"In His love and mercy He redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them..."
Isaiah 63:9
This picture (taken of MSH and his good buddy, CP, at the Science Museum in Nashville over New Years) reminds me of how we feel most of the time right now...picked up and carried along toward God's purposes. I am so thankful that God straps us in! :)
On the adoption front, we have officially sent in our home study to USCIS (US Department of Immigration and Homeland Security) and are awaiting our formal approval. Once that comes...we will have our dossier complete and all of our paperwork will be on its way to Ethiopia! Then, we simply wait (sounds easy, huh?!) until our agency sends us a 'referral' which means photos, background and a time to pray for God's leading. Though I cannot imagine saying 'no' to any children...we know we must be prayerful in our decisions and we trust fully that God will make His desires known to us. He already knows our children and He will reveal that to us in His perfect timing. Once we say 'yes' to our referral, we would likely travel within 8 to 12 weeks after that. Though it could still be months and months away...we are getting so very excited!
This weekend we will be attending our first gathering of the East TN Yahoo group of families who have adopted or who are in the process of adopting children from Ethiopia. I think there will be easily 30 families there! It will be wonderful to meet these people who will become a part of our 'community' and will bring great comfort to our new children when they arrive! Please pray we will make the connections God intends us to have...and that our children will enjoy the time with all the other children.
Otherwise, we are plugging along with life as usual. School, church, ministry, soccer, UT sports, friends, planning summer vacation, and house projects (project #1: Madison's decor for her 'new' room...she will officially move into Steph's room in May.) Life is busy, but manageable...we are more 'settled' than we've been in a long time...of course, it may be the 'calm before the storm!' Though I still KNOW it will take a miracle to manage all the change that is coming, I am starting to be able to actually picture it in my mind...which is so sweet! Thank you all for your prayers and notes of encouragement! We have felt them in amazing ways.
I'm posting a few more photos from our Christmas break below...just for fun!
MSH (the tallest!) and some buddies (with siblings) at the downtown Knoxville movie theatre! 
MGH and her good friend, LP, playing games (after showers) at hotel in Nasvhille.
MGH and best friend, SS, with a handsome little buddy from church.
The gang's all here. Our great friends and us at our hotel in Nashville for New Years!
5 comments:
Thanks Beth for keping us updated. Carmen and I will be praying for the network God is building for you as you prepare for your new treasures. I know this weekend will be a blessed time for you all. It is exciting to see
1 John 4: 7-21 alive in you guys!
Love from Texas.
Hi there! It was nice to meet you and your family today at the East TN ET group! Hopefully you feel that the connections have started. :)
Hi Beth,
Congratulations on your "crazy" news! I just saw Mike a couple of weeks ago and have been meaning to comment on your page. I am in complete awe of your decision. Thanks for sharing your blog with us. I look forward to meeting your new family members sometime in 09, and will say a prayer (or two!) for your exciting journey to come. Wow! You are even more brave than I could ever imagine!
Tara Winterbotham
Yea!! Glad to hear things are moving along nicely toward Ethiopia! Just think, God already knows WHO your child is and soon you will! Keep us posted. Hang in there...International Adoption is a long and crazy process.
Leah McRae
Great update, Beth. We did have to say no to our first referral, and it was extremely hard but in the end, the right decision...that little girl found her family and we were matched with our meant-to-be-ours, Lainey. I'll be here, waiting with you!
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