Wow.

We have been so humbled by all of the support, both financially and emotionally, we have been shown the past few weeks since going public with our decision to expand our family through adoption. We have sold forty growth charts, and have had several generous donations made on our fundraising site. We could not feel more honored and thankful for that.

This past Monday, we attended our last of three, three-hour adoption classes that is required as part of our home study process. During those classes we learned about each piece of the home study, about how to put together our profile books and how we will be chosen by a birth mother, the ins and outs of the legal process in terminating the rights of birth and legal parents, and the benefits of simi-open and open adoptions. We also heard from a panel of birth mothers and adoptive parents. During those three hours each week, our hearts were stretched and challenged and enriched by the knowledge and support we received from the workers at Bethany and we couldn’t be more satisfied with the agency we chose to work with and the people assigned to walk us through this journey. In addition, we met four other amazing couples that are also pursuing adoption. It was so wonderful meeting them and hearing their stories and voices behind adoption. We are excited about keeping in touch with them and watching their adoption stories unfold as ours does.

As for us, we have only put a small dent in the home study requirements. Hopefully in the next couple of weekends we will be able to chip away at a lot of the paperwork and set up the necessary appointments we will need. So much to do! In addition to completing the steps of the home study, we are also walking an awkward timeline based on funds. When we have our home visit, we will need to pay a whopping $7,450, which we obviously aren’t quite ready for. Amazingly, some generous friends of ours have already paid $1,450 of that directly to Bethany, so we will only owe $6,000! Praise the Lord! He has already provided for each step we’ve taken thus far, and we trust that He will continue to do that until the very end. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to those that have already given. Please continue to share our story as you feel led.

The past couple of weeks, Psalm 126:2-3 has been on my heart. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

We have felt the hand of God with us throughout each step of this journey, so we feel comfortable and confident that this is the Lord’s will for our family. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!

With love, Malorie

To order a growth chart, click the order form link above. To give, visit youcaring.com.