WOW!

Again, needless to say, school and being a mom of 4 is not conducive to blogging!  Since September (WOW! Didn't know it had been that long!!) we have actually made a lot of progress and have a few significant things to talk about!

1. We were awarded a grant in the FULL AMOUNT of the cost to submit our dossier!

2. We finalized all the outstanding paperwork, amidst many ridiculous obstacles, and finally submitted our dossier on November 6th.

3. And here's the big WOW! . . . I received this message tonight: "Good news! Your dossier is back from Washington, D.C. and has been authenticated by the Department of State and the Ethiopian Embassy. It is being sent to Ethiopia this Friday via our weekly DHL shipment. Once our team in Ethiopia receives your dossier, they will work on the next steps of authenticating and registering your dossier. This process typically takes about two months. The next stage of the process may be the most difficult one yet – which is the wait for your referral."

So, now my thoughts and the things God has spoken to me during these events:

1.  He really DOES provide.  The grant that we were awarded was one of four for which we applied.  It was by far the easiest application - we simply wrote a letter to the Kay Foundation.  In the process, I was able to talk to the founder, a lady who had several biological children and then adopted siblings.  She gave me some really good advice and spoke with wisdom and experience.  When I asked how old her children are now, she said, "Well, I'm pretty sure the youngest is 52 now!"  :)  It was a delightful conversation and gave me so much hope for our future!

2.  I won't go into all the ridiculous details, because you would not believe the trouble we had obtaining some of the simplest documents!!!!  More than once people commented, most from a place of frustration for and with us, things like: "Why is it so difficult?"  "Why is it so expensive - what are you paying for?"  "You would think it would be easier to give children a home." "They are just making you jump through hoops!"  One particular set of comments was not from an attempt to empathize with us, and praise the Lord that He who is in Me is greater than my flesh!!  The comments were biting and brought me to tears, but only by the Holy Spirit in me, I was able to respond in grace and walk away.  Later as I dealt with my own anger and frustration, I thought of all kinds of things I could have said (from my flesh - glad I didn't say those things! and more direct responses, still with grace, that could have pointed this person to Christ).  I realized that even through this the Lord is speaking to me, teaching me, refining me.  A thought that has continued to linger . . . Yes, I do feel like, at times, I am jumping through hoops.  However, God loved me so much that He sent his Son to DIE for my adoption; who am I to complain that I have to do a few tedious and seemingly ridiculous things in order to adopt my children?  As I write, I realize that same thought applies to my waiting, to my lack of control, to the expense . . . to any setback we may come through.  . . . . Those are the sacrifices God is asking us to make as He in His perfect timing is orchestrating EVERYTHING for the good of our family and for HIS glory!  And the part that is SO cool, He doesn't ask me to make these sacrifices in my own strength.  I just have to acknowledge my weakness and surrender to Him, trust Him - not just in word, but in deed, and He WILL carry me through.  He has given me the gift of His Spirit in me to be my Help, my Comfort, my Counselor, my Shield and Defender.  He is EVERYTHING that I will EVER need.  I do not need to control anything.  I don't need to know when we will get a referral.  I don't need to be worried that our children are suffering while we wait.  I just need to trust that My God is big enough, bigger than I can imagine, and that He loves me and my family.  He is drawing me nearer to Him and teaching me.  He is making my family ready for new children/siblings.  He is making them ready for us.  He has a perfect plan for us and will reveal it to us in His time. WOW!

3.  SO, tonight we celebrate that we are one step closer to meeting our children.  We are praying that the Holy Spirit would continue to empower us as we wait.  We pray that we would be moldable, that we would be compliant to His leading, that we would treasure this time of being made ready for things we can't even imagine.  We pray that the Lord would prepare our children, both biological and adopted, for all the changes that are coming.  We pray that He would protect our family.  We pray for the biological family of our children.  We pray for our children's health and spiritual well-being.  We pray for their care-takers.  We pray for the "system."  We are thankful that the Spirit intercedes and groans for us when we don't know what to pray.  We serve a great and mighty God.  Tonight I am humbled and grateful and expectant!

