Hi again,

So...we've just gotten word that the home visit that we had isn't enough for the American standards. This means that we have to do another home visit :( I hate to say it, but we're feeling a little bit discouraged about it, but we're trying to remember that the Lord is in control. We don't know when this next home visit will be. We are once again in the waiting process. I'll tell ya, when there is a kid involved, it's very hard to wait. Jeremy keeps referring to this process as a pregnancy. He keeps reminding me that pregnancy takes 9 or so months, and there is a lot of waiting in that as well.

Please keep this next home visit in prayer. It's a lot more official I guess, which means more scary...ha ha. Also, there are a lot more steps to do after that as well, such as our criminal record stuff, and more recommendations, and paper work, and so on and so on. All of those things are MUCH harder to get done since we live in another country. Everything has to be sent out to be translated, and then sent back so it can then be resent to where it needs to go. It's going to cost a lot of money to get all of this done too.  Please, please, please be praying! We're feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. But...we know it will all be worth it in the end if we're able to bring home our boy.

Thanks again, and we'll keep you posted.  

Home Visit is Done!!!

Well, we had our home visit! It went GREAT!!! The women that came had already heard about us and the school by one of the ladies from the village that comes to our Thursday night church service. She was told all about the school and our family. I love how the Lord works. The social worked came with her mind already made up. She came, sat at our kitchen table, asked us a few questions, filled out some paper work and left. That was it. As she was leaving she said that she really liked our kids and thought that they were very well behaved. We agreed with her :)

Now, we wait to hear from the U.S. Embassy on the next step, but as far as we can tell, the next step is to fill out all the other paper work and get that all sent to the agency that we're going through. We also are going to look into getting some grants from a few different places. Please pray for these grants, that we would be approved for them.

Thank you all for your prayers. We are very excited to have the home visit done. We feel that the Lord is very much answering our prayers as we are taking each step. I do find the timing of all of this very funny. CCBCE started on Monday, we were supposed to start home school with our kids on Monday, we still aren't getting the government money for our kids, and yet, the Lord chooses now to open the door to adopt. We have been looking into this for many years and have tried to adopt a couple of other kids, but it never worked out. Now, when things are harder than ever, the Lord is opening the doors. I know that He is just showing us His great power and provision. We are at total peace in all of this and know that it's ONLY Him doing the work.

We look forward to seeing it all unfold. Thank you all for the prayers. Please keep them coming.

Here are some specific prayer needs as we get going in our process:

-Finances. We need shots very soon if we're going to be going to Africa. We need plane tickets, and of course all of the funds for the whole adoption process. It's a lot but we know the Lord WILL do it.
-For the boy we're hoping to adopt. He's 15 years old and has lived most of his life at this children's home.    Prayer for his heart, that it would be prepared for this big change. 
-Provision for all 6 of us to be able to go and get him.
-God's timing to be perfect and for His will to be done.