art work is displayed in galleries in New Orleans, Mobile, and Hattiesburg.
Food samples from Kelly Goza's food catering! Check out the December and Christmas menu and let me help you with your Christmas baking, parties, as well as everyday meals!

Entry fee:$5 (goes directly to support Goza family adoption).
Contact Kelly Goza with questions or orders.
kelly_goza@hotmail.com

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Shutterfly Christmas Cards!

It's nearing Christmas time and our family is gearing up to take our annual Christmas card picture tomorrow with wonderful photographer Katie Harter! Since we live at least 500 miles away from ALL of our family and many friends, we like to send photo Christmas cards! Our family and friends have enjoyed seeing our growing family through the beautiful photo cards from Shutterfly and will receive a beautifully designed Shutterfly Christmas photo card from us once again this year!
We enjoy displaying many pictures of our family and little guys on our Christmas cards! This Initially Yours Green Christmas Card is a 5x7 beautiful Shutterfly Christmas card that can display many cute family moments!
The Merry Montage 4x8 Christmas card is another great example of a Christmas card that allows you to show off numerous pictures of family member and cute kiddos!

Our family is growing and changing and we enjoy giving a letter with a family and adoption update with our Christmas cards. Shutterfly's Christmas Letter Card helps us to share three family photos, as well as our Christmas message, all on one beautiful card!
Our family always debates over which pictures to include on our Christmas card. This year, with so many wonderful option from Shutterfly, I don't know how we will be able to choose only one Shutterfly Christmas card!

 Another favorite product and annual purchase from Shutterfly is their beautiful Photo Calendars! I enjoy compiling pictures of our family for both sets of grandparents to enjoy throughout the year.

If you are searching for a great photo Christmas card, I highly recommend Shutterfly Photo Christmas cards!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

New Menu for December and Christmas!!

Enjoy New Orleans style cuisine while supporting our adoption!
 We are taking orders for meals, breads and desserts, as well as donations to the adoption fund. Contact Kelly Goza with orders, questions, and special food requests at 870-679-0862.


 Thanks for all of your encouraging comments on the SixSeeds website!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Adoption Update!!

We want to send a big thanks to all of you who have already been such big supporters of our adoption journey through prayers, encouragement, food orders, Africa shirt orders, and commenting on the SixSeeds link!! THANK YOU!!
 
We have several events going on right now...
1) Catering: You enjoy delicious New Orleans style cuisine, while supporting our adoption!Check out our new November menu!!
2) Order coffee, support our adoption! For every bag of coffee ordered on this site we receive $5!!
3) Check out my new Etsy craft store! You can order cute handmade Africa shirts for yourself or your kiddos! Coming soon: more purses/handbags and Christmas stockings!
4) SixSeeds is an incredible organization who have featured several adoptive families (including us). For every comment left on our SixSeeds site, SixSeeds gives us $2 toward our adoption of a baby boy from Ethiopia!! Keep leaving comments (one per email) and spreading the word about this site through the entire month of November!!We are so grateful to SixSeeds and for all of your comments!!

 If you are new to our site, read our adoption story here.

Thanks to all of our supporters!! We could not make this journey of adoption with you!!

Monday, November 1, 2010

SixSeeds

There is a great family friends site called SixSeeds who is featuring several families adoption stories. We are so excited they chose to feature our family's story! SixSeeds is donating $2 to our adoption fund for EVERY comment left on our feature page with an email address (follow the link).
http://sixseeds.tv/s/content/adoption/641-adoption_the_goza_family#comments
Thanks for your help!!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

New Menu for November & Thanksgiving!!

Enjoy New Orleans style cuisine while supporting adoption!
We are taking orders for meals, breads and desserts, as well as donations to the adoption fund. Contact Kelly Goza with orders, questions, and special food requests at 870-679-0862.
  November Menu
Thanksgiving Combo Special:
Cornbread dressing, Sweet potato casserole, large bread/roll, and dessert -- $65.00
              Dinners     
Serves 2-4 people
(suggested donation)
Serves 6-8 people
(suggested donation)
Chicken Gumbo File
$15.00 (1 Qt.)
$25.00 (2 Qt.)
Red Beans & rice
$15.00 (1 Qt.)
$25.00 (2 Qt.)
Crawfish Ettouffe
$18.00 (1 Qt.)
$30.00 (2Qt.)
Jambalaya
$18.00 (1 Qt.)
$30.00 (2 Qt.)
Chicken Tetrazzini
$15.00 (6 x 8 ½ pan)
$25.00 (9x13 pan)
Lasagna
                $15.00 (6 x 8 ½ pan)
$25.00 (9x13 pan)
Chili
$15.00 (1 Qt.)
$25.00 (2 Qt.)
Vegetable Beef Soup
$15.00 (1 Qt.)
$25.00 (2 Qt.)
Cornbread Dressing
X
$25.00 (2 Qt.)
Breads
Mini loaf
(suggested donation)
Large loaf
(suggested donation)
Traditional pumpkin bread

