Referral!!!

We are very pleased to announce that we have received and accepted the referral of a sibling set! Because we're keeping our blog public for now, we feel most comfortable keeping pictures and birth names private for now, so we'll be calling them by the names we will give them. Our daughter Sophie is five, and has the most beautiful smile and dignity. Our son Robert is three with a most playful spirit, five months younger than our son Anthony. We knew as soon as we saw his face he is the brother Anthony prays for and talks about playing with every day.

We are so thankful that they are safe in the orphanage now, that they are receiving nutritious food, and that they might begin to grow again. A family is traveling soon, and have agreed to take photos to them! So much love I am trying to pour into a few pages and simple words in a foreign language.

On our end, there has been a rush of new paperwork. Because Sophie is 5, and originally we planned on 4 or younger, we had to have an addendumm written on our homestudy. We have sent that to USCIS with a letter and forms, petitioning for an ammendment to our clearance. We have been told that this is a fairly quick and easy thing to do. Hope so! Waiting for a letter now. We also have written our Tribunal Letter to the judge in DRC officially requesting permission to adopt Sophie and Robert. If things happen in the normal timeframe, we're hoping to travel to DRC in July to bring them home.

Also, a referral means that it is $ time again! Time to pay lawyers, court costs, and orphanage fees (that means we're paying for food, electricity, and childcare). We'll be sending out letters with a bit more information about our children and ways people can help us. Time to use that Promise686 matching grant!

Thank you to all who are rejoicing with us! Rob and I can't wait to show you their faces and their hands holding ours.