Travel!

Hello all,
Thank you for your prayers, we just received our travel dates this morning! I will be flying over (probably leaving 30 June) to pick up Stefi on 3 July. Please continue your prayers, and we're very thankful to be so close to the finish (starting) line.

In Christ,
Papa

Getting ready

Hello,

You probably know that we try not to flog the fundraising around here. We want to be content, and are chiefly in need of your prayers anyway. However, today I set up a GoFundMe to raise money to pull out our swimming pool and put in a backyard that Stefan Thomas Miner can play in more safely. With the current setup, it's hard to run around in the backyard, so the boys mostly play out front. This is a no-go for Stefi. So, we'd like to tackle this, and we are thankful for help along the way!

Here is the link to our fundraiser, if you wish to visit or share it. We are always humbled by how people show love.

https://www.gofundme.com/a-backyard-for-stefan

In Christ,
Papa

Ebenezer

Please, if you have not seen it yet, go read Susanna's latest post and join in giving thanks to God, who raises up the needy and fills the orphans and widows. We trust that soon we will again start the long road in between before and after (as though God's healing were ever done! but milestones are to be celebrated).

Thank you for your prayers.

Papa

Good news!

Christ is risen!

In other good news, we have a new son! On paper, anyway. I expect we'll receive travel dates in about two weeks, and go from there.

Thank you all for your prayers, and we appreciate your encouragement and any support you feel called to give us (Reece's Rainbow page here).

In Christ,
Papa

Court this Friday

Hello,

Thank you for your prayers, we were told that court was scheduled for Friday of this week. Last time, it took about 40 days between court ruling and travel, so we are praying for travel sometime in late June. That would be a pretty good time, all things considered.

Please continue to pray for us and for "Owen", as we get close to getting real. I am talking with the boys more about it, in hopes that they will be as prepared as possible.

In Christ,
Papa

Still waiting

Hello all,

Thank you for your prayers and your patience! We were told that things would be submitted to the court sometime this week, which likely means that the dossier gets put in some clerk's inbox, but we are praying for progress and praying for "Owen".

To be frank, we're somewhat terrified of the changes in family dynamic, which is stupid and faithless (which describes me, at least, reasonably well). But you know, Ana couldn't just walk out the door and down the street. Ana couldn't tear the house up. Ana isn't likely to stack patio furniture to reach the pool gate key (seriously irrational paranoia here). All of which fear is as foolish as the classic new-parent "why isn't my baby like their baby?" paranoia. So please pray for us. We need metanoia -  to repent of our fears, and repent of our selfishness, and repent of our laziness. And prepare our hearts to love as Christ has loved us, we who crucified him who yet forgave from the awful tree. But now he lives, and because he lives, we will live, and we will strive to live for him.

In Christ, risen, victorious, glorious,
Papa

Wheels turning

Article 5 interview is scheduled for Thursday, please pray it goes smoothly!

Also, please keep us (and especially Mama) in prayer for peace - we know we can't ever be fully prepared for an adoption, but "Owen" is in a much different place physically than Ana, so we are just somewhat afraid. But perfect love casts out fear, and we know our Savior is greater than all (especially us), and has trampled down death by death.

In Christ,
Papa