CORRECTION

I forgot the B!  To view our photos and see Maria's amazing work go to www.ruthiebphotography.blogspot.com!  Her family is also on their own amazing adoption journey.  Read their story here: www.cincomariposas.blogspot.com

School Daze = No Updates

Wow, another long lapse.  I must confess, I just can't find the time to write!  :)  But, I really thought I should since a lot of people have been asking recently, AND because my AMAZING friend Maria, just posted unbelievable pictures of our family on her blog and may have encouraged you to come here to read our story! :)  (Visit her blog at www.ruthiephotography.blogspot.com)

So, it's nearly October, and I am still adjusting to school.  I switched schools this year to be at the same school as my two oldest children, Jayden and Asher.  They were ecstatic!  It has been so much fun getting to see them all the time at school!  I love our mornings together before they go to their classrooms.  They are so sweet and helpful in getting my room ready for my students to come in; they always want to know what I need for them to do!  I LOVE my new school, but I LOVED my old school, too.  So, it has been kind of a tough start; mostly tough to leave old friends and familiar routines, but also hard to figure out my new normal!  I am getting there though, and I have some REALLY great students who make everyday a fun, new challenge! 

Jude also has a new normal.  He is going to school full day this year!  He is loving it and learning so much!  He was sitting on my lap tonight "reading" his poems to me.  Yes, they are familiar nursery rhymes that he has memorized, but he was tracking the print perfectly and could even point out many words at random!  He also started soccer this year!  So now we have 3 playing!  It is so crazy, yet so much fun!  I love watching my children learn new things!

In my last post I wrote that we would be spending the summer working on our dossier and grants.  Well, our dossier is almost done!  We had our fingerprints done and have been approved by USCIS!  We have reference letters, police clearance, birth certificates, passports, etc. . .   We have to collect a few more papers and $5500, and then we are set! ;)  We applied for 4 grants.  We have recently heard from the board of one of them that they are prayerfully considering how much to give us!  Thank you, Lord! 

Our case worker and agency continue to be incredibly suportive through the process.  When I last spoke to our case worker, she was asking when she could expect the dossier.  I told her that I had no idea, that she could talk to Jesus about when He was going to send the money! :)  She laughed and said, "Okay, I will!"  About a week later, she sent us a document with timelines with our expected dossier date as November 1st!  A day after that we heard from the grant committee and received an unsolicited donation!  The Lord continues to provide for us each step of the way.  We completely trust in His timing and Sovereignty! 

Please continue to pray for us through this journey in these ways:
-that we would find favor with the grant committees,
-that God would provide the dossier fees quickly so that our documents don't expire,
-for continued preparation for our hearts, minds, and spirits,
-that the kids would continue to be excited, continue to ask us questions, and really understand what we are doing AND why,
-for our children in Ethiopia, for their health, physical and spiritual well-being, for their family there,
- and mostly that the Lord would be glorified in and through all of this, that it would NOT be about us, but about Him, who He is and what He has done!

Oh, we still have jewelry and bags to sell!  See the previous post for pictures and send me a message!!

Summer Fun - FUNd Raising and Grant Writing

Our summer is being devoted first, to having fun with our kids!  And secondly, working hard to raise the funds to bring our other kids home to have fun with us!  We have been busy having fun with friends, going to movies and pools, and having craft time!  During their down time, I have been working on applying for several grants.  Please join us in praying that we find favor with the awarding committees!

We have had several fund raisers in the past few weeks.  All of which have been fun and pretty successful!  First, my sweet friend had a Thirty-One fund raiser for us.  Thank you so much for all of the friends who ordered to support us!  Then, Chann and Niles (the husband of another family who is adopting - www.cincomariposas.com) played at Sayago's.  I taught the Sayago's son several years ago, and they have been so kind to encourage and support us by allowing the guys to play and giving us a portion of the night's sales! (Like them on Facebook!)  Again our friends and family gave generously!  The Lord continues to use His faithful followers to provide the funds that we need at just the right times!  Our current goal is $850.  We are a little more than halfway there!

