Adoption Update...

Happy Memorial Day! Today we celebrate all the men and women that made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and left their families up in prayers as they remember their loved ones.

Sorry we have been MIA the last several months from our page. We have been in a major season of waiting. We don't have much to report on but we wanted to share a little bit of what we have been doing these last few months since we went active.

As many of you know our profile went active back in January of this year. What that means is that we have everything in place to begin saying yes to profiles and having moms/families look at our profile. We were assigned a consultant and at any point that she receives a mom and baby profile we are sent an email with the details. This includes when the baby is due, the moms characteristics, why she is adopting, the fathers role, level of openness and the estimated cost of the adoption. We then are given time to decide if we want our packet presented to the mom. If we say yes, she receives our profile along with any other hopeful adoptive parents that also said yes and she chooses which family she thinks will be best for her and her baby. Some weeks we receive zero profiles and some weeks we receive 5 profiles, it just depends on the week. The profiles are coming from all over the United States as well. We are learning a lot about the different states and their adoption laws as well as learning a lot about adoption in general.

While we have been waiting for our yes we have been growing so much in our faith. If ever there was a time when we leaned on the Lord more than others it would be now. This season has come with so much growth in our walk and in our marriage. As hard as some moments have been and as eager as we are to be parents, we can see the Lord's hand in every "Not yet" that we get. Also in our waiting we have been doing fundraisers as well as applying for grants. The grants vary in amounts and many grants won't add you to the selection pool until you have been matched and some even wait until you have officially adopted. Just some background on why we are applying for grants and fundraising; adoption varies in cost from $45,000 to upwards of $80,000. This includes agency fees, mothers living expenses, mothers medical bills, attorney fees, travelling fees and more. Each agency varies on their cost and every state is different on adoption fees as well. We are continuing to research grants and loans and know the Lord is faithful and will provide.

We are living life, enjoying our time together and praying for our "Yes". We know it will come and we are so grateful for any and all of your prayers and support. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Jewelry fundraiser. And thank you to everyone who has given in support of our adoption. Your gifts are blessings beyond anything we could ever imagine. Thank you's aren't enough but we are so thankful for you everyone who has given whether through prayers, support, or monetarily. We cannot make it through this journey without each and every one of you.