In the middle of our pregnancy with George, we learned that our baby #6 likely had some health issues.  There were markers that appeared in one of the routine ultrasounds, and our regular doctor immediately sent us to the higher risk obstetric specialists.  We met with several doctors, nurses, and genetic counselors.  The joy and excitement and anticipation that you usually feel as you prepare to meet your new baby was suddenly replaced with worry, fear, and the unknown.  Hugh and I decided against any prenatal testing (none of which would change the course of the pregnancy, unless of course, we decided to terminate).  The mood from our health care providers after we said we were not considering abortion was one of disdain and pity.  We saw these doctors and nurses frequently during the remaining weeks of the pregnancy, as they were monitoring the baby’s well-being.  Nearly every visit became distressing and agonizing.  On one occasion, the obstetrician I was scheduled to see that day (who was well-known and quite accomplished in his field) responded to me when I asked cheerfully how everything looked on the ultrasound that day.  He spoke very harshly, “I hope you’re the praying type, because your life as you know it is going to change dramatically.”  I was so stunned, and I couldn’t even respond.  He did not mean his comment to be encouraging or uplifting.

George was delivered early because the doctors were worried he was no longer thriving in the womb.  He spent weeks in the NICU as his lungs and liver matured, and his little body could fully develop and gain strength.  We received his definitive diagnosis of Down syndrome about a week after he was born.  It was given to us very plainly and matter-of-factly, we were given a couple sheets of paper of websites we could check out, and then Hugh and I were left alone with George in his incubator.  I wish this experience could have been different.  I wish I could have known then what I know now.  It was hard news to receive, and Hugh and I grieved for all the things that our new baby would never be.  A few months later, at a visit with one of the specialists who we were following up with, the doctor gave me a two page (front and back) list of all the conditions and health diagnoses that a child or adult with Down syndrome might develop.  I was utterly overwhelmed, my mind reeling from the thoughts of these horrible future medical crises. This list cemented my mindset that we were sentenced to a life of hardship and struggles with this new baby.  Yes, our life as we knew it was officially over.

The Nothing Down organization developed a film called Dear Doctor.  In it they share the stories of families who received their child’s diagnosis of Down syndrome in heartbreaking ways.  The hope of Nothing Down is to bring about a change so that these new parents are delivered news like this with compassion, hope, and helpful resources.

“You told my family all the things my daughter wouldn’t be able to do.”

“It was one of the worst days of my life.”

“You offered me termination twice and only told me the negatives.”

“You treated my son’s birth like it was something to mourn.”

The future of any child, with Down syndrome or not, cannot be predicted.  Of course parents need to be informed of potential health concerns, as many individuals with Down syndrome do have certain medical needs.  Education and resources are helpful.  Derision and disparagement are not.  And the potential of any individual is not written in stone based simply on a birth condition.

As you all know, we’ve come a long way in the 9 years since George was born.  We have welcomed two more children to our family who share George’s condition.  And it’s not always easy raising these kids.  They do have unique special needs, which require extra time, effort, resources, and patience on our family’s part.  And looking back now, I realize our lives did change dramatically,  in ways I never could have predicted.  Beautiful, joyful, and gratifying ways.  I am thankful for the path that God envisioned for us, even though I couldn’t see it at the time.

Many parents all over the world choose to terminate when they receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome with their unborn baby.  In some countries, the termination rate is nearly 100%.  And what does the future look like with the advent of genetic engineering?  Of course, helping to reduce the likelihood of babies suffering from serious medical conditions would be desirable.  But what about parents being able to choose a baby’s propensity toward athleticism or intelligence or artistic ability or even eye color and gender?  Are we moving towards a future where people with Down syndrome simply no longer exist?

I hope not.  I want people to see the beauty and potential of individuals with Down syndrome.  I hope that parents wish for their new baby, whether they may have Down syndrome or not, to grow up with qualities like kindness, acceptance, compassion, and joy, not just exceptional intelligence and athletic abilities.  George, Elsa, and Oscar are not simply a diagnosis, and they are not a defect or a burden on society.  They are children of God, with hopes and dreams and very big hearts.

Years ago, pregnant with my son, the doctors warned me that my world was about to change.  Looking back, and smiling to myself, I have to agree.

And Oscar is finally HOME!  We returned from China on November 8, and this little guy stole our hearts from Day 1!  He honestly could not be any more affectionate, sweet, and adorable!  He has met lots of family members, friends, and neighbors, and to each and every person, he gladly throws his arms out for you to pick him up and hold him!  He gives the best hugs and has the sweetest smile.  He truly is a little angel.  Oscar is our very special Christmas gift this year.

