Just days before we left for vacation, we completed our dossier for the adoption of our little girl(s) in Ethiopia. Just in case you didn’t know, we are in the process 
of adopting a daughter or two between the ages of 4- 10 from Africa.
It’s been almost a year since JJ and I felt God calling us to take the first steps. We did a lot of research last fall and then completed our home study in January/February. We got our I-600A approval in the Spring and have been working on our dossier for the past several months. There is so much paperwork! Look at all those stacks, with multiple papers in each pile.
The boys are so excited that we are finally done with the paperwork and actually making progress. It’s been a long wait for them. They keep asking “WHEN” are we really going to adopt? Part of our delay was that we put our house on the market, sold it in four weeks and moved in May, but the reason we moved was to make room for our new family so it was worth the wait.
Okay, can you see the excitement in their eyes as we prepared for the auditing of this paperwork?! We double checked our stacks, made sure we had everything on the official list, had the boys bring us each piece as we read it out to them and then put the dossier in one envelope.
The next day the boys and I went to the post office to mail everything. We also needed to send our power of attorney paperwork to the secretaries of state in NC and in Washington state where our adoption agency is located.
I was a little paranoid so I double checked AGAIN to make sure I had the right papers in the right envelopes going to the right addresses with the right return envelopes so they could send them back to the right people – us or our agency.
Here the boys are ready to send “the package”! It felt like that envelope was holding a million dollars. What an amazing day – what an amazing accomplishment. Now it’s all in HIS hands!!
We found out this week that it’s been sent to Washington, DC for approval, then it will go to our agency and they will send it to Ethiopia to be interpreted and submitted to the courts. It usually takes 4-9 months from this point (I think).
With our dossier completed, we can now view DVDs that have footage and some interviews of children in the orphanages who are waiting for families. As we watch them, we pray and trust that God is going to show us just who she is – just who this little girl or girls will be that He wants us to bring home.
I gave up a baby girl for adoption 20 years ago. She was healthy and went to a good family (I pray) that I chose her through letters I looked through of adoption parents when she was 2 months old. I pray that your family will grow in adoption and that your life will be blessed along with the families that these children came from. Please pray for me that I will see the day that my girl will come back looking for her mother and thanking me —as I was a teenager with nothing and I was wanting just the best for her. I now am married (17 yrs) and I have 3 beautiful teenagers!!! God has blessed me and my family as I pray this for your life too (blessings) !!!
God is an Awesome God!
How exciting! I can’t wait to see what the Lord does!
Renee…this is indeed great news and I know it’s a load off your mind. We’ll pray that the waiting time frame is not nearly as long as they said!
Jeannie
Wow. That’s a lot of trees. 🙂
Will you actually be choosing the girl(s)? I mean you look at DVDs and upon God’s leading you then submit to the agency the exact one you want?
That’s so cool.
Hi Renee!
I got God-bumps reading your post!! I’m a friend of Joy’s and am so excited for you! I remember the feeling of checking, double checking and triple checking my dossier documents prior to sending them to my agency. Such much love wrapped up in all those papers were.
I pray that all will go smoothly with your dossier and that it will soon be winging it’s way to Ethiopia! I have a number of friends who are also waiting for children from Ethiopia. Neat!
Don’t you love how God creates families?! The feeling of knowing that we’re called to adopt is so precious. To think that He had all of this planned long ago is so amazing!
I’ll pray for you and your family as you await the referral of your daughter(s). With the rate things are moving in Ethiopia and China, we may end up travelling close to the same time to bring our girls home. Cool!!
Blessings Renee!
Catherine
Thank you Lord for the open heart of the Swopes! We look forward to the final delivery! I pray for the girls you have chosen to be a part of their family. They need some pink! Can we have a shower when they arrive??? I think I am on to something with this idea…you could do the linky thing and we could all photo blog the goodies and blessings/prayers we send to the girls. Our delivery packages could be sent to the Proverbs office or your home. This could be a wonderful thing to put in their ‘baby books’. How creative could we b girls? Maybe some of the higher profile bloggers could help spread the news! 🙂 Any volunteers if the Swopes agree to a blog shower when they arrive??? The only thing about a blog shower that I don’t like is that I really enjoy the punch at real showers. Oh well, maybe I can mix so OJ and Sprite and pretend!
God you are so good to us. Thank you.
Renee, so excited for you and praying as you and your family walk this journey of your heart…and God's.
I have a friend who is adopting a little girl from China. It has been a slow process for her. It has now been 2 years and 5 months since her file was logged in China. This little one has been prayed over for so long and by so many, I just can't imagine the day my friend finally get's 'that call'! She has the estimated time of about another 9 months now. I'm sure the wait will have been worth it, and during this time the Lord has been helping her prepare for "Motherhood". (She is a single gal in her 40's.)
Praying for God's perfect timing and perfect choice for you.
Love & hugs,
Joy
Hi Renee,
Sharon (Joy in the Truth)sent me the link to your blog. I am so glad she did.
We are adopting our 8 child Gabriel from Ethiopia. We adopted 5 from Guatemala and you can read our story on my blog as well.
I am touched by your heart and how your children came right along with you both in excitment and love for their new sibling!
We will be praying for your journey and if there is anything we can do to help along the way, please don’t hesitate to ask!
You are a blessing and your heart radiates His love. Beautiful blog!
In His amazing grace,
Jill
Wow, Renee! How exciting! We will be watching and praying!
Our children have been asking us to pray about adopting two children…one boy and one girl. Last night before bed, they asked us to pray together as a family about it. We did. When we were done, they asked, “Well, what did the Lord tell you?” Very cute.
We are rejoicing with you and can’t wait to see all God has for your precious family! Keep us posted!
Warm hugs,
Sharon
wow. I will be watching this close close close!
this is a dream of mine (even the 4-10yrs old part)
I read your devo for Proverbs 31 today and linked to your blog!
Congrats on the dossier!
From one adoptive mom to another, I KNOW the joy of sending a package! (Just wait til you get the referral – the FedEx guy becomes the *delivery* man and you take his picutre!)
It’s an adventure worthy of a three-peat for our family.
My heart is so full thinking about your family with little girls to love. I was adopted through the Volunteers of America as a six-week-old infant. My birthparents were teenagers who decided I deserved a better life than they could provide. I feel so blessed to have been adopted into the family I was given. I couldn’t ask for a better big sister in Karla (adopted as well eight years before me). And, my big ol’ lug of a brother, Dean, (also adopted ten years before me) brought so much humor and fun into my life. I lost him in February at the age of 48….oh how I miss him! Your boys will be amazing big brothers. It’s so sweet how they are so invested in the whole adoption idea. I pray that process goes smoothly and that God will cause your heart to skip a beat when you see the eyes of “your girl(s).” Love, Lee
Rene,JJ,Josh and Andrew,
You are all in my prayers. I am so happy for all of you. Amazing things happen when you allow God to lead….. Love you my friends.
Cris
Oh Renee, I am so excited for you. I will be praying for the process to have just the right timing and that God would guide you to the ones He has for you.
Why Ethiopia? What brought your heart there? Just curious.
I think it would be hard but important to see those interviews. I have a Compassion child thing on my sidebar. I can hardly stand it if I notice a child has come around more than once. I want to gather every one up.
I’m still trying to track down info on the conference you are speaking at…. Let me know if you hear back!
Amy