August Waitlist Numbers

It's that time again! Here are the numbers...

Girl:

May - 44

June - 41

July - 33

August - 30

Boy:

May - 34

June - 31

July - 24

August - 22

Siblings:

May - 14

June - 12

July - 8

August - 8   

The Ethiopian Court system closes each year around this time. From my understanding the exact date it closes, how long they are closed for, and how they operate during the closure varies from year to year. 

In our update this month, we were told:

We shared recently that the courts in Ethiopia have officially closed for their recess period, though the date of their reopening is unknown at this time.  We have heard that the courts will not issue court dates during this closure period; however, we have been surprised to see that it has happened anyway.  We are not expecting to receive any more court dates for adoptive families during the closure but of course, we always welcome such surprises!

During the closure, referrals are still made, so that's good news for us! Continued prayers in this area would be much appreciated!! 

In the meantime, here's what we've been up to during the last month:

Ella's First Day of First Grade!!! (Our BIG Kid!)

Avery's 5th Birthday Party!

The ride home...

 Avery's birthday present!

Avery's First Day of Preschool!! 

Travis' Birthday!!

The Rib Cookoff!

Trip to San Francisco!

It's been a busy month! Lots of fun!!

Until next month...

Prayers and blessings!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!

It's Travis' Birthday!!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8YXQACjIcE&feature=youtu.be

A very, very happy birthday to the love of my life!! 

We love you TONS!!!

Love, 

Your Girls

Both Hands Video

I noticed in the email I received of my last post that the video didn't show up. Here's the link in case you weren't able to access it:

http://vimeo.com/31441061
Blessings!

Both Hands Project!

We're excited to share with you all that we've been approved through Lifesong for Orphans to do a Both Hands project! Watch the video below to get a comprehensive overview of what this is and what it entails:

So, we're really early in this process, as we just received word of our approval.

What we need right now is to find a widow that we can serve. That said, if you know of a widow in the Reno area who...
1. owns her home
2. does not have financial means
3. does not have a big support system
4. is in need of home improvement
...please let us know!

If you're interested in joining our "core team" or participating in any way, please leave a comment below! We'd love to have you!!

God is good, and we look forward to how He will use this project in our lives, in the lives of those involved, as well as that of a widow!

{Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.  ~ James 1:27}

July Waitlist Numbers

Some exciting news! There have been A LOT of referrals this last month in the Ethiopia program as a result of the new relationship AGCI (our agency) has begun with an additional orphanage! Most importantly, this means that there are many children who have been referred to their "forever families" and will soon be brought home into loving arms! But, it also means that there's been a lot of movement in our waitlists, which brings us that much closer to bringing our little one(s) home!!!!!  

Here are our new numbers:

Girl:

March - 45

April - 44

May - 44

June - 41

July - 33

Boy:

March - 37

April - 35

May - 34

June - 31

July - 24

Siblings:

March - 15

April - 14

May - 14

June - 12

July - 8   SINGLE DIGITS!!

Looking at our new numbers, our girls said, "We're DEFINITELY going to have twins!!" And this is, certainly, what they're hoping for. Each night before going to bed, they pray, "Dear Jesus, bring our baby home soon. I hope we have twins..." Gotta love little hearts!!

Here's what we've been up to...

New family pictures compliments of Erin Holland of 
I Spy {Photography}! 

Erin's so talented!

On the shuttle to Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe.

Just a cute girl.

Another cute girl. This one with a new haircut! 9 inches!!

Art project.

I pray God continues to put these orphans into families in His perfect timing.

Until next month...

June Waitlist Numbers

There's been a lot going on in the Ethiopia program this past month, which is the reason for the delayed numbers! Our agency, AGCI, has just contracted with an additional orphanage, which means that we may possibly see more referrals coming down the line. This could mean that the waitlist may move faster. But this is just speculation! We'll have to wait and see what happens!

Also, last month, AGCI made 5 referrals!  This compares to the usual 2-3 we've seen in a given month recently. Some exciting stuff! 

Here are the new numbers:

Girl:

March - 45

April - 44

May - 44

June - 41

Boy:

March - 37

April - 35

May - 34

June - 31

Siblings:

March - 15

April - 14

May - 14

June - 12

Here's what we've been up to lately...

Backpacking with friends!

Park Play.

Outdoor Exploration.

It's just like Avery to keep up with her big sister! Riding her bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS!!  

Good job, big girl!

Sisters doing each other's hair–so cute!

Our Ham.

 New haircut! 

Cute!

The Rodeo!

That's about it. Until next month... 

Thank you for your continued prayers!