Let the Waiting Begin!

If you have been following our adoption journey, thank you!! And thank you for praying for us!! I hope that you have seen that our dossier (all the required papers) has finally been completed, county approved, and state certified too with the fancy golden stickers and all! We mailed our lovely dossier to our agency and I didn't realize the relief that would come along with completing that phase.  Letting that paper work go was so freeing in that all that responsibility was now completed and moving along to someone-else's plate.

We called the agency to confirm that everything was in order and looking good to get the news that it was "a beautiful dossier" and one of  the best she's seen!  Presented organized and professional, we packed that baby up right.  Good news!  Then our agent said that now the dossier gets mailed to the agency that does the referrals/child match and gets registered there.  The dossier isn't finished traveling yet as it will travel to Washington, D.C. to be "authenticated" then translated before traveling back across the country to the west coast to the referral agency again.  Then it'll be ready to travel across the ocean to the continent of Africa and finally land in the hands of someone in Ethiopia (not really sure who handles that there and I'm not 100% on the order of all that either, but it's not my job anymore!).

Wheeeww, it sounded to me like there's another gazillion weeks of waiting until this paper trail is through, but NO I was wrong.  Our agent told us that once our dossier is registered with the placement agency that we are eligible for a referral!! Which means....we'll be on the waiting list for the children!!  We are so very excited!  She was mailing the dossier and it was to arrive on Friday but just to start a fresh week for the waiting phase, we are going to start the official count down to a referral on Mon. the 24th of June.

Wow, can't believe it that we have come this far!! Only better and more exciting things to come too!

I've searched on Pinterest for cute crafty countdown ideas and the girls and I took to the task! Figuring that we better make the wait fun as I'm sure this will develop into a trying time and the patience levels will once again be put to a test.

Take a look at how it turned out!  Each number represents a week and we went to 25 simply because that's all that fits on the frame.

 This morning I took some time to write down scriptures to put in each week's pocket as we enter that week.  This will be a scripture to pray over and to encourage us in our faith that God is in control and He already knows the date and the time when we will be introduced to our children!

 "Lord, every morning you hear my voice.  Every morning I tell you what I need.  And I wait for your answer."  Psalm 5:3

This week's verse: "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move.  Nothing shall be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:20 

And this week, the first week, those mountains of waiting look pretty massive! Beautiful, but still a long journey ahead all the same.  Thank you for your prayers! 

* Please continue to pray for this time of waiting on God's timing as He works to place the children in our home in the timing that He has arranged since the beginning of time! 

* Please pray for the children that their hearts will be prepared to first see us and to join our family as their own.  

* Please pray for their safety, health, and protection as they are alone and vulnerable in a wicked world. 

Thank you!  We are blessed to have so many joining with us to bring these children home!! Can't wait 'til the day to introduce them to you!!