The wait continues...

Yesterday I got a call from Sue (our caseworker). She was wanting to clarify what age of child we are looking to adopt. Our paperwork says 0-18 months but she knows that's what we are required to write for our homestudy. But when they know someone is wanting an infant they will pass over them on the list and wait for a younger child. So to make a long story short. That's what they are doing with us. If they have a child over a year old they will pass over us on the list.
So that means that now we know we will be referred a child between 0-12 months. :) We are still #4 on the list and the 3 people in front of us on the waitlist are also waiting for 0-12 months. So if they get a child 12+ months it will go to someone behind us on the waitlist. The office is going to be closed until January 2nd. So no more referrals will be given this year. I just wanted to keep you all updated. Hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

#4 #4 #4

WE'RE NUMBER 4!!!!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I decided to call because I'd been discouraged again about the adoption and I was pretty sure we'd moved up one spot. And then she told me we were #4. I can't believe it! We moved up 6 spots in 2 weeks!!! I've been laughing and jumping up and down over and over. I am so happy!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Chevy's Night

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Chevy's tonight! We feel so extremely blessed! We have the most amazing friends and family! Hebrews 10:24 says "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." That is what you guys have done for us. Every encouraging note, every dollar donated, every prayer! It encourages us deeply and reminds us that God is working. God has called us as believers to care for orphans and widows. And each of you is answering that call as you help us answer our call to adopt. Thank you for blessing us!

#10

I called today and we are officially number 10 on the waitlist. That means the next time we move, we'll be in the single digits!!! #10... doesn't that just sound so close! And she said that it seems to be moving a little faster lately. Praise the LORD! So Sam did the math and averaged it out, if we stay moving at the same pace we'd get our refferral on March 5th. Which is exactly the projected "due date" we gave ourselves in the beginning. Exactly 6 months from when our dossier was received in Ethiopia.
And if I haven't said enough, I CANT WAIT TO SEE MY BABY!!!!

One Year

It has been exactly one year since we started this journey of adoption. Last year on November 19th we sent our application for the CWA Ethiopia program. What a journey! I remember being so excited and yet overwhelmed by the paperwork and the fees to come. Actually I had no idea how much paper work I had coming my way! And yet here we are with every paper signed and all fees paid (other than travel costs)....and we're waiting!
This journey has been amazing. God has taught me lesson after lesson. And I have been blessed more than I could ever express. At the beginning of this process I had so many fears that people were not going to understand or be supportive of our decision to adopt. Boy was I wrong! I have never felt more supported in my life. I couldn't thank you guys enough for the love you have poured out on us. God has used you more than you know.
Though sometimes I feel impatient with all the waiting, I know in my heart that God's timing is perfect. His hand has been in this from the beginning and He knows exactly what He's doing! So I will trust Him. Next year at this time I hope to update my blog with my little one sitting on my lap. :)

Moving on up!

I called the agency this week. And we are now #12 on the waitlist. I am very encouraged. Although we only moved one spot. It means another baby found a family and there was progress! God has continued to blow me away with the generosity of those around us. We have made quite a bit of what we need to travel.
So, that's all my updates for now.

A little discouraged

Today I have been a little discouraged. I talked to my case worker and found out that I am #13 on the waitlist which is good because it means I've moved up. But I also found out that the #1 person on the waitlist has been waiting 8 months. Which means it could take 8 months for our referral. Which is a really REALLY long time! I just feel a little overwhelmed at that thought. I want to stay positive and upbeat but sometimes I dont know what to do with the emotions I feel. The anxiousness and longing in my heart seems unbearable sometimes. Another woman who is adopting reminded me that sometimes these feelings are good because it keeps us fighting for our child. It challenged me to keep fighting for my child in prayer. It's the one thing I can do for her right now.
So with that said, please keep me in your prayers. Pray that I wouldn't give in to discouragement, but that I would learn to go to the Lord and pray. My daughter needs someone to fight for her and I want to step up. After all that the Lord has done to part the seas and make this adoption possible, why should satan steal my joy. Instead I want to praise God for all He has done.

