Contracts

Wow, I can't believe it has been a month already since I last wrote. We have spent the past month reading our contracts (5 long legal documents) and trying to come up with our financial plan. The first half (about $10,500) of all fees is due with the signed contracts. We are not able to apply for loans or grants until our home study is complete, so for now we have a credit card with 0% interest for 12 months to make the initial payments with. While this is not our ideal plan we are praying that God will provide through our fundraising efforts so we wont have to keep a large balance on it for long.

We got all the contracts notarized yesterday. A lady at Jared's office is a notary public so that is going to come in very handy since we have to have like 25 documents notarized by the end of the process. The best part is she is donating her services so we don't have to pay for it at all! Our hope is to get the contracts finished up and sent off tomorrow the 29th. Then comes more paperwork. Also, we have sent in our request for an application to our Social Service agency. Hopefully we can get our home-study going soon.

The other couple who is adopting at our church just got their travel dates and will be heading over to Ethiopia in a few weeks. They will have their child home for Christmas, and we are very excited to talk with them when they return. They are going to take pictures and videos of Hannah's Hope (the orphanage) and children there, so there is a chance that our little one would be there already. It has been fun to have them to talk with and will be great to fellowship with when we both have our children. That's all we know for now. Thanks for the prayers and keep in touch.

Application Aproved!

Yeah! We got an email saying that our adoption aplication was approved right away. I had never been too woried, but as Jared started reading the email to me I had a nervous moment thinking "what if we weren't aproved." Anyway, we are off and running now. We will be recieving our orientation packet in the mail soon, and then the paperwork will start. Also, I was blessed with the opportunity yesterday to talk with a friend-of-a-friend who spent her childhood in Ethiopia as a missionary's kid. I learned so much and now feel like I have a little better understanding of the Ethiopian culture and people. It is so exciting that our journey is offically underway! Now that fees are coming due we will be updating you shortly on our fundraising goals, so if you are feeling God's lead please keep us in mind. Thank you all for your prayers and gifts.