We are APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!

We are APPROVED! Our home study was just approved by our agency, All God's Children and our local certified provider, Lutheran Children and Family Services. We certainly have been TALKING about this for a while, but wasn't sure if it would happen in 2016! I've been busting it to try to get this approval (and sending TONS of follow up emails and phone calls!)

What does this mean you might ask???

This means that we can.....

• Send our notarized home study and additional dossier documents for Missouri to APOSTILLE (read about that process here!) In short, it is the NOTARY's BOSS, certifying/checking on the legitimacy of the notary. (Just apart of the process :) 
• After the apostille, we can send off our Dossier to All God's Children for translation! (They send it to Colombia experts!) We have been WORKING working working on the Home Study AND Dossier at the same time. Translation takes a bit.....4-6 weeks, I believe.
• With an approved home study, we can also apply for our Immigration. This takes an average of 2 months.
• After translation is complete, immigration is approved/signed and all these are sent to our agency--we are OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL in the eyes of the Colombian Government! I'm anxiously awaiting THAT part too! (Don't worry, you will hear about it!)
• AND, all at the same time, an official home study approval ALSO means we can apply for grants, loans and fundraising opportunities through adoption non-profits.

How can you help!? PRAY for favor and speed in the paperwork, for our female child for health and protection. For endurance, as this is ONE small step in an international adoption! We have a LOT more to go! For our hearts to wait. God has a plan, but we are SO excited. To be patient in HIS time. For provisions, planning and coordinating in this process.

You can also DONATE to our online GoFundMe page. We have big goals and have been saving, but you can help us out too! AND, support us on our next ONLINE opportunity (more details around Jan 1, 2017!) LOVE on us! Babysit for free, send us notes of encouragement, or take us out to coffee. This adoption is like another full time job, we need rest and filling up too!

We pray you had a blessed Christmas and for a safe and Happy New Year!

~Stephanie 

Winner Winner......

Thanks for all the love and support! We drew TWO awesome prizes (need to see the Facebook live event!? Check it out here!)

The winner drawn for the Netflix for a year is Holly B. from St. Louis City (ticket #067)!  Congrats Holly and family!

OR

The GRAND prize drawn was a sweet gal who bought just ONE ticket!!! She found me at church and said, I've got enough for one...here ya go! 

Congrats Jess and Brett D. (ticket #275) in St. Louis! 

We really, really, really thank you all for supporting us, praying for us and asking about our adoption. We are JUST beginning, but know that GOD has a big plan for our family and an orphan girl in Colombia. 

Raffle Drawing & Adoption UPDATE

Friends, Family, Co-workers, and Community!

Thanks for supporting our adoption raffle. We will draw LIVE around 7pm central on Facebook. Make sure to friend Steph or Jerret to see it (we will post the recording too!).  Winners will also be posted on our blog here!

We have JUST a handful to tickets left, and we are SO thankful for your support! We hope the winners can have their prize in time for Christmas!

QUICK Adoption update: Our home study is in draft form and being edited! Yahoo! We are so excited. Our Dossier (the official paperwork for Colombia) is in many pieces, but is coming together well. After the home-study is approved, we get some immigration pieces done and then the Dossier will be sent for translation and to a committee for approval. The translation and approval is estimated at a 2-3 month waiting period.

Our timeline and expectations are always changing. We know God has BIG plans for our family, this little girl and this process. Some days it feels like we are almost there, other days we hear of the Colombian government updating their procedures that could lengthen our process. We know that God provides and are continuing to pray for the little girl who will come to her forever home with us!

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue along this amazing journey!