1 month down...

Well, we've had our paperwork in Ethiopia for over a month now. We figure our estimated due date is March 5th. That would be exactly 6 months. :) The waiting has actually been easier for me since we turned it in. I feel better knowing the ball is in their court now. I've done my part.
We started the babies room but it's been pretty slow moving. I'm still taking all the other stuff out. So, once we get anything exciting done I'll post a picture.
Other than that please continue to pray for our baby. Your prayers mean the world to us!

Fun Stories

So we are going to have probably 6 months of no new news on the adoption. So I probably wont post as often in the coming months. We are still praying that God will provide the rest of the means for us to bring our baby home. We took a brief break from our efforts but I started regaining focus again. But I thought I'd share a couple stories that encouraged me.
My mom was at the dentist yesterday and she was telling the lady all about the adoption. After her appointment the lady gave her ten dollars and told her to give it to us towards bringing home our baby. I was so blessed. I am continually amazed how many people support us. Even perfect strangers. Ten bucks is a drop in the bucket as far as the grand total needed. But it made my heart overflow with gratitude. And reminded me once again that God's hand is in this.
Another cool thing happened too. Months ago I shared that my brother made a committment to wear our adoption shirt everyday for 8 weeks to raise awareness. Well last week that commitment was ending and he thought it hadn't really done any good. Then the very last day he was giving a piano lesson to one of his students. The mom asked him if he was wearing his shirt. He showed her that it was under his sweatshirt. And the mom said she wanted to bless us and gave us one hundred dollars! I was SO blessed! God is good. ALL the time.

The "Official Wait" has begun.

I found out today that our dossier arrived in Addis on Sept. 5th. So the official wait has begun. They are currently translating our document and there's no reason it shouldn't be done in time. SO now we wait for "the call". There are 16 people in front of us on the wait list. And it's estimated to take 6 months.

It occured to me the other day that if we are going to receive a referral in about 6 months and she will be at least 2 months old then she has to be alive now. She might not be born yet, but she is alive. My baby girl is somewhere in Ethiopia.

So here are some things you can pray for:
-For her safety, that no harm will come to her physical body
-That she will receive the nourishment that she needs
-That her birthmother will come to know Christ if she doesn't already
-That she will attach emotionally to someone
-For the caretakers in the Orphanage that she will be at at somepoint if not already, that they will have the strength/patience/love/provisions that they need.

On it's way to Ethiopia

Our Dossier was mailed to Ethiopia on September 2nd. It takes about 5 days to get there. I am so excited to be in this phase. It seemed like a long time getting here and yet not that long ago that we started this whole process! God has been so amazingly faithful! And I have been so overwhelmed by the amount of love and support we have received from our family, friends, and sometimes perfect strangers. Now that our paperwork is out I'm going to get started on my thank you notes to all of you guys!
I have also started to prepare the babies room! I am so excited about this! I bought a baby bedding set and went and picked up my sisters crib. I now have a crib in my house that my baby will someday sleep in!!! Isn't that awesome! Getting the room ready will keep me busy and excited for a while, then the holiday season will come, then Melanie's wedding...before i know it these six months will pass! I can't even explain how excited I am.

DOSSIER DAY!

Today I was talking on the phone when I pulled into my drive way. I looked at the house and yelled "There's an envelope on my porch!" I ran up and it was indeed the last two forms I needed in order to mail in my official dossier. So I went to the bank and got the money orders I needed. Figured out how to go about mailing all the stuff and got everything ready. Then Sam and I went to the FedEx place and officially mailed our dossier! It wont go out until tomorrow morning but it's out of our hands. Which means its in the hands of some minimum wage fedex/kinko's employee at the moment...that's a little scary! Here's the picture I made the fedex guy take of us holding our dossier getting ready to mail it. (yes he did look at us like we were crazy, as did Sam when I told him what the camera was for)

