"I will not leave you as orphans..." - John 14:18
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Saturday, April 23, 2011

UPDATE!!! DATE CHANGE!! Save the date...

So sorry to do this, but we're changing our garage sale date to June 25-26th...we didn't realize that our previous selection landed on Father's Day weekend...sorry for the confusion!

UPDATED:
Save the date and come join us on June 25 and/or 26 between 7am and 3pm to find your treasures.  We have been blessed with many donations up to this point... Thank you to those of you who have already donated!!  We are amazed at the outpouring of support!  

So far, we have:
  • Tons of books
  • TVs (including a big screen!)
  • Many skis and snowboards
  • Wake boards
  • Other sporting equipment
  • baby/child items (a crib, toys, clothes, baby essentials, etc)
  • Clothes
  • Chairs
  • A desk
  • Pictures and Picture frames
  • Shelves
  • And much more...
Our address is 1727 Back Country Court.

Directions:
  • Take the South Meadows exit off the freeway in south Reno and go east (away from the Sierras).
  • Take South Meadows down quite a ways.
  • Turn right on Wilbur May.
  • Then take your second right onto our street, Back Country.
  • We're at the end of the cul-de-sac!
If you'd still like to donate, it's not too late!  We'll be taking donations up until our big event, and we welcome and would appreciate more donations.  Email me at laurieacoombs@yahoo.com if you would like to schedule a pick up!

Thank you again for all your prayers and support!

Blessings, 

The Coombs

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Update April 20th...

The first update...

We began our adoption journey back in September of 2010.  It took quite a while to complete our home study - a bit longer than anticipated due to circumstances that were out of our control.  Our home study was completed at the beginning of February.

We then had to apply to US CIS for immigration approval to bring our child(ren) into the US.  Our application was approved in late March.  This approval allowed us to submit our Dossier, which was approved on April 4th.

Consequently, we're officially on the waitlist as of April 4th!  Currently, they anticipate that it'll take about 9-12 months from the time that we get on the waitlist until we receive our referral.  It may be longer than this, however, as a result of the current uncertainty with the recent changes to international adoption within Ethiopia.

So, we wait...

During this time of waiting, we'll be having our HUGE adoption garage sale.  Additionally, we'll be applying for adoption grants/loans during this time as well.  Furthermore, this time of waiting also allows us the opportunity to do more research on Ethiopian culture, history, etc!

That's it for now...I'll keep you all up-to-date as necessary!

Collecting Donations for Our Garage Sale

It's been a bit crazy around here!


We've been collecting donations for our adoption garage sale, to be held in June or July (We'll be sure to let you all know the date once it's determined).  All garage sale proceeds will go toward paying for our adoption.  In addition to having typical garage sale items, we'll also be having a bake sale and the girls will be running the lemonade stand!  


We've been so blessed with all the donations that have been coming in!  Thank you to those of you who have contributed!!  Truly, we can't thank you enough!  


We're still taking donations and we will continue to take them into June, so if you'd still like to donate, we'd be very grateful!  If you would like to donate, simply email laurie at laurieacoombs@yahoo.com with directions and a time for pick-up, and we'll be there! If you'd like to donate large items, simply let us know, and we'll bring a trailer with us to take them off your hands! Additionally, if you would like to pass this along to anyone within your sphere of influence, we'd be grateful.

We'll take any donation, both large and small (anything will help!):
clothes/shoes
baby items
furniture
books
movies
toys
linens
household items
kitchen items
outdoor gear
tools
sporting goods

ANYTHING!! One man's trash is another man's treasure, right?!?

Thank you again to those of you who have already donated!!  We are truly grateful for all the love and support we've received throughout our journey to bring our little girl/boy or both (if twins) home!! As they say, it takes a village to raise a child, but at times, it takes a village to bring one home! 

Update on Ethiopia International Adoption

A while back, I sent out information pertaining to the announcement in March that the government of Ethiopia planned to reduce international adoption by 90%.  Initially, Travis and I were extremely discouraged, as we felt that it greatly reduced our chances of being able to adopt from Ethiopia.  Within that first week, however, we felt God calling us to keep moving forward.  


Check out Joint Council for a complete update on the adoption climate within Ethiopia, but for those of you who helped out with the petition I sent out, you have our sincere gratitude!! Truly, THANK YOU!! The advocacy on the part of individuals, groups, and governments have paid off, and the proposed plan to drastically reduce Ethiopian international adoptions has potentially been thwarted! 


That being said, we're excited to say that we're moving forward and still pursuing our adoption from Ethiopia!! 

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Introducing...The Coombs Family Adoption Blog.

Welcome to our new adoption blog!

The news of our adoption is out, and the questions are rolling in...

In response to the many questions we've had posed to us recently, we thought it would be a good idea to create this blog in order to inform those who are interested as to why we're taking this journey.  Additionally, the blog also serves as a way to keep you all up-to-date on the latest updates pertaining to our adoption.

If you are interested in keeping up with the latest news, go ahead and sign up for the email subscription, and you will automatically receive our most recent posts directly to your inbox...

Also, feel free to browse the site...we've included a lot of great resources including excellent videos created by our agency, as well as videos created by families who have taken this road before us.  Just a bit of advice: keep a tissue handy when you watch the "gotcha videos!"

Happy reading!