Another milestone crossed toward our adoption!

The agency that will be doing our home study received our first set of paperwork toward the home study. Over the next two months we will be working on gathering required paperwork like birth certificates, marriage license, background checks, medical checkups, and financial statements. Once these have been gathered, a social worker will visit our home and interview us about becoming parents again. We have been though this before, so I am not quite as nervous as I was the last time.

We have been praying about something that God has laid on our heart and have decided to put in our home study that we will be open to twins if any become available for adoption. We aren't requesting twins, but we are saying that we will be open to twins if twins were to become available. We feel that just like we are leaving it in God's hands whether we are matched with a boy or a girl, we should also leave it in God's hands whether it is in His will for us to adopt twins.

Please pray that God's will in this situation will be done.

Adoption Update

The agency in Taiwan who is facilitating our adoption requested pictures of our family and a birthmother letter. The local pregnancy center has asked for profiles of prospective adoptive families to show birthmothers who come to their center and who are considering placing there baby for adoption. Please pray as these birthmothers see our pictures and read our letter to her. We pray that God will lead the mother and baby He has chosen for us to our family profile and will show her that we would be a loving family for her baby.

Xin Nian Kuai Le! Happy New Year!

Xin Nian Kuai Le! That means Happy New Year in Chinese. We had a wonderful celebration this weekend with other families who have adopted from China. We had Chinese coloring books, toy rats (it is the year of the rat), and lucky red envelopes (for money). We also had a Chinese exchange student who played a Chinese instrument and wrote the children's names in Chinese characters. Here is a picture of our family at the celebration.

(Click on the picture to see a larger version.)