Garage Sale

Our garage sale this weekend was very successful. We made more than twice what I expected! Praise the LORD! I know it was God pouring His blessing on us that made it so successful. A lot of people were praying about it and he answered our prayers, and blessed us beyond our expectations. I want to thank everyone who helped or donated or prayed for us. I can't tell you how much it means to us to have people come alongside of us and support us.
Well we are getting closer and closer. We heard from CWA and they said our dossier is complete and accurate. So as soon as we get the 2 papers from them we can send it to Washington DC. I'm not sure how long the turn around time is in Washington but we'll keep you posted each step of the way!
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."
Ephesians 1:3-6

God is so good!

I decided to come back and edit this post and organize my thoughts a little more. Can I just tell you all that I serve and amazing God! I feel like He has just unleashed His blessing on me. Today I just feel so in awe of God and so tremendously loved by Him! I keep thinking of several passages of scripture that demonstrate God's glory. Like in Malachi when he says that He is a mighty king and his name will be praised among the nations. My God IS a sovereign and mighty God...and He loves me. Why does He love me? I don't deserve it but He loves me anyways! He is so gracious and merciful. I'm also thinking about the book of Joshua when my God made the sun stand still in the sky in response to Joshua's prayers. My God is powerful and just and yet still He knows my name! In Isaiah he prolonged the life of King Hezekiah because he cried out to Him. He hears my prayers. He is faithful, He is just and He is true. My God is awesome and He loves me.

One Step Closer to My Baby

Today we took the first step in sending our dossier! YAY!!!!!! We mailed in our check and photocopies of our dossier. CWA will look over the paper work to be sure everything is accurate. If it is then they'll send us two forms to add to the paperwork. We then mail the originals to Washington DC to be authenticated. From there it's sent to the Ethiopian Embassy. So we're still a couple weeks or so away from our paperwork being in Ethiopia. But we've taken the first step!!!

Praise the Lord. HE is so good to us. It is absolutely amazing to me that we are able to get this far so easily. He has been so faithful to provide for us. It is so affirming to me that we are walking in His will. When things get tough I will be able to stand with confidence that this is what God has called me to and He will be faithful to me. God is good. All the time.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Dossier Time!

We're sending our dossier next week!!!! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! God has been providing left and right and I am just so amazed by Him. What a good God we serve. I got out our dossier last week to finish it since we were getting close and now we're going to be waiting on me getting the paperwork done! Hopefully we'll get it all done on monday. I just can't believe we are sending our paperwork. After that the next step will be waiting until CWA calls and says 'we have a baby girl for you!!!!!'
This is really happening. I'm really going to have a baby girl and name her Violet Grace. I'm going to hold her and tell her I love her forever. I'm going to sing to her. Make up silly songs with her. And take her camping. We're going to start family traditions together. I'll make her a stocking at Christmas. And watch her blow out all her candles on her birthday. We'll watch the parade together on 4th of July. And someday I'll take her on her first trip to Disneyland. I'll tuck her in bed at night and pray and thank our Lord for the good things he's done for us.

Getting Close!

This will be a short quick blog. Just wanted to update you all on our recent progress. We only need a little more!!! WOOOO HOOOOO!!! I got out our dossier and made a to do list because I want that sucker ready to go when the time comes! God is so good. He never ceases to amaze me.
We are also having a garage sale on Friday and Saturday August 22-23rd at the Tanaka's house. So if you want to help, have donations or want to come shop and need directions! Give me a call!