Our time in China went very smoothly, and Liesl and I enjoyed visiting Beijing and Guangzhou.  Our Gotcha Day was oh so precious.  Oscar immediately took to his big sister and his momma, and we fell in love with him the moment we laid eyes on him.  The families we traveled with were fantastic — the kind of people you feel comfortable with right from the beginning.  They were a tremendous source of support, encouragement, and humor!  And their precious children stole our hearts, as well —  Evan, Ellie, Teddy, Harrison, and Daniel, you have amazing mommas and daddies who love you so much!  We are so happy you are with your forever families, and we can’t wait to watch you blossom and grow in your new homes!

There’s always lots of adjustments to coming home — Oscar getting used to his new surroundings, George and Elsa having to learn to share with their new little brother — but all in all, everyone adores Oscar and he truly fit in right away.  We’re learning his likes and dislikes, helping him adjust to new foods, new people and experiences, soothing him through the scary medical visits and procedures.  But I really am surprised by how chill this little guy is!  He is most certainly a little copy cat and is eager to learn — he likes to follow us around and do what we’re doing; in fact, he’s learned how to turn the vacuum on by himself, so I plan to put that skill to good use!  I can already tell that Oscar, Elsa, and George will be the 3 Little Musketeers –they’ve already developed their own funny games to play together.  We are getting into our “new normal” — and sweet little Oscar is enjoying being the center of attention.  We had a bit of a scare in mid December when Hugh required emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix.  After surgery and treating the mess of an infection in his abdomen with IV antibiotics in the hospital, he’s doing much better and recovering slowly but surely — he should be back to normal in a few weeks.  Kurt is home for the holidays from Seattle, and Greta will be traveling down from Brooklyn in a couple days — it will be good to have everyone together for Christmas.

We are so very happy to finally have Oscar home, but I can’t help thinking of all the children who remain orphans back in China.  Knowing what kind of conditions in which these children live is not easy to put out of your mind.  Soon after returning home, we watched the documentary One Child Nation, which tells the story of how the one-child policy affected families in China.  It was hard to wrap my head around all the pain and suffering that many parents and children endured when the policy was enacted in China in the 70s.  My heart is scarred by the images of babies and children who live their days out in orphanages, and the stories of families who have suffered the loss of a child to abandonment.

“A child is a gift of God. If you do not want him, give him to me. Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.”  –Saint Mother Teresa

At this festive time of year, it might be easy to overlook the pain and sorrow that is still all around.  Many people near us may be hurting behind their smiles and Happy Christmas wishes.  There are parents with children in the hospital, people suffering from the affliction of cancer, those facing the holidays for the first time alone after a loved one has passed, people dealing with mental illness or addiction.  I pray that those hearts that are hurting will be comforted with peace and the kiss of Jesus.

We would not be celebrating this Christmas with Oscar without the help of all of you this past year.  Your support in so many ways allowed us to welcome this little boy into our home and into our hearts.  Our gratitude is deep and sincere.  Thank you for helping us give the gift of Family to Oscar.

“Bringing a child into your family must be an act of love, not an act of heroism.  Because the truth is, there is only One Savior, and His name is Jesus.  We cannot rescue the poor and needy – only He can do that.  We cannot redeem the eternal life of a child – only He can do that.  But we can, out of an overflow of His love in us, and our love for Him, welcome a child into our family.”    –127Living

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month — November is National Adoption Awareness Month.  What an ideal time for us to be traveling to bring home Oscar.  Perfect timing … God’s timing.

And at last!  We have our official Travel Approval from China, and it’s finally time to travel half way across the world to bring one precious little boy HOME!  It’s been a full and busy year, completing documents, fundraising, and making preparations for Oscar to join our family.

Not long ago, we received two short videos of Oscar from his orphanage in Zhanjiang.  He was just beginning to take a few tentative steps, in the first video, and in the second, he was being fed a meal of rice with chopped up veggies and soft meats.  We were overjoyed to see how well he appeared to be doing, despite the circumstances of life in an orphanage.  It warmed our hearts to see how he’s grown and how he’s making new developmental gains.

