Home Study Interview

We had our first of two home study interviews today.  Today went great, but it was two hours long!  I am amazed at how much information they actually needed to know I am a good parent.  Lewis was home sick today due to an eye infection so after our appointment I used his day off to our advantage.   Lewis received his TB test (he wanted a cartoon band-aid), we both submitted for our county police reports, and started on some of our training.  By the end of the day he was done with me taking advantage of his day off.  The van was also done because the air conditioning stopped working today of all days!   Tomorrow I will be hitting all of our doctors offices to have documentation done, and off to Auston's yearly physical.  Hopefully no shots for him this year.  Then the van gets to go see it's doctor to fix the air conditioning.

We are finally back in the normal routine again after vacation.  Our family spent a week in D.C. having a ball.  The boys loved Washington, but the Metro was the best part according to them.
We have our first home-study appointment this Thursday at 10:00a.m.   Things are becoming more real everyday.  I am nervous and excited all at the same time.  We also have our t-shirt logo thanks to Samantha!!!   We are hoping to launch our t-shirts in a month.   Today also marked the opening of the adoption snack shack at work.   Carie and I made our first $14.00 towards our adoptions.  Carie and her husband are adopting domestically.  I am also excited that our adoption announcement and support letters have gone out.  We are continually praying that God will provide our every need.  Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support.

Well Friday was passport day  As we are in line to get our passport photos taken I looked at Lewis and broke out laughing.  On Thursday night Lewis helped out at Adventure Week (vacation bible school on steroids).  He had placed a temporary studio 6.7 tatoo on his right cheek.   Well his passport photo will for the next ten years represent adventure week.  I am hoping that they will accept this photograph.  We have our first home study visit coming up on July 28th.   I am so excited that things are progressing so well.  We also finished our letter to the Ministry of Women's and children's affairs today.  This is the introduction letter to the government of Ethiopia.  I am excitd today because we are telling our boys today that they are going to be getting a litle sister soon!  Well I am off to vacation.

I am officially overwhelmed!!!  Today we received our home study packet.  I never realized how much information we were needing to obtain.  Oh well I guess one day at a time one foot in front of the other.  We have our first home study office visit on July 28.  I am so excited to start down this amazing journey that God has planned for our family.  Please keep us in your prayers that we will not become to overwhelmed, but continually to seek God in everything and everyday.

The Next Step

Today we received our adoption packet from Children's Hope International.  Wow we are on information overload.   We are excited and a little scared at this moment to be honest.  Our next step will be starting and completing our home study.  Please pray for Gods ever lasting care and provisions during this time.  We are placing our faith totally on God right now.  We chose Live the Letters from Matthew 25:35-36 written above.   We look at these red letters from our bibles which are words our Lord Jesus said.  When you read on in Matthew 25:40 Christ says "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me".   So in our families eyes Jesus is the weak, the hurting, the forgotten, the sick, the poor, the orphaned, the person we ignore on the side of the road asking for help, or could it be our neighbor next door.  For us it is the daughter in Africa that God has called us to raise, to love, and to nurture.  Many people will wonder why Ethiopia, why a girl, why that age, why why why.  The awnser is a simple because God said to us to go and do to the least of these.  We are saying Yes!!!!

The Journey Begins

We received word today from Children's Hope International that our application for adoption from Ethiopia has been excepted!!   We are so excited to get started on this long emotional journey.