Random thoughts...

Where are we in the process right now? Well we are almost done with our 2nd packet of paperwork to get assigned a social worker for our home study. Our home study should take about two months-tops. We should have the packet sent out early next week. We are getting alot of paperwork done, organized, and ordered for our dossier (which completes the "paper pregnancy" and starts the waiting game). Please pray for us to be diligent in getting our paperwork done quickly and correctly. Thank you!

Charlie is 4 1/2 months away from GRADUATING!! I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished and overcome in hitting this milestone. He thought he wasn't "school minded" and now he is saying the "M" word...MASTERS! :)

Emmy is so much fun...She has always been fun, but lately we have just enjoyed her sweetness. She is a sweet spirit that we can't wait to watch God grow. We pray for you Emmy to always "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Deut. 6:5. We love you!

A little taste of reality...

Today we got an update on the wait time for a child referral. Currently in Ethiopia the wait time for a infant boy is approximately 9 months and for a infant girl it's 9-12 months. We were a bit surprised and disappointed by this news. This means after the 3-6 months worth of paperwork (which we are buried in right now) we will then turn the dossier (paperwork) in to the Ethiopian government and THEN start the 9-12 month wait time for our baby.

Although we are discouraged a little I just know that God is going to place us with the child God wants in our family. So apparently we have to wait longer to be blessed with this sweet child.
We are praying that the wait time would lessen and that God would teach us patience and continued trust in Him.

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11

We know this verse to be true in our lives and in the life of the child God is going to bring in our lives...We are praying for that child everyday and night. We can't wait to see his or her little face. It's crazy how I have that same anticipation as I did with Emmy...We are so excited!!

Thank you all for your prayers!

Faith...

My sister posted this quote on an email she wrote...

"Remembering our dependence on past mercies kindles gratitude. Gratitude is past-oriented dependence; faith is future-oriented dependence."
~John Piper, A Godward Life

How true this is! We have much gratitude for the many mercies the Lord has bestowed on us, the many blessings He has lavished on us...we pray for faith now as we begin this unknown road before us in adoption. We know once again God will bless and continue to be the merciful God He is...it is just such an unknown path that we have not and will not be able to plan or control! Not that any of us has any control in our lives, it just seems like it sometimes. :)

Please lift us up in prayer as this unknown road unfolds and as we lay at the Lord's feet our hopes and desires. Thank you for your friendships!

Confirmation

(The book above is called "Shaoey and Dot" and if you have never read it I suggest you do. It is a wonderful book for children, and adults about adoption. It really tugs at the heart and helps us understand God's desire for His lost little children and His plan for them...)

Here are some neat updates on how we've felt the Lord continue to confirm our decision to adopt from Ethiopia...

First, God moved in Charlie's heart to start the adoption process now.
Second, we found out that my family has some Ethiopian ties. My mom's cousin married an Ethiopian man and adopted an Ethiopian boy.
Third, my grandfather was a missionary in Africa and helped start a Christian college and my grandparents have a good friend who was a well known missionary in Ethiopia for 60 years.
Fourth, our church, Bridges, has "adopted" Ethiopia as a country...focusing mission trips there, prayer, and much more.
Fifth, God provided the exact amount for the first program installment! This was a wonderful surprise to us and a blessed confirmation to continue to move forward in the adoption process.

Now we await the papers for our home study and dossier...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." Psalm 3:5&6

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As we celebrate Christmas and a happy 2009, we are reminded of everything the Lord has given us. We are so blessed. Thank you Jesus for your life here on earth, for humbling yourself and being a sacrifice for us. Thank you for being victorious over death and taking the fear "sting" out of death. Thank you for adopting us into YOUR family, and sharing your inheritance with us. We don't deserve it, and yet you still give. Thank you Lord!

"For you did not recieve the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you recieved the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out "Abba, Father!" Romans 8:15

Emmy prays for a sister

Emmy has been praying for a new baby for awhile now. Lately Charlie and I will pray for a brother or a sister for emmy. She will quickly interrupt us and say she wants a sister. So we'll continue by telling God emmy wants a sister, but she'll be ok with a brother. Emmy agrees and tells us she wants a sister so they will match! We love hearing emmy pray, and hearing her pray for a sister (or a brother) is so exciting. God loves the prayers of babes!