And yet, Oscar’s current life situation is anything but ideal.  He is still living in an orphanage, with few caregivers and spending umpteen hours a day alone in his crib.  Needless to say, the special needs of a 3-year-old little boy with Down syndrome are probably unmet.  In the background of each of the videos, you can hear the ever present  cries and wails of the babies.  My mind cannot wrap itself around what life must be like for these children, day after day, year after year.  Oh, how much we take for granted being born into caring families and having their love and support in our lives.  And my heart breaks for the other waiting children….there are just so many; and all they need is the love of a family who is willing to say “yes.”

On October 23, Liesl and I head to China.  Hugh is staying home to hold down the fort with George and Elsa, with the help of Max and Ava.  Our “Gotcha Day” — our first meeting with Oscar — will be Monday, October 28.  With Elsa’s Gotcha Day,  I think Hugh and I were a bit bewildered, a touch apprehensive, but mostly very excited.  Looking back on that day now, I realize how that first moment meeting her has made a huge mark in my heart.  It represented the first day that Elsa met her “forever” family, and we welcomed her with open arms.  But it was also a day of fear and anxiety and grief for Elsa.  She was leaving behind all that she had ever known, passed over to these two strangers about which she knew nothing.  Over the next several months, we shared happy photos and videos of Elsa with her new family and in her new home, and these were indeed exciting times.  But what we didn’t often share were the moments of trauma and sadness which she was struggling to overcome — the night terrors, the crying fits that went on for hours, the refusal to eat, the tremendous fear at all the doctor appointments, the nervous ticks that she displayed almost constantly.  We rejoice in the beautiful, blossoming child that Elsa has become these past several years, but we remember the heartache and pain which she endured, as a child who had been an orphan.  And we know much of it will likely be the same for Oscar.  As we prepare to travel, and bring Oscar home to family, please keep his precious little heart in your prayers as he goes through some very big and sometimes scary changes.

We cannot begin to fully express our gratitude to all of you who have supported us in so many different ways this past year.  It makes me even more joyful to think that we are not just bringing Oscar home to us, the Berckmueller family, but to all of you, who have already stretched out your arms to embrace this little one.  We are blessed to have such an amazing circle of support, and we are blessed to be able to soon call Oscar our own.   We understand that the days ahead will be a challenge in many ways, but we also know that we can do hard things.  They are worth it, and Oscar is worth it. 

We are excited to introduce to you our new son, Oscar Kai!  We have finally received our official Letter of Acceptance from China, which means they have perused and approved our stacks and stacks of documents and we are now officially on track to become the new parents of this adorable, sweet little boy.  We are a HUGE step closer to bringing him home to meet his new brothers and sisters and all our family, friends, neighbors, and community.

Look at those cheeks!!

You’ll be home for Christmas this year, Oscar!

We are fortunate enough to have these precious baby pictures of Oscar from the time he spent at Grace Village in Zhanjiang with the Bennett Family.  For the most part, there is so much unknown about an orphaned child’s past when adopting from China, because the children are abandoned in “Baby Boxes” or at the gates of the Children’s Welfare Centers.  The parents have little to no resources or options for raising children with special needs;  no access to medical treatments, therapies, special education — if the parents wish for a brighter future for their child born with Down syndrome, then abandonment and hope of them being adopted is sadly the best choice.

So little Oscar has been waiting for three years now.  He, and so many others, need and want a family.  And very soon, we will welcome him into our home, into our lives and community.  We are down to just a couple of months of waiting now.  We can’t wait to learn about his personality, his likes and dislikes, what makes him smile and laugh.  And as much as we are overjoyed to be bringing him home very soon, it is still heartbreaking to think of the other children who wait.  Recently in the news, there was the story of Baby India, a newborn who was abandoned in the woods of Georgia and soon after had hundreds of people lined up to adopt her.  The fact that so many families want to give her a home is a beautiful thing.  But there are literally thousands upon thousands of other children out there who need a family, too.  What was the difference then?  Open Hearts for Orphans shared these thoughts:

“Imagine if there were ‘lines waiting’ to adopt waiting children? Advocates wonder – what is it about THIS baby that has so many people coming forward? Is it because it’s easy having happened within our borders so close to home? Is it because there isn’t a burdensome cost associated with bringing her in? Is it because of her race or her young age? The thing is – when we, as humanity, can SEE a need right in front of us – it’s so much easier to act, isn’t it? There’s a quote by Pastor David Platt that often circulates in our adoption community, ‘We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes.’ That is precisely what has happened in Baby India’s case.”

