We have an Approved Homestudy!

This was just taken a couple of weeks ago!
Now we don't have any snow

I have been waiting MONTHS to hear this good news!!  We are so excited!!  Now we are busy gathering the last couple of documents that we need for our Dossier--the big stack of papers that will go to Joshua's country so our papers can be registered there and we can get a travel date.  Finally some progress!  I am so thankful, and continuing to trust in God's perfect timing as well as His provision to meet our needs to cover the expenses of this adoption.  We are hoping to get all our paperwork sent to our adoption placing agency by the end of next week.  We are getting closer, little Joshua!

This morning I had the privilege of speaking at our local Christian school, where Freddie attends Kindergarten.  It was an honor to share at their weekly chapel service, the passion that God has given me for the orphan and for adoption.  The kids really seemed interested, and I was so encouraged!  Their eyes grew so big when I shared about what 165 million looks like--it is so hard to wrap my mind around that number.  I hope that I could help the children learn a little bit about orphans around the world, and what they can do to make a difference.

In honor of our homestudy approval, I will add a couple of pictures of our home--just for fun!  :)

Valerie's Room



Very Pink



Freddie's Room
Soon to be Freddie's and Joshua's Room!

Lots of Animals!

Grateful

All week I have been planning to sit down to report about our spaghetti meal last Sunday.  Well, I am finally getting around to doing it.  :)  We are so very grateful for the many, many people who made the meal possible:  those who helped with the set-up, the cooking, the serving, all the ladies who made the wonderful desserts, those who came and ate and stayed to listen as Tim and I shared about what God has placed on our hearts.  We are just so grateful for the support of our church, our family and our friends--it is truly humbling to be so blessed by so many.  We served about 150 people on Sunday, and all together we raised $2,500 to help with adoption expenses!  Here are a few photos from Sunday.  I wish that I had taken some pictures during the meal, but I was so busy that I didn't think of it at the time.

Freddie and Elijah check out the dessert table

Valerie helping out

Table decorations and Joshua Jars

Display Table

If you were not able to come to the spaghetti meal, but would still like to help with the enormous cost of bringing Joshua home, you can do that right here on our blog!  If you use the Reece's Rainbow give button, your donation will even be tax-deductible!

We will hopefully be doing a fun fundraiser thorough the blog soon, so keep an eye out for that!

Spaghetti Sunday!

This Sunday, Tim and I will be hosting a spaghetti lunch at our Church, following the 2nd service, (at about 12:30 pm) in the Outreach Center. We will have pasta, salad, garlic toast and lots of yummy desserts! We will be sharing about our journey to adopt Joshua and what God has been teaching us lately. Please come fellowship with us and learn more about adoption/orphan care and how you can be involved. A freewill offering will be taken to help with the enormous cost of bringing Joshua home from an orphanage in Eastern Europe. There will also be some of my craft items for sale, goodies, and my very talented brother (Micah Carpenter) will have some of his music CDs available for purchase with all the proceeds going to help us with adoption expenses. We would love to see you there!  If you are not able to come to the meal, but would still like to make a donation to help bring Joshua home, you can do that by clicking on the RR donation button for a tax-deductible gift, or on the chip-in for a gift that is not tax deductible. Here is a link to Micah's music blog: http://micahcmusic.blogspot.com/ You can hear his music right on his blog--he is amazing!

Evangelical Free Church

115 Carr Lake Rd SW, Bemidji, MN 56601-8257

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Held

Today was tough.  Some days are just like that.  Today I have been struggling to stay patient while our Home-study is being completed.  I know that it is in God's hands and that His timing is ALWAYS right and perfect--but waiting is so hard!  Today I have been missing Joshua.  Even though I have not yet met him, I long to hold him close and whisper to him that he is loved, that he is precious, that he is wanted.  It hurts my heart that he does not yet know these things.  He doesn't know that he has a Mommy and a Daddy, a brother and a sister.  He does not know how hard we are working to bring him home.  There is so much peace and comfort in knowing that Joshua is held in the arms of Jesus--and that I am being held and lifted up by those same strong arms.  Oh, how I need Him!