Happy New Year

I can't believe it's almost 2016!!! As we went through Christmas this year, I kept thinking... "This is our last Christmas as a family of 2 - next year we'll be celebrating with a BABY!" It's so surreal, and so exciting!

We have spent the month of December really pushing to get our paperwork done for Faithful Adoption Consultants, and at our last update we had everything almost ready except for the profile and home study. I am happy to update you that our profile has been submitted and is being created!!! God provided through donations for us to go ahead and get that going. The next thing is the home study... We went ahead and took a step out on faith trusting that God will provide financially for us, and we have paid the deposit and scheduled our home study for JANUARY 16th. Please be praying that we would have the remaining $1300 by that date. Our goal is to be ready to become "active" clients and begin the matching process in February (WOW, that's soon!). God has miraculously allowed us to basically complete all of the home study paperwork this month - and it was way more overwhelming and invasive than the consulting company's!

I feel like as long as we are asking for donations, I need to be as transparent as possible with where we are financially, so I want to include an overview of what's been spent so far and how much is remaining below. Please continue to pray for us as we approach our home study. It is definitely nerve-wracking, but also definitely necessary - lol. Pray that God would continue to provide for us financially - this continues to be our biggest concern. We are hoping to share some news about a fundraising event soon, so be on the look out for that! We have felt your prayers and appreciate them so much!

Spent So Far:

11/30/15	Puzzles	$74.98
12/2/15	FAC Referral Fee	$3,500.00
12/2/15	Postage for FAC Application	$8.93
12/6/15	Thank you Cards	$10.00
12/10/15	Home Adoption Studies - Deposit	$200.00
12/10/15	Beth's Birth Certificate	$34.00
12/11/15	Jarred's Birth Certificate	$34.00
12/14/15	Faith Sims - Profile Design	$850.00
12/14/15	FBI Background Checks	$100.00
12/16/15	GBI Background Checks	$72.50
12/19/15	Local Background Checks	$40.00
12/22/15	Marriage Certificate	$10.00
12/23/15	Pet Vaccination for Home Study	$52.00
12/27/15	USB Flash Drive  - for Profile Pictures	$5.99
12/30/15	TOTAL	$4,992.40

Remaining Expenses:

• Home Study - $1500 ($200 deposit paid/$1300 due on 1/16)
• Agency Fees - $15,000
• Court/Legal Fees - $2,000 - $4,000
• Documentation - $500
• Birth mother expenses - $5,000
• Hospital/Health expenses - $10,000 - $15,000
• Travel/Hotel expenses - $3,000 - $5,000
• Post Placement fees - $500
• Miscellaneous - $500 - $5,000

The List

Wow, what a crazy couple of weeks! So much has happened already :-)
We are incredibly excited and so stinkin' giddy (it's ridiculous) - We went on a date night to Babies-R-Us last weekend just to daydream, and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! But in the midst of all that happiness, the reality is starting to sink in, and our faith is already being tested. 
Here's what's going on so far: 

1. We got our "official approval" from Faithful Adoption Consultants, and had 48 hours to submit our contract and pay the $3500 fee! We are still short about $1000, and we are hoping to raise that money before the credit card payment is due at the end of the month - so we can pay it off. 

2. FAC sent us the "TO DO LIST" to become "active clients". This is the list of things we need to get done before we can start being matched with birth mothers.  

3. We have checked off everything on the list that we are financially able to do right now, but money is stopping us from moving forward. Basically, there are two more things left on the list: The Home Study and The Profile.
* The Profile is the book that will be presented to birth moms with Jarred and my information. I thought I might be able to do it myself, but the guidelines are so strict, they highly recommended we go with a professional. 

4. We received tons of information about grants and loans that we can apply for to help fund the adoption! We were so excited, but then we realized you have to have an approved home study for 90% of them before you can apply. We are optimistic that these resources will be helpful after we get the home study.


So to sum it up, this is where our current needs are financially:
- FAC Fee (amount short)     $1000
- Home Study                     $1500
- Profile                             $ 850
TOTAL                                   $3,350

Our original goal was to be able to become "active clients" and start presenting by February 2016, but we are trusting that God will work out the timing according to His timeline, and we're going to be ok with that.

So here are my ramblings tonight... 
God has got this all under control and is working it all out in ways I don't even realize. I know He is teaching me the importance of community and friendship. He is teaching me to accept help from my family and friends with grace and humility. He is teaching me to wait patiently and joyfully.

Please continue to be in prayer for us. It's hard not to be overwhelmed with thoughts about the adoption, but I am clinging to these two verses:

Matthew 6:33 
"But seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Proverbs 3:5-6 
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."