I am so amazed at how God provides for our needs.....this just happened ten minutes ago:

I was sitting at the table working on adoption paperwork, trying to figure out what still needs to be completed, how we're going to come up with the next amount due, and figuring out immunizations for our upcoming trip to Ethiopia......and I saw a guy park outside our house and come up our driveway. I don't think I've seen him before. I couldn't get up right away because I had papers everywhere so I called to Phil and Robbie. By the time they got to the door, the guy was gone but had left a Christmas card with a $100 bill inside, telling us he is praying for us. Anonymous!! Well, whoever you are, if you read our blog, you have no idea how encouraging this is to all of us! God has used your faith and actions to remind us that he is caring for us, he is providing for us. This is his plan and I don't have to worry about HOW he is going to accomplish this.

Also, Saturday night Phil and I went to the tabernacle (BSHOP) for their worship/prayer time. Ryan asked people to lay their hands on us and pray for us and Trey and Tessa and that the adoption process would move ahead quickly. We both felt so encouraged and blessed by these prayers. And the hugs. So many people, many we don't even know very well, lifting us up, being obedient to the Holy Spirit's promptings!!

This is the fun part.......but there is so much more to come. I envisioned Trey and Tessa at the prayer house, in the middle of this group, worshiping God, praying........and knowing that these people loved them and prayed for them way before they even met. And knowing that all that love really comes from their Heavenly Father.

We have an official referral!

We just found out the kids are officially ours...We received an official referral from Ethiopia and we hope this means that things will continue to move along....

This was just a glimpse of hope when it felt like the waiting was tooooo long. At least we know things are moving and happening.

We also received some new pictures and information about Trey and Tessa. Oh wow. The pictures of the kids were ADORABLE. We had never seen pictures of them with such big smiles! We can't wait to show these pictures to all of you :)

Keep praying! We can't wait to have our kids home!

Happy 50th Birthday, Dad!

Today is a monumental day. Phil is turning 50! Time to celebrate! Here's a picture of him with an adorable kid that we take care of from our church. Soon, he will be the father of two more kids :)

Not many new updates on the adoption...
The paperwork is in Ethiopia being translated and processed. When we are asked, "When are Trey and Tessa coming?" we don't really have a clear answer yet. We are hoping within the next couple months. Please continue to pray with us for God's perfect timing!

We put up our Christmas tree on Sunday and there are a few presents for Trey and Tessa under the tree already :)

On a side note...The Hole in our Gospel. This book is so great. It is written by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision and we highly recommend it.

Latest Developments...

We had an amazing opportunity this weekend to experience a little taste of Africa through an eye-opening exhibit put on by World Vision. This experience set up a mini-African village and allowed visitors to walk in the footsteps of four different children who are living amidst the HIV/AIDS crisis. We followed the story of Emmanuel, a six-year-old boy from Uganda whose parents both died of AIDS. Our hearts broke as we sat in the small makeshift huts and waited in the clinic. For a glimpse into the awesome work of World Vision, check out their website!

http://www.worldvisionexperience.org/minisite/minisite.aspx?id=199

As for the latest updates of our adoption of Trey and Tessa...our paperwork is in Ethiopia! It is being translated and processed. We have been told that once the paperwork is there, it could be 2-4 months. Please continue praying for Trey and Tessa to know the love of Jesus through the people around them.

Also, we are confronted with a unique situation right now. Because Tessa is HIV-positive, it will require a significant amount of paperwork and waivers to get her into the United States. In addition, it could require a three-week stay. However, on January 1, 2010, President Obama is reversing the long-standing HIV Immigration Laws which prohibits immigrants with HIV from entering the United States without all of the waivers. Because of this, if we go to Ethiopia after January 1, the paperwork would be minimal and our stay in Ethiopia could be as short as 4 days!

We will leave you with this...

"Fifteen thousand people dying needlessly everyday from AIDs, TB, and malaria. Mothers, fathers, teachers, farmers, nurses, mechanics, children. This is Africa's crisis. That its not on the nightly news, that we do not treat this as an emergency -- that's OUR crisis." - Bono

Good news!

A couple more notes of good news...

1. We received an email from our caseworker yesterday saying that our entire dossier (paperwork) is correct. All we have to do now is bring it to the Secretary of State to get it sealed. And then its off to Ethiopia!

2. We received an updated evaluation of Tessa yesterday with pictures. She is a doll. She appears healthy and happy and is supposedly the popular girl at the orphanage. We can't wait to meet her!

the paperwork is in!

As of last week, we turned in the entire dossier (a humongous amount of paperwork that involves government documents, notary public signatures, financial records, medical forms, etc. etc.) Now, we are waiting for Bethany to approve it all and then we will get government seals on each paper and send it to Ethiopia!

And then it could be a few months until we receive the call to go pick up Trey and Tessa! Please keep praying...
1. for the dossier to be complete and to move quickly through the Ethiopian government
2. for Trey and Tessa to continue to be strong and healthy and well cared for
3. for God's perfect timing in our travels to Ethiopia

We are so excited but also so anxious for the time to come! More updates soon...

The Latest Update!

We just returned from a meeting with our social worker at Bethany Christian Services to try and complete our dossier (all the paperwork that will be sent to Ethiopia). Other than a couple papers that need new dates or signatures, everything is almost complete! As we were about to leave our social worker, Kim, asked, "Did you get that information I sent to you about the kids?" No, we hadn't. She left and returned with two packets of information about Trey and Tessa!

These packets were filled with pictures and information about our kiddos...games they like to play, what their daily schedules look like, their favorite foods, their gross motor abilities, and their family background. Currently, they are not at the same orphanage and they both miss each other so much. Trey has had somewhat of a difficult time in school because he misses his sister so much. Also, when the worker asked Tessa how much she misses her brother, her response was to hug herself! How great it will be when they are reunited with each other and with us. We love them so much already! And, now we are just continuing to wait...

PLEASE keep praying! This is God's heart...He is the "father to the fatherless" (psalm 68) and he has adopted us as his dearly loved children.

• Pray for God's protection over Trey and Tessa -- that he would surround them with great people who demonstrate God's love to them.
• Pray that paperwork would go smoothly and quickly.
• Pray that God would be made known in this whole endeavor!
• Pray that we would find a notary public soon to help us sign some of the last pieces of paperwork.

"In this world, you are an orphan -- eagerly anticipating your adoption as God's child. In this world, you are a widow -- longing for reunion with your bridegroom. In this world, you are a stranger -- a pilgrim waiting to become a citizen of heaven. And in this world, God has called you to care for the orphan, the stranger, and the widow. Christianity is about giving yourself to others, being Christ to a hurting world, and living for the one that comes next." - Tom Davis in Fields of the Fatherless