Merry Christmas

Joseph - your stocking has been hung by the chimney with care in hopes that you would soon be there. We can't wait to get you home - your presents are waiting.

Just waiting . . .

Many people are wondering what is next. Well, unfortunately, it is just more of the same. . .waiting. You might think I am getting used to this waiting game by now, but it is honestly just getting harder by the day. I wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night with Joseph on my mind. Knowing he is half a world away breaks my heart.

So what are we waiting for? First the team in Ethiopia is working on securing a birth certificate with Joseph's new last name on it. After getting the birth certificate they will work on securing his passport. Finally, after both of these are obtained our agency will apply for an embassy date. We were told that this could take anywhere from 4-6 weeks.

In the meantime we are trying to use the wait to allow God to increase our faith and deepen our trust. No one uses timing better than the One who created time.

"He's Yours"

December 8, 2010

Today was a day full of bittersweet emotion. Sweet because we passed court and are officially a family of three, but bitter because we had to say goodbye to our son for at least 4-6 weeks. . .

We arrived early at the Ethiopian courts this morning to appear before the judge. There were 7 other families with us from our agency and we were all nervous. The agency had prepped us as to what the judge might ask, but we were still a bit anxious. We were one of the last couples to be called in. The judge asked us several questions including, “Do you have any children?”, “Have you spent time learning about the Ethiopian culture?”, and “Are you capable of raising a child of another race and culture?”. And the final question she asked was, “Do you realize this is permanent?” to which we of course responded yes. And then she said the words that will change our life forever. “He’s Yours!” All of the other couples from our agency also passed so we went for Ethiopian coffee to celebrate afterwards.

After lunch, we were able to make one last stop at the orphanage. It was a very short stop just to say goodbye. They had to wake Joseph up early from his afternoon nap so he was a little groggy when we were there. We played for just a short time in the playroom and then had to say goodbye. It was so very hard to leave him, but seeing how wonderful the nannies are and how he thrives in his classroom comforts us.

This has certainly been an amazing trip for both of us. All glory and praise to our Heavenly Father who has had this family of three in His plan since the beginning of time. Thank you God for this most precious gift you have given us.

The Daily Grind

Dear Joseph,

We got to visit you at the orphanage again today. It was so wonderful to get to see you and hold you again. Today was very special because we got a glimpse into what everyday life is for you right now. Dad picked you up first thing this morning and was in for a surprise. We think you may have had a lot to drink for breakfast because your diaper and your shorts were all wet! We followed one of your nannies who took you to your room and changed your diaper. What a great photo-opportunity that was, we will use those pictures to embarrass you in the future! While they were changing your diaper we met all three of your day-shift nannies: Genet, Abaynesh, and BeadYaie. They all love you so much and take really good care of you. I can tell they think you’re really special. We got to see where you sleep each night and apparently you are no longer sleeping in a crib. It looks like we have some work to do when we get home-converting your crib to a toddler bed!

Next, it was time to go outside and play. We can tell you love to play outside, it’s hard to get you away from that soccer ball! After we played for a bit it was time for lunch. We were able to watch you and your friends eat lunch. You were really good at using a spoon to eat your meal and only needed a little help. After lunch you and your friends sat in a row and the nannies sang songs with you. Our favorite song was one where you all took turns pointing at the boy or girl whose name was being called out by the nannies. You know all the names of your friends and point to each one at the right time. After song time it was time for potty training. The nannies took you and all your friends and put you each on training potties in the bathroom. You all sat there together and sang a song about poop and pee, it was really cute! You get to do this twice a day for twenty minutes each time. Maybe you will be close to being potty trained when you come home; we’re not counting on it though…

After your potty training session it was nap time. We were sad because that mean it was time for us to go for the day. It was harder today to leave than it was yesterday. I’m sure it will be even harder tomorrow because that will be the last time we will get to hold you this trip. We took so many pictures and movies of you so we would have something to look at and watch while we are waiting the 4-6 weeks until it’s time for you to come home. Tomorrow is a big day for your mom and dad as we have to appear in the Ethiopian court to finalize the adoption. Can’t wait to see you again tomorrow.

Love,

Mom and Dad

In Our Arms

Dear Joseph,

After holding you in our hearts for over 20 months, today, for the first time, we held you in our arms. This is a day we will never forget.

We woke up bright and early this morning in anticipation of meeting you and after what seemed like eternity we finally made it to the orphanage around 3:00pm. We were one of the last families to arrive at the orphanage. The other families that were there to meet your friends were already in one of your playrooms playing together with some new toys. When we walked up, we saw you standing at the front door of the room with that same precious and innocent face that was in all of the pictures. We bent down to talk to you, but I think you were a little overwhelmed by all of the visitors that were there.

Our first impression was that you were so small – smaller than we had imagined after seeing the pictures. We fell in love with that beautiful face of yours all over again. Using a few toys to lure you, soon you were on our laps and in our arms. You were definitely the most laid back of all the children in the room – but I think you were also one of the youngest. We loved watching you play with the soccer ball and kick it in the courtyard – and you were good at it! Several of the other parents even commented on that.

We were supposed to spend our time playing with all of the children at the orphanage, but it was so hard not to focus on just you. At the end of our time, you started to open up a bit as we were rolling the ball back and forth to each other – and I think we almost got a smile from you! We love you and can’t wait to bring you home.

Love,

Mom and Dad

We're here!!!

December 5th 8:45 am
After a long flight we made it to our guest house in Ethiopia last night around 10:00pm. We are now up and getting ready to have breakfast and then they are taking us to do a little shopping at the market until it's time for us to visit the orphanage. I told Jack this morning that I feel like a kid on Christmas morning - we can't wait to meet Joseph!! I will do my best to update later this evening.

On Our Way!

Well - we have successfully made it through the 1st leg of our trip and we now sit at Dulles International Airport in DC. We have a 5 and a half hour layover here and then we will be boarding Ethiopian Airlines for the 14 hour flight to Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia. The flight is direct except for the pit stop in Rome to refuel - unfortunately though we won't be able to leave the aircraft at that stop. We are surrounded by Ethiopians here in our terminal and it is making us so excited!! In about 24 hours we will be holding our son for the first time. . .

We are hoping to be able to blog while in country but we will have to see what the internet connection is and what our schedule is like. Thanks again for all of your prayers.

Our social butterfly

We are only days from getting to see our son in person, so we were so excited to get an update today from the orphanage!! It sounds like things are still going really well as our update indicated that his developmental progress has been excellent. Over the last month, he has begun using more words, has gained about 1 pound, and apparently has become a social butterfly. The social worker said that he knows all of his friends by name. When she asked him to point out his friends, he pointed to all of them without any mistake. They also said that he has begun climbing on his crib and jumping over it . . . it looks like we may be switching over to that toddler bed sooner than expected. :)

We're busy packing and tying up some loose ends before we leave, but we'll post one last time before we are in the air! Thanks to all of our friends and family who have been praying for us this week.

Future MU Football player??

This week we received our monthly update from Ethiopia. We were thrilled to get 15 more pictures as well as an update on our son's developmental progress. We are VERY proud parents this month - this must be what it feels like when your child brings home an impressive report card.

We learned that he is "attempting to run when he wants to catch his ball, climbing upstairs using his knees and hands, building towers of six blocks and walking backwards well." They commented again on how "friendly and charming" he was and that he loves to be "cuddled and hugged." Of course the part of the report that Jack loved was that he can, "throw and roll the ball two feet." MU Football - watch out - I think we may have a quaterback on our hands.

Praise God for answered prayers and for watching over and loving our son while we wait for him to come home.

Court date! Court date!

We found out yesterday that our court date in Ethiopia is December 8th! While we were hoping that we would get a November court date, we are just happy that things are moving and we can start making plans. It will be a very short trip as we will arrive 3 days before the court date and then leave to come home that night. We will get to see our son for only a couple hours each day which will be hard, but we are so excited to finally meet him! We'll have more details on the trip in the coming days.

Thank you God for answered prayers!

Orphanage shower

This past weekend some of my closest friends in Columbia threw me an Orphanage Shower. This was a little different from your typical shower in that everyone brought gifts that Jack and I will be able to take to Ethiopia to donate to the orphanage. It was a truly wonderful afternoon full of delicious food, great fellowship, and amazing generosity. At the end of the shower, we piled all of the donations on the couch and it was awesome to see the amount of items that had been donated. I feel so blessed to have friends that care as much as I do about caring for orphans. I can't wait to share these pictures from the shower with our son one day and tell him about all of the things we were able to take his friends at the orphanage. Thanks to all of my friends for their generosity and for making the day special!







Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction . . . James 1:27

Update!!

Today was a day full of wonderful news!! We received an email this morning from our social worker stating that our case has been submitted to the Ethiopian courts. This means that we should know when our court date will be within the next month. Praise God.

But that wasn't the end of our blessings for the day, because an hour later we received an email with an absolutely wonderful update on our son!! And the best part was that we were sent 15 more pictures with lots of smiles. In addition we were given an update on his gross motor and fine motor skills as well as language and social development. He seems to be doing great. They said that he walks backwards, attempts to run, drinks from a cup without spilling, scribbles with a crayon, and knows his name. He was described as "very calm and playful" and "charming" and they said that "he enjoys being with someone and to be hugged."

Well, little man, you have lots of hugs waiting for you at home. We can't wait to hold you in our arms!

Nesting

Well I'm not exactly sure if this is what you would call "nesting" but last week we put some of the finishing touches on our little guy's room by adding an African safari mural. We are getting so excited for his arrival!! We thought that the wait up until the referral was bad - well this is almost torture. Seeing his precious face everyday, but not being able to hold him is hard. I can't imagine how hard it will be to leave him after the first court trip. As we wait for the Ethiopian courts to reopen, we continue to pray that our son is healthy, growing, and being loved.

Psalm 40:1
"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry"

Referral paperwork sent and a gift for our son

It has been almost two weeks since we first saw our son and we are still on cloud nine! The days following our referral were filled with many calls to family and friends, a trip to KC and Columbia to show him off, and of course. . . more paperwork. We completed our referral acceptance paperwork as fast as we could, because we know that the sooner the paperwork gets to Ethiopia, the sooner we are assigned a court date. We are hoping to hear when our court date is assigned within the next month, but we are thinking that we won't get to travel for court until November. Unfortunately the Ethiopian courts close for 2 months every year around this time and so they are currently closed until the end of September. Bummer.

On a happier note, though, we were able to send a small photo album to our son that the orphanage will be able to show him. The album had pictures of us, his room, his grandparents, and his two cousins along with the Amharic/English narration of who everyone is. (Unfortunately we had to black out his picture on the blog since we aren't allowed to post that yet.) We are so happy that the agency allows us to do this and we hope he will recognize us when we meet!

It's a boy!!!

We are so excited to announce that today we laid eyes on our baby boy for the first time!! Words can not express the emotions that we are feeling right now. We already love him so much!! We are not allowed to post any other information until the adoption is final, but what I can tell you is that he is absolutely beautiful. We can not stop looking at his face!

For those of you that want the details, I got the call from our social worker this afternoon at about 1:15pm. Her message asked me to call her back "as soon as possible." For the next 2 and a half hours while we played phone tag, I was a nervous wreck. Surely with a message like that she was calling about a referral, right? When we finally were able to connect, she told me the exciting news about our baby boy. She was also able to share some of his history and his medical information. Then after we hung up she sent us 3 beautiful pictures of him. He has the biggest eyes, cutest cheeks, and most precious lips. He also has been given a name by his birth mother that is SO VERY special to us. I can't wait to pick him up and hold him!!

The pictures below show some of the referral news festivities. We suprised my parents with the news and then several family and friends came over to see his picture. Everyone was SO excited. The picture of Jack on the phone is him sharing the news with his parents. We are heading to KC tomorrow so we can show his picture to Grandma and Grandpa Galbraith. (We are not allowed to email or post any pictures.)

We will post more about what happens next in the days to come, but it is looking like he may not be home until after the first of the year. Until that time, we will continue to pray that God will watch over him and protect him as He prepares our hearts for each other. Thank you God for the blessing of life and for this precious gift you have given to us.

Home Study Update

This week we met with our social worker Aimee to update our home study. We had to have it updated due to our move to Saint Louis. She asked us a few questions about the move and then did a walk-through of the new house. We feel very fortunate to have such a wonderful social worker to help us through this process. She has been so patient and helpful with the endless questions that we have had for her.

We asked her how long she thought it would be before our referral and she is thinking we will find out something by the end of the year. So I think my estimate of finding out in the next month was a little over optimistic. But a girl can hope, right?

Inked Again

Last week, we were inked for the THIRD time since the adoption process began. If you didn't know better, you may think we were criminals. :) Our first set of fingerprints were for the Missouri State Highway Patrol and our background checks, the second set for the Department of Homeland Security and this third set was due to our recent move to St. Louis. Oh well, we don't care if they want to fingerprint us 6 more times...we will do whatever it takes!

Update on our wait

We have had many people asking when we think we might get a referral (aka find out which child we are matched with). Well, today, via our online adoption agency forum we found out that a family that sent their dossier in 3 weeks before us got their referral today! This means there is a good chance that we will find out something in the next month!! We are both so excited and can't wait for our phone to ring with the much awaited news.

Hopefully our next post will be about a referral!

Father's Day

It has been a busy past couple weeks, but today we were able to take time to celebrate Father's Day with Grandpa Dan and Jack. They were both excited to share their new Ethiopia dad and grandpa shirts. We are sad that we couldn't spend the day with Grandpa Hal who also has a matching shirt. :)

Like every Father's Day, today we thanked God for both our earthly and heavenly fathers, but we also remember in prayer today our child's birth father. Although we don't yet know the circumstances that will surround our adoption we pray for God to provide a special blessing today for this father who will always hold a special place in our heart.

TOMS

Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary and in celebration we decided to buy each other a pair of TOMS. If you haven't heard of TOMS - you should definitely check them out. They are a great shoe company and philanthropic organization. For every pair of shoes you buy from them, they give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. One for one. TOMS is working in many different countries, but we are really excited about the work they are doing in Ethiopia. Check out this video to see TOMS in action in Ethiopia.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! It's exciting to think that next Mother's Day I'll be able to celebrate with my baby! I found the cutest shirts for my mom, and Jack's mom and grandma. They say "grandma" in Amharic, which is the official language in Ethiopia.

Jack and I are trying to work on our Amharic so we will be able to communicate with a few simple phrases and words with our baby. Of course, the older the child is, the more important this will be since they will not know English. We have been told that their English generally develops quickly once they are here, but if we are referred an older toddler, it will be very important to know some basics!

Ciao!

Moving Day

Well, this past weekend we officially became homeowners in St. Louis. It will be a few months before we completely move in, but we did get a head start on things this weekend. While Jack was tearing up tile I was busy with the baby's room. It is the only room in the house that is close to being done. Go figure. :) Here are some before and after pictures of my extreme makeover!

Dabo Kolo

Today, for the first time, we tried an Ethiopian recipe. Dabo Kolo is a crunchy, spicy snack that is popular in Ethiopia. They look something like peanuts, and they are served like peanuts: as a snack, between meals, with drinks, and are available from street vendors and small shops. We thought they were pretty darn good.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it out:

2 cups wheat flour
1 tablespoon berbere (can substitute cayenne pepper or red pepper)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
4 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Slowly add the water and mix as to form a thick paste. Remove from bowl and knead it on a lightly-floured surface to form a thick dough. Add the softened butter and knead for an additional five minutes. Let the dough rest in a cool place for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into handful-size pieces and roll these into long "pencils" not quite as thick as your small finger. Cut these rolls into pieces, each piece no longer than the width of your finger. Heat an ungreased skillet over medium heat. Place enough of the uncooked dabo kalo in the skillet to loosely cover the bottom. Cook over medium heat, stirring periodically, until they are lightly browned on all sides OR arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes shaking the pan a few times to prevent sticking. (We preferred the oven baked method.)

Safari

We are only a few weeks from closing on our house in St. Louis . . . which means that soon I can start decorating our baby's room! We have decided that an African Safari theme would be fun and would also be gender-neutral since we don't know if we will have a boy or girl. It is also a theme that works for any age since we could get an infant or a toddler.

So far, we have a crib that will convert to a toddler bed and have picked up a few "safari" theme items. This giraffe seat/coatrack is my favorite! I put it together last week.

If anyone has good ideas for our African Safari room, then send them my way!

Whatever it takes. . .

Whatever it takes…

I’ve said that phrase so many times during this process. Whatever it takes to make this adoption happen, I’m willing to do. I truly mean that. If we have to travel two times to Ethiopia or ten times, we will do whatever it takes. As luck would have it, one of my favorite bands Pillar has a song on their new album titled, “Whatever it Takes.” As anyone who knows me would guess, I have made this my unofficial theme song for the adoption process (it’s not mushy enough for me to get Dana to make it our official song). I was listening to the words again today:

“Whatever it takes to get to you, whatever it takes to break through, whatever it takes you are my reason, for everything I do. Whatever it takes.”

I think it’s crazy to think that we love our future child so much that we would do anything for them-even though we have never seen or met him/her (or them). Then it hit me that God has that crazy type of love for us. Romans 5:8 says that “God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God gave his only Son Jesus to die for my sins. Jesus paid the penalty for my sins on the cross thousands of years before I was even born! That is an amazing kind of love. As we continue to struggle through this process I’m trying to see the struggle as a small (very small) example of the kind of love God has for us and his relentless pursuit of us, His children.

Two trips to Ethiopia??!!

When we started the adoption process we were told that the only thing predictable about international adoption is that it is unpredictable. Well, that is certainly proving to be true.

This past week we learned that the Ethiopian courts are now requiring families to travel to Ethiopia - not once, but TWICE! We will now be required to attend the initial court date (which occurs after a referral) and then travel back to Ethiopia 6-8 weeks later for the Embassy date and to bring our child home. Apparently this is due to over 50 families (none from our agency) deciding, when they travel for their Embassy date, that they do not want their child. This is Ethiopia's effort to ensure that a family has met and seen the child before their Embassy date and therefore this will resolve some of these problems of families deciding at the last minute they do not want the child referred to them. (I can't imagine deciding that you don't want a child, but sadly it happens.)

While we are a bit stressed about the extra cost of airfare and time off work to do this, there are some positives. First - we will get to see our child sooner!! (But I imagine leaving them after that visit will also be very hard.) In addition, our child will be eligible for an IR-3 visa since we will be at the first court date which will make them a U.S. citizen immediately upon arrival in the United States.

Although we definitely weren't expecting this huge change, we are comforted in the fact that God has had this planned all along. :)

Back from Honduras

After spending the last 10 days in Honduras on a medical mission trip we are back and feeling spirit-filled and refreshed. It was on the mission field that we first seriously considered adoption, so this trip was extra special for us. We had a great time and it was awesome to see God at work in so many ways. We saw over 1200 patients in clinic and the surgery team performed over 30 surgeries. We thank God for all that He provided over the week. To see a short slide show/video from the trip, click here.

And of course I have to show off what we brought back for our little one. We just couldn't pass up these souvenirs. We thought this would be a good start to our multicultural doll collection.

Dossier to Ethiopia

We received word from our social worker today that our dossier was sent to Ethiopia on March 5! What great news! Once it has arrived in Ethiopia, it will be translated and sent to MOWA and the various orphanages that our agency works with to await a referral. Gauging from last month's update from our agency, it appears that we are 60 something on the waiting list. Recent families have had a 6-10 month wait so we are hoping to have good news in 2010! It is cool to think that somewhere in Ethiopia there is a child that is meant for us.

Why Ethiopia?

This is my first blog entry...thanks to Dana for all her hard work so far on this. I wanted to just put in a little bit on why we chose Ethiopia. As we talked about before, Dana and I have always had a heart for international adoption but never had in mind a specific country. Our heart for international adoption came from our work on several international short-term medical mission trips. During these trips we came to realize just how many orphans there are abroad that need a loving family. We chose Bethany Christian Services as our adoption agency because of their good reputation. When we started the process through Bethany there were multiple options with respect to country which included Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Ukraine.

Different countries have different requirements to qualify for adoption. This has nothing to do with our adoption agency, these are strictly country-specific requirements. Some require the parents to be a certain age, some require the marriage to be of a certain length. All the countries require travel to that country, however, some require a prolonged stay (up to 4-6 weeks) or multiple trips. With the work schedule Dana and I have, a prolonged stay or multiple trips would not be possible for us, so God closed the door on those particular countries. Some we did not meet the age or marriage length requirements. After reviewing the requirements of each country and after careful consideration and prayer we decided that Ethiopia was the country God wanted us to adopt from.

In Ethiopia there are over 6 million orphans. Many are orphans because their parents have died of HIV/AIDS, and many have been given to the orphanages by family members because they were unable to financially provide for the child. Some of the older children were brought to the orphanage by police or a social service agency because they have no home and live in the streets. The need is overwhelming but we are excited to take a child/children without a family and show them the love of Christ!

Ethiopia in the 2010 Winter Olympics

Last night we attended a Winter Olympics party hosted by our friends Jana and Jonathan Hill. Everyone dressed up to represent their favorite country, then we watched the opening ceremonies together, and later played Wii Winter Olympics (Jack, by the way is very good at Wii curling.)

Of course, we represented Ethiopia! Now you may be wondering if there are any Ethiopians in the Winter Olympics . . . and yes, there is a sole representative of the country named Robel Teklemariam, a cross-country skier. How does he practice in Ethiopia you may be wondering? Good question - he roller skies down suburban Addis Ababa streets. Check out the link to find out more about Robel.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=reu-ethiopia_sports_feature_tv_pix&prov=reuters&type=lgns

Go Robel and Go Ethiopia!!

More on the adoption process

We have had lots of questions about our adoption process so we thought a FAQ post was in order.

What does the homestudy entail?

We actually thought the homestudy process was a lot of fun. We had a list of about 30 questions that we each had to answer about our past, our family, our relationship, and our thoughts about parenting. We were then assigned a social worker who met with us at our home on 4 seperate occassions. Her job was to make sure we were fit to be parents. During the sessions we went through the questions that we had prepared, she inspected our house, and we talked about what it would be like to be parents through adoption. After the meetings, she compiled a document known as our "homestudy" that detailed our complete history and ability to be parents.

What is a dossier? (pronounced “doss-e-A”)

A dossier is a collection of papers containing very detailed information about someone. Most countries open to international adoption require prospective adoptive parents to compile a dossier. Compiling a dossier involves gathering documents, having these documents notarized, and then adding various seals from your county, your state, and the U.S. government. NO stone is left uncovered in a dossier. It is really pretty amazing. Our dossier included information about us, our parents, and our siblings, our plans for raising a child, bank statements, pictures of our house, multiple sets of fingerprints, our homestudy, letters from our doctors, employers, and friends, and the list goes on. It took us 4 months to compile our dossier!!

What comes next?
We have completed and sent off our dossier, and now we are waiting for a referral. We have a preference for a child (male or female) 0-2 years or siblings 0-3 years. We expect to receive our referral in the next 10-14 months. Receiving our referral means finding out which specific child God has picked out for us. At that time we also receive a history of the child and a picture. After we accept the referral it will be 2-4 additional months before travel to Ethiopia and the adoption is finalized!

Kisses in the Wind

Jack found this and sent it to me - love it!

KISSES IN THE WIND (The Waiting Child's Lullabye)

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

Genesis

It may be a surprise to many of you that we have decided to pursue adoption - and it may be an even bigger surprise to find out we have been working on this for so long!

In May of 2009, after attending a presentation by The James Fund on adoption, we could really feel the Lord tugging on our hearts. We had always considered adoption, but after that presentation the words of Matthew 18:5 really rang true. We began praying about adoption and 8 months later here we are - officially waiting!

Although that makes our journey to this point perhaps seem easy, it has been far from that. The applications, reference letters, multiple sets of fingerprints, home visits, trainings, required readings, dossier and much more have been exhausting. Knowing the end product, however, kept us going.

We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us and invite you to join us on our journey to find our baby in Ethiopia!