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.