Hi everyone. I'm slowly transitioning from Mexico missions stuff back to adoption details. We're working hard at adoption details, including raising funds.
To offset the cost of our adoption, we're hosting an adoption auction fundraiser. This will be an online auction for about 2 weeks followed by a dessert and live auction here in Iowa. We've had several donations of items and greatly appreciate that. Realistically though, there's a need for more donations. If you have an item or service to share, I want you to be able to do so. Please let me know ASAP if you would be willing to donate to our auction. To give you an idea of some of the donations so far, here's a list:

prom dresses worn only once
· tie blankets
· hand knitted scarves
· free baby sitting
· baby quilt
· custom designed cards
· hand crafted jewelry
· antique hand quilted quilt
· framed wolf print
· acrylic painting
· silver bracelet that doesn't fit them

... hmm, i bet I have some stuff like that...especially a bracelet from an old boyfriend. Some other things come to mind as great items too:

gym memberships
· guitar lessons
· educational tutoring
· photography sitting
· photography lessons
· livestock - for a pet or for meat
· something you make - either professionally or as a hobby
· Supplies left over from something you sold (mary kay, creative memories, etc)
· that new pair of shoes or jacket you never returned
· that really cool international item you bought but don't know what to do with

These are things I think of cause they're things I like/want but don't necessarily need. Anyway, let me know. We would be much appreciated to hear back from you either way. Just to give you an update on where we're at in the process, I'll share that too. On Monday night we viewed the profile of a waiting child and will be presented to the selection committtee for him. Chances are it won't amount to anything but I live by faith, not by coincidence. I'm trusting in God's will on this, regardless of the outcome. But before we can move too much further, we have lots to do. We have to pay the remainder of our application fee ($250). We have the contract and invoice ($2500) at home to sign and return. We have to do our finger printing for our background investigation and gather up our birth and marriage certificates. We will be emailing our tax info today or tomorrow. Those we named as references are working on their surveys. After that, we head to LeGrand Iowa (Sept 18-19) for the first part of our adoption education requirements. The process is moving along now and we're excited for the end result! Thanks so much for being willing to participate in our journey.

Going to Committee

We viewed a little boys profile last week. We will move forward with this precious child. In Holt adoption terms, that means we're going to committee. From my understanding they will determine if we're a good family fit for him. There are other families interested in this little boy. Regardless of who he goes home with, I'm thrilled to know that he'll be getting a family and a home. Chances are that the committee will choose a family that is paperwork ready if they are also a good fit. That would get the little boy home quicker.

You might also note that this little boy is not part of a sibling group. Though we want siblings and I would love twins, our main goal is to care for the orphans in need of a home, even if that's not exactly what we want. I'm still learning that it's not about me.

We continue to walk in faith...

You've got Mail - from Holt

We received our contract and other paperwork in the mail from Holt. We stared reading the adoption contract last night. Its only 8 pages long. I got 2 1/2 pages through it before I was falling asleep. It's so detailed that it took me 30 minutes to read through that much! Whew!

With the contract we received our background check information so we need to get finger printed. We received our invoices for some fees so we need to pull $25250 out of savings to send back.

The process is so overwhelming and I'm glad to finally be starting into things.

Profile View

Monday night Ryan and I viewed the profile of a waiting child in Ethiopia. He'd fall right between Scott and Bethany in age. Not sure that it will go anywhere since we have lots of paperwork and training to do before we can be matched with a child. It was exciting to look. And who knows, maybe he will become part of our family.

Process

I just got off the phone with the branch representative for our adoption.  A while back we signed up for the waiting child program and last week asked to be duel enrolled in the regular program as well.  The rep just called to give me a run down of the process that we'll venture through in the near future:
 
Stage 1:
They'll send us forms for the background check, an invoice for the remainder of our application fee ($250), an invoice for our homestudy fee ($2900, we'll pay the mileage later), the international service agreement and the duty form.
 
We'll fill out our forms and send them the last 3 years of tax returns, photos of the exterior of our home, photos of our family, copies of our birth and marriage certificates and some cash.
 
They'll send letters to our individual references.
 
Stage 2:
They'll send us forms for medicals, more detailed financials, personal data forms.
 
We'll have to finish the first 4 hours of Hague required training before our homestudy is completed.  This occurs in LeGrand Iowa on a Friday night and Saturday morning.
 
We didn't get any farther than that in the process.  So far, not too bad.  Let's pray that God perfectly orchestrates the details of the above mentioned process as we seek to love a child(ren).

---

With Windows Live, you can organize, edit, and share your photos. Click here.

Fill A Need?

I just read a friend's blog where she gave a brief update about their adoption. There is a great need that I think we can meet but let me give you a little background.

About a Child facilitates adoptions in Ghana. Their connection is through a local Pastor. He's doing amazing things for God as he meets children in need of a family and connects them to families. In the recent months (Janel, correct my where needed on this story) the Pastor's office was broken into. Of the items stolen, his laptop was inlcuded in that. As the Pastor seeks to communicate with various villages about the children in need, there are a few critical tools he needs. One is a lap top. The other is a motorcycle. If he had these two items, he would be better equipped to visit the villages and communicate back with the adoption agency and families.

It sounds so simple doesn't it. It is. In America. Unfortunately this need is in Ghana and its not so simple there. I mentioned to Janel that we should pray for those specific items (something I learned to do again while in Mexico). As I take time to pray for these items, I also wanted to ask if you would be able to help fill a need. How many of us use a computer for 3 years only to determine its too old and too slow and get a new one? In fact, I read a friends blog today where she mentioned that very issue. Because we're not in Ghana, gifting an actual motorcycle might be difficult but a lap top might be easier to send over. Would you pray with me? Would you let me know if you can donate a lap top or a financial gift for this ministry?

What an Experience

Yesterday I read on Janel's blog about how God perfectly orchestrated them seeing the homecoming of a family who'd just adopted. It was so cool and I was a bit emotional reading that. I'll never forget the day that I picked up my Pastor and his family at the airport when they brought their daughter home from China.

Today, I had an experience similar to Janel's. Just 30 minutes ago I was driving through town with my boss on our way back to the office from a meeting. As we passed the court house I saw a group of people with baloons. There were several children around and I thought it was sweet that someone got baloons for their birthday. As I paid closer attention I saw so much more than birthday baloons. My boss noticed it as well and questioned what the balloons were for. About that time it hit me that a family had likely just finished their re adoption process at the court house. I explained that to my boss and he acknowledged that it made since considering the family that was out there is the family in town who adopted from Ethiopia recently.

A bit of emotion welled up inside of me as I thought through their day for them and could imagine the picture they took with the judge, the celebration in their family and how other family had gathered around. Like Janel, I was scheduled to be done with a meeting early and would have totally missed it but happened to drive through at just the right time. Thank you Jesus for such a simple but precious gift.

Waiting

"Waiting is one of God's most powerful tools of grace. God doesn't just give us grace for the wait. The wait itself is a gift of grace. You see, waiting is not only about what you will receive at the end of the wait. Waiting is about wahat you will become as you wait." Paul David Tripp
 
What a cool quote to put things in perspective for me.  I don't like waiting at all!

---

Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you. Try BingT now.