Here's how you can help!  We are now selling jewelry and bags from Africa.  The Sparrow Fund has a fund raising opportunity that solely supports adoption.  First, the beads and bags are made by an African woman named Mary.  She is a refugee living in Kenya.  She is twice widowed and has 9 biological children.  She has also adopted 7!!!!!  The Sparrow Fund gives her an opportunity to sell her items in the states at fair trade value.  We buy her items, and the Sparrow Fund sets the price of what we sell to then benefit our adoption!  ALL proceeds benefit adoption!  The necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are made from paper and are way more beautiful than the photographs show!  The bags are very large and made from distinctly African fabrics.  Please leave a comment or send me a message on Facebook if you would like to purchase anything!  Necklaces and bracelets are $15.  Earrings are $6, and bags are $20.

Dossier in progress

Suffice it to say May is a BUSY month for teachers, and well, life is just as busy in summer with 4 kiddos!  Nonetheless, I LOVE being at home!  Still not much time to blog, so here I sit at 12:28 am, finally with a little time to catch up.

My last post was rather vague.  We had to make some tough decisions about the "type of child we are willing to accept."  That whole idea is rather yucky to me.  In our application stage, we had to do a similar thing, and it was so hard for me, on many levels.  This time, the biggest help was acknowledging that the Lord is sovereign, and He already knows the children that will one day join our family, AND we cannot mess that up.  However, if we are not earnest in seeking Him and His will, we could get in the way and make things not as efficient as His design.  Throughout this whole process, the Lord has led very clearly, and I want to stay right behind Him.  As impatient as I may get, I do not want to pretend that I know the way and jump ahead of Him; neither do I want to get lazy and fall behind.  I want to walk in the path that He directs, knowing that He is leading me and expecting me to follow closely.  This knowledge helped so much.  We spent diligent time in prayer and had others pray for us as well, asking that the Lord direct our path and give us peace, and again, He was faithful. We were able to proceed with peace and confidence.  Thank you for your prayers!

We are now in the stage of more paperwork in completing our dossier, which will go to Ethiopia.  This is a somewhat tedious process of ordering new birth certificates, marriage certificates, statements of health, employment verifications, etc. . . .  We have to order all new things so that the dates are current as our dossier will only be good for 2 years until we have to renew it.  Since things are moving kind of slowly in Ethiopia still, there is a good chance that it could take that long.  Once our dossier is complete, we will have to submit another hefty fee to process all this paperwork and have it translated to Amharic.  So, the dossier-phase is also a fund-raising, grant-applying phase!

As I work on all these things, I am reminded that the Lord is faithful.  The timing of this intense phase is summer, when I am home and can do it!  God also continues to show us that He is the Great Provider.  Each step of the way, He has provided EXACTLY what was needed, just when it was needed.  I have just gotten a new job, still teaching first grade, just in a new school and school district.  It "just so happens" that next year, Jude's tuition for school increases, and as God is the ultimate Provider, this school district pays my National Board Pay monthly, and it more than covers the tuition increase!  Thank you, Jesus!

Today's sermon at church was about God calling us to things.  When He calls, He will graciously give us signs, gift us to do what He has called, and Empower us with the Holy Spirit.  Though the call may not make sense or be easy, the Lord will walk us through it and bring it to fruition as we are obedient to Him.  Adoption is something to which our family has been called, so we can rest in the knowledge that the Lord will make the way!  Please joing us in praying for our children, for funding, and that we would continue to follow as the Lord leads!

