Working Hard

Well, we just thought we should give you a little update as to where we are at in the adoption process and what we have been up to.
In our "spare time" we have been trying to get all of our home study paperwork completed, as well as scheduling various appointments and completing online adoption courses. Luckily, we don't have a TV, or really anything better to be doing in the evenings, so I think we are getting through the paperwork process relatively quickly. Plus, as most of you know, when Adam and I decide to do something, we like to dive right in and get it done! Hopefully by Wednesday of this week we should have most everything done for our home study packet that we can do, and hope to be able to have our second home visit. Since we have already adopted before, we didn't need to do the first visit, so we are already one down, and three to go!
In addition to completing piles and piles of paperwork, we have joined a yahoo chat group for families adopting from Ethiopia thru our adoption agency, America World Adoptions. This has been exciting for me, as it is a great way to meet other families in or finished with the process. It is a huge source of encouragement to be able to "talk" to other families doing the same thing, and hearing how God has provided. I can already tell, this year is going to be an awesome year of spiritual growth, and learning to completely rely on God's mighty power. Thinking about this gets me completely excited!
Adam and I have also been trying to come up with various ways that we can fund raise this summer and fall. If you have any suggestions, we'd love to hear them!

Just when we thought our family was complete...

Adam and I were sure that Capri would be our last baby. But, God has other plans in mind. April 13th Adam and I began to seriously discuss the idea of adopting a baby (again) but this time, from Africa! We have always had a connection with East Africa, and quickly learned that Ethiopia has one of the highest orphan populations in the world, at roughly 4.3 million! Our hearts broke.

We believe this is something God is calling us to do, and we have two choices. We can either choose to ignore God, and continue living life content with our family the way it is. Or, we can choose to listen to God, walk through the doors that He is opening, and see what amazing things He has in store. For us, the answer is obvious!

Even though we know that we are in God's will, it still seems overwhelmingly scary at times. God is good though, and he is putting just the right people in our lives to lift us up and encourage us at just the right times.

One of the scariest things for us, is the cost that is involved. Adoptions are very expensive, and Ethiopia is about $30-$35,000. God has already started providing, and we are trusting that He will continue to do so.

The adoption process takes about 12 -18 months, and right now we are in the very beginning stages, just starting to fill out the insurmountable pile of paperwork. They call it the "paperwork pregnancy"! We are so excited to welcome a new member into our family!

Thanks for Praying!