It's a........

We are very excited to share with you all.....WE HAVE A CHILD!!!!!!

Introducing........drum roll............NOBODY.....Unfortunately we signed a paper legally binding us to what we are and are not allowed to share on the internet until our child is officially ours....which happens after the courts grant our actual adoption in Ethiopia......so we can't post a picture.

Here's what we can tell you.

1.  For everyone who have been praying we'd get a girl.....you can start crying.  It's a boy!!!!

2.  He's  2.  He's healthy.

3.  He was given an Ethiopian name by his caregivers.  Much like both our boys we will be keeping that name as a middle name.  We will be calling him Elias ( E-LIE-us).

4.  We don't know when we will be able to travel.  Rainy season is coming in Ethiopia.  The courts shut down for months.  Our agency is pushing and we're hoping to get in before courts close.  If that doesn't happen, we're waiting until October before our first trip and later before he can come home.

5.  What do the boys think?  Honestly.....they're really excited it's a boy....and that's about it.  It doesn't really impact their world of summer fun right now....so it's gonna take awhile for them to grasp the implications.



We're excited.  Lots to think about.  More blog posts coming.

Fundraising: Grey Area

Since we don't have anything immediately to update you on as far as a referral (picture and info about our child)...we thought we'd let you know some financial information.  Several people have been asking how we're doing.  So we'll tell you.

- God has been doing some awesome stuff.  Last year at this time we were freaking out when we looked at the "big number" that we had to raise.  We knew that we were called to this adoption and that He was going to figure out the money because (as we stated from the beginning) we didn't have it.

If we're really honest....we were also really worried as money really didn't start coming in for a good long time.  And then....slowly....bit by bit....people started donating.  It's been amazing.

So the question lately has been....how are you doing...or really....how much more do you need?

And the answer is....we don't know.  Here's the thing....we're in what I call the grey area.  I can tell you that we're close.  The problem is that we have two trips to Ethiopia that we have to make.  Some of the things associated with travel are flexible in cost.  For instance when I checked flight prices 3 months ago and then compared them to flight prices now....they've doubled.....but they'll go back down again in the fall.  So depending on when we have to travel, will depend on our total over all expense.

There are also some weird fees and expenses in country that can't ever be accounted for. 

So it's hard to say, "this is absolutely what the entire adoption will cost".  We do know that we're close though....but we're not definitely there yet.  But we have to say, "God is GOOD."  We have been blessed over and over and over again by so many people.  We say THANK YOU so very much.

So here's where we're at with fundraising:  We're not done yet.  We still have some more that we KNOW we have to raise.  The grey area is what we can't account for. 

We want to be completely transparent with money and finances.  We're not out to MAKE money on our adoption.  So this is our plan.  We're going to continue our fundraising for now.  If for some reason we complete our adoption and there is any money left over (at the present time that wouldn't happen), we will be donating any excess to Bring Love In.

You might remember that the Benkert's from Bring Love In, were scheduled to stop in Warren last summer when they were in America on leave.  They run this awesome program inside Ethiopia.  They match orphans with widows and make new FOREVER families.  They're fixing the orphan problem INSIDE of Ethiopia.  Adoption isn't always the answer.  There are other options.  We believe highly in what they're doing.  So if there is anything left at the end, we want to bless them for what they're doing.

Quick recap:
1. We're not there yet, but we're getting close.
2.  We're nearing this grey area of not knowing final cost.
3.  If for some reason there is any excess at the end of our adoption we will be donating it to Bring Love In.

Steps for You:

-As always we covet your continued prayer.  Pray not just for adoption, but for our family as we deal with the stress that comes from the adoption process.  Pray for patience and peace.

-Check out BRING LOVE IN and see why we're choosing to partner with them toward the end of our adoption process.

-We're still fundraising.  We're going to drop the price of T-shirts this week.  Remember we give you Permission to think outside the box in helping us out or talking about what we're doing.