Update

It is amazing how quick the weeks go by. I have been intending to provide an update for the last couple of weeks, but time has slipped by. There is much to report since my last writing.

Danielle and I have completed the home study portion of the adoption process. Our third meeting in Wheaton discussed our marriage relationship as well as a few other topics. Our fourth meeting was the one in our home. We had this meeting Tuesday, December 15th (I think that was the date). In addition reviewing various paperwork, our case worker had to inspect the house. After Danielle and I spent a couple weeks preparing, the inspection went quite well. We have more that we want to do in the house in preparation, but have been able to sort through a lot of stuff and get rid of a lot of things. As I said, we have much more to do. We learned during our last meeting that the home study was approved and that we have been officially accepted into the adoption program. The next step for us is to put our profile/portfolio together that the birth mothers will be reviewing when they are selecting adoptive parents. We have started working on it using the Shutterfly online photo service. We should have it done in a couple of weeks. This purpose of this profile is to show who we are- our lives and interests. Once we are done with the profile, it is the waiting period. The waiting period could be two months, or it could be two years- we don't know. The agency places an average of five babies into homes each year and there are now 11 adoptive couples (including us) waiting. It is all in the Lord's hands.

The Lord is continuing to provide the funds that we need for the adoption. It has been awesome to see Him provide in a couple of very unexpected ways. One of the ways was so clearly a "God thing" that there was NO reasonable human way to explain it away. He is also continuing to teach us about stewardship and managing our income better. This has meant eliminating eating out for the most part, only purchasing what is essential, and foregoing Christmas presents this year. Thankfully our family understands the reason why we have chosen to opt out of the Christmas exchanges. I trust that Lord will continue to provide the funds needed for the adoption, sometimes in unexpected ways.

That's about it for the update right now. Have a Merry Christmas!