Back from Camp

I got back from Summer camp on Sunday. Our youth group spent 4 days camping at Donner Lake. We had a great time. Four students accepted Christ as their savior. I had such a blast hanging out with the staff and students. We went rock climbing and boating and swam in the lake etc. Camps and retreats are what keep me going in youth ministry. There's just something about spending several days with students away from their normal life that gets them to stop and think. This was our 4th summer camp with Westside and I think it was the best. This was also my last summer camp with Westside Church because we are going to be attending Carmichael Bible Church starting in 2 weeks. This week is my last youth group and our last sunday.
I cannot express how sad I am to see our time at Westside end. God has used our time their to teach me things I may not have otherwise learned. God used Westside to expand my world vision, to more deeply understand worship, to see what it means to follow and support our leaders, to follow each step God sets before us without needing to see the whole path, to serve our community, that church isn't about me, to grow more in love with God's word...etc. I could go on and on. I am honored to be a part of their family and to have served alongside of them.

Some things God's been showing me.

If you haven't heard, our shirts are in! We have small through XXLarge. So if you've been waiting to get your shirt until we got some more, the time has come! :) We have now had 101 shirts ordered. That's all the actual adoption updates I have.

But let me tell you a little bit about what I've been thinking about and what God is teaching me. A couple of weeks ago I went boating with my family. I was riding on the boat, zooming across Folsom Lake, holding my niece against my chest as she somehow managed to fall asleep, watching my nephew laugh and giggle in complete glee as he held his hand in the spray of the water with my mom. I sat there and soaked it all in and felt like the richest person in the world.

Through this whole adoption process God has really been opening my eyes up to how much I have and how ungrateful I have been. Not only do I have a roof over my head, a closet full of clothes and excess food in my cupboards, I have 2 cars a cell phone, a computer a laptop etc. And yet I complain and ask for more. Sometimes I think I am entitled to these things. As long as Im not being excessive. But who says buying my 10th pair of jeans isn't excessive?

My pastor gave this silly illustration at church a few months ago and it really stuck with me. What if I decided that I really liked toothbrushes. And I had 100 toothbrushes. And I made toothbrush necklaces, and used toothpaste for makeup and wore dental floss as a bracelet and in my hair. And toothbrush earrings. That would be silly right? Why, because toothbrushes and floss are for taking care of your teeth. Not for adorning ourself and hoarding.

Yet that's what we do with the things God provides us. I collect more and hoard. And use my money and my things to make myself look better and more comfortable and more and more and MORE. When does it stop? Do I have the right to have exact pair of shoes for every occasion when people all over the world and even in my own town dont have any? I try to convince myself that God overlooks these things because I live in America and that's just how everyone lives. But deep in my heart, I know that's not true. Paul says in Phillippians that he has learned the secret of being content in plenty and in want. I want to learn that secret. I want to truely honor the Lord with my money and things He has given me. I don't know how this looks. But I know it doesn't look like how I have been living. Just because it's hard to define what's okay and where the line is doesn't mean I am excused from trying. And I can start by seeking Him...

So this isn't intended to put anyone else down. For He has also been showing me that it doesn't matter what other people are doing. He wants ME to look to Him. I dont want to be like Peter when Jesus told him how he would live and Peter said, Well what about John? So anyways, these are just some of the things God has been showing me lately.

Our 8th Anniversary

Today is our 8th Anniversary. It's hard to believe we've been married that long. When we got married we thought we'd wait 4 or 5 years to have kids. Interessting how things don't go how we plan sometimes! But I do hope that next year at this time we will be holding our beautiful african daughter.
It has been an amazing 8 years. If I could go back in time, I'd marry Sam all over again. He is truely my other half. Nobody makes me happy the way he does. Sometimes I just look at him and think, how did I get so lucky? I loved him so much when we got married, and yet it pales in comparison to how much I love him now.
Happy Anniversary Sam.

Waiting waiting waiting...

Today I got an email from my case worker that said lately families are waiting about 6 months for a referal for a baby girl. So based on that information, it's looking like it may be next spring before we bring home our baby. It's really hard for me to accept that the wait is going to be that long. I was SO hoping to have her by Christmas. I am really trying to stay positive though.
As for our journey. We are about half way to being able to send our dossier! Yay! And we have delivered tons of shirts. For those of you who have requested one and haven't received it, I apologize. We had a mix up with the printing. So they'll be here soon. That's it for now. I'll write again soon. My brain is really scattered today, so next time I'll share more of what God's teaching me and such.

