When Love Takes You In - Steven Curtis Chapman

Our First Meeting Done!!!!

Well, thank you to everyone who was praying for us this past weekend - our first Home Study meeting went by like a breeze. Mike came right at 4:00pm on the dot and sat and talked with us asked us a lot of questions about our childhood, what our relationship was with our parents growing up - what it was like now. Both Brandon and I have been blessed with such great parents that it was a fairly easy effortless interview. He was very gracious with his time answering any questions that we had. Then we gave him a large wad of cash (we are on the cash envelope system right now!) and he left! It was over with before I even knew it. the funny part is preparing for a Home Study. My husband SCRUBBED our bathroom for 45 minutes to make sure it was spick-and-span clean, and Mike didnt even use the restroom! He came in, sat down on the couch, we talked, he left. No white glove test. (I had horror movies playing in my head of how we would be deemed unfit parents because he would find a pair of misplaced underware under the couch or something - lol)

So now we wait for our references to be sent back to him and for him to close out the Home Study process. Once we are approved we can file our paperwork with the immagration office and start to apply for international adoption grants. Anyone with bright fundraising ideas - please let me know!!!

Preparing for the Home Study

Brandon and I spent a few hours on Friday night filling out our autobiographies for the home study. They are 13 pages long and ask you very in depth questions about your childhood, your parents, how you view live and how you will raise your child. The questions were not hard, per say, but there are SO MANY of them and some of them really make you stop and think.

I honestly think that after going through the process of a HomeSudy, it should almost be a mandatory thing for any young couple who is interested in starting a family. Brandon and I have even had questions that, in answering them, found out we had never discussed them together!

We are enjoying the process and looking forward to our first home study meeting on the 25th. We are not really sure what to expect. We have done some reading on line, but if there is anyone who has info on what we are going to experience at our initial meeting, that would be great!

Finding our Agency - Faith International Adoptions

Going to an initial meeting at Faith International Adoptions, we were a little nervous. We didn't know them at all, and so there are a lot of initial questions being asked from both sides. We met with a guy named John, and he began to discuss the adoption process and he shared with us all of the great things that his agency does throughout the regions that they are involved with. They do a lot of relief work along with the adoptions, which was so important to us. We were still feeling a bit apprehensive when Brandon mentioned that my cousin and her husband (Heather and Ryan) had just adopted a beautiful little girl from Vietnam. John asked us what their names were and we replied that they lived in MN. He asked again what were their names, and when we told him, he put his finger up in the air and said "wait just one minute!" and ran out of the room. He quickly returned with a memory chip and put it into his computer. Up popped a picture of my cousin Heather and Ryan! "I was their adoption agent!" At this point we all just started to laugh and we could not believe the divine connection that we began at that moment to feel.

After the meeting I got a chance to call Heather and tell her the story, and she got to tell me all about how much she really had enjoyed working with John.

Brandon and I are so excited - this isnt just something that we just think would be fun or even "just want" to do. This adoption is something that we feel we are called to do. We have felt God's presence and his purposeful plan every step of the way so far, and we are looking forward to the day that we get to hold our daughter in our arms and give her a HUGE hug and kiss and let her know what it was a part of the plan that God had for all of us to be together!

My first blog - more to come

Hello!

I am just starting this blog and will add more soon. We are just beginning the process of adoption and have lots of little miracles to share already!

We have until April 25th to get ready for a our first Home Study meeting. Lots of paper work!

We will keep you updated!

Lindsay