Oscar has a name, and we have seen his face.  “I have called you by name, and you are mine.”  We are so incredibly excited to welcome home this precious child of God. Please continue to pray for our journey, as we complete immigration and visa paperwork, work on our final fundraiser, and begin preparing for travel to China. Thank you for your very much appreciated support and encouragement as we enter the home stretch!  We can’t wait for you to meet our little Oscar!

I love this quote by Saint (Mother) Teresa.  Who do we call Family?  Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, of course.  Even close friends and neighbors, co-workers, members of your community.  One of the greatest compliments one can say to a person is, “You are like Family to me.” Family is someone you can rely on, who is with you in good times and in bad, who is always there for you.  Someone to comfort you, to love you even when you’re maybe not so lovable.  It’s true, family can be difficult at times; family can drive you crazy even.  But what a blessing it is to have family surround you, and to be family to those you love.

Elsa has been making huge advancements with her speech lately.  She’s become a regular chatterbox, and we love it!  She has especially been keen to practice the names of family members, mom and dad, all her brothers and sisters, aunties and cousins, neighbors and friends down the street.  She loves to point someone out and say their name.  She’ll often go around the room and say each family member’s name… “Ah-wa,” “Maaax,” “Weesel,”  “Dorge,” “Geh-Gah,” “Kuwt,” “Mumma,” “Dada”… and she always finishes by pointing to herself and saying “El-sa” very proudly.  It’s as if she is comprehending that she is part of this group and relishing the fact that she belongs with us.  My family.  My tribe.  I belong.  I am loved and valued.  Another of her favorite words is Home.  She says it when we drive up to our house, with such a voice of contentment.  This is my safe space, where I am surrounded by people who love and care for me.

What a simple and ordinary concept, for a child to understand and be content with the idea of being a part of family.  It should be a given for every child. And yet, so many children do not have this in their lives.  Our little boy in China is being fed, changed, and having his very basic needs met daily.  But right now, he does not know Family.  He doesn’t have a mother to hold him and rub his back and sing to him when he’s sick or hurt.  He doesn’t have a father to tickle him and throw him up in the air and catch him and read him a bedtime story.  He doesn’t have siblings to chase him around the house and teach him songs and feed him treats when mom’s not looking.  We are so anxious to bring him home and welcome him to our family.  He deserves to belong and to be loved.

We are moving along with our adoption process–our dossier is about to be sent to China, and hopefully once we are logged in, we will have a better idea of our travel timeframe.  We recently learned of a very special connection between Elsa and our new little boy.  Elsa was fortunate enough to be cared for in a foster home in Zhanjiang for a time.  An American family, the Bennetts, ran Ava’s House and Grace Village and cared for special needs orphans, mostly those with Down syndrome.  This was an amazing place, where they provided one-on-one care for the babies, offered therapies, celebrated birthdays, and just basically treated them like family–truly, it was like a home setting in how much they loved and nurtured this children.  Elsa was with them for about a month before we brought her home to the United States. Unfortunately, in March 2017, all non-government facilities were shut down by the Chinese authorities, and these children were returned to the state-run orphanages.  However, we found out that our new son was in the care of the Bennett family for about 5 months, before he was sent back to the orphanage in Zhanjiang when the new laws were enacted.  Vickie Bennett joyfully shared stories of our little boy from the time that she had him in Ava’s House–about how he had the cutest, fattest cheeks, and about what a sweet disposition he had, and how he loved to be held and sung to, and how much he loved his baths!  What a blessing for us to know a little bit about his past, and now we are even more anxious to travel and meet him and bring him HOME!

It’s been an emotional past month.  Some difficult events have occurred, and it’s made me think about how important family is.  How much support a family provides, especially in trying times, how much unconditional love a family gives, how a family is there no matter what the need.  Our Father in Heaven has not promised us unfettered joy on this earth, nor are we promised a lack of suffering.  There is sadness, pain, and hurt all around us; this we know.  And while we are overjoyed to be adopting again, we know that every adoption brings with it a history of loss, grief, and trauma.  But as we draw the circle of our family a little wider, we know too that there is redemption and hope through the suffering.  We keep our eyes focused on a child who will be one less.  One less orphan in the world, one less human without a family.  And as our family circle grows, so do our hearts.

The waiting is the hardest part.  We have waited a long time for our home study to be approved—longer than we expected—but it has finally been signed, sealed, delivered, and we have been matched with a child in China!  The delays with the home study were out of our hands, and I believe it was God’s intention to help us practice patience and have trust in his timing.  

