filling the nest

As I'm getting to know this blog thing, I have accidentally made a few "woops" and "oh crap" happenings along the way.  For instance, why I've put off writing for a week or so now.  I am easily addicted to making this blog cute and creatively expressive of us, and that is where my problem lies... I get wrapped up in editing our blog and then the next second poof, the blog post is gone, or the layout is now different, or I've clicked on something that I didn't really know how to use.  Needless to say, it's 10:30 at night and I am wide awake ready to finally blog away without any alteration of aesthetics.


Some fantastic things have happened over the past 7 days.  We are officially moving at marathon pace to get our paperwork complete!  Last Monday our adoption packet arrived with our official "To Do" list!  For two lovebirds who are driven by crossing off lists, it's just up our ally!  We are anticipating that it will take us about 4 months to get everything gathered up: birth certificates, fingerprinting, government documents, fire inspections, home visits and doctor appointments....just to name a few.  The most important step was for us to find a home study agency in the area that could complete our lengthy report that will eventually be sent off to Ethiopia.  Not having local access to our adoption agency, we were a little unsure of what our next step should be.  Our good friend noticed our uncertainty and made it her goal to help us find a reputable home study agency.  Thank you Lord for how You provide!  Within 2 days we had gotten references from other families and phone calls were made.  Once again, as we prayed for discernment, it was given.  We will be working with Caring for Kids, Inc and it will be wonderful to have them as a resource close by.  Tomorrow morning our paperwork for our home study will be sent off and we'll begin to first major portion of our adoption!!  [I entertain Justin with my free willed enthusiasm-dancing around the kitchen and praising the Lord for these little milestones!!  Nothing like cheap entertainment!]


A few more pretty exciting moments of this past week were one's that we shared with others!  As we've begun to share our exciting news with our family and friends, we've seen an outpouring of support, smiles, hugs, and incredible encouragement!  It's overwhelming!  And it once again confirms that we are being called parenthood through adoption and we will someday bring our son home to an incredible extended network of family and friends :)  Just this week we have rejoiced with friends from church who have sent off their completed dossier, others who just received their referral, and still another family who has just decided to begin looking for an agency to start their own ET adoption.  Our little Ethiopian community is in the making!  And we're marketing for more ;) ;)


Finally, at the forefront of my mind are the AMAZING testimonies and baptisms we got to witness on Sunday morning.  They were JOYOUS, REDEMPTIVE, PROMISE-FILLED, and had JESUS CHRIST written all over them.  I witnessed a woman dance before our Lord and tears came down my face.  As she was transformed, so was I.  We witnessed raw Christianity that means exposing everything for the sake of His cleansing. I am still rejoicing over the invitation to witness those lives transformed!  


What a fantastic week for Justin and I!  We can see God's masterful hand throughout it all, and even then  I am sure we missed some too :)   I am currently reading a fascinating book titled There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene.  I'm eager to post about it....it's too late now, but I'll be sharing in the next day or so.  I am only on the second chapter, but still I am silenced by her staggering statistics of Ethiopia.  It blows us away....Stay tuned for more!


Kati