East Tennessee Ethiopian Connection

We were excited this weekend when the Knoxville New Sentinel ran an article on the Hamilton family and their recent adoption of three children from Ethiopia. We then learned of an East Tennessee Ethiopian Adoption Yahoo Group that connects families from the area that have adopted or are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. We joined the group and are already starting to connect with some of the families! This is such a blessing, as many of the families have used the same agency, AWAA, as we are and can give us a detailed and accurate picture of the road ahead of us. I hope to begin adding their blogs to my blog roll.

We are still waiting on approval from the USCIS so that we can send in our dossier. We just sent in a document they requested for clarification on some information, so at least we know they are looking at our application. We are trusting the Lord's timing and that he will continue to provide the $7000 dollars we need to send in with our dossier sometime in the next month or so. Our Heavenly Father has provided $1500 of it in the last week and we trust the rest is coming soon.

Nathan's sister Ashley is getting married next weekend and all of us except Bryan are in the wedding. Nathan is officiating. I am a bridesmaid. Kendra is the flower girl, and Carson is the ring bearer! We are all busy preparing for this exciting time and will post pictures after the great event.

We have been fingerprinted

Nathan and I just got back this afternoon from a wonderful anniversary getaway where we were able to enjoy great time together at the Whitestone Inn outside of Knoxville. We were able to get a good start on some writing projects we've felt called to as well. Yesterday was our fingerprinting appointment in Nashville, the last step before the U.S. can grant us approval to adopt. We were blessed to be able to have dinner with Nathan's sister Ashley, who now lives in Nashville, and stay the night with a wonderful Christian family.

We are very excited and hopeful that as soon as we receive the USCIS approval document we can get our dossier certified and sent to Ethiopia. At that point we will be put on the waiting list for a referral. It is still a 9-11 months for an infant girl, but that is always subject to change. When we turn in our dossier, probably in October, unless the USCIS surprises us, we are going to need a little over $7000 to turn in along with it. So far, we have received $5600 which has covered all of our expenses so far almost exactly. I added up the total of what we have spent so far and it was $5619. We are trusting the Lord to provide this amount sometime in the next few months in a miraculous way! He is so faithful!

I have begun to apply for some grants. One application is in the mail and several more will be finished within the next few weeks. Please pray for favor from those who make the decisions regarding the applications. Thank you for your prayers on our behalf!