We are
international! On June 4th, our full dossier was sent to Bulgaria.
Hopefully by the end of June or early July we will be approved by the
Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and we will be a waiting family! YAY!
After
we are approved… We wait, keep our paperwork up to date, wait,
raise money, wait some more and continue to pray for the child God
has waiting out there for us. Basically, things are out of our
control now.
Notice that waiting is a theme here. Minor insight into Kevy and Emily: Kev hates lines. He refuses to wait more than 20 minutes at a restaurant (unless he knows I REALLY want to eat there). Because of lines, he doesn't do theme parks, and he is Waze royalty (Waze is a navigational app and royalty means he uses it a lot) because of his dedicated use of the app to avoid traffic and find the quickest way somewhere.
Notice that waiting is a theme here. Minor insight into Kevy and Emily: Kev hates lines. He refuses to wait more than 20 minutes at a restaurant (unless he knows I REALLY want to eat there). Because of lines, he doesn't do theme parks, and he is Waze royalty (Waze is a navigational app and royalty means he uses it a lot) because of his dedicated use of the app to avoid traffic and find the quickest way somewhere.
Then
there is me… I can handle waiting in the areas that most stress
Kevy, but I'm not the most patient person. When it comes to this
particular process the waiting kills me. In addition, I like to be in
control. I like when I can move the ball forward and there is
something for me to do to make that happen. Now there's no paperwork
left to fill out, and no necessary fingerprints or reason to see a
doctor for a while. I literally can't do anything to move the ball
downfield any faster. Needless to say, this process is hitting us
where it hurts, or I should say in the areas God wants to challenge
and grow us. :) That sounds so much better are a few answers to
questions I get a lot:
- How long now? We could potentially wait about two years. Yes, that is a long time, I know. We feel it, but God's timing is perfect and we are trusting God to prepare the right child at the right time.
- How old will your baby be? Our child will not be a baby. The youngest we could expect is 18 months, but this is pretty unlikely. Our child will probably be between three and four years of age. That means our child is probably out there in an orphanage or foster home, waiting for us to be matched together by the Bulgarian government.
- Will your child speak any English? Maybe, but they will primarily speak Bulgarian.
Just this month, we've had some pretty exciting adoption things happen! June 5th must have been “grant day,” because we received information about three different grants. Show Hope has communicated with us and we are awaiting their final decision on whether or not we will receive a grant from them. God's Grace Adoption Ministry contacted us for references and then will review our application after they receive them. Gift of Adoption also communicated with us, but they typically do not give grants until you have a referral.
The most
exciting news is that Lifesong for Orphans contacted us and offered
us a $3,000 matching grant! According to Lifesong, that is more than
their normal size grant. Honestly, based on what what we've seen,
that figure is well above most grants. That means we need to raise
$3,000, and they will match it with $3,000 so that we receive $6,000
total! Also, they want to use our family in some of their promotions!
That is such an honor! Here is a link to one of their promotions with
us included!
In the sidebar of our blog we have a new "Donate" button that is labeled, "Lifesong for Orphans Matching Grant." You can donate online there. If you’d rather write a check, it must be made out to “Lifesong for Orphans” and have our name and account number in the memo area (Layne / #5304). Then mail the check to Lifesong for Orphans, P.O. Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744. Anyone who donates toward this matching grant will have their name placed on a puzzle piece! Remember our name and number HAS to be on the donation for us to receive the money!
So many exciting things going on right now... Not to mention it's SUMMER!!! Summer should be eventful. We just completed one mission trip and have another coming up in July. There are several weddings and lots of fun with friends and family.
We are so so thankful for
all the people God has placed in our life. We’re looking forward to
all God has for us! Here is a pic from our most recent mission trip
to Wilmington to serve alongside our friends at Vigilant Hope.
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