just in case you were wondering....

Yeah, we've got nothing new to report.  Well, not true.  Our facilitator has been sick the past few days and could really use your prayers.  Also, Autumn has travel dates, and frankly they aren't too far away.  Any chance you can spare even just $10 to help her out?  Click here: Autumn Dean

your prayers are coveted any day of the week

I'm afraid the weekend got away from me again.  Just too much to do in so little time.  (Can anyone say with me "Jessica needs a vacation"?) 

Also going to admit here first....I'm a little disappointed.  My last blog talked about a friend who is in need of funds for travel.  And we've gotten only $60 in donations.  Autumn still needs around $2400 in order to have enough to go pick her kids up.  I will also tell you that many families in Autumn's (and our) situation are really sweating the rising fuel costs as well.  We just don't know what that will do to the cost of airfare.  Please consider donating to the Dean family.  Here is a link directly to their fund:  Dean Family FSP.

I had really hoped that my next post (this one) would contain an update on where we are in the adoption process.  But there hasn't been an update yet, and I'm working on patience as a virtue so I haven't asked. 

Here are prayer requests for this week:

1. Danny.  do I really need to explain again?  :)
2. Our facilitator: Toni is so busy right now, which is a great problem!  Please pray for her servant's heart and that she has enough hours and support every day to get done what she needs to.
3. Autumn Dean's family and donating.  Is it on your heart?  Please prayerfully consider.

I'm going to leave the list short this week.  I think these three items need focus this next week.  Please consider them, and join us in prayer.

Thanks friends!

It's (almost) my birthday

So my birthday just happens to be March 21, which is a month from today.  (Yay!)  As an aside, that just happens to be Down Syndrome Awareness day.  3/21 pretty much RoCkS!

I've been thinking for a while that I would like to do something to bring awareness to adoption, or Down Syndrome or something for my birthday.  And this morning I found a way!  One of the "adoption friends" we have made through this process is named Autumn.  She is pretty impressive if you ask me.  Autumn is in her 20's, an officer in the US Airforce and is a doctor! She is also choosing to be a single mom, adopting a sibling group of a boy and girl.  Let me tell you, they are gorgeous!  (and happen to be in the same country as Danny!)

Let me get to the point.  Autumn's adoption petition was presented to a judge last week and it was approved!  She plans to travel sometime in the next month or so.  The big problem here is that Autumn still needs about $2,500 to travel.  To some that's a drop in the bucket, but to Autumn that's all that's standing in the way of bringing Sofia and Samuel home.  Now you may ask, what does MY birthday have to do with Autumn's adoption... For my birthday I want Autumn to not have to worry or stress about that last $2,500.  So I am asking, out of the goodness of your hearts, will you please take whatever you were planning to spend on me and donate it to Autumn, Sofia and Samuel. Not planning to buy me anything?  Maybe consider donating anyway! There is not a "prize" as a part of this plea, just the knowledge that you helped a very deserving mom be with her kids.  Well there is a bit of a prize....all donations made through Reece's Rainbow are tax deductible!  

Here is the link to Autumn's Family Sponsorship Page:  Click Here  (you can see a pic of Sofia & Samuel here!)

Have a donation of over $250?  Please mail a check to this address:

Reece's Rainbow
PO Box 4024
Gaithersburg, MD 20885
*please put "Autumn Dean" in the memo line


Thank you for thinking of and praying for Autumn over the next few weeks if you aren't able to donate.  I know she will appreciate it.

Sunday Prayers

I feel like a bad blogger lately.  All it seems I've been able to keep up with is a once a week post that really isn't that tough to write!  I hope you are still following along!

1. Danny: As always at the top of our list.  He's probably completely forgotten us by now, so I pray that Baba Mila is going through the photo album with him!
2. MOJ & Judge: Please pray this is the week we are submitted to the MOJ, and that our documents work through their system quickly.  Please also pray for a judge who is quick to schedule our court date and make a decision on our adoption.
3. Us: We are juggling many things right now, including full time jobs, our home, and getting ready for our son to come home.
4: YOU: that's right.  Please pray for you.  Pray for God to speak to you about an orphan or orphan ministry, or even something else that He is breaking your heart for.  I guarantee this is not an easy pray, and the task at the end may not be what you expected, but your life will be better for having prayed it.

That's it!  Pretty simple this week.  If we get any updates I will be sure you keep you posted!

Dear Danny

Dear Danny,

Happy Valentine's Day!  I'm going to be real with you, your dad and I don't really celebrate Valentine's Day with each other.  However, last night we were talking about how excited we are to have you here next Valentine's Day.  I was telling your dad that I can't wait to make you heart shaped pancakes, and put together goodies for the kids in your class!  It will be so much fun!  I also hope to dress you in a cute red shirt, but only because your dad is anti-pink on boys!

