Yesterday we learned that our Home Study has been approved by the state! We were told, "it never happens this fast" and this wasn't the first time we've heard this! Many times paperwork has moved unusually quick. We are very encouraged at each step and even more excited!

At this point our whole packet will go to Washington DC for approval and then on to Ethiopia for translation and a court date. This is where we need your prayers. As we have said before, we hope to get in before the courts close for the rainy season. So far, they seem to be staying open longer than usual and we are hopeful that we will receive a court date before the end of July! Of course that could mean that we travel in early September, which means I should start packing immediately!

One more step this week is our appointment with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). We go to Denver on Thursday with more paperwork and need to get our special fingerprinting done for $80 per person! Thankfully, the charge is not per finger.
We are very grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support, both in prayer and in financial help. So far, we have raised and covered over one-third of the expenses towards this adoption. We are very encouraged by this. We have more to go, and we remain faithful that God will see this through. Please email us if you would like to receive a copy of our fund-raising letter and a picture of the children.

In case you noticed the name change on our blog today, do not be concerned! We took the names of the children off of the website because we learned that the Ethiopian government 'frowns' on their children's names used online to raise money. They also do not appreciate the photos online, that is why we mailed photos rather than posting them online. We are still anxiously waiting to bring the same two children home and they become more a part of our family every day.

Tags: adoption