We just got a letter...

Does anyone remember that little jingle from Blues Clues?  Every time the mail came it was super exciting.  I remember mail being like this as a child, too.  I would get the mail with my Mom after getting off the bus.  Our dog had even been trained to carry the stack to the house.
As I got older, mail got a whole lot less exciting.  Usually a trip to the mail box means bills, catalogs, and junk I don't care about.  This was not the case yesterday.  When I got home, Tyler had already gotten the mail.  It was stacked in the kitchen.  I started with packages because they are typically more fun, and he had sent me a text about them earlier.  Package number one - cloth diapers!  I ordered these about a month ago so I was happy to open them and see such great colors and quality.  Package number two - the amazing video monitor system my parents ordered for us for the twins room!  We debated whether this investment would be worth while, but after talking to a few moms, we decided it was worth it (and they got a great deal).
I thought this was the end of all the fun.  Then Tyler said, "Oh and we got a letter from Homeland Security."  In a normal situation this would probably not be good.  I knew it would go one of two ways.  They could be requesting more information for our file...but that wasn't the case.
WE HAVE BEEN APPROVED!  (By Immigration in the US).
So the ominous question is...what's next?  Well the easy answer is: our dossier.  But most of you have no idea what that means.  So...a dossier is a file that will contain about 50 pages give or take.  It is a representation of who we are, why we want to adopt, and why we are qualified to do so.  It has lots of legal forms, our completed homestudy, reference letters, and even pictures of both us and our home.  This file all has to be notarized, certified, and apostilled.  So if any one is wondering what I am doing with my free time, read that paragraph again.
When that is done, we will get our official referral file.  That will include more information regarding their background, current foster home, medical files, and sizes.  We are patiently (or impatiently depending on the day) awaiting this information.  After this we will be given our travel dates.  Please pray that we can travel in February.  We very much want to celebrate the twins birthday with them.  We are on track for that to be a possibility.
On a practical level, we also have had a great week!  I found some incredible black friday deals on car seats!  We saved a few hundred dollars.  Additionally we got a good deal on a luggage set.  I have also connected with a mom who has out grown the sizes we need.  Being able to purchase gently used clothing in great condition has been a huge blessing!  We believe all our major physical needs for the kids have been met.  I am sure things will come up once they are home, but we feel physically ready to bring them home.
This also means all our extra funds can be spent paying off debt and paying adoption related costs.  We are one-third of the way to being fully funded.  We feel incredibly blessed to be part of this journey and see the ways God is providing.  Please pray along with us that he will continue to provide in whatever ways He sees fit.  I have filled out many grant applications and would love to see some of those to provide for the next part of our journey.
Please also pray that God continues to prepare hearts.  You never reach adoption without loss.  Pray for the hearts of our children's birth family.  Pray for their foster family and community.  Pray for our family.  Pray for Tyler and I as we prepare for big changes.  Pray for our community as they wrap around us during this transition.  Pray for our twins.  Hope is coming, even if they don't know it yet.

The hardest prayer

In the past six months, I have spent hours reading through profiles on the waiting children portal provided by our agency.  We have read through profiles from Africa, America, and Colombia.  Tons of faces of children who are waiting for a family.

So often I wonder, how do I choose?  How do we look at these children and say "This one is mine."  It has to be a God thing.  Like so many parts of this whole process, it has to be a God thing.  As I have poured over each and every profile, again and again I have been faced with a big, difficult prayer.

Dear God,
Please provide a family for this child, even if it isn't mine.

It may possibly be the hardest prayer I have ever prayed.  God is shaping and molding me in this waiting time in ways I never imagined.  Today will you join me in that prayer?  There are millions of orphans around the world.  God please provide a family for this child...for every child.

Big Scary Numbers

30,000.  That is a big, scary number.  It gets even bigger and scarier when you put a dollar sign in front of it. $30,000.  Satan tries to scare me with this number a lot.  He tries to convince me that it can't be done.  He tries to tell me its not worth it.  But today I'm convinced there are a lot bigger and scarier numbers.

There are approximately 143 million orphans worldwide.

Ethiopia accounts for 5 million of those orphans (5,000,000!).
That is more than any other individual country.

In Ethiopia 1 in 10 children die before their first birthday.

1 in 6 die before their fifth birthday.

Over 15% of orphans are orphaned because of HIV/AIDS.

47% of the population lives below the poverty rate.

There are lots of big, scary numbers, but every day I am reminded I serve a big, awesome God.  He walks with me.  He has gone before me.  I am not alone.  And neither are my children.  God has called us to this for a reason.  He will not leave us.  He will not forsake us.  While $30,000 is a big, scary number for us, it is only a drop in the bucket for God.  He will provide.