Homestudy.....check!

We had a goal to get our homestudy completed by the end of the year. It is December 19th and I am delighted to say that...WE DID IT! Yippee, hooray, yahoo. Yes, that is me doing the "happy dance". Don't get me wrong, there are still many hills to tackle, but today we REJOICE!

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, rejoice!

~Phillippians 4:4

For those curious what a homestudy consists of, let me not bore you.... But, I will say it's a lot of paperwork, getting documents together such as marriage and birth certificates. Sometimes being placed on hold for a long time or in a line waiting for something for a long time. Visits from a social worker. Some waiting in between requesting documents. Fingerprints. Ok, I am probably starting to bore most of you, so I will stop now. But you get the point, right?

Let's just say, we are happy to be done with that part. And excited to move on to the next.

What does this mean for us? Well, let me tell you...

We are now 'officially' on the waiting list. The waiting list for a referral for a child or possibly children. It's exciting and crazy all at the same time. On one hand it seems like January of 2012 was so long ago and on the other hand, it seems like yesterday we just started this new chapter in our lives.

It is also a time of waiting on our Lord and His perfect timing to reveal to us the child(ren) He has chosen for our family.

God has blessed us IMMENSELY along the way. In so many ways. By family, friends and yes, even practical strangers...who showed up to show us the love of our Lord. This past week was no exception there. Two checks showed up in the mail...both for $250. One from dear friends of ours ~ that crossed my path @ 2Rivers Church, we don't get the pleasure of seeing very often, but love it when we do. The other, from the parents of some old and dear friends of ours from good ole' Jeff City. Thank you so, so much!

I am also VERY EXCITED to announce that we surpassed the $5,000 threshold of donations for Minus1Orphan! Amazing...truly amazing! Still a ways to go, but again, we REJOICE!

Our hearts are full. Merry (early) Christmas everyone!