Homestudy Check!

They say that 2-4 months from now we'll be getting our referral! Woo hoo!!!!!! Our homestudy went beautifully, and we are approved. Spring, sunshine, and baby pictures are headed our way!

Also I purchased the mobile on ebay today to match the adorable bedding set we bought a few weeks ago. We found the set on craigslist, and its previous owner was adopted. What a sweet surprise from God :)

DHS Approval

I'm sorry I've neglected you, dear little blog, but today I have wonderful news. My hubby and I arrived home from celebrating sunshine with pizza in Ashland to find our DHS approval letter tucked in our mailbox! And 1-3 weeks earlier than expected! Thank you Jesus!

A Mom Event!

AH! I am about to attend my first Mom event ever! I have been invited by many wonderful people to the Westminster Presbyterian Church this evening for the adoption mom's group. I feel a bit more grown up just thinking about it.

Amazon-Crazy

I purchased 3 more books on Amazon today, saved 6 more in my "wish list," and finished reading the book Ashes to Africa that arrived in the mail on Wednesday. Currently I am also reading Shepherding a Child's Heart, Attaching in Adoption, an Ethiopia travel guidebook, and A Praying Life (the only book not related to adoption). They are all amazing, and I can't wait to keep reading! Nate is a bit overwhelmed with the deluge of books, and I will admit I am a little obsessed. But if we can't work on paperwork, paint the nursery, or shop for baby supplies (until I know if it is a boy or girl...), I might as well prepare my mind! Attaching in Adoption includes lots of helpful examples of the intimidating situations Nate and I could face with our baby... I was reminded that if God confirms something through Scripture, marital unity, heart desire, and the body of Christ, I cannot say 'no' because it seems hard. Not that I want to say 'no'! But still, the self-seeking side of me doesn't do jumping jacks when I read about adoptive kids who give strangers more affection than their parents! God, please help all of us, Nate, me, and our baby, to learn to love one another. And thank you for the chance to care for orphans and create the family you have for us, even if it does not always match my smiles-and-cuddles-all-day idealism. But then I've never seen a family that does...

A poem that touched my heart today

What Can I Teach My Kids About Being Black?
by urbanservant.blogspot.com posted 11/2007

What can I teach you about being Black?
Not much,
Because I'm not.
But I can teach you about pain,
And how to forgive peoples foolish words.
I can show you how to endure suffering,
So that through it Truth will be proclaimed.
I can love you and cry with you,
I can be the she-bear when you are threatened.
We can live where there is a rainbow of people,
and we can learn to love them together.
We can seek out the truth in history,
And not be afraid of the ugliness.
I can your heart and your eyes
to the painful reality that comes
clinging to the back of sin.

And in the end,
I can release you into your destiny,
And wait for you to come home,
With a fuller understanding of who you are
And what you are to be in your life.
Then I can listen as you teach me,
What it means to be Black.

Application

On Wednesday Dec 23, I mailed our application! God has blessed us beyond words by giving us the support of our families, especially considering that my parents expressed concerns in the past about the idea of adoption. Nate and I have always wanted to adopt, but only since the first week of December have we thought seriously about starting NOW. One night I arrived home from work to a grinning husband who announced, "It's going to be Ethiopia through Holt!" I took me several days to regain my breath since my husband typically takes 3 or 4 times as long as me to make a decision (God's provision for me!). God has clearly placed it on his heart (and mine :) to begin pronto. Now we are anxiously awaiting the second batch of paperwork via snail mail.