Adoption Update

It's been a while since I've updated you all on how the adoption is going....this is because well....there's a lot of "hurry up and wait" in an adoption process. For the past (what seems like forever) we've been tweaking my homestudy to reflect my desire to adopt an HIV+ child (hopefully boy) from Ethiopia. That is finally done! YEAH! We've also had to do some research into some extra immigration forms that need to be done to bring an HIV+ child into the U.S. - my worker had never seen these forms before and we had to do some digging to figure out who/when/where these needed to be done. But - we eventually did figure it out. And finally, my Immigration packet to Homeland Security has been sent out as of yesterday! This is a big step in the process - and typically takes between 1-3 months. Once I get "approval" from the big D.C. dudes that I can bring an orphan into the U.S., we will send the full completed packet to Ethiopia and then wait for a referral (a "referral" is when the staff in Ethiopia look at my packet of information and "match" me with a child). I'm not expecting a long wait for my referral simply due tothe incredible number of HIV+ kids that need homes. I'm praying right now that I'll be traveling sometime early 2009 - but I'll certainly keep you all posted as I know more. In the meantime, a big thank-you to all of you for your continued prayers and encouragement! I certainly covet them and am grateful that God has blessed me with so many incredible friends and a great family! My cup overfloweth!