A few upcoming fund-raisers:
1. Thirty-one party - June 23rd at 7 pm.  If you can't attend, you can shop online, and your purchases will still benefit our adoption.
2.  Chann and Niles are playing at Sayagos's in Baxter on June 30th!  More details to come!
3. Scentsy orders!  If you are interested in ordering anything, message me at kylienchann@gmail.com

Prayers and Peace

Well, the home study is done AND paid in full now!  YAY!  Before we get ready to move into the dossier stage, we have a few big decisions.  Please join us in prayer as we seek the Lord's will.  We beg for His will to be done, and that we would walk faithfully in it, and that He would be glorified.  We pray for His clear guidance and peace that can only come from Christ.  Thank you all so much for partnering with us!  We are SO blessed!

WOW!

So . . . we had our first BIG fund raiser this weekend - a SUPER-HUGE yard sale that I NEVER want to do again :)!  BUT, man, did the Lord show up!!  Here's the quick summary . . . WOW! Feeling overwhelmed (in a good way) and TIRED (not so good). We were incredibly humbled by the very real way the body of Christ wrapped around us this weekend! We had friends whose three children were overnight with the grandparents spend their date night helping us, along with other friends who worked until past midnight, two other CRAZY souls who worked hard with us ALL NIGHT - yep, still running on the 4 hours of sleep I got Thursday night!! Still others who showed up when it was still dark this morning to continue helping us set up, and those who ran errands and to get lunch for us, still others who spent most of their day making deals with us and staying until WAY too late to clean up! Then there were all the items that just kept showing up at our house, and the amazing, unexpected shows of moral support and payments without taking change, and CRAZY donations! THAT is called being the hands and feet of Jesus! Chann and I both had many emotional moments today, but none quite as strong as just now, when I finally got to count the money, and realized that it is $17.70 cents MORE than we owe! This means we SURPASSED our goal and can move on to our dossier - what a MIGHTY and Sovereign God we serve! ...For those of you who want the hard and fast facts .. . we were given $3,367.70 this weekend!!! The Lord funds what he favors, indeed!!! Still in awe of His perfect timing and provision in my life ALL the time! The next time I doubt, someone needs to smack me! 
That's all I can manage for now . . . I think my body is shutting down.  I have been up and MOVING for about 39 hours now!!!  MUST get some sleep . . . I think it will be pretty sweet sleep tonight! 
Seriously, thanks to ALL of our AMAZING, Jesus-loving friends who made this weekend possible with EVERYTHING you did to help, and in so doing, honor God!  And special thanks to the physical hands and feet who sorted MOUNDS of  clothes, baked muffins and brownies, moved countless boxes and furniture (multiple times), let me boss them around (especially my sweet husband), ran errands, brought us lunch, and were our constant support and encouragement this weekend!  We COULD NOT have survived without you guys!  Feeling so loved right now!

Spring Photo Shoot Fund Raiser!

Home Study Completed Amidst Trials! :)

So, our home study is DONE!  As much as we know that adoption is the Lord's plan for us - it is good and right, so of course, the enemy hates it and wants to see it stopped!  Let me tell you some of the funny things he has done to try to deter us . . .

First, as a part of our home study, all of us, including our DOG, had to have physicals.  Ginger, the dog, is a 9 year old miniature Schnauzer who is in great health, except for her teeth.  So, her physical resulted in having an EKG and 23, yes you read that correctly, TWENTY-THREE teeth pulled!!!  Needless to say, that vet bill was a bit more than we expected, but we thought, "No problem.  We have more that what we actually need at this point saved for the home study.  God has graciously provided when we haven't even started officially fund raising yet!"  Satan obviously did not like our perspective. . . .  So, the day before the final home study visit, it was very dark and foggy when I was leaving for work.  So dark and foggy that I was afraid to turn around in my driveway as I usually do, for fear of hitting one our other car!  So, I slowly back up the hill of my driveway, come to a complete stop, look both ways, see nothing, and BAM!  Back right into a car that either was completely in my blind spot, had no lights on, or both!  I get out, and it's my neighbor, the car is old and not badly damaged at all, so I think, "No big deal."  I talk to her and tell her that we would rather just pay out of pocket instead of having our insurance pay and give her the name of a great body shop in town that has fair prices.  She says okay.  We call the police and get an accident report.  The officer is super nice.  She admits that she may not have had her lights all the way on and had been sitting there a while so that it is entirely possible that there was no way for me to see her.  This is going well, right?  Ha, ha.  The officer writes me a ticket for $155 for improper backing!!!  Then, I receive a call today that she did turn the claim in to my insurance company and told them that she wanted them to take care of it and not use the shop I recommended!  So, this TINY ding on a 14 year old car is going to cost us $1100 to repair!!!  All on the same day when I get the notice that our home study is completed and the fee is $1250 more than we thought!  Hence my conclusion that the enemy really wants to thwart this adoption because it is good and right and from the Lord!!  On top of this everyone but Jayden and I have been sick for the past week!!!! 

So, I am posting this for three reasons . . . one, to claim in full belief that God is bigger than all this ridiculousness, and I KNOW without any doubts that He will provide, and that Satan has already lost!  Secondly, for you to join me in praying!!!  The Lord says we have not because we ask not!  And lastly, to say that our fund raising begins NOW! 

You can help in several ways:
1.  If you (or anyone you know) wants to make a flat donation, please click the donate button at the top of the page! :)
2.  We will be having a yard sale in the next few weeks.  If you have anything you want to donate, especially "big ticket items," like tvs, bicycles, microwaves, etc. . . please let me know!  We have a truck and can come get large items!
3.  See the next post for a Spring Photo Shoot fundraiser!
4.  Check out http://ordinaryhero.org/Ordinary_Hero/Store/Store.html for cool products!  Ordinary Heroes is a non-profit that exists to inspire and empower ORDINARY people to make an extraordinary difference in the life of a child in need!  They will donate 40% of your purchase to our adoption fund!  Make sure you choose our names from the dropdown box before you complete your purchase!
5.  Check out http://www.channcarroll.com/ or email chann@channcarroll.com to get more information about booking music for worship or entertainment events!

Stay tuned for more fund raising to come!!!! :)  Thank you for partnering with us in this mission to bring our children home!

Updates and Prayers

We have our last home study visit on Tuesday this week.  Tonight we have to finish our 10th hour of training and sit down to re-do the medical form - they want us to be really sure of what we say we are open to as far as different medical, mental, emotional, and behavioral issues our children could have.  After Tuesday's visit our case worker will prepare the written home study and submit it.  Then we begin the dossier - a collection of paperwork that will be translated and submitted to Ethiopia. . . . then the waiting begins for real.

Up until now, I have been waiting but working, so I've felt productive. And even though we were told it would probably take 18 months for the whole process, I guess I've told myself quietly, "It won't really be that long since we want siblings and are open to a lot of situations."  I've also been praying that Chann's business would grow to the point that I could stay home next year, and walking in the truth that God can do that without allowing my hope to rest in the situation but rather in Him.  Sometimes that's a hard line to draw. 

So, the past two weeks have brought about new perspectives and new prayers.  With new policies being written in the Southern regions of Ethiopia, referrals have lessened considerably and familes have been waiting a lot longer.  We were notified this week that it will most likely be 18 months from the completion of the dossier until we even get a referral, then there's a half page list of what happens after that with each step being anywhere from 2 weeks to 5 months long!  Since teaching contracts come out in April, we have also been looking at the probabilty that I will be signing my contract next year and teaching again.  Honestly, at first, all of this was disappointing, even frustrating, BUT GOD . .  (I've learned to pay attention to those words in Scripture!)  God, in His infinite wisdom has seen fit this weekend to remind me that He already has all this planned out, and His plans are WAY better than mine!  (Wait, haven't I already posted this at some point? Why is it that I have such a hard time remembering this??)  He is always so good to remind me just when I need it, and in ways that are more powerful than can be explained.  I can confidently and with great peace say that I do completely trust Him to fulfill the desires that He has given me in His perfect time according to His perfect will!

