Paperwork MAILED!!!

Well, we mailed our paperwork in, and we are on the road! Seems like we've been "packing" forever! lol We are so excited to have this going in the right direction!

Thank you all so much for praying for us and remembering us! There is so much going on, and it is very confusing! I'm still trying to grasp it all myself! I am going to tell you a little about how the process works.

After we turn in our paperwork, we have to have a homestudy completed. Our process right now is in finding a social worker to complete that for us. There is a series of things we have to do (paperwork, home visits, etc.) to get that completed, then the company (Embraced by Grace) reviews all of that for approval. Once we are approved, we complete a portfolio, then we wait. We have no clue how long it will take, or even a good guess. It is all up to God's timing! Everything is so up in the air that we just don't know. It is a process, or journey as I prefer to call it, so it will just take time!

I will tell you my brief story though (which you know me, and it probably won't be brief but I'll try). I signed up about a year or more ago on a website for waiting children from all over the world. I entered a list of things we were looking for in an adopted child, and they send me email updates when there is a child that falls into that category. Most up to this point have had severe medical problems, and I haven't felt comfortable with any of them, and I deleted the emails. This week though, there has been one that caught my attention and I can't seem to let them go. Yes...them. These are two little girls, Asian, who are sisters. The oldest is 7 and the youngest is 6 months. They are precious, and they need to be adopted together. The oldest has had some neglect and shows some signs of being "challenged" in school (reading comprehension problems, etc.). Otherwise, both are healthy, sweet girls. I can't stop thinking about them, and I can't quit looking at their pictures. It was not at all what we first thought about, because we really don't want to travel overseas, but I can't stop thinking about them.

I am asking you to pray for Jay and I as we look into this situation further. The oldest is ready for immediate adoption and the baby will need to be placed in a few months. That means 2 expensive trips. If this is God's will for us, He will provide! If not, I pray they find a WONDERFUL home somewhere with parents who can love and nurture them. Please pray for these precious children as they look for their family!

Pray also for the family of Emily Horne. Emily was a teacher here at SHS, and she passed away this week. She was 32 years old with 2 small children - the baby just 2 weeks old. They think she had a blood clot in her lung. Anyway, funeral arrangements are today and tomorrow, and I can't stop thinking about her family as well. She and her oldest child (I think 6 or 7) were close and I know this is going to be a difficult time for all of them, but especially him.