Overwhelmed

This week has been incredibly overwhelming...in so many different ways.
We have been overwhelmed with how quickly things have been happening.  We will attend an informational meeting next month and then we plan submit our formal application with Bethany Christian Services.  We originally thought we would not be able to submit this application until August 2015.  Our timeline suddenly moved up by 7 months.  I told a friend recently that I was not mentally prepared for this timeline to shift so drastically.  So it has been overwhelming yet incredibly exciting for our timeline to change this way.
We have been overwhelmed with the many people who have already stepped up to support us.  We have mailed envelopes to five different states.  A handful of our envelopes have already been returned moving us toward our first goal.  We have also had people share in conversation, prayer, and ideas.  We are so excited to watch our village grow!
And finally today, I was overwhelmed by Christmas.  I was out after work picking up a few things for my husband.  I almost began crying in Walmart surrounded by hurried Christmas shoppers looking for the best deals.  Christmas has been different this year.  I feel as though I've already received such an amazing gift with the hope of our adoption moving forward.  I was suddenly overwhelmed with the thought of celebrating Christmas with our children...sharing the story of our Savior's birth, Christmas morning excitement, sharing in gifts, and spending time with family as a family.
As we prepare to celebrate a child in a manger, part of my heart is with two children on the other side of the world.

Envelopes on my dining room floor

We've been approved!  Our preliminary application for Ethiopia was approved and we are beyond excited.  Some pieces of this process seem incredibly overwhelming but in the past I have found that God delights in doing the impossible.

Because of this there are 150 envelopes on our dining room floor.

Some of you are wondering what this could possibly have to do with adoption, Ethiopia, or bringing our children home.  So allow me to explain.  Each of the envelopes has a number for 1-150.  We are asking you to partner with us by choosing an envelope.  You then place the corresponding amount of money in the envelope.  For example envelope 7=$7.  You can get an envelope by contacting me or Tyler, commenting here on the blog, or leaving a comment on facebook.

If all of the envelopes are returned it would cover all of our agency expenses and one third of our total fees.  So again we invite you to be a part of our village.  Help us take the next step in bringing our children home.

Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.  They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.  It is easier to pretend they are not real before you hold them in your arms.  But once you do, everything changes. -David Platt