Friday, May 30, 2008

Ups and Downs


Today we paid our country fee and got our big bill from Bethany. I just didn't think it would be so much at once! We will be praying a lot today. Why is it so hard to just have another baby?
Also, bad news that I didn't expect. I thought our dossier would be sent out today but they need to wait for our immigration paperwork to go through, so maybe in 2-3 months? Again, why is it so difficult to expand your family?
Today my little flip devotional was about fully relying on God. Very appropriate for today.
Here is a picture of a bird that nested in our tree. I named her Molly. I know God is taking care of her and is so big he will take care of us too.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Paperwork Almost Done


This has been a big week for us. Our immigration paperwork was sent out and our dossier was state sealed! Tomorrow I drop off the big check, $5,000 for the country fee. We are making good progress and should hear back about our fingerprinting appt. soon.
Thanks to everyone who is praying for us.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Getting Closer


I hope to have our dossier completely done really soon. Our worker has it so we are praying it looks good!
I watched a NOVA special on-line today about Ethiopian women if anyone has a chance to watch the link is http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beautiful/program.html

Here is a picture of Isaac with daddy at his 3 year b-day party!

Friday, May 2, 2008

Isaiah 60:4

ethiopia">ethiopia
I was reading this verse this week and it jumped out at me.
"Lift up your eyes and see! For your sons and daughters are coming home to you from distant lands." Isn't it great?!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Why we want to adopt


This is a letter we had to write to let the Ethiopian government to tell them why we want to adopt:)


We are writing to explain why we have decided to pursue adoption in Ethiopia. Our family is very excited about this new journey to adopt a child from Ethiopia. We look forward to having a sibling for our son and another child to love as our own.

James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” This commandment from the Bible has affirmed the desire that we have felt on our hearts and minds for several years. During these years, we have seen and felt the need of orphans around the world and feel we can make a difference in a child’s life. Most recently we have developed a heart for the children of Ethiopia and feel we are in a good position to help.

We love being parents and are tremendously excited to bring another child into our family. We plan on raising our child in a Christian environment where they will be loved and nurtured. Our family is a very loving, committed, and peaceful family that is able to provide a home where our children will flourish and grow to their God given potential. We are also financially stable and well able to support additional children.

Our three-year-old son Isaac is looking forward to meeting his new brother or sister. Isaac is very active and loves being outside, running, playing soccer, playing in his sandbox and riding his bike. He enjoys playing with other children and is kind and helpful towards them.

Andrea is a stay at home Mom. She previously worked in social work in a local hospital. She has a master’s degree in social work and quit her full-time job when Isaac was born. Andrea is from a family of 5 children. She loves being at home with Isaac and feels that raising children is the most important job she could ever do.

Matt is a financial manager at a manufacturing company. He enjoys biking and playing with Isaac. Matt has a master’s degree in accounting and has been working in the financial field for ten years. He attends Bible college one night a week and is a stable, fun and encouraging father.

We believe we will provide a wonderful environment for our children to grow, explore and learn. Our family spends time frequently with extended family. Our parents have a major part in our lives. We visit with them and enjoy watching them with Isaac. They are excited to meet their new grandchild.

Our family is eager to preserve our adopted child’s Ethiopian culture. We have met several other families in the process of adopting from Ethiopia living in our area. We plan on meeting with them frequently. It is important we continue the traditions, language and values of the Ethiopian culture. We will also work to preserve our child’s Ethiopian heritage by compiling scrapbooks, securing mementos from the country, and teaching him/her about the Ethiopian culture. We are currently accumulating books and videos to educate our extended family to assist in keeping our adopted child’s culture part of his/her life. Above all, we want our children to be proud of who they are and who God made them to be.

Our adopted child will receive a great education. We have wonderful public and Christian schools in our area. We also attend a large and diverse church that has a lot of support to offer. It is our belief that our adopted child will have some of the best support systems available.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Almost Done!

We are getting closer to finishing our dossier! Only a few more pieces to complete before I can get the rest of it notarized and turned in for review.
It seems like a long wait but we have to rely on God's timing for our new baby to arrive.