Are We There Yet…

Happy New Year everyone! It’s hard to believe that we have yet again turned the page on a new year. 2019 and the 2010s decade seemed to go by so fast at times. In reflecting on the previous year and decade, though many times were hard, we have been so blessed. Many of our blessings came in the form of friends and family that have offered us overwhelming support over the years. Through the difficult times, and the times of joy you all have been there for us and for that we say THANK YOU!

There have been several times over the past few months where we’ve wanted to write out an update. On the one year anniversary of us starting the adoption process back in November, or during the season of Advent when our hearts were stirred to think about our adoption as we thought about the significance of waiting for Christ.

We’ve been fully approved since October 9th, and have been officially a waiting family since then. What that means is that, until we are matched, there is no paperwork, no on-line trainings, and no running around from this office to that office to get things done. We are just waiting.

It’s almost maddening at times to hear the question “do you have any updates”. Everyone who has asked are extremely well intentioned, but the difficulty is that we literally have nothing to report. We are simply waiting on a phone call. We will spare you the details on what happens once we get that call because we’ve discussed it in other post. Just know that we know about as much as you do right now, and look forward with joy to sharing with you far more once we have information to report.

While we’ve been waiting on THE call, we did take the opportunity to get the boys their passports. This of course is a big deal because it means that they can travel with us when we go to get their sister(s)! Having them in country with us will go a long way in helping us to form healthy attachments as a family with our new little one(s). When you are waiting, little steps like this are what keep you going so for that we are grateful.

How You Can Be Praying For Us

Please pray for patience as we await God’s perfect timing. We have no idea when our process will begin to move forward/conclude, but we do know that God is sovereign over our process. We are in our third month of waiting and could be waiting for many more months. We need God’s grace to be able to trust Him and to not worry.
Please pray for the Lifeline Latin America team as they will be the ones that decide when we receive a referral (THE call). Pray that God grants them wisdom as they think through what is best for our future daughter(s) as their efforts are geared towards what is best for the child(ren).
During the last weekend of this month we will be traveling to Birmingham, AL for the Rooted in Love conference. This is a day and a half intensive training for families that are adopting. During this conference we will be given tools and the encouragement to work towards healthy attachment with our daughter(s). Please pray that this time will be informative and a blessing to us as we prepare for the expansion of our family.
We have been VERY blessed in our fundraising efforts thus far and are not too far off from our goal. Through personal funds and one or two fundraisers over the next couple of months, we will reach a point of being FULLY funded. Please pray that we remain diligent in saving our personal funds, but also that our fundraising efforts will be successful when the time comes to roll them out.
Please pray that we continue to grow in our parenting of our boys as we await our new addition(s).
Finally, and as always please pray for our daughter(s) as they wait to be united with us. We were so blessed to see, through social media, how well FANA (the group home we are adopting from) cared for and loved on the children staying there during the Christmas season. It was comforting to know that our daughter(s), if there, had an enjoyable Christmas celebration. That said, it increased the longing we have for them to be home with us. Please pray that next Christmas, we will be able to celebrate with them!

Once we receive a referral and are matched, the updates will be more frequent. As for now, we will provide updates as they come. Thank you as always for your support, but most importantly for your prayers!

In the meantime, here are a few pictures from our holiday season that will give you a glimpse into what we’ve been up to over the last few months!