We have had a lot going on since our last blog! I would have posted several days ago but me and Gabe went to spend a few days with my family. Also while I was home my best friend since childhood's Dad passed away from brain cancer. I would ask that you pray for her and her family. I love you Heather!
While I was out of town I received several emails and Ben received several calls. Our application with Lifeline Adoption Agency (the agency in Alabama who will be doing our homestudy) approved our application and sent us all the paperwork to continue on in the process. I also received the email we have really been waiting on. The email from our family coordinator! Jennifer from AWAA officially welcomed us into the program with a MASSIVE Dossier checklist. Let's just say we are overwhelmed but excited to get this process started so we can get one step closer to meeting our baby boy!
Then last night Ben text me to tell me he talked to a Lifeline social worker about starting meetings! ahhh Then he text me back to say that Megan (our social worker) would be in our area on Tuesday (in one week). So we will have our first homestudy meeting next Tuesday at 9:00 in the morning! Again, I am excited but extremely overwhelmed. We have so much stuff to get together, to copy, to sign and send in, appointments to make, house to get ready, and especially money to save and raise! I am so thankful that as I was reading Isaiah the other day the Lord gave me this scripture. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
This week will be extremely crazy as we get fingerprinting done for our background checks, fill out paperwork for homestudy, and the start of our dossier. Especially be praying for all the homestudy paperwork and fingerprinting. The fingerprinting, background checks, etc. has to get done ASAP because I was told that this can take up to 3 months! We need the homestudy to get done quickly because once the homestudy is complete we can apply for all available grants and no interest loans. This is huge!!!!!! Dossier submission = pay huge amounts of money at one time! Please pray that we would be able to get all of the things needed to complete this homestudy and to start our dossier. So all of this is very exciting and very real!!!! Please Please Please! continue to pray for us. That is the most important thing that you can do for us!
Another way you can support us is by participating in our fundraisers. You have one week left to order one of our awesome tshirts!!!! (see the right hand side of the blog). It is an awesome way to share the Gospel and a way to raise awareness of orphan care!
We also have a store online (see the website to the right) called Just Love Coffee. Go on our website and check out all of the different coffees and other things you can buy to not only support our adoption but help support orphanages in Ethiopia!
Our next fundraiser is going to be a YARD SALE! We need your help! If you have anything you would like to donate towards our yard sale that would be wonderful! I have not set a date yet, but just ask that anything you are wanting to give away or if you are wanting to clean out, consider giving those things to raise funds to go towards our adoption! If you have any other ideas for fundraising let us know!!! Thank you in advance!
I also ask that you pray for friends of mine that are in Ethiopia right now trying to get custody of their son. The courts are supposed to close in a few days and they are waiting on one letter that is supposed to not get there for another week or so! They need a miracle if they are going to get that letter and gain custody. If this does not happen (Cimbrey) will have to decide to either stay in Ethiopia for another 3 months or come home to the states and leave her son and go back in a couple of months. Please be praying for wisdom for the Brannan family.