When I started this blog, I talked about "Rhema"  - God's spoken word.  God's rhema came through my six-year old son this time.  At dinner the other night, for no apparent reason, (i.e. we had not been talking about the adoption at all.  God just knew we all needed to hear from Him.) Asher said, "Mom, I know why God is making us wait to adopt. . . . In the Bible, God makes people wait for things that are good, like the Israelites and the Promised Land, and Hannah waiting for Samuel!"  I said, "Wow, you're right Asher!  Why do you think God makes us wait for good things?"  He thought for about half a second and said, "Because then when we get it, we'll really be excited!  . . . and probably He's teaching us stuff while we wait."  Yep, that's it, probably, He's teaching me stuff while we wait;  imporatant stuff like: there's a lot I still need to learn to be able to deal with the loss and grief we will encounter; like, shedding light on the false belief that I can really do this, that I have all these skills that are going to make me such a great adoptive mom - I can't but He can - in my weakness, He is made strong!; like, dealing with my pride - ouch!!!!!!  I have so much to learn, but God is patient and willing to teach me and carry me.  I just have to wait and know that He is always faithful; He never breaks a promise; He will never leave me nor forsake me; He really does love me!  Now, I can look forward to waiting, because in the waiting, God will teach me, and when my wait is over, I can be REALLY excited!!

Praises: God has begun to provide funds!  Chann's parents sold their house! Praise the Lord that He has a plan, that He already knows my children, where they are, who they are, and when they will join us.
Prayers: Continue to pray for protection over our children.  Pray that we are responsive to the Lord teaching us.  Pray that God gives us wisdom and patience throughout the process, and that He continues to speak to us and encourage us that He is in control. Pray that He prepares our hearts and the hearts of ALL of our children as we seek to add to our family.  Pray for Chann's business to grow so that I may stay home one day soon.  Pray that Jesus would be glorified above all in and through this process, and that my pride would have NO place in it.

First Appointment

YAY!  I can finally post! :)
Our first appointment was Tuesday.  We drove to Columbia to meet our case worker, Tricia.  It was a very informative meeting.  I feel so grateful that we have been well prepared to this point.  Some of the scenarios and stories could have been very intimidating had the Lord not already been preparing our hearts to see this adventure with truth and light.  When I was 19 and the Lord first laid adoption on my heart, I had a very romantic view of adoption.  . . . Truthfully, that romanticizing continued up until the last few years, and really over the last year reading and talking with couples who have adopted, I have a much more clear picture of how it is really, most likely, going to play out.  :)
What's next:  Over the next three weeks, we will have three more visits and do 10 hours of online training.  After that our homestudy will be written up, reviewed, and approved!  Then it will be time to start the dossier.  We are especially excited about having to go to Charleston to get finger-printed + DATE DAY! :)
Prayers: Continue to pray for wisdom.  By the end of the home study, we will have to specify an age range and say "yes" or "no" to a lot of medical concerns and special needs that our children could have.  Our desire is to be open to whatever the Lord will bring us, knowing that He will prepare us, and that through Him we will thrive.  Also pray for our children's protection.  Our caseworker was telling us that spiritual warfare is very strong in Ethiopia; witchcraft is prevalent.  Pray that the Enemy is bound from our children and their family.  Pray that the Lord is working in their lives.  Pray that He blesses them and keeps them safe and healthy.  Pray for their birthfamily as very difficult decisions are what will bring them to us.  Pray that someone would show them the Love of Christ and that they would experience His freedom and love even in their diffficult circumstances.  Praise the Lord for what He is already doing in preparing Jayden, Asher, Jude, and Evy, and pray that He would continue to give them understanding and a love for these brothers and/or sisters that we don't yet know.  Lastly, pray that we would be wise and efficient with fund raising efforts, and that Chann's business would continue to grow so that I will be able to be a full-time stay-at-home mom by the time we bring these children home!

Thank you for your love and support!

