147 Million Orphans, Minus 1

We have officially began our home study!  Our first visit from the social worker was last Saturday.  Tyler spent the morning mowing and I spent a good part of the day cleaning and organizing!  Our social worker called and said she'd be about 30 minutes late, and she got there about 7pm and stayed for almost 2 1/2 hours!  I got more and more nervous as we waited!  She took a tour of our house, then sat with us at the kitchen table and talked for a while!  She is extremely nice and easy to talk to.  She explained some things to us, talked with us about the process a little more, and shared a little bit from her experience as an adoptive mother and from her experience working with other adoptive parents and birth parents.  She didn't ask us any hard questions or critique our house like we expected...but maybe that will happen next time!  When I asked her about the time it would take to complete the home study, she said she would be ready with all of the paperwork, but we would basically be waiting on the FBI background checks.  She said this could take up to a few months!  (When I sent the fingerprints and forms in, I put on the front "Please process by" with a date one week out as I was told to do.  She said sometimes this works to speed up the process, sometimes it doesn't.)  A few months seems like a long time!  We are still working on gathering some other paperwork as well.  We're hoping it goes quickly, but we know everything will happen in God's timing!

We have continued to get a few donations from amazing friends and family, and continue to be thankful for their gifts and love for our child already!  (Check out the total on the right!)  We also have began selling Livestrong-style bracelets that say "147 Million Orphans Minus 1."  There are approximately 147 million orphans worldwide!  We are working to rescue just one (for now)!  With a number so overwhelmingly big, 1 can seem so insignificant.  But when I think of the life that we will one day hold, love, feed, clothe, and teach, nothing could be more significant!  We are excited for the day our baby is in our arms and we will know there will be one less orphan from that day on.  My mother's husband, our sister-in-law and my sister have shared our story at their work places and are selling these bracelets for us and they have already asked for more!  It is wonderful how people we don't even know are willing and happy to contribute to bringing this baby home!  One woman cried, and bought 2 bracelets (and gave an extra donation!) because she wanted one for herself and one for her daughter!  We are very thankful for our family who are willing to help us spread our story to others, and to those who have a heart for adoption and are able to help strangers!  (We have black bracelets and Kentucky blue bracelets and are selling them for $5 donations!  Let us know if you would like one!)

Our next home study visit is this Wednesday evening.  We will miss our BFG (bible study) this week, but are excited to continue to make progress toward our goal.  Please pray for fast processing for our FBI checks and other paperwork we're waiting on and continued support from those who are able.  Also remember our child and his or her birth parents in your prayers.  We take comfort in knowing that God already knows this baby and we are anxiously awaiting the day He brings him/her home to us!