It is hard, though, thinking of these children who wait, in faraway orphanages.  The news and images coming out of China are not easy to absorb.  International adoption rates continuing to fall in recent years.  New restrictive laws and costs for international adoption.  The government of China tightening its grip on its citizens, limiting freedoms and choices under an already restrictive regime.  Travel warnings for foreigners visiting China.  One particularly disturbing set of photos was recently published by a Chinese photographer showing disabled children licking milk powder from a mat on the floor.  The photographer who dared to publish these photos later went missing.  We recently heard from a family who traveled to China and reported back that the ratio of caregivers to children with Down syndrome in one orphanage was 25 babies to one nanny.  Photos of these children with bruises and sores on their heads from repeated head banging against the walls of their cribs, in search of some form of stimulation.  All of these occurrences are unthinkable in the United States.  It is heartbreaking to witness, and these are the images which burn into my mind.  And still, so many children wait.  

 And we wait, too.  To move forward.  To bring home this new child of ours.  We have never met each other,  yet this child already fills our hearts.  This one special little boy lives in the same orphanage which Elsa called home her first two years—in Zhanjiang, China.  We don’t know his exact birthdate, but estimates are that he will be 3 years old in June.  He was abandoned at around 5 months of age, and has spent all of his days since then at this orphanage.  From his medical record, he appears to be in reasonably good health, and like George and Elsa, he has one very special extra chromosome.  He has the cutest chubby cheeks and the most charming smile.  We are eager to receive any updates, but we have no guarantee of learning anything more about him until we meet when we travel to China.  We are not yet allowed to share photos of him, until we have approval of our match from China, but you can be sure we will be sharing his adorable photo with you when we can!

The waiting is hard on the heart.  When you know what the end goal is, you want it NOW.  It seems like everything is instantaneous in our society– we demand immediate results, you tap on your phone and you get a response right away, one-click-one-day shipping from Amazon, and on and on.  Let’s be honest, we are not a patient society.  Especially when we know that there is a child sitting alone in a crib, waiting for someone to hold him or play with, the waiting can be very difficult.  But there can also be purpose in the waiting.  It can help us prepare our home and our family to welcome a new child, it can give us time to reflect and grow.  We’ve spent some time looking back at photos and videos of when we first met Elsa.  We’ve been thinking of how she must have felt on that first day.  Taken from everything she had ever known—even if it was not an ideal situation—and here she was, being passed off to complete strangers, who looked, sounded, even smelled very different.  I can’t imagine what was going through her little mind at that time, but it must have been scary.  We are so grateful for how her heart has opened to us and she has let us in, though it did take time.  Time to build that trust and overcome the trauma of her abandonment—and some of it never goes away—it’s a part of who she is.  But then let’s fast forward to today:  look at this amazing, beautiful, full-of-life, animated, curious, happy little girl who is now part of our family.  What a blessing for her and for us!  We belong together, and we are so fortunate that God knitted our lives together.  And I believe it will be this way with our new son.  But for now we must wait.  More waiting.  More trusting God.  More reflecting and growing.  All in good time.  

Meeting Elsa

First moments with Dad

Beautiful, scared little girl

Speaking of reflecting, we sometimes wonder to ourselves—Are we crazy to be doing this again?  What are we thinking?  Our world is going to be turned upside again!  We just got another bill from the adoption agency?!  Yikes!  Maybe we are crazy.  I’ve asked Hugh these questions before, in the throes of one of my emotional roller coaster rides.  And Hugh, always the calm and logical voice of reason that he is, answers me, “Yes, we’re crazy.  But it’s a good crazy.”  We are crazy in love for this new little boy, and crazy excited to bring him home and love him.  Sometimes a little bit of crazy is a good thing.  

Saturday, October 27, 2018, starting at 4pm (stop by anytime you are free that evening)

The Berckmueller’s

204 Creek Point Circle

Williamsburg, VA  23188

Homemade Brunswick Stew from our special family recipe

$25 per quart;  packaged fresh, but it freezes well

We can take orders in advance and save or freeze for you—will deliver locally if you are unable to pick up; sorry, we are unable to ship the stew.

Door Prizes!!  Buy tickets in advance or day of!  You do not need to be present to win.  Print tickets from this flyer and mail to us with payment, even if you are unable to come or if you live out of the area.  We’ll add your name to the drawing!  You can also contact us and we’ll fill out a ticket for you.  Payments can be sent via PayPal to     paypal.me/JanetBerckmueller

Also homemade apple butter for sale!  $15 per jar

Come by and join us for sampling some stew, a bonfire and s’mores, and visiting with friends!

