Thursday, December 30, 2010

quick update - YAY!

I will write more later but I wanted to give a quick update!!!! Yesterday at just before 5 pm we got an email from the Reece's Rainbow director letting us know we need our homestudy completed by the week of January 21st (yikes!!) because......we can submit in February 2011!! We had thought with all the concern of a vote or no vote and all that back and forth we would surely be delayed but it looks like we can submit at the earliest date we were originally told!

Yay! This is what we have been praying for but we have lots to do to finish our homestudy and we have LOTS left to fundraise (we honestly thought we would not travel until late summer at the earliest - now it looks like possibly the Spring - yes!!)

Anyway - pray we can close in that gap - we are working extra, cut household expenses again (and I am pretty sure we are down to the absolute minimum!) and now working on a couple fundraising ideas...all while trying to finish up our homestudy!

Our prayer at the begining of this whole journey was to 1) be able to bring her home quickly (looks like that is gonna happen) and 2) that we would be able to do it without as much debt following us back to America - please pray with us and keep our fundraisers in mind!

I'll write a more lengthy post later with links to all our different fundraisers and will keep you posted on community events - but for now you can check out her 'sponsor page' and our 'Just Love' coffee fundraisers on the side right column =)

Gotta go!
Kate

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Plugging away

So far no new news as far as adoption laws changing in Miss Claire's country - which makes us very happy.  We ask you to continue to pray for continued stability in her country and that every little kiddo that has pledged families is able to go home to those families as quickly as possible.

We finished up several pieces of paperwork needed to start our homestudy this past week.  We are getting our Live Scan done tomorrow (background check) *fingers crossed* LOL - no issue, just a hoop we gotta jump through.

Tuesday Harry's got his last Dr. appt on Tuesday and then we've got our homestudy appointments - yay!

We have been told we can submit our dossier no earlier than February but it could be later.  We are asking everyone to pray that we can submit in February - the sooner we submit the sooner we can travel & bring her home. 

Please keep 'our' little Claire in your prayers - we know that it must be hard to be two years old and living in a group home.  We know the first years are important years, months, days.  We just pray that she is getting the best attention possible, the best nutrition possible, and best care possible.  We pray she is warm and that in her heart she somehow knows how deeply loved she is - by us and by God. 

While we are on the topic - please pray for the other estimated 149 million orphans world wide - more than 100,000 in Claire's country alone.  Of those 100,000 - statistically most will not be adopted.  Children in her country age out at 15 or 16. Aging out means you no longer are a ward of the state - you are on your own - you have no family, no care, no money, job, or food.  MOST girls have no other job opportunities besides prostitution.

Final thought - only 7% of those who claim to be Christian need to adopt one child for there to be NO ORPHANS in the world.  For reals.  7 out of 100 - seems like a very do-able number to me - and think of the impact?! Statistically most of these children will grow into adults that have no opportunity but crime - but if they had families who loved them and gave them a sense of self worth and education - what might our world be like??

We know not everyone can adopt - but we thank everyone who has supported us in this adoption and in our last.  We thank you for your prayers & support!

Kate