Disappointment

I am reminded today that my worth comes from who I am in Christ rather than my accomplishments in this world. It matters not how much one works, is ethical, and praiseworthy. In the end it is up to the fickle nature and agendas of those who are in power over you. I should look to my work and know that those things that I do that are prompted by His Spirit are approved and not look for commendations by man. Still I am disappointed. The workings of this world state that one should be rewarded accordingly for good work. I need to not believe the lie. We are here to serve God, to glorify and enjoy Him. This is what I must hold on to. He has other plans for me and they are for my good. I can grieve but I must not dwell. Lord help me move on from this place.

Home study

The Home study should be complete January 5th as long as we have all of our paperwork together. I'm excited that things are moving along.
My mother has made color specific quilts and decorations in our home for the boys. Bren is yellow, Jace is blue, Joel is red, and Bryce is green. We spoke about what colors the new boys should be. After a couple of days of thinking we decided that the colors of the Ethiopian flag would be appropriate. They are orange and turquoise. I couldn't believe it because Christmas 2007 when she painted a pirate ship in the boys bathroom, she made each of the sails their color. There were 2 extra sails so she mixed paints and just painted them colors that she thought would look nice. Those 2 sails are orange and turquoise.

Newsletter #2

A great Christmas “hello” to our adoption family. Thank you for your prayers and donations as we continue along this adoption road.
What have we done so far?
At this time we have completed our orientation with Christian World Adoption, our adoption agency. We attended a webnair, signed our contracts and paid the first fees. We have also begun our home study. We turned in a large amount of paperwork including a transracial parenting plan, a cultural awareness plan, our family histories, and a family budget. We had one visit from our case worker and there will be 2 more before the home study is complete.
What are you working on now?
We need to have certified copies of birth certificates and immigration cards for the dossier that gets sent to Ethiopia. We are waiting to receive those in the mail. We are having our physicals done and doing the required education for both the home study and CWA. We will also be getting our finger printing done in the next couple of weeks. All parts of the dossier need to be notarized so we are currently attempting to collect all the documents needed, such as employment letters, drug screens, and bank statements, get them notarized appropriately and then not lose them.
What comes next?
We submit documents to US Citizen and Immigration Services to obtain international adoption approval once the home study is complete. When we obtain approval then we send in our dossier, pay the rest of our fees and await a referral. (A referral is when they match you with your children.) We feel like we are well on our way and the excitement keeps building.
Fees?
We would be glad of any help, if you feel led check out the CWA website or email us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We wish all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!