The New Numbers!

Here's the official update (I'm trying so hard to stay on top of this). This past Tuesday we were told that we have been moved to #28 on the girl's list, #9 on the boy's list and #5 on the sibling list. However, I just received our weekly email from our agency and, since Tuesday's update, more baby referrals have gone out. So, we are "unofficially" #24 on the girl's list, #8 on the boy's list and still #5 on the sibling list. Slowly, but surely, we're getting closer to seeing the little person that God has providentially set apart for our family. I can smell the baby lotion already. How incredible is God's will? Even though we live in such a broken world, He is still able to break through the chaos and lead those who will put their trust in Him. I'm so grateful to Him today.

The Love of God

John 4.16: We have come to understand and to trust the love which God hath in us.

"I have been thinking much of this translation. We can never fully understand that love, but we can begin to understand it even here and now, and as we understand, we trust. This means that we trust all that the love of God does; all He gives, and all He does not give; all He says, and all He does not say. To it all we say, by His loving enabling, I trust. Let us be content with our Lord's will, and tell Him so, and not disappoint Him by wishing for anything He does not give. The more we understand His love, the more we trust." -Amy Carmichael

The Orphans of Ethiopia

Ethiopian Orphans from Simon Scionka on Vimeo.

New Numbers!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone!This is Claire. My mom hasn't written on the blog latley so I decided to update you on the waiting list. While we were waiting to find out our numbers on the list we got an email that said that a large number of refferals went out over the month.My family was really anxious to find out our places on the list. We had one more week to find out.That Tuesday that we were supposed to get our numbers, in the morning we got a call.Someone was talking to my mom while I was getting ready for school.The person that called told my mom that our caseworker,Christy Penny was on vacation. On the way to school my mom was telling me that she got that call saying that Christy couldn't tell us our place because she was on vacation with her family.In the car I was telling my mom that only our family would have a caseworker that went on vacation the day that we were supposed to find out our place on the list.Finally, that Friday we got another call, it wasn't our caseworker but it was someone else.First,she apologized that we didn't get our numbers that Tuesday.She also said that she called to tell us our new numbers. First of all she was right about our numbers moving up a little bit faster than usual. For the girls list we started at 43 and now we are 35,for the boys list we started at 15 and now we are 11,and last for the siblings group we were 11 and now we are 9. I am excited that the sibling list is the shortest list because I am praying that we can have the chance to adopt a twin brother and sister.

A Prayer For the Day

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I
may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
St. Francis of Assisi

The Numbers Are In!!!!!!!!!!!

It's done. The paperwork, the notarizations, the trips to County Clerks offices, the photocopying...all of it, is done!! Last week I brought our entire dossier and home study to the Fed Ex office and found myself apprehensive to give it over to the inattentive man on the other side of the counter. I felt as though I was giving him my own baby (it practically weighed as much as one). That large stack of paper represented so much work, time, frustration and effort and, unfortunately, I'd recently read about people sending theirs out only to learn that it was LOST in the mail. Well, as you can imagine, I felt a good bit of uneasiness by the possibilities of error, so I laid hands on the package and asked God to assign one of His angels to guard it, I suggested Michael, and make sure it safely arrived on my case worker's desk. Thank God, it did. Of course nothing should ever be done quickly in this process, so I was told that even though my paperwork arrived on Monday, they wouldn't be reviewing it until Friday. More lessons in patience. Friday rolls around and I'm beside myself with excitement. I wait all day and slightly stalk my case workers with phone messages reminding her that my phone is broken and she should call Brian to let us know if our paperwork passed. Hours pass, Brian's performing a wedding somewhere and I'm at home trying to keep myself busy, but still no word on our status. I call Brian and ask him if he received any news, he says "no". I eventually look at the clock and it says it's 8pm. I realize that the agency's office, which is in Oregon and three hours behind us, is now officially closed. They didn't call. They're playing with my mind!! This is all a sick joke. I'm wondering if they're all on some kind of power kick? Just toying with our vulnerability. In the midst of my pity party, Brian calls me to say he just realized there was a message on his phone. It was our case worker, she said our paperwork was perfect, we passed.....and we are officially on the waiting list!!! I quickly repent for the thoughts I had just been thinking 60 seconds before and thank God for getting us to this point. What a wonderful feeling!!!!! So, here's our current status. Infant Boys #15 Infant Girls #43 and Siblings #11. The work is done and now the waiting game begins. I believe we'll be updated every three weeks or so and given our new status on each list. It's the closest thing to having a due date that I'm going to get. Thanks for everyone's encouragement and prayers during this process. We appreciate it more than you know.

I Can See The Light.....

Okay, the light is in sight!!! At this moment, our home study is being reviewed by our adoption agency and, if it is approved, I will be asked to send my dossier (the ridiculous collection of documents I've been compiling for the past month and a half) and another really big check to them too. Once this happens, we will officially be on the waiting list!!!!!!!!! As soon as we get on the list I'll be able to update everyone on our status. Every couple weeks or so our number will continue to climb towards #1. Once we reach #1, it will just be a matter of time before we get "the call" that informs us that a baby...or babies have become available. We're all extremely excited, but Claire is especially beside herself. She has made this process so enjoyable because of her endless enthusiasm and prayers. She's purchased Ethiopian flags for her room, fallen in love with Ethiopian cuisine, bought books on Ethiopia to prepare her for our trip there and made t-shirts that have special fabric on them cut into the shape of Africa with a heart where Ethiopia would be.......she's also currently trying to create a sculpture of Africa out of various colors of clay. Do you get the feeling she's excited? I love it. Please remember us in prayer as we are placed on the list and continue to draw closer to the day where we meet the precious child God has already chosen to be a part of our family.