FINALLY, we have completed our formal application!  It feels like it took us forever. And then I look at calendar and realize it has only been 3 weeks since we received the paperwork. I guess it just feels like it took so long because I am so eager to get matched and get our baby! It probably also felt like forever because it was very tedious and I worked on it nearly every day. But we are so grateful that the Lord gave us the strength to persevere through it. Now, we wait. 

It could take up to 14 days for the approval of this application, however, we are hopeful that it will be sooner. Our caseworker has already signed off on half of our documentation as we submitted it, so this is a good sign!  It only took them about 7 days to approve our preliminary application. 

Our next step is our home study. We will be contacted by a contracted social worker from our area that will meet with us 3 times to complete this. We are both excited and nervous about this next step.

In the mean time we will be getting our CPR certifications and taking online courses about becoming adoptive parents.  We will also be getting together photos for our album that the birth mom's will have the opportunity to look through when choosing their child's family. We will continue to fund-raise.  We are so grateful for how the Lord has provided so far, but we are in need of more funds to move forward in the adoption process. The total cost for the adoption is $30,000+ and we must have all the money in our account before we can be put on the website to be selected. We are budgeting hardcore and saving as much as we can each month, but are trusting that the Lord will lay it on your heart to help us with this.

Thanks for taking this journey with us!

Please continue to pray for:
-The health and well being of our baby who may have already been conceived.
-The birth mom of our child who will have to make the most difficult decision of her life. Please also pray for her salvation (if she is not saved) through the process.
-Our diligence to get things done in a timely fashion.
-That the Lord would begin to prepare our hearts to be Godly parents for our child. 
-That we would be able to get all the funds we need by the time we have completed all our steps.
-Our home study! That we would not be too nervous and that our hearts and personality will shine through. 

*Don't forget about the LuLaRoe Pop Up Shop on November 1st from 4-8pm at our home. It is going to be a blast!!

xoxo,
Brittany