First Appointment

So, it's a little more than 2 weeks . . . just getting us ready for East African timelines, I guess! :)  But, it's HERE!!  Tomorrow at 1:00 we go to Columbia for our first appointment in our home study!  Pray for wisdom and peace as we begin the process that will bring us closer to our children!  Hopefully I will have another quick update tomorrow evening!  Thanks so much for all the prayers!  We really feel them and know that we are loved!

Babysteps

Babysteps . . . when we say that, we mean it can be an attempt at looking at something positive that really is a stretch.  It's a REALLY small, sometimes seemingly insignificant, step in the right direction.  However, when our children take that first baby step, IT'S A BIG DEAL!!!!

So, this little tidbit of news is a babystep in both senses!  Our home study will be in two weeks!!!!!!  Yes, this is another step in a really long process. . . .  Even after it's completed, it could be a year or more before we even get a referral, much less start the process of bringing our children home.  Yet, IT"S A BIG DEAL!!! 

For me, that email that our home study really is happening soon, brought up so many emotions.  The first, sheer excitement that this really is happening!!!!  Secondly, a longing for our children, just to know their names, and, yes, see those sweet faces that I constantly imagine!  Then, the questions: how hard is this language barrier going to be? how does a child simultaneously deal with the grief of lost parents, lost culture, loss of all things familiar, and embrace a new family,with whom they can't even speak, not to mention a new home that doesn't look or feel right, a new culture that they don't understand?  how will I balance my time between 6 kids with very different needs? will our biological children still be as excited when our new brothers and sisters actually get here? how will we know which children are meant to be ours, since there are so many waiting? will I know as soon as I see their pictures, or will there be difficult decisions?  . . . . Then, I remember. . . God has this, ALL of it - down to the very last detail - already under control.  He already knows the answers to the questions that haven't even formed in my head yet.  Even now, He is preparing my heart, calming me, speaking truth and wisdom.  Does that mean it will all be easy?  No way!  I am not promised nor called to a life of ease .  I am called to pick up my cross DAILY, never an easy task; I am promised that I will suffer as Christ did.  But, as Paul says in Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

These two verses in Mark have also given me much hope in the past few weeks:
10:27 "With human beings this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
11:24 "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Quick Update

So, it's been a while!  I didn't realize I hadn't posted since October!  2 reasons: first and foremost, life has just been SUPER-busy, even more so than usual with the holiday season; and secondly, there just wasn't anything (good) to report. . .  I say good, because we did have some delays, but we are trying really hard to see those as gifts from God and not lament over them.  Every time we are "delayed,"  (I'm sure there will be MANY), I am trying to claim the truth that God is sovereign, and that all things work together for our good and His glory! (Romans 8:28)  Each time there is a set back, I am choosing to see it as a gift of time with the children that are currently in our home: time to focus on them and let them know how much they are loved, more time to teach them about God's heart for orphans, and time to prepare them for the challenges that may be ahead. . . .

Anyway, after having to re-do a few forms that had to be updated, we are now OFFICIALLY APPROVED to adopt from Ethiopia!!

The next step is scheduling our home study.  There are two families ahead of us, so I would expect another month or so.  From what I understand with our agency, since we are already approved, the main purpose of our home study is to give our case worker a chance to get to know our family and assess the "type" of child or children that are the best fit for our family.  Our goal is to be open to whatever children the Lord has already chosen for us: meaning we could have older children, or babies; healthy children, or children with special needs.  We know that God knows us better than we know ourselves, that He will equip us to "handle" whatever hardships we may encounter, and ultimately, that His plan is better than anything we can ask or imagine!

So, please join us in praying that we would continue to seek His will, have peace with His timeline, and that He would continue to provide us with ALL that we need: spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially, for this part of our journey!

A word about the donate button . . .  It is linked to a paypal account that is set up specifically for adoption costs.  Our current estimate is around $38,000, it could be more or less depending on how many children we actually have and their condition, as well as how many times we have to travel.  We will begin "official" fund raisers after our home study has been completed, but, in the meantime, if the Lord lays it on your heart to donate, here's an easy way to do so! :)