We have been fortunate enough to tell our adoption story at two churches so far, and we are amazed and humbled by the generosity of people. Through verbal support, monetary donations, and a lot of prayers, we have been able to continue through the home study phase of our journey. We completed the home visit and will have the personal interviews next week, so pray that everything goes smoothly. We are hoping to have the home study completed at the end of December, and we are already collecting documents for our dossier (the collection of official paperwork that goes to the embassy and courts). I'm so excited to be taking action, doing something that brings us closer to our new baby!
We have met some special people that I will never forget, people that are basically strangers but have shown the love of Christ through their actions. The woman, for instance, who I had not met before, but who handed her beautiful baby boy to me just so I could spend a moment holding an infant in anticipation of my new child. She, as a mother herself, understood the love between a mother and child and wanted to share a little of it with me right there, in the middle of the church foyer. That touched my heart! Or the college student who had been to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and offered to help us with any questions we had about the city and its culture. And the anonymous donor who sent his daughter over with a check for a sizable amount, yet never identified himself to receive thanks or accolades. These are the people that are living out the phrase "Know love, show love." They are showing loving grace to strangers, as Paul instructs us to do in Ephesians 5:1-2: "Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Thank you, everyone, for your support and prayers. Please keep praying, as we still have a million miles to go yet! We have completed fundraising for the $2000 that provides for the first leg of our journey (home study), and we are starting over for the $5000 installment that is currently due and the $1000 dossier fee that will be due in the spring. If you would like to help in any way, please contact us by e-mail, we would love to talk to you. And most importantly, give God the glory for everything, because He continues to show us what He can accomplish when you live by faith!
Heb 11:1 (KJV) "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
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