ON THE LIST, ON THE LIST!

Right before Christmas we got some great news. After about 6 months we have officially made the waiting list. Our information is currently on its way to Ethiopia. We now begin another waiting period. We are excited and cannot wait to get the call about a child being ready for us to adopt. At the moment we are still needing financial support. We have applied with a few agencies that grant funds and are trying to save as much as possible. Please continue to pray for us. We also ask that you pray for the timing. We believe God is completely sovereign in this and we know His timing is perfect so please pray for our patience.

GLADNEY APPROVED!!!!!!!!

We are now officially approved by the Gladney Center For Adoption. We have waited for this day for a long time. We could not be more excited. We will now continue with he foreign or Dossier process. While waiting, we have been working with our Dossier representative who tells us we are almost finished. Please continue to pray for us in the incredible adventure.

October 28 Update

Sorry we hav enot updated in a while so here is where we are.

• Home study has been reviewed and is waiting on just a few changes
• Once Home Study is completed we should hear from Gladney on our approval
• Submitted all of our Dossier (Foreign) paperwork and everything looks great, they are just waiting on our home study

Once our Home Study approved, we should be almost to the selection process.

One Step Closer

9/25/08 - We are at the final stages of our Gladney Approval and have started the Foreign Papers (Dossier). We are in the process of gaining FBI clearance along with continuing our education on Ethiopia. This Tuesday we will be attending a Ethiopian Adoption dinner with anothe couple from Bethel. During this time we will get to meet the Ethiopian Adoption team. COntinue to pray for us during the exciting time. Kylee gets more and more excited each day to think that she might have a brother or sister soon.

September 11, 2008 Update

We are currently waiting for approval from Gladney. We have not heard how the home study went. We are now in the very beginning stages of our Dossier packet. The Dossier involves all of the international papers and there is so much more than we thought. It is so involved they recommend paying a Dossier Company to help you through the process.

September 2, 2008 Update

As of yesterday we have completed our Home Study Interview and walk-through. There maybe some addition questions, but the majority of the Home Study is complete. It will then be sent to Gladney for final approval. We are about to embark on a major task. We are beginning our Foreign Dossier work. This is much more involved that the first round of forms and paperwork. This step may take sometime and we ask for your prayers during all of this work. We are continuing to get excited about adoption.

Ethiopia Adoption

http://www.adoptionsbygladney.com/html/ethiopia/index.php

Here is some helpful information on Ethiopian Adoption through Gladney.

We have been asked many times why Ethiopia? We say great question... There are many thoughts to process such as:

• Why this country over another


• Why not stay within the US


• What about the cultural differences


• What will others think and say

These are all legitimate thoughts and here is why Marla and I have settled on Ethiopia. Maternal deaths account for 25 percent of all deaths to women. More than one in five Ethiopian women die from pregnancy or pregnancy-related causes. So first of all, the need is great. Second, we have a desire to be a multi-racial family. Our church (Bethel Bible, Tyler, TX) has the same goal. Third, through this we desire God to change the prejudices we have as well as those around us. Finally, we truly believe God has been leading us to this point for several years. We know this will not be an easy journey and there will be many challenges along the way - but GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL!