We're Adopting!

We have some exciting news to announce:

We are adopting! 

Yes, you heard right! We are adding to our family through adoption. We are SO excited about beginning this process and can't wait to see how the Lord will work!

God placed adoption on our hearts and minds when we first got married (actually we talked about it while we were still dating but didn't feel God's confirmation until later). Ever since then we have been discussing the idea, praying about it, and looking into the details of how to go about it. Over a year and a half ago, when the Lord first called us to Uganda, we decided that while there we would like to pursue adoption. After many months and much prayer we have finally begun the process and started the paperwork (the mountain of paperwork I should say!) to adopt from Uganda.



The orphanage my sister Janae was adopted from.



Janae

The orphanage my sister Adelynn was adopted from.

Addie



Janae and Adelynn today.

We will be adopting indepedantly while we are in Uganda. This means that we will not be going through an agency for the adoption but instead will be visiting the Ugandan orphanages ourselves, choosing our own child to adopt, securing our own lawyer, and figuring out things like visas, birth certificates, paperwork, and legal requirements on our own (with the help of our attorney). My parents adopted my two little sisters independantly from Uganda and we have many friends who have gone through the process so we feel confident that we can do it with their help!

Last Saturday we had our Home Study done. We got to meet Mary, a very nice lady from Families Through Adoption, who came and interviewed us and examined our home. She is now in the process of writing our Home Study approval. When that is written we can apply for the I-600A which will be the written approval from the US government that we can advance in the process of our adoption. We can take that approval to Uganda when we move there in May and we should be all set to bring a child into our home soon thereafter. There will be much work and paperwork after that in order to finalize legal guardianship in Uganda and later the adoption in the U.S. but we will take it one step at a time! The Lord has already proven himself faithful over and over again and we are trusting in Him to continue directing our path.

It's strange to think that our baby may be born already, may be being born right now as I type this, or may be still in his or her mother's womb. In any case, we have begun praying for our precious child, that wherever he or she may be they would be safe and loved. We do not know how old our child will be, whether we will adopt a boy or a girl, or even how many we will adopt! But the Lord knows and He does all things well. We trust that in His timing He will bring the right child/children to us and we will know that they are ours!

If the Lord brings it to your mind please pray for us as we travel this exciting road He is taking us on! We will keep you updated as things progress and hopefully by summer of 2012 we will be able to introduce you to the newest member of our family! =)

And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He [Jesus] has done all things well."

Mark 7:37a