And We're Off!!

It official!!! We're adopting. I mailed our formal application in today to All Gods Children. It has sure been a CRAZY DAY!! I decided to take today off because I had a guy coming to measure our house for new carpet and I had my physical. The morning started off great!! I was heading into get my nails done when my cell phone rang and it was the doctors office. Dr. Lang was sick and I needed to reschedule. No big deal though I am going tomorrow. So I got my nails done, then Katelyn and I went for lunch. After lunch I decided to go into work for a bit and get a few hours in since now I would have to leave early tomorrow for my appt. When I was done my mom and went to the post office to mail the application. Everything went well until we are walking out to the car I get in to start it and .........It didn't start. (Already had this problem this week but it started working again.) Called to have towed. Yep "it will be about an hour." Meanwhile it is a blizzard outside and we have to just sit in the car and wait for the tow truck. Luckily my mom was also driving her car so we did have heat. Called Matt he came to our rescue. Mom left and took Katelyn home with her. So we get home about 1 1/2 later and I'm taking the garbage outside and I hear air coming from Matt's tire. Look at it and.......he picked a up a nail somewhere and has a hole in his tire. It is now 8pm and we still have not had dinner. But the good news is that we are so excited and nothing can take that away. Please keep us in your prayers and I will keep you updated on the process.

Jeremiah 29:11-12

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I WILL LISTEN.

For everyone that knows me you know that my life did not start out perfect. Born with four major heart defects 25 years ago was not an easy thing. Medicine was not like it is today. But we had HOPE and I HAD A FUTURE. In those days there were tons of prayers said for me and GOD LISTENED. As I sit here today in the room that my next child will come home to, I am looking back on my life and thanking God for every blessing he has ever given me. My parents never raised me to think of my heart problems as a burden. It was how I was born. It was what made me special. My mom always talked to me about adoption because we never knew if getting pregnant was an option for me. But guess what? God blessed Matt and I with a beautiful healthy daughter. But before that He blessed me with a great family!! Our family never looked at problems as a problem, they were adventures and each adventure led to another. Through this "disaster" God Blessed me. I was able to experience things normal kids did not get to do. I was picked to be a Make- A- Wish child, which got me a beautiful trip to Hawaii. A few years after my trip to Hawaii I met my wonderful husband. He has been a true inspiration to my life. He is tender, compassionate, caring and most of all organized. He has made life so much better then I could ever have imagined. He keeps me grounded and on the straight and narrow. He is my rock. He also keeps me out of American Eagle!! (which for me is my biggest downfall. $$$$$)
I say all this to say GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL!!! Even when we think life seems bleak and out of control HE IS THERE. He has EACH and EVERY DAY already planned before we even get out of bed. For this GREAT GOD, I AM BLESSED. So today as we start our true journey down the road of adoption I pray for God's strength and guidance. I pray we will know HE is there when things don't seem to be easy. I pray we hear Him in the gentle whispers.

Paper Work Paper Work

Well I spent most of Weds. and Thurs. and half of Friday doing paper work!!! Boring but exciting all at the same time. I got alot accomplished in those couple of days. I sent in our home study application on Thursday. I also ordered copies of our birth certificates, sent in our clearances and TODAY we got our passports!! We wanted to go early and get this done because people were saying that it was taking so long to get them back because of all the new travel regulations. Much to our knowledge the postal worker told us we should have them in two weeks. Oh well, at least its one more thing marked off our list. We are getting very excited. We are still working on the room. Sundays are always our construction day. I think we are going to try and get the rest of the wiring done and build our closet for the washer and dryer. I will try to take some pics and upload them maybe tom. or Monday. We really just need to be able to complete our two rooms. After that we will be sending in our application to All Gods Children. Then the fun begins. Until then please keep us in your prayers.

Ethiopian Stats

Found this on a different blog last night and thought I should share. This is why Matt and I feel God is calling us to Ethiopia.

According to UNICEF, Poverty deprives children in their early years of life to adequate food, clean water, and medicine.
Startling stats:
• one out of every 20 children born alive die in their first month of life
• one out of ten die before reaching their first birthday
• one out of six die before reaching their fifth birthday

• According to the Embassy of Ethiopia, the country currently has a literacy rate of about only 33 percent. With a population of 65 million, 39 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. As disease spreads rapidly, more than 1.5 million people are infected with HIV/AIDS annually.
• Other Ethiopia Statistics:
  52% of children in Ethiopia are stunted because of malnutrition
  1.5 million people are infected with AIDS (6th highest in the world)
  720,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS alone, and there are 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia
  
• 24% of the population of Ethiopia has access to safe drinking water (this includes the cities, the rural areas are - as you can imagine, much worse off)
  
• The median age in Ethiopia is 18 years
  
• In 2006, a mere 731 Ethiopian children were adopted by American families (do the math: of 4.6 million orphans in the country, this is far less than significant)
  
• Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any country in Africa
  
• In the 90s the population (3%) grew faster than food production (2.2%)
  
• Drought struck the country from 2000-2002 (first year no crops, second year no seeds, third year no animals)
  
• Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school
  88% will never attend secondary school
  
• Ethiopia's doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000
  
• In 1993, after 30 long years of war, Eritrea broke from Ethiopia and became an independent nation leaving Ethiopia landlocked without any major seafaring ports
• The average income in Ethiopia is less than $100/yr

The Begining of Our Journey

In 2007 Matt and I decided that we were now ready to begin our adoption process. We have been married for five years in August. Katelyn, our daughter just turned three in May. We always knew that we wanted to adopt we were just waiting for Gods timing. We have kicked around alot of different countries but feel God is leading us to Ethiopia. I had been on the internet and just stumbled upon Ethiopia and just felt drawn to them. Right now we are working on changing a couple of the rooms in our house to provide another bedroom for our child. After the rooms are finished we will be sending in our applications. We are both really excited to be begining this process, but also a little nervous. There is so much to be done and so much paper work to be filled out it overwhelms you to think of it. Anyways I started this blog so that our family and friends are able to check in and see whats going on and also to try to meet people who have already gone or are in the process of adopting. Please pray for us and for the child God is going to bless us with.