We are learning a lot about this country and are humbled by the truth of its depravity. But, we are also learning about the beauty of the people and the country.
We are learning a lot about adoption...and beginning to feel how long this process can REALLY feel. We should be getting our next update tomorrow to find out what number we are on the list. Slightly nervous but hopeful we will see great movement.
Thankful for our good friends that have gone before us in this process.
Praying that there will be other good friends that follow behind us in this process.
Trusting God for His provision. OH how he provides!
Thankful for all of our incredible family and friends who have supported us financially...totally humbled and blessed by you.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
One year...
This past Sunday was our one year mark.
Our public decision was announced and our application was printed on January 5...application mailed to our agency on January 20th.
A blurb from a previous blog entry on that day back in January 2012.
We are just in the very early stages of pursuing an adoption for a little boy...in Ethiopia. We are incredibly excited, a bit nervous, confident of our calling to this, and pumped that we are diving in. We have talked and prayed about this for over a year, and have finally decided to begin our journey. Our girls are thrilled, to say the least. After we told Ellie and Emma that it was really going to happen (they have been a part of praying with us in this for quite some time) they both went to school the next day and told their classes that they were going to have a brother from Africa soon! Ha! I love their joy and excitement. Although it's not going to be soon...
Lifeline adoption agency says the average process takes 12-15 months once the dossier is submitted, but Ryan and I are gearing ourselves up for 2- 2.5 total years. :) We would love for it to happen sooner, and God willing it will!
In the meantime, we begin the paperwork trail, and it's oh so daunting. I don't think I can read through the Ethiopian manual too many times or I might start having anxiety attacks. An adoption or a pregnancy--BOTH require emotions and our physical bodies. Neither is better or worse, just different. So we are beginning a very different journey to our son. I know it will seem more real and more exciting and more glorious, once we've seen his face on a picture. In the meantime, this is how we're praying:
*for this boy, who may not even be born yet, to be carried in his mother safely and with as much dignity and care as possible.
*for our finances...I really have no idea how the money will come in, or if the money will come in. I don't know what God is going to do with this, but we are trusting Him and beginning to take strides to make some changes in our spending.
*for the city of Sylvania, OH. That our community would fall in love with the TRUTH that more of us can change the life of an orphan. We would love to see this spread, we would love to see more trans-racial families in our community!!
Now...
One year later we are done with the trail of paperwork.
We have continually prayed those prayers.
We have been blessed beyond belief with support from family and friends.
We have just BEGUN to learn the lesson of what it means to wait on God.
We have had tons of fears/worries as well as blessed conversations and encouragement from people who have walked this path. We are ready to dive in.
And... we are SO many steps closer to receiving that email with the picture of our son's face.
Pumped.
Our public decision was announced and our application was printed on January 5...application mailed to our agency on January 20th.
A blurb from a previous blog entry on that day back in January 2012.
We are just in the very early stages of pursuing an adoption for a little boy...in Ethiopia. We are incredibly excited, a bit nervous, confident of our calling to this, and pumped that we are diving in. We have talked and prayed about this for over a year, and have finally decided to begin our journey. Our girls are thrilled, to say the least. After we told Ellie and Emma that it was really going to happen (they have been a part of praying with us in this for quite some time) they both went to school the next day and told their classes that they were going to have a brother from Africa soon! Ha! I love their joy and excitement. Although it's not going to be soon...
Lifeline adoption agency says the average process takes 12-15 months once the dossier is submitted, but Ryan and I are gearing ourselves up for 2- 2.5 total years. :) We would love for it to happen sooner, and God willing it will!
In the meantime, we begin the paperwork trail, and it's oh so daunting. I don't think I can read through the Ethiopian manual too many times or I might start having anxiety attacks. An adoption or a pregnancy--BOTH require emotions and our physical bodies. Neither is better or worse, just different. So we are beginning a very different journey to our son. I know it will seem more real and more exciting and more glorious, once we've seen his face on a picture. In the meantime, this is how we're praying:
*for this boy, who may not even be born yet, to be carried in his mother safely and with as much dignity and care as possible.
*for our finances...I really have no idea how the money will come in, or if the money will come in. I don't know what God is going to do with this, but we are trusting Him and beginning to take strides to make some changes in our spending.
*for the city of Sylvania, OH. That our community would fall in love with the TRUTH that more of us can change the life of an orphan. We would love to see this spread, we would love to see more trans-racial families in our community!!
Now...
One year later we are done with the trail of paperwork.
We have continually prayed those prayers.
We have been blessed beyond belief with support from family and friends.
We have just BEGUN to learn the lesson of what it means to wait on God.
We have had tons of fears/worries as well as blessed conversations and encouragement from people who have walked this path. We are ready to dive in.
And... we are SO many steps closer to receiving that email with the picture of our son's face.
Pumped.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
FIRST
So, we always look forward to the first of the month, because that's when our agency sends us an update on our placement on the list. I checked my email WAY too many times on New Year's Day. But it came. :)
We moved up 5 more spots... and 9 total referrals were given the month of December!! We continuously feel blessed and satisfied as we see MOVEMENT each month. Having said that, each month that passes, we get more anxious to find out who this little guy will be. Ryan and I are still truly at peace in this waiting time, as we know it's valuable and worth a lot. So many other friends/bloggers/writers out there who have adopted say that we won't really understand all of the lessons we will have learned throughout this waiting time, until it's over. I know the day will come when we have a face and a name and an age. THAT will be the day I want to buy a plane ticket and go to get him, without the ability to just go and do that. We have a lot to learn in this.
Please pray for Ryan and I that God would slowly be lifting the veil to what He has for us in this season.
We hear super encouraging stories of well acclimated children in American homes, and we hear stories that aren't quite so uplifting. There are both scenarios out there. What we are specifically praying NOW is that God will select--hand pick--this guy to be a perfect fit for our family. His personality, his stubbornness (we all tend to have a bit of that), his love for good food, his character...right on down to his sleep schedule...that we would just fit. We are up for whatever the lesson is or the challenge ahead of us. But we pray for just a perfect fit.
Thanks for walking this road with us. :)
We moved up 5 more spots... and 9 total referrals were given the month of December!! We continuously feel blessed and satisfied as we see MOVEMENT each month. Having said that, each month that passes, we get more anxious to find out who this little guy will be. Ryan and I are still truly at peace in this waiting time, as we know it's valuable and worth a lot. So many other friends/bloggers/writers out there who have adopted say that we won't really understand all of the lessons we will have learned throughout this waiting time, until it's over. I know the day will come when we have a face and a name and an age. THAT will be the day I want to buy a plane ticket and go to get him, without the ability to just go and do that. We have a lot to learn in this.
Please pray for Ryan and I that God would slowly be lifting the veil to what He has for us in this season.
We hear super encouraging stories of well acclimated children in American homes, and we hear stories that aren't quite so uplifting. There are both scenarios out there. What we are specifically praying NOW is that God will select--hand pick--this guy to be a perfect fit for our family. His personality, his stubbornness (we all tend to have a bit of that), his love for good food, his character...right on down to his sleep schedule...that we would just fit. We are up for whatever the lesson is or the challenge ahead of us. But we pray for just a perfect fit.
Thanks for walking this road with us. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)