Just so you know we are working very hard to get you home!  I'd love for you to be here in time for Easter, so I've been praying about it.  But either way, I know God is doing His best for all of us to get you here as soon as He needs you to be.  We love you so much and can't wait for the day you are ours forever! (legally.)  :)

Love,

Mommy

Sunday Prayers: I've completely lost track

Well one of our prayers has been answered!  Our facilitator has our Article 5 letter and it will be headed off for authentication tomorrow.  Once that is back, and the rest of our forms are translated we will be submitted to the Minister of Justice's office for final approval.  With that news I bet you can guess what our next prayer requests are!

1. Danny....safe, warm, happy and well loved until we can get there.
2. MOJ: that the office can move quickly to get our final petition signed off on, and a judge assigned soon.
3. For our Judge: pray that he or she will promptly schedule a date to hear our case as soon as they receive the assignment.  Pray also that a decision comes quickly and the approval gets signed as soon as possible.
4. Us: still working hard to get ready for our family to grow by 1.  :)

Thank you friends and family!  Know we appreciate you and all you've done for us on this journey.

Article 5!!!

We got an email this morning from our facilitator saying she was able to SURPRISE! get our Article 5 letter today!  This came as a complete shock since we hadn't received word of an appointment.  I think this is just one more way that God is working on behalf of us and because of your prayers.  So, thank you for continuing to pray that this process is expedited and we get our boy home as soon as we can!

adios Stage 2 documents!

I am THRILLED to announce that our Stage 2 documents are on the way to Danny's country!!!  They will be in our attorney's hands on Wednesday, and then will be translated while she waits for our Article 5 appointment the the US Embassy.  Hey!  I just realized we will get to visit the Embassy when we go back to pick him up.  So it probably makes me a total dork, but that's sort of fun!

Beyond getting the paperwork out the door there is not a single other thing we can do to speed up this process....except to PRAY.  So please pray that the final stages of this (MOJ & Court) happen quickly and without issue and that we get to go pick up our son soon!  We haven't heard any more updates on time-frame, so I am still assuming that it's 4-5 months from our first visit, which was one month ago!

Thank you for praying!

Sunday Prayers "determined not to forget" edition

For some reason this is getting harder and harder for me to get done.  I'm not sure if it's another of Satan's plots to take our attention away from our adoption, or if it's just that life is getting in the way while we continue getting ready to bring our little guy home.  Last night I caught Wes staring at the fridge, but this time the door was closed. ;)  I asked what he was looking at, and he said it was Danny's picture, and it's amazing how happy it makes him!  We are head over heels in love with our little guy, and just can't wait to get back to him!

Here is a quick re-cap of where we are in process: a. We have our copy of immigration approval, and our attorney is waiting for an appointment at the US Embassy in Sofia so she can get our article 5 letter; b. Our Stage 2 documents are all notarized, and I'm taking them to Austin tomorrow to be apostilled and they should be in B by Thursday for translation; c. Once everything is translated and she has our Article 5 letter our attorney will submit our final documents to the Ministry of Justice....this is a month process; d. A judge will be assigned and prayerfully will schedule our court date as soon as possible; e. 3 to 5 weeks after our court date we will get to go pick our boy up!  We are still climbing a mountain but I feel like we are finally at "high camp" (for any of you who have ever climbed a mountain) and working our way to the top!  It's exciting to be here!

Here is a list of things we still need to get done around the house to be ready for Danny: a. EVERYTHING!  Ok, maybe not, but it's still a lot, including finishing his room, and general decluttering of the house.  I probably need to resign myself to putting all my breakables up, but they are so pretty on the shelves in the dining room.  Maybe we will wait and see, that is if we get brave!

Finally, what you are actually reading all this for: PrAyEr ReQuEsTs!!!!!

1. Danny: please pray that he is warm and that his orphanage has power....there is a rowdy winter storm just churning over Eastern Europe and the highs this past week didn't get above 20*f!  Also pray that Baba Mila is talking to him about family and us, and life in America.
2. Our Attorney: has so many families in process right now, about 15 of which are waiting for court dates.  She is a busy lady who works so hard on our behalf.  Please pray for Satan's attacks on her to cease so that she can continue to do a good work.
3. Us: still working hard at our jobs and around the house.
4. The Process: Please pray that all of the remaining steps in our process are handled with speed so that we might get our boy home sooner than we ever expected.  We would love to have him here in April, but that's a stretch right now.

Thank you so much for continuing to pray for us and with us.  I can tell you that since I started writing this post weekly we do not feel the stress or pressure that we felt at first.