Generosity Abounds

It's been awhile since we've updated, but so much has happened!  We are waiting (somewhat) patiently for our court date, our first chance to go meet our beautiful little boy.  It's been a long time coming, and now we are so close, it's almost unbearable. But we still have so much more to do to prepare, so this waiting time is being utilized!

We have been blessed ten times over by the love and generosity our friends and family have shown us during this time. It's so overwhelming, I just had to share. We had an adorable baby shower last weekend, and now our son has bedding, diapers, clothes, and toys. Having a celebration like that finally made the entire adoption seem real. I can't wait to see how he reacts to the loud toys and HUGE stuffed giraffe!

And speaking of generosity, I want to say thank you to each and every person who has bought jewelry, t-shirts, wrist bands, cookie dough, bags, and who knows what else from us along this adoption journey! And to those of you who have donated your tithes and given everything from $5 to $500 to help a family you may not even know, we say God bless you. Generosity isn't only shown in monetary ways; we are blessed with friends who spent their valuable time and effort hauling catalogs around, selling items for a fundraiser they received nothing from but our undying gratitude. This entire experience has shown me what it really means to be generous, and it has opened my eyes to ways I can do a better job of giving on a daily basis, whether through money, time, or love.

God is moving in countless ways throughout this adoption, and I'm so grateful to Him for everything He's done for us. I want everyone to know that when you step out in faith to do God's will, He will not only equip you to handle whatever it might be, but He will make it a enriching experience if you let Him.

As I sat down to write this, I decided I to add a Bible verse, so I booted up my YouVersion Bible on my phone to look up a specific verse. You know what "Verse of the Day" popped up?........

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remember the words the Lord Jesus himself said; 'it is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35

May God bless each of you as you have blessed us.

~Jamie

Referral Accepted!!

Hello everyone, it's been a while since we've posted anything on here, but we've been in one of those holding patterns the last couple of months.  However, now we have BIG news...we have officially accepted the referral of an 18-month-old boy from Ethiopia.  We'll call him Baby N for now (policy dictates that we can not post the name or a picture of the child until the adoption is finalized). We can tell you that he is absolutely adorable! He is such a happy baby and loves to laugh and give hugs. Jamie and I can't wait to hold him in our arms and smother him with so much love. Please be praying for us as we enter into another time of waiting. Our paper work is being translated, compiled and then will be submitted to the Ethiopian courts. Then in a few months, we will travel to meet with the Ethiopian courts for basically an in-country adoption interview.

Also, there is now another way for you to join and help us on this incredible journey.  We are now selling adoption t-shirts online.  They are wonderfully designed t-shirts that stress the importance of taking care of orphans.  All you have to do is log onto www.adoptionbug.com/knowloveshowlove and you can order your t-shirts directly from there.  Part of the proceeds will go directly to our adoption fund.

Thank you so much for your support and prayers! It is by God's grace and strength that we are making it through this long, difficult process. We truly appreciate you all and pray God continues to bless you as you have blessed us!

Grace & Peace! 

      

Moving right along...

We have been so busy doing paperwork since we last wrote!  We completed our home study in February and compiled our dossier.  This last month has been waiting on USCIS (immigration) to approve our application so that we can send in our dossier.  We FINALLY got the letter of approval, and we are free to mail our dossier to the agency.  They will forward it on to the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia, where it will get translated and (hopefully) approved.  Then we wait for a referral on a child or children.  The estimated time from this point to our first trip overseas is about 6-8 months.  The referral should come fairly quickly, but it's a 2-3 month wait time to get scheduled for our trip to Ethiopian court after that.

We continue to pray for financial blessings during the process.  God has been so good to us this far, always providing just what we need each step of the way.  We have filled out numerous applications for grants and loans, and we need your prayers that some of those will come through so that we will have the money to travel, as well as the $10,000-$15,000 adoption fee when we get our referral.  As you all know, it is a true test of faith when it comes to matters of money, but we are just praying and putting our trust in the Lord that He will provide for us as He's always done. We have wonderful family who have helped out any way they can, including putting on a garage sale this past weekend and then donating the money to our fund! We have also come across some wonderful people who have generously given to help us reach our goal. Every dime counts, and even more so, every PRAYER counts, so keep it up!

If you would like to make a tax-free donation that will go directly to International Adoption Guides, earmarked especially for the Shaws adoption expenses, just send us a message at the3shaws@sbcglobal.net and we will let you know how to do it.  And thanks in advance for your help in this mission work! God bless!