Twas the night before 'Week 19' when all though the house, Not a referral was stirring...

 

Yes, that right, we're still waiting after 18 weeks! Our LORD is definitely refining us in the area of patience. That said, we're at peace knowing that God is in control of it ALL. In His perfect timing, we'll receive the big news of who our little boy is. Please continue to pray with us for God's perfect will and timing during these days of waiting (thank you).

 

 

With Christmas around the corner, the kids are becoming more and more excited by the day! Below is a beautiful handcrafted Christmas ornament made by friends of ours as a special keepsake of Africa. Thank you Bob and Jackie Todd for this very meaningful ornament.

 

 

 

~ Meet The Vogtmans ~

Yes, this weekend our family is traveling to MD to visit friends, the Vogtmans. Early in our adoption journey we connected on a adoption support group and became close friends. We're very excited to finally meet face to face, rather than email, Facebook and phone. May God bless our time together and continue to deepen our friendship.

 

Thank you again to all who have been supporting us along the way. We greatly appreciate your prayers, financial support and encouragement.

 

May the birth of our LORD Jesus Christ renew within you His Spirit of wonder, peace, joy and love this Christmas. Be Blessed in His life giving Holy presence in the days to come!

 

~ Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ~

 

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above..."  James 1:17

 

I AM LOVED from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

 

PRAY for them SPEAK UP for them PROVIDE for their needs SUPPORT those who support them PROTECT them from harm VISIT them where they are GIVE sacrificially to them ENCOURAGE them to press on ADOPT them into your family MOBILIZE your church for them

PRAY for them: Tape a waiting child’s picture to your dashboard and pray for the child every time you’re in a car. Visit AdoptUsKids.org or RainbowKids.com. Organize an evening prayer vigil at your church and pray for children in foster care or an orphanage overseas.

SPEAK UP for them: Carry a waiting child’s picture and show it to other believers. Ask if they, or someone they know, would give this child a home. Become a court appointed special advocate for a child in foster care. Visit NationalCASA.org for details.

PROVIDE for their needs: Give sacrificially to a reputable orphanage. Financial gifts can be designated for specific items and aid needed by orphans. Visit HelpOrphans.org for more information. Organize a drive in your church to collect school supplies for children in foster care or shoes for orphans overseas. Visit GainUSA.org or ShoesForOrphanSouls.org.

SUPPORT those who support them: Mow, baby sit, or organize meals for a week for foster parents. Pray with them and tell them you appreciate what they do. Encourage a family adopting an older child by hosting a shower for them.

PROTECT them from harm: Become a foster parent or emergency foster parent. Raise money to build a children’s home to help remove children from the streets. Visit WorldOrphans.org for details.

VISIT them where they are: Go on a mission trip to an orphanage as an individual or family. Visit GainUSA.org or HelpOrphans.org for information. Take dinner to a foster group-home on a regular basis.

GIVE sacrificially to them: Support reputable orphan care organizations on a regular basis. Contribute generously to an adoptive family to help offset their costs. Visit ShaohannahsHope.org or LifeSongForOrphans.org.

ENCOURAGE them to press on: Sponsor a child, support them financially, and encourage them through your letters. Visit VsionTrust.org to learn more. Become a mentor or tutor to a teenager in a foster group-home.

ADOPT them into your family: Give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption. Adopt a young adult who has aged out of the system.

MOBILIZE your church for them: Be a catalyst in your church for starting a sustained orphans ministry. Visit HopeForOrphans.org for resources and to learn more about attending a Your Church and the Orphan workshop.

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Waiting.... Week 6 and counting!

Well it's been awhile since our last post...

This past Monday (9/16/13) we received a few of our travel vaccinations and antibiotics from our local hospital travel clinic (Holy Spirit Hospital ~ Travel Health Program). Our Doctor recommended the following vaccinations and antibiotics for our travels to Ethiopia:

- Yellow Fever Vaccination

- Meningitis Vaccination

- Hepatitis A and B Vaccination

- Vivotif (oral typhoid vaccine)

- Malarone (oral malaria antibiotic)

- Ciprofloxacin & Lomotil
  (Antibiotics for traveler's diarrhea, bowel & stomach - as needed)

Over the past month we also began a countdown chart to pass the time. We created an elephant pocket sleeve for each week "in waiting" which holds a particular scripture verse. Every Sunday evening the family gathers in the living room to reflect on their day and to read the special scripture verse for the week! We place a giraffe 'cut out' in the 'sleeve of the week' to track our waiting time until the BIG NEWS... News of who our little boy will be! Hopefully, God willing, we'll be getting our referral email (the BIG NEWS) which tells us who our little boy is and all his information in the coming month... Please continue to keep us in your prayers (thank you).

August Update

Well, it's official we are finally a waiting family. Our dossier arrived in Ethiopia on July 26th. It was translated and registered during the following 20 days. August 15th was our official day. We don't have a whole lot to post right now because Ethiopian courts are closed and it's their election time. So that means all movement stops in the country for a while. Please pray that this process won't take long and we will receive our referral soon. Our agency says it can take anywhere from 2-6 months for a referral. I'm still holding on to hope that we may be able to travel before Christmas to see our little boy.

Some other good news is that we are very close to having our adoption fully funded. God is so GOOD! He has brought us so far. If you would like to help we are still selling puzzle pieces. They are $5 each. For every piece you buy your name will be written on the piece and we will display the finished puzzle in our sons room. You can donate through the link on the home page of our blog. All donations are tax deductible and go directly to our agency. I'm also selling my personalized towels from my Etsy shop to fund the remaining amount of the adoption. If you are interested please go to my shop and check out my towels. There is a sale going on now until Sept. 1st so stock up for Christmas! www.littlehousekids.etsy.com

Thank you so much for your continued prayers. They have meant the world to us. Oh, and if you have any adoption questions I would be happy to share what I know. I'm very passionate about adoption and love Ethiopia.

Adoption Update

Our Dossier was mailed at the beginning of the month and is NOW in country (in Ethiopia)! Another step closer to our little boy.

According to our agency, Adoption Avenues, come the 15th of August, 2013 we will be officially on the wait list for our child (referral). We're still in need of some fundraising to meet our end goal amount. So please check out our fundraising tab to see where you can help and share it with others.

Thank You for your continued prayers and support  :)

July 1st - Finished certification of dossier
July 2nd - Mailed Dossier to Agency
July 3rd - Dossier arrived at Agency
July 15th - Dossier arrived in Washington, DC for authentication
July 26th - Dossier arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Progress Update

BIG news to share this week!

 

Our Hoss's fundraiser is complete and we raised a total of $370.00. It wasn't quite the outcome that we were hoping for, but we're very grateful for each dollar. A very special thank you to ALL who came out to support our cause. We hope to have another fundraiser in the fall... We'll keep you posted.

 

In other news, thanks to the diligent efforts of my dedicated wife, our dossier (which is the collection of all our paperwork that's been compiled over the past three months) is now COMPLETE! It has truly been an enlightening and humbling experience completing this milestone. Thank you God for getting us to this point and all those who had their hand in helping us with it! Please pray for this special document as it travels from our agency to DC for authentication, then off to Ethiopia for translation and registration. We're hoping to have it registered "in country ~ Ethiopia" within three weeks... We're one step closer to one less orphan in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW Hoss's restaurant Fundraiser

(This fundraiser has ended ~ Thank you everyone)

Friends we need your help!!! It's time for fundraising. In order for us to raise some money for our upcoming adoption expenses we are having a fundraiser night at Hoss's Steak and Sea House. Please consider joining us on June 29th or 30th any time of day for a wonderful meal and great cause. Hoss's will donate 20% of your purchase to our adoption! If we reach $1,200 they will donate 25%!! So make sure to share the word with your family and friends. Please remember to print the flyer below and hand it to your server. Thank you so much for your support.