Sam's Birthday

Today is Sam's birthday and so a great day to write a blog. :) I am hoping that this will be Sam's last birthday without Violet. Which by the way I emailed our agency and asked if we could change our request from female preferred to female only. They said that was fine, so we do know now that it's a girl! :) Now if we could just go get her!
Some updates on the fundraising. We have now sold 85 shirts. Praise the LORD! And here is a fun bit of info for you all. Last night we celebrated Sam's birthday with my family. In the card from my brother was a check to purchase 5 more shirts. And he wrote a note saying that in order to raise awareness and encourage support of our adoption he is committing to wear our adoption shirt five days a week for 8 weeks! Isn't that awesome.
I hope you are all doing well. We have about $5500 more to go in the fundraising. A big THANK YOU to everyone who has either donated furniture, sent money, bought a shirt and especially all of those who are praying!

Perspective

It has been a week since we got our shirts and we only have 2 left! Praise the Lord! But don't worry, there is still time to get yours if you haven't done so! I am going to place another order this week, so I will have plenty!
Yesterday I was feeling so discouraged about the distance we have left in the adoption. I was looking ahead at the what we still needed and it seemed so daunting. I have been really anxious lately about the whole adoption. I feel like my baby is laying in a crib in an orphanage in Ethiopia just waiting for me to come get her. I feel a sense of urgency to get to her and take care of her. I realize that it's a bit ridiculous for several reasons. First of all, she is in the hands of my heavenly father and He cares for her more than I ever will. (not to mention I don't know if she's born or not!) Second, I know that God called us to this, He is making the way before us, and He will provide for us in His time...the right time. (at least I know this in my head) The thing is, I pray about it every day, but I don't really give it to the Lord. I never really realized the difference until now. It's amazing the things God has taught me through this whole process.
Today I am looking behind and seeing all that God has done, all that He has provided. It puts the future in better perspective. He has been so faithful and I don't know why I ever doubt. We serve a big God and he cares for his children, even when we don't deserve it.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Back from Camping

We got back from camping yesterday, so I thought I should give you all something new to read. I'm hoping that this was our last memorial day camping trip without our baby. We went to Santa Cruz and went to the Boardwalk one day. We also went down to Monterey Bay Aquarium which was a lot of fun. We were approached on our way into the aquarium and asked to be a part of a study. Ben did a survey on the way in and again on the way out, the lady followed us around at the aquarium, and we all got in for free. It was great!! Sometimes I think God just decides to bless us, just because he can.
Nothing new has happened with the adoption. But we should be getting our T-shirts in today which I am very excited about. We haven't even got our first order yet and half of them are already gone. I think I'm going to end up wearing mine all the time because in some way it will make me feel like I'm doing something for the adoption.
Anyhow, please continue to pray for us: pray for my sanity as we wait, pray that God would provide for our needs, most importantly pray for our baby, whether born or unborn that she and her birthmother would be safe and nourished and that her birthmother would give her life to Christ.

Impatient

Today is one of those days where I feel like this adoption is never going to happen. I'm terrible at waiting for things especially when I dont know how long the waiting will continue. Sometimes I feel so positive but today I feel overwhelmed by the distance we have left to go. I just want to go to Ethiopia and get our baby. Can someone push the fast forward button! I have to keep reminding myself of how God has provided so far. His timing is perfect this I know. Maybe I should go read my bible and quit complaining. :)

T-Shirts Ordered

Today I turned in our T-shirt order. Yay! I've been really excited about this idea and now we can really get started on it. So, I'm not sure when they'll be done, but it's in their hands now. The design can be seen on the right side of the blog. You can even order them right here through paypal. Just dont forget to note which size you want in the area it allows you to write a note. :)
This weekend was mothers day which was pretty torturous. I just kept thinking all day that I feel like a mother in my heart already, but I don't have my baby yet. I wonder if she is born yet, I wonder if she's with her birthmother this mother's day. Or is she in an orphanage waiting for me to come get her. And so once again I prayed for her and entrusted her to my Heavenly Father's care.

