DeeeeeeeeTeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

Today is the day! 2/18/11. I thought this day may never come, but alas, it's here! We are done with our paperchase and are officially waiting for a referral (est. wait time is around 8 months). And the bonus to this exciting day......my parents are here from Michigan celebrating with us!! :)

next phase

Just got the call that our official, complete, approved, notarized home study is in the mail. As soon as I get it I will add our letter from USCIS and overnight it to them so they can abort their intent to deny based on our first one. The next thing I will do is begin grant applications. Since we already did our biometrics, I will also review our dossier to make sure it is ready to be driven to Jackson the moment we receive our I-171h to be certified by the secretary of state and then fed-ex'd to AWAA. Hmmmm....will this phase go smoothly and timely????

Good news....we sold our camper for just more than enough to send our dossier to ET!

breathe in, breathe out

I am on the verge of crazy! We had our last meeting with New Beginnings ***insert hearts around that name*** yesterday and reviewed the rough, rough draft of our homestudy. The next step is for our social worker to make the adjustments that we went over and send it to our adoption agency for approval before creating the official, final copy. The final copy then goes to USCIS for approval to bring an orphan into the country and then it's all off to Ethiopia and we can sit back and wait (a good 6 months or so) to be matched with a child.

So I'm going crazy in a good, superly excited way because I can't believe we're this close to being on the official waiting list, but I'm also going crazy in a bad, overly anxious way. I have known all along that there is potential to be denied by USCIS because of our denial by That Other Agency, so I've been nervous about that but hopeful and prayerful that all will go well. Well......today we got a notice of intent to deny from USCIS! The letter says we have 30 days to show them why they shouldn't deny us. I immediately called our social worker and family coordinator to let them know of the urgency to get our final home study to USCIS within 30 days and they assured me that that will be no problem....but, oh, it's all I can do to not have a complete break down right now. I'm speed reciting in my head "be anxious for nothing..., be anxious for nothing..." Pray with us that USCIS will be favorable toward us and they will have no hesitation in issuing us the beloved I-171h when they review our new home study.

And on a related note, we don't have the money needed to be able to send our dossier to Ethiopia, BUT we have a couple coming on Saturday to look at our RV with the intent to purchase (they live 2 1/2 hours away) and that sale will give us exactly what we need for this next payment. Please also pray that the sale goes through!!!


"...but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

fear revealed

I had a flashback from my childhood this evening as I spread out all of our dossier documents on the dining room table for the sole purpose of looking at them. I remembered lining up all my freshly purchased school supplies on the floor days before that much anticipated first day of a new grade and lying on my belly, head propped in my hands, staring at the utensils and imagining the thrill of organizing them in my new desk and eventually putting them to use. Hmmmm, I guess I just confessed to being a geek. We are SO close (or so I think) to sending our dossier to Ethiopia, which is a HUGE step in this process, and as much as I daydream happy thoughts of meeting our son for the first time, I fear our trip to Africa.

One thing this whole adoption journey has done in me is grow my desire to give more. I want to give it ALL away...time, energy, resources. This world is not my home and I don't want to be comfortable in it. I possess HOPE that too many have not even heard of. There is no joy or satisfaction in living for self, and yet I'm selfish and my priorities are out of whack. I'm afraid when I experience a world completely deficient of the luxuries that I consider basic amenities and full of a people who know what it is to live in want I am going to face an utter contempt for our society. I am anticipating our time in Ethiopia to change us, and I'm scared.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSdP6PqsbJY&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=MLGxdCwVVULXcCM_1zMMoMRza_NKgVpwJZ

Burger or Baby?

While enjoying dinner at a Southern-style home-cooking buffet several months ago, we were chatting with a couple who was also in the process of adopting from Ethiopia and Michael noted that he was making another trip to the buffet not for hunger but for taste. The wife commented that the Ethiopian courts look at body mass index of prospective adoptive parents, so one must ask self "burger or baby?" We have come to use that term frequently and with many variations of "_____ or baby?" Most recently, "camper or baby?"


We are SO excited to be moving forward again with the help of New Beginnings, but I know the reality is that it could still be a long, bumpy road before we are DTE (Dossier To Ethiopia - officially begins our sit-back-and-(pray and raise money and-)wait stage). So, once again I am fighting anxiety in my life and trying to be patient and not read too many detailed stories about the orphaned children, but focus on doing what we can to bring our son home as soon as possible. Talk about emotionally challenging! Anyway, back to the camper....in my dream scenario where everything goes smoothly and quickly, I want to be financially ready to send our dossier over as soon as it is ready to go, so, we're hoping to sell our beloved RV to get the funds for that. Don't worry, friends who know how much we cherish our four weekends off each year in the RV, our camping days are not over. :) Sooooooo, if you or anyone you know might be interested in a GREAT camper, check out our ad here!!

The post I've been dreaming of....

Good news!!!! No, GREAT news...no, make-you-burst-into-tears news (ok, make me burst into tears news)...We just got a call from New Beginnings Adoption Agency and they are rewriting our homestudy for us!! Approved! Little Ethiopian Boy, here we come to bring you HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my theology

Ok, I know I JUST posted but I have one more thought to share and then I am going to bed!

I believe in....and find hope and peace and joy in....a sovereign God. I love this song by Jeremy Riddle (as well as all his others....he holds my personal "favorite artist of the year" award for three years in a row now):

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm

Deep in unsearchable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessing, in blessing
In blessing on your head

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense
But trust Him for His grace
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face

His purposes will ripen fast
Unfolding every hour
The bud may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flower

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain
God is His own interpreter
And He will make it plain

In His own time
In his own way....


The chorus says that the clouds are big with mercy and shall break in blessing... I don't believe that the blessing is necessarily getting what we want. The blessing is His purpose being fulfilled and Him receiving glory. And that is our ultimate desire.

Good night.