a little update...

After getting the Gladney application last Thursday, we had been working to gather all the documents we needed...we FedExed all we could on Wednesday and hopefully Gladney will be getting it soon. I also called our old agency and asked for them to send in our file to Gladney...I was so excited today when I got an email from Anne telling me that they have received our file from the other agency and then she wrote down what our file was still lacking...the items on the list were the ones we sent by FedEx! Yay! Hopefully we will be Gladney approved soon! This next week we are going to be busy getting our physicals (again) and getting more fingerprints taken for the FBI clearance. I feel like we are almost back to where we were! We are just praying there could be able to get over the Ethiopia before the courts close in the summer.

We have been so blessed by everyone who has left kind comments and lifted up prayers...it was feeling pretty dark for a while...but all the encouragement we have received from all of you has truly touched our lives. Thank you. Thank all of you.

Just call us the Super Paper Chasers!

Last night we received the Gladney application via email...it took a few hours, but it is filled out and will be put in the mail tomorrow! The paperwork is split into three parts...I think we will actually be mailing out part one and part two tomorrow and part three hopefully next week. It really helps that we have done all of this before. Please be praying that documents we have to chase after again, like our medical stuff, health insurance, and references will go smoothly. We are trying to have everything in the post in the next two weeks....Yikes!

Phone Orientation...Check

We just got off the phone with Judy at Gladney...we are so excited to have things moving once again. We are hoping to get our new application on Thursday and have it ready to turn in as soon as we can. I have been so down about this whole situation for the last couple of weeks and now, after talking with Gladney, and having things moving again, I feel refreshed and so excited. We'll keep you updated as we move through this process (again).

Creation for a Cause

My dear friend Amanda just started an Etsy site where the proceeds go towards international adoption. She has been working so hard creating some amazing things - like this apron. Check her site out...she does special orders too.

Mrs. Purvis Creations

Fingerprints...check.

Last week we received a letter from immigration telling up we could go get fingerprinted...yesterday we made our first (of many, I'm sure) trip to the immigration office to get our prints taken. It was actually kinda of cool...they took the prints electronically. They would smoosh each of your fingers on to this glass screen and they would appear on the computer...no messy hands, very cool. Now we wait for our approval to come from immigration telling us that we are approved.

We have our Gladney phone orientation next week...we can't wait to start moving again. We originally started this process in March and we kinda expected to be in Africa picking up our baby right about now...for some reason God wants us to go a bit later. After getting over the initial frustration and hurt, I am excited to see why God wanted us to wait...I know we are waiting for His best for our family and I can't wait to find out what that is.

Gladney Phone Orientation

Yesterday, we scheduled our phone orientation...yay! It isn't until the 18th, but I feel like we are moving forward once again.

We have heard so many great things about Gladney and are so excited to be working with them.

Thank you to everyone who has been purchasing necklaces and thank you to those who have posted it on your blogs! You guys are going to help us reach our goal for our adoption! My mom has been busy making each and everyone of the necklaces...thank you, thank you, thank you!

Waiting and Hoping.

We are waiting to find out if we will be able to use the new agency we were looking in to and hoping that things will start moving once again. I will keep you updated.

Thanks for all the comments and encouraging words...it has been a rough week but we have been blessed by friends, old and new.

Thank you...thank you so very, very much.

World Aids Day

People living with HIV:
-33.2 million people living with HIV worldwide -30.8 million adults
-15.4 million women
-2.5 million children under 15

Today is World AIDS day...here are some links you might want to visit:

World AIDS Day site
MSN - AIDS day
Common Misconceptions about AIDS and HIV

It is so important to start learning about AIDS and talking about it. There are so many, many misconceptions about Aids...visit these websites to learn more.