Currey and I had a wonderful weekend but it was quite an adventure.  We have very exciting news to share as we have decided to begin the adoption process.  If you know us, you know that this has been a desire of our hearts for some time.  After our recent church retreat we really felt that God was opening doors for us.  The blessings of moving to Wheaton have been great.  Wonderful friends, an unbelievable church family and so many new friends who are at all different stages of the adoption process.  We have had a year to ask questions, spend time with families and have lots of talks about what God was calling us to.

After the retreat we went to Barnes and Noble and got a book that I'd been wanting called the Christian Couples Guide to Successful Adoption.  If you are considering adoption I would really recommend it.  It's a lot to digest but it's an incredibly thorough book that outlines the process from start to finish.  We were SO excited as we chose a country and began searching for an agency.  As we continued researching we became fearful that with an anticipated move next May and very small living quarters that we might need to put the process on hold.  When we called the agency we were considering our fears were confirmed.  It is not in our best interest to complete a home study here as we would have to redo it if we move to a different state.  And really you can't move forward until the home study is completed.  We quickly realized that it didn't mean we couldn't do other things to prepare.

If you have looked at adoption or known anyone who has adopted there is a huge expense to bring your precious baby home.  So we are using this time to work on getting the funds together, to talk to more friends who have gone through the process, to do our research and to prepare for our baby.  

This weekend we were able to do lots of work!  We spent Friday night with friends from church.  They are waiting on a referral for a baby girl from Vietnam.  Please pