So...

we wait. Here are a few things that we are waiting on at the moment:

- Jon's passport renewal. It has been expedited so hopefully we will get it next week. That is the last piece to our homestudy paperwork. All we need is the 9 digit passport number. Ahhh!!

- Our social worker to write up our homestudy. As far as I know he has already been working on it but it is 14 pages long so it's not like this will happen overnight. Oh how I wish it would.

To temper any irritation over the waiting (which I should get used to) I received some exciting news from our family coordinator with AWAA. She told us that as soon as our homestudy is approved and finalized our family will be registered with CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority). That basically means that we will be registered with India's online database and will officially be waiting for a match! There is no telling how long we will wait for a match but just the fact that at any point we could receive a phone call is absolutely thrilling.

In light of this news I found that my prayers have shifted a bit. I am praying for wisdom and discernment as the Lord prepares our hearts for this little girl. May the Lord make his will clear concerning what child he has for us and may we step out in faith even if the end result looks different than we imagined. Not only have my prayers shifted but man do I have tons of questions floating around in my head. Will we know without a doubt that she is our daughter when we see her picture? How long will it take for us to be matched with a child? What comes next?

This journey is so crazy. Please continue to lift us and our daughter up in your prayers. For now we could use prayer that our homestudy would be completed soon and that our registration with CARA would go smoothly. We're making progress friends. I can't wait to see what God has in store next.

Bake Sale

We completed our first fundraising activity this past weekend. Our church rallied around us and provided the most amazing spread of baked goods I have ever seen. We had three tables full of food. The tables were so crowded with desserts that we had an overflow table in the back where we kept food until a spot opened up. Honestly as I gazed at the abundance of food I worried a bit and wondered, "How in the world are we going to sell ALL of this food?!?" Remember we live in a small town so our resources here are quite limited.

 

I should have trusted the Lord from the beginning because the rush of people we had from start to finish was phenomenal. We had a few down moments but most of the day was filled with sales. We sold whole pies, cobblers, cakes, cookies, tarts, brownies. You name it we had it. A good number of our brothers and sisters from church stayed the entire day to help out. The second picture was taken near the end of the day but by the time we wrapped things up even more goodies had been sold and we were able to fit the remaining baked goods on one small flat. In 5 hours we raised over $700. Talk about awesome!

As I look back at that day I feel overwhelmed again at the ways God provides and encourages us in this adoption journey. There was one specific moment during the day when I remember hearing a dear friend enthusiastically thank someone for purchasing food. She was genuinely thankful on behalf of us and her gratefulness overwhelmed me. Seeing our small gathering work with us to bring our daughter home is so humbling. 

Next up we are planning a yard sale at the beginning of October. I'll post an update on where we are in the adoption process in the coming days but for now, I'm rejoicing in God's goodness last weekend. 

Adoption Video

Jon's youngest brother Benjamin has worked so hard to put together a short video explaining a little bit about our adoption journey. If you have a few moments take some time to watch our story and pass it on. God continues to work in amazing ways to bring our daughter home.To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.