Door Prize Tickets–Let us know how many you’d like, and we’ll enter your name in the drawings for the fantastic prizes!!  

Awesome Door Prizes!!

We hope to see you at our house on the 27th!  Thanks so much for your continued support and prayers!!

And happy Down syndrome Awareness Month!

In the last year or so, there have been sweeping changes with how orphans are cared for in China. New laws began to take effect in spring 2017, and basically, they are not for the betterment of the orphans, but rather for more strict control by the Chinese government. Children are being removed from loving foster homes and being sent back to state-run orphanages. Many of these orphans had been cared for in foster homes for most of their lives, where the child and caregiver ratios were much better, their special and medical needs were attended to appropriately, and the children had the “luxury” of receiving care and attention from the same nanny, day in and day out, as opposed to an often revolving door of orphanage workers. When a foster home or adoption organization—many having been in operation in China for years— got the call that the children in their care were going to be returned to their area orphanage, they would typically have an hour or less before the authorities showed up, took control of the children, and placed them in the prison-like facilities of the state-run orphanage….leaving the children confused and traumatized, having to say goodbye to their trusted foster families who were often the only caregivers they had ever known.
In recent weeks, I’ve watched the pictures and videos of these children pop up on my screen via social media. Seeing the tears of these young boys and girls in foster homes, as well as their nannies, saying goodbye to each other and hello to an uncertain future in a Chinese orphanage is heartbreaking. What these children want—and need—is clear and straightforward. A way out of this broken system and a family to call their own, a mommy and a daddy, maybe a brother or sister, too. The names and faces of these waiting children burn into my mind: Oliver, Ruth, Luke, Yi, Hannah, Jack, Luna, Hosanna…..  Our daughter Elsa used to be one of those children. She now has a family and a community who adores her—which is what all children are worthy of. It’s just that simple: every child deserves a loving family. Period.

Hugh and I are beginning the process of adopting again, another child from China with Down syndrome. It’s easy to question, Why? We already have 7 kids, we’ve already got two with Ds, we’ve already adopted from China. It’s easy to move on with our life, as full as it is, and be satisfied with all the blessings we have. It’s easy to say, Well, it’s someone else’s turn now, we’ve done our part. But what is not easy to do is look away from the faces of those children who still wait. Although there are most certainly unknowns, we already know a bit about what to expect with adoption and having a child with special needs. So we asked ourselves, Do we have a little more room for one more? A little more room in our home, in our lives, in our hearts? A little more room for a child who needs a family to call his or her own? We knew the answer was Yes.

And now, we need help. From you: our family, friends, neighbors, church, community. The adoption process is not simple and it is not cheap. The latest estimates on cost for adopting from China range from about $33,000-$44,000. We’re starting off with a fundraiser later this month (details below), and we would be most grateful for your support. We need your help in bringing home a child and giving him or her the opportunity to love and be loved and grow and blossom, just like Elsa has.

Thank you to each one of you for continuing to support and love our family, in all different ways, and we ask you to pray for our journey. We would not be able to do this without you! We’ll keep you posted along the way, and we look forward to the day when you all get to meet the latest addition to the Berckmueller family!

Brunswick Stew Adoption Fundraiser

Saturday, October 27, 2018, starting at 4pm
Homemade Brunswick Stew from our special family recipe
$25 per quart; packaged fresh, but it freezes well
We can take orders in advance and save or freeze for you—will deliver locally if you are unable to pick up; sorry, we are unable to ship the stew.

Door Prizes!!  Buy tickets in advance or day of!  You do not need to be present to win.  Print tickets from this flyer and mail to us with payment, even if you are unable to come or if you live out of the area.  We’ll add your name to the drawing!  You can also contact us and we’ll fill out a ticket for you.  Payments can be mailed to us or sent via PayPal to     paypal.me/JanetBerckmueller

Also homemade apple butter for sale! $15 per jar

Stop by & visit for stew, a bonfire and s’mores!

Our address and contact info:

Janet and Hugh Berckmueller
204 Creek Point Circle
Williamsburg, VA 23188
757-259-1225
eyehomeschool@cox.net
http://adopttogether.org/families/?fundraiser=berckmueller-family-adoption

Please consider sharing this post to help us get the word out! And stayed tuned for our Love Tree Christmas Fundraiser coming in November!