I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends!
The South Africa team at Bethany Christian Services notified us this morning of our homestudy approval! Merry Christmas to us!
Once the holiday season winds down, we should be meeting with our caseworker to sign the homestudy and take a few copies for our own purposes. We will need to send one in with the immigration application and use others to apply for grants.
Our next agency fee of $4,300 is now due, and thanks to work bonuses, generous gifts and the sale of a Volkswagen, we have the money! Praise the Lord!
We will start working on the next chunk of moo-lah and will probably do some more fundraisers. T-shirts and jewelry, anyone?
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Christmas in the Orphanage
Today, I am thinking about Christmas and our future little one. At this time next year, they might be home with us. But for this year, right now, they are probably in an orphanage. Without parents to snuggle them and read them the story of Christmas, without grandparents and aunts and uncles to spoil them with gifts and attention, without cousins to run around and be silly with. Our little one is in South Africa, practically all alone. Feeling like there is no one in the world to take care of them and love them unconditionally. It breaks my heart.
I am helpless to do anything but pray. Pray and have faith in what I know to be true. That God is watching over them because I cannot. That He loves them more than I ever will and He will protect them. I pray that someone in that orphanage is taking special care of them until we can claim them as our own. I pray that they are getting enough food and medical attention. And I pray that God is preparing their little heart for a new family and a new life.
Our little one does not have a name, a face or even a gender yet. But they are already in our hearts.
I am helpless to do anything but pray. Pray and have faith in what I know to be true. That God is watching over them because I cannot. That He loves them more than I ever will and He will protect them. I pray that someone in that orphanage is taking special care of them until we can claim them as our own. I pray that they are getting enough food and medical attention. And I pray that God is preparing their little heart for a new family and a new life.
Our little one does not have a name, a face or even a gender yet. But they are already in our hearts.
Monday, December 17, 2012
BCS Grant
Another week has passed and there isn't much to report about our adoption process. We are still waiting for the homestudy to be approved.
We did, however, receive some really encouraging financial news this past Friday.
A little while back, we had applied for a grant from our adoption agency, Bethany Christian Services. Unlike most grants, this one required an application prior to the completion of the home study. I assumed we were not approved for any assistance because I hadn't heard anything, but we received a letter telling us we were approved for a grant of $1,500, which will be applied towards our Bethany Christian Services fees.
This is a huge help towards our next fee of $4,300!
We are also selling Dave's car, so those proceeds can go right into the fund. We certainly have a long way to go (I try not to dwell on this). All we can do is take one day and one step at a time. Please continue to think of us and keep us in your prayers!
All Our Love,
Dave and Sarah
We did, however, receive some really encouraging financial news this past Friday.
A little while back, we had applied for a grant from our adoption agency, Bethany Christian Services. Unlike most grants, this one required an application prior to the completion of the home study. I assumed we were not approved for any assistance because I hadn't heard anything, but we received a letter telling us we were approved for a grant of $1,500, which will be applied towards our Bethany Christian Services fees.
This is a huge help towards our next fee of $4,300!
We are also selling Dave's car, so those proceeds can go right into the fund. We certainly have a long way to go (I try not to dwell on this). All we can do is take one day and one step at a time. Please continue to think of us and keep us in your prayers!
All Our Love,
Dave and Sarah
Friday, December 7, 2012
Home Study Submitted for Approval
Happy Friday, All!
I received an email this morning. Our caseworker has submitted our homestudy to her supervisor for approval! We are technically still waiting on the results of our drug screening, but she is confident that we are drug-free so she is moving forward.
The homestudy must first be approved by our caseworker's supervisor and then by the South Africa Team of the agency. Typically, they will have some questions or want some clarification on something so it will probably take a couple weeks until it is approved.
Upon homestudy completion, a fee of $4,300 will be due to the agency. We haven't quite figured out where all that money is coming from, but I'm sure we'll figure something out! We will also file our immigration paperwork along with a $720 application fee at this time.
We will be able to start applying for adoption grants as soon as the homestudy is approved. Please pray that we will be approved for some (lots of) grants. Without them...well, I'm not sure how we will pay for everything that is to come!
One super exciting aspect of having an approved homestudy is that from now on, we are allowed to express interest in children who are available for international adoption. There are already children listed on our agency's private site, and as new children become available, the South Africa team sends out a message to the families in the program. Now we will be able to notify them when we are interested in a child. That does not guarantee that we will be approved for that child in particular, but at least it will not feel as if our hands are tied when we see a little kiddo that we would love to make our own.
Keep praying! We still have a long process ahead of us!
Love, Sarah
I received an email this morning. Our caseworker has submitted our homestudy to her supervisor for approval! We are technically still waiting on the results of our drug screening, but she is confident that we are drug-free so she is moving forward.
The homestudy must first be approved by our caseworker's supervisor and then by the South Africa Team of the agency. Typically, they will have some questions or want some clarification on something so it will probably take a couple weeks until it is approved.
Upon homestudy completion, a fee of $4,300 will be due to the agency. We haven't quite figured out where all that money is coming from, but I'm sure we'll figure something out! We will also file our immigration paperwork along with a $720 application fee at this time.
We will be able to start applying for adoption grants as soon as the homestudy is approved. Please pray that we will be approved for some (lots of) grants. Without them...well, I'm not sure how we will pay for everything that is to come!
One super exciting aspect of having an approved homestudy is that from now on, we are allowed to express interest in children who are available for international adoption. There are already children listed on our agency's private site, and as new children become available, the South Africa team sends out a message to the families in the program. Now we will be able to notify them when we are interested in a child. That does not guarantee that we will be approved for that child in particular, but at least it will not feel as if our hands are tied when we see a little kiddo that we would love to make our own.
Keep praying! We still have a long process ahead of us!
Love, Sarah
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