$7.00

$15.00
Amish pumpkin bread w/ cream cheese

$8.00

$15.00
Amish Cinnamon sweet bread

$7.00

$15.00
Chocolate choc chip Amish bread
  
    $7.00

$15.00
French bread
X
$5.00
Sour dough bread
X
$5.00
Dinner rolls
$6.00 dozen
$10.00
2 dozen
                                                                                       

Desserts
Suggested Donation
Peanut Butter Pie
$15.00
Pecan Pie
$18.00
Pumpkin Pie
$15.00
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
$15.00
Carrot Cake
$15.00
Peanut butter cookies (per dozen)
$12.00
Pumpkin cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting
$12.00
(Per dozen)




 


Call/email Kelly Goza with orders
870.679.0862
kelly_goza@hotmail.com






Thursday, October 21, 2010

Adoption Update!

Last week Josh and I mailed in a huge packet of forms, paperwork, and first payment with our... FORMAL APPLICATION!! We are thankful to have gotten through that stage of the adoption process rather quickly. We are currently awaiting our home study appointment with our case worker in Little Rock.

Even after completing the massive application, life has not slowed down. We are very thankful to be very BUSY with our catering! I have been cooking up a storm! Thanks to so many who have ordered food from us, and a big thanks to the many repeat "customers"! I hope you all are enjoying the meals! We are continuing the catering and will have new menus coming out in November (with some great Thanksgiving meals) and December (with great Christmas goodies)! Let me know if you have any special requests/ideas to add to our menu! Check out our current menu; I will be posting a new menu the first of November.

Thanks for all of your support on our adoption journey!!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch!!

Our WBC neighborhood home school group took our 3rd Annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch in Walnut Ridge, AR (at Taylor's Greenhouse). Instead of bundling up is coats and hat, this year the kids ran through the corn maze in short sleeves and sandals! This is the warmest weather we have had for our trip to the patch. The kids had a blast in the "corn box", playing in the hay, and going on a scavenger in a corn field maze!







Friday, September 24, 2010

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Our new adoption journey!


Over the last few months God has placed on our hearts the desire to adopt a child from Ethiopia. We are so thankful for God choosing us and adopting us as His children through Jesus Christ. God’s gracious love for us is overwhelming and we have a desire to show God’s love to the nations.

In Ethiopia, one of the world's poorest countries, more than half of the population lives below the poverty line. Millions of people in Ethiopia face unceasing food and water shortages, and much of the population lacks access to clean water, health care, and education. The country is about twice the size of Texas and has an estimated 4.3 million orphans. The children are primarily orphaned due to poverty, and live in both government-run and privately established orphanages.

We are blessed to be the parents of two amazing boys, Evan and Benjamin! We are delighted to trust the Lord, as we expand our family through adoption. One of the scriptures that God has used to direct our journey is James 1:27; “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” We have entered into the process of international adoption and we cannot do it alone. We are asking for your support and encouragement through this exciting journey, and your prayers as this process could last over a year and will require significant financial resources.

The financial burden of this process, approximately $30,000, is a little overwhelming. However, we are trusting that God, who is calling us into this journey, will provide for all of our needs. Would you join us on this journey by praying, helping through fundraising, giving financial contributions, and encouragement?  Some of our fundraising ideas include a benefit dinner, garage sale, cooking/bake sale, or other fundraisers. We would greatly appreciate any of your wisdom and help through this process of bringing our child home.

Please pray for:
(1)   Our family as we go through the long process of adoption
(2)   That God will provide all the funds to bring our child home to his new family
(3)   Evan and Benjamin through this transitional and exciting time in their life of getting a new little brother or sister; and for the time they will be away from mommy and daddy while we are in Ethiopia
(4)    The child that God has for our family.
(5)   That God would be given praise and glory through every step of our journey!

Thank you for all your love and support! 

Josh, Kelly, Evan and Ben

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Students are back!!!




Today is the first day of classes for Williams Baptist College... and we are so excited to have our students back on campus! I have already enjoyed getting to meet so many new faces of the largest freshmen class WBC has seen thus far! I'm looking forward to catching up with many of our students and hearing about the amazing ways our Lord used them in numerous different ministries across the globe!

We are already getting geared up for a couple new ministries I am privileged to participate in and launch! We are going to expand our faculty/staff ladies Bible study to the married student ladies on campus. April Newell and I will leading our group through John MacArthur's book, Twelve Extraordinary Women. Our study will take place on Thursday evenings in the Cove at 8pm, beginning September 16.

Another exciting new opportunity for married students ladies is our one time cooking class! Learn how to cook some easy and budget friendly meals, while enjoying great fellowship with your neighbors! We will learn to cook several meals, enjoy a meal together that evening, and send everyone home with an entire casserole prepared that day to share with their family! That is two FREE meals, recipes, fellowship, and FUN on Saturday, September 18 from 4:00 to 6:00pm at my home!

See our booth at WBC First Fair for more details on the cooking class and Bible study!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Do we know ... the LOVE of our Life??

Women seem to be drawn to love and romance. We desire to be loved and cherished, as well as truly love in return. We invest so much of our time getting to know possible suitors and possible mates, because we may crush on someone we don’t know very well, but rarely love someone we know little about. When we do find a worthy man, we want to know all about him! We delight in telling out friends about all him wonderful characteristics…from the color of his eyes, to his hobbies and profession, to the way he looks at and treats us. When we do fall in love with someone, we want to know that person so deeply and intimately. We delight in the pursuit of knowing our love! We hang on our love’s every word and pour over any letter or card they’ve written because we delight in that person. Each new day seems to find more opportunities to explore, adventure, and know our loved one.

In Christ, we are truly seen, sought after, and loved perfectly. Yet, do we really KNOW this Lover of our soul… do we know the depth of His love, do we really know all about Him and His characteristics, and do we know how to love Him in return?

God has given us numerous pages of letters, notes, and descriptions about Himself and His love for us. How much time to we pour over His words? How much do we delight in the pursuit of knowing Him? Can we really love an unknown God? In order for our hearts to follow and delight in Him, we must know Him intimately!

I want to know this Lover of my soul, who created me, knows me so well, died for me, and gave me new life in Him! I want to delight in the One who redeemed me from the pit and rescued me for abundant life with Him!! Let’s pour over all of His written words to us, through Scripture, and get to know the true Lover of our souls!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Privileged to Proclaim in all of Life's Seasons!

As the Lord brings me through various seasons of life, I am experiencing God’s grace in different ways. Whether I am privileged to be the mouthpiece of the Gospel to an unreached people group in West Africa, or teaching my little boys about Jesus’ love, I continue to be amazed at the power and excitement that comes through the message of God’s redemption in Christ!


About seven and a half years ago, I was privileged to be a part of a team that proclaimed the Good news of Christ to an unreached people group in West Africa. We were blessed to see many of the people in the tribe receive Christ and delight in following “the Jesus path”. I was absolutely blessed to witness their immediate love for Christ as I heard them begin singing and creating their own praise songs to the Lord in their native tongue (a language that has no copy of the written Word). I remember thinking that few experiences would ever compare to what I witnessed in West Africa.

Several years later and in a different season of life, I became a MOMMY and my life changed forever! In the 3 ½ years that I was pregnant, nursing or both, I didn’t get to participate in very much traditional “ministry” alongside my husband. However, the Lord has blessed me with privilege to proclaim the Good News of Christ to my own little guys. We read Bible stories together and the boys are learning to pray… I am blessed to see the Lord opening the hearts of my boys to His love and truth! While I was blessed to be a mouthpiece of the Lord’s Gospel to Africans who had never heard of Jesus, I have to say that I am equally excited to share the Good News of Christ to my little guys. I well up with tears of joy as I hear my 2 1/2 year old making up his own loving praise songs to our God and saying prayers from his heart to the Lord! I am blown away while I watch our 4 year old teach his toys about God’s love!

All that to say, whether I am in a remote unreached village seeing God’s power, provision, and salvation or our own living room with little ones… I’m blessed to see that the Gospel of Christ is just as powerful, redemptive, and exciting!! I pray the Lord will continue to use me as a vessel to carry his Good News to many more people through all the seasons of this life He has given me! Thank you God for the different seasons in life and all of the various blessings that come with each new season!

In whatever arena or season of life we are in…
count it a privilege to proclaim to Good news of Christ!!!

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach if they are not sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!’” Romans 10:14

Question for you…
How are you seeing and proclaiming the power of the Gospel of Christ in your life? Who are your listeners… co-workers, children, students, internationals? I would be delighted to hear how God is at work bringing salvation to those around you!