Approved!

We are approved for adoption! Yay! Last night we checked our mail and found that we received our letter of approval from CIS. This means we can send our dossier whenever we have enough money to pay the fees. I also still need to finish the dossier, which I will be more motivated to do now. This is really happening! Even though we have been in the process for over five months, sometimes I still think, oh my goodness we are really adopting a baby from Ethiopia. I've always talked about adopting internationally. And now we're really doing it! And have I mentioned that I can't wait to hold my baby in my arms. How can I love her so much when I've never met her?

Almost Approved

Today we got finger printed. I always feel silly that I get so excited about something that is such a small step in the process. But every step is a step closer to my baby. SO what does this mean you may be asking. It's the last thing that had to be done before they send our approval letter. So while we wait for our approval we will be focusing on fundraising. I am confident that the Lord will provide.
Aly has been working on our Tshirt design. Hopefully that will be done soon.

Homestudy sent to CIS

Yesterday our homestudy was sent to CIS (immigration services) for their approval. This is our official approval for adoption, if we don't get approval from the state then we can't adopt. SO, pray that we will be approved. :)
It will probably take a few weeks but once we get our official approval we are free to submit our dossier. (of course included with our dossier must be a check so keep praying for those finances!)
Today I received an email from CWA about the court delays they are having in Ethiopia right now. They are having court cases that go on for weeks or months. That means, these families have a picture of their baby and they are having to wait several months before they can go get them. I think that would cause me to lose my mind. So please pray for those families and maybe we can pray that we wont be stuck in those circumstances.
So that pretty much catches everybody up. Thanks for visiting!

Paperwork etc.

Have I told you all lately that I can't wait to get my baby! I wish I could be one of those people that can patiently and peacefully wait for something. Not me, I obsess about it and torture myself with anticipation. Right now I can release my obsessive anticipation by working on documents that we need and trying to think of new ideas. But once we turn in our dossier and we just have to sit around and wait for the referal of our baby. I might completely lose my mind.
Anyhow, last week I got a lot accomplished on my dossier. I only have a couple of documents left to gather. Then we have to get it all notarized. Still no progress on our homestudy. Still waiting for the approval of CWA before it can be sent to the state.
We are going to be doing something new. We stole this idea from someone else :-) We're going to be making Tshirts. We have a design and Aly is turning it into a graphic for us. I'm really excited about this idea. So, when we get the graphic and more of the details I'll post all the info on a blog. Hopefully it will be sometime in the next couple of weeks.
Well, I think that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Starting the Dossier

So today I really started my dossier. I went downtown and took care of several documents. (police clearance letters, birth and marriage certificates and authenticating 2 docs) It took me like an hour to find the secretary of state office but I finally found it and got my documents authenticated. I'm excited to really have the process started. Our 3 reference letters are in process already too. So that makes me happy. I just like the feeling that things are moving. We still haven't received our approval from CWA for our homestudy, but I'm hoping that will come this week, so we can send it to CIS (immigration services) for our official approval.
I feel so blessed that so many people are on board and supporting us in our adoption. Everywhere I go people ask me about it and are genuinely interessted in how the process is going. I REALLY appreciate that. For some reason when I started this journey I was afraid some people wouldn't understand. But people are really excited with us and I'm so grateful.
As always please continue to pray for our baby that she/he will be safe and that God would provide nourishment for her and her birthmother.
That's all for tonight!

Homestudy

I get so excited about every step that we make. This week we received our draft of the homestudy for approval. We read it and sent our approval yesterday. It's now been sent to our placing agency (Christian World Adoption) for their approval. Once they've approved it it will go to immigration services for our official approval for adoption. Yay! Well that's the newest.

Fourth Blog (Mar 22nd)

Nothing too much has happened since the last time I wrote. We are still waiting for our homestudy to be written. Hopefully next week. But we did pass a milestone in our craigslist sales.
I was looking at the fees we have coming up and I started to feel a little overwhelmed today. The next set of fees due before we send our paperwork to Ethiopia are more than I can imagine being able to raise. I looked at the number and prayed, "God, where am I going to get this from?" I did quickly remember that he has provided so much already. But sometimes it’s still overwhelming. I just want to have her now!
I am just so in awe of the way God has opened my heart. Before I started the adoption process I was so fearful. I had a thousand what if’s. But now my fears are no more than any new mom. What if I’m not a good mom? What if I can’t handle the lack of sleep? But I really dont focus on those questions because all I can focus on is getting my baby girl. It’s strange to me how I can long for someone I have never met. I can’t even explain the way my heart aches for her. Right now all I can do is pray for her when I feel that ache inside.

Third Blog (Feb 28th)

A few things have happened since I last updated you all on the adoption process.
We have started our Home Study. We had our first interview with the social worker last night. Everything went great. We'll have another interview March 11th. It will take a couple of weeks to finish the home study and then we will be awaiting the approval from Immigration Services before we can move to the next step.
God is so good. He has been faithfully providing for us to take each step.
Lately I have been so excited about the adoption I can hardly stand it. I think about it constantly. I pray for her everyday. I pray that she would be warm and safe and that God would provide nourishment for her body, even if that means supernaturally. It's so strange that for all I know today could be her birthday and I don't know it. I cannot wait to hold that baby in my arms, look in her eyes and tell her I love her.

Second Blog (Feb 7th)

Okay, here is my second blog. I will try to catch you more up to date on the details.
We are adopting a baby from Ethiopia through Christian World Adoption. We said we prefered a girl (which means it could still be a boy) age 0-18 months. The process will probably take around 9 months.
Right now we are trying to gather everything to start the home study which will take a bit to start. We have been so blessed to have people be so supportive.
The homestudy involves a lot of paperwork, interviews, doctor appointments, home checks, etc. After we complete the homestudy we'll prepare our dossier, which is the paperwork that is sent to Ethiopia. We'll then wait for a referal. Once they refer a child to us it will be about 2 months until we can travel and pick up our baby! I CANT WAIT!!!

First Blog (Feb 3rd)

You may or may not have heard that Sam and I are adopting a baby from Ethiopia. I decided that I would periodically post blogs along the journey. Alot has already happened in my heart so I wont try to catch you up all at once. I'll start with what lead us to decide to adopt.
Sam and I have talked about adopting internationally since we were dating. After getting married and it became more of a possibility I became fearful of adopting. There seem to be so many unknowns. Sam would periodically bring it up, but I didn't want to talk about it. One day I realized that I had completley shut out the idea of adoption because I was fearful. I began to pray that God would open my heart to it and that He would show me if this is what He wanted for us. And He did just that. Instantly he began to open my heart and assure me that I needed to trust Him. Through one particular conversation I became really excited about adopting. I started looking for agencies that very week. I figured I didn't need to wait and see if I was being impulsive because the process is so long that I would have plenty of time for God to change my mind if this was the wrong path for us. But He hasn't. Some people have asked what if the baby has health issues? What if they have developmental or behavioral problems? etc. I have asked these same questions and there are no guarantees. But the thing is, when we have our own children there are no guarantees. Our only guarantee in life is that God is in control and He cares for us. "We believe that God knows the number of hairs on each child's head, where that child will live and who his or her family will be." We are not just adopting a baby. We are adopting our baby. The baby that God knew before time, would be ours.

My new blog

Welcome to my new blog! I wish I had started this at the beginning of our adoption journey. But better late than never right!? I plan to use this as a way to keep people updated on the adoption progress. I posted a few blogs on my myspace. I will copy those on here so people can see where we started! Thanks for your interest and your support!