Moving On Up

Two AGCI families have received referrals this week! Both were on the girl list, so we've already moved up 2 spots (I think only one had parameters for a toddler though)!!! We are pretty pumped considering we were on the Vietnam list for almost 3 months & never moved a spot! God, please let the referrals keep coming!

Toddler Number

Another number to report...we are #15 on the girl list for a toddler...sounding better & better. Now, come on referrals...bring it on!

Girl List Number

We just found out that we are #32 on the girl list. This number includes families who are open to any range of the same age parameters as we are (could be 0-12 months, 1-3 years, etc.~~quite a few are probably only waiting for an infant). We still have not heard back as far as how many families ahead of us are open to a toddler. For now, we're ready for the waiting game. We have several grants that we are ready to apply for now that we have our updated homestudy, so that is next on the to-do-list while we wait. This past weekend we went to a picnic for families in our part of the state who have adopted from Ethiopia. The picture is of L with our friend's baby boy. It was fun to meet some new faces & hear everyone's adoption story. There were several babies & several toddlers...made me very curious to know what we'll end up with! It's so funny b/c when you're waiting for a number, you feel like you'll be so content once you know your number. Then, as soon as you get that number, you're ready to know the answer to the next waiting game. I guess that's always how life goes!

52!!!

The moment we have been waiting for has finally arrived! Our entire dossier is complete & at AGCI, & we are officially on the waiting list. We are #52 overall! Woohoo! Kate is working on more detailed calculations as far as where we are considering our specified parameters (girl ages 0-36 months). Will post more when we hear! We are just thrilled to be officially waiting for a referral from Ethiopia!! Kate is sending our completed dossier off to be authenticated today!

Thank You, World

The boys received this book as a part of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for kids in Tennessee. They know that it's my favorite book to read to them. It's very basic & simple, but the story & pictures illustrate how all the children in the world are the same even though they have different cultures, homes, beds, etc. It has been a great tool to use to help introduce basic cultural diversity to them. As we were reading it last night, the part that really jumped out at us was the pages that show homes from each of the countries & how they all look very different but they are all under the same starry sky. Recently, C& R have been talking a lot about how the sun seems to follow us everywhere we go & they realized through the book that the same stars that are above us every night are also above our little sister while she waits for us in Africa!

No number yet!

We still haven't got our waiting list number from AGCI. I'm guessing it's b/c they don't have the paper copies of our updated homestudy yet. The approval came via emailing drafts back & forth. Oh, well! Once our homestudy socialworker gives us the word that they have all the copies notarized & ready to go, I'll go pick them up & overnight it out to AGCI. Hopefully soon...

Blessed Assurance

In church today we sang the old hymn, "Blessed Assurance". It's a hymn that I sang in church growing up, but I never knew the story behind the person who wrote it. Fanny Crosby was blind, but she managed to write 8000 hymns in her lifetime. She said that she felt God had allowed her to be blind, so that she would not be distracted. What a woman of God! I so want to be like her...focused on God's sweet love for me...not distracted by the things of the world or even the things that I feel God has called me to. I want to see my shortcomings & losses as part of God's plan to draw me closer to Himself & to use me for His purposes. I want to spend every minute of every day lost in His love! Of course, the song also reminded me of this time of waiting that we are in with our adoption, I am so a peace right now...just waiting on Him. I know that in His timing, our daughter will be brought to us. In the meantime, I don't want to waste my days waiting for that moment....I want to live every day to it's fullest for Him & in Him.

"Perfect submission, all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blest, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in his love."

Homestudy Approved

We just got word from AGCI that our homestudy is approved! That was the last thing we were waiting on! Now we're ready to move on to the next stage of waiting...for our referral!!!!!