Ready....or Not?

I'm pretty sure that I am loooooong over-due for an update.  So, I will try to catch everyone up to speed!

Home Study is READY!

As of last Monday, our official home study paperwork is completed, signed and ready to go!  This is the final piece in the paperwork trail that assures adoption agencies that we are a good home for placing children.  It it the compilation of our family autobiography, medical history, financial health and overall "approval."

It is hard to believe that the volumes of paperwork that were filled out for this process now fits neatly into an 8 1/2 x 11 manila envelope.  We have a hard copy for our files and additional copies have been mailed to Christian Adoption Consultants.  Our consultants can now start sharing potential situations with Brian and I of birth parents looking for adoptive families as well as children who are seeking forever families.  In addition, we can sign-up with various agencies/organizations that place adoptive children to be an active family on their roster so that we can be made aware of different situations that may fit our family.

Our Profile Book is DONE!

Although Jason (our adoption consultant) had completed our profile book in early August, it has taken me a bit to get it printed and ready to send out.  This is a photo book that includes an overview of our family for birth parents to view when considering where they would like to place their child.  

It is always a bit challenging to decide what to write that will honestly convey how their selfless gift of a child will be such a cherished blessing to our family.  And, it is also hard to determine what is worth sharing and what isn't.  That is why we felt extra blessed to be able to have Jason read over our autobiographies and scan through our piles of photos to put together this adoption's profile book.

An EXTRA bonus is that we have a friend who is able to print these and bind them for us for a fraction of the cost of what it would take to get them made through Shutterfly or a similar site.  As we are saving our pennies, the $350 she saved us is a HUGE blessing!

So....here's the deal.  If you look at all of this strictly from the perspective of checking off boxes, we are ready to adopt.  All we would need to have is the right situation and we could show our profile knowing that each time we say yes COULD be a future son or daughter...sister or brother.  But, there is a rather large challenge...lack of funds.

Here's what we have collected so far through generous donations and our fundraisers:  

For those keeping track, I tried to simplify the graphs
by filling in the largest boxes to total what we have
collected so far.  Once all the boxes are filled, we are ready
to start saying yes!!

To date, we have raised $4,724.27.  That's an amazing start!!  But, as you can easily see, we are still significantly short.  I'll be honest.  I'm frustrated.  I've had a number of conversations with God...most of which start out with, "I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but....."  I'd like to believe that He finds me amusing as I continue to try and take control and tell God how THIS adoption WILL look. 

And, so now we wait.  We fill out paperwork for various grants.  I hunt for possible in-home and out-of-
home job opportunities.  We pray.  And, we work to open our hearts and minds to whatever God has in store for us.  Over the summer, both Brian and I have felt that this journey may not end with just one child in our home but possibly a sibling group.  Wouldn't that be something?!

We thank you for your continual support and prayers throughout our journey.  The texts, e-mails and notes of encouragement have been such a blessed reminder that we are not alone in this leap of faith.  Please continue to pray for Brian and I as we seek to do God's will.  Pray for our kids that they may have the patience to simply wait.  And, please pray for our future child(ren) that they may be surrounded in love as he/she/they wait to join our family.