Applied for a grant -- please pray!

We applied for a grant last week. They received several hundred applications and will make their decision and announce the recipient(s) by the end of the month. Please pray that they pick us! I'll update again soon. God bless!

Short Update

Nothing new.. just trying to find a place to have our spaghetti dinner next month and ironing out some specifics on a truffle sale for the holidays. And enjoying Nate being back home after he was gone for a week for a work conference.

AVON fundraiser

A good friend has offered to donate all of her earnings from this campaign (Wed 9/10 - Tues 9/24) to help us with our adoption home study fees. We are blessed to receive such generosity -- 50% of whatever sales gathered! That's HALF! In addition to that, there is a code for FREE SHIPPING!! Now is the time to order the few little things you wanted but didn't want to pay shipping to get! Or get some Christmas shopping done early. Use her website, and have it shipped directly to you, no matter where you live -- without paying a dime for shipping! Please forward this to your family, friends, in- and out-of-state. Give the website to your co-workers and fellow church members and tell them to place an order with free shipping! There are some great items in this campaign. Buy one watch, get another for $1.99! Half price jewelry & jewelry mix & match 2/$30 (reg. $50 - $60 each). New men's fragrances. partner products from Curves and Planet Spa (among others). Even a new hip clothing line! check out their "special offers" section on Sharon's website for some great deals (think two gifts for one low price!)

Thanks for taking a look and passing it on! We are so appreciative and grateful for all the support we are getting! It is amazing to feel the love and acceptance for our little girl so strongly before we've even met her! :D

check out her website: http://youravon.com/smorris3335

Thanks again -- for all of your love and support. It means the world to us!
~Amanda, Nate & Elijah

PS: Coming soon -- details on a (local) spaghetti dinner!

The Year Ahead

I want to share with everyone the process we're looking at to bring our daughter home. On average, it will take us 7-10 months (without any major setbacks), and I'm praying that it happens very very quickly! Please join us in praying for smooth sailing and quick document processing. Here's a brief summary of the year ahead:

The Home Study
a social worker comes to our home, picks us apart in every way possible, and decides that we aren't psychopaths. We'll need to collect a variety of documents that are necessary for home study completion, as well as fingerprints and our first series of background checks.

Adoption Agency Registration

The Dossier (a.k.a. The "Paper Chase")
more background checks, collection of documents, medical exams, references, most of which need notarized, authenticated or certified in some way!

Translation/Forwarding of Dossier overseas

Fingerprints (again)
for foreign country's approval

Review of dossier & approval from foreign country to adopt

The Referral
introduced to our daughter! photos, personal/medical information, and possible video!

US CIS paperwork
approval from United States Citizenship and Immigration Service to issue orphan visa to our child

Adoption Proceeding (Court Date)
documents are filed in foreign courts to adopt; once finalized, an adoption decree is issued and new birth certificate and foreign passport are issued to our little girl.

Travel Date
We are informed of the date we will travel overseas to bring our daughter home!

WELCOME HOME PARTY!!!!
Big bash with friends and family to celebrate our baby girl, home in our arms forever!

Post-Adoption Reports
periodic reports on her progress, including photos issued three times in the first year and once annually until she turns eighteen.

Also, please pray for the Lord's favor for financial provision. We are looking at $20,000 in expenses plus travel costs, and we just don't have that laying around (who does?). Our daughter is priceless, but we must pay for processing of the adoption.

Thank you for your support & encouragement! We are so excited to begin this journey that we know will change our lives for the better, forever...

The big news!

Hello everyone! I am so excited to announce our news (and the reason for this blog) --- Nate and I are adopting! Yes - you read that right! A daughter from Ethiopia! We have prayed and prayed and feel this is God's will for our family right now. Please, join in prayer as we journey nearly 7300 miles across the globe to a small north-African country twice the size of Texas with over 4 million orphaned children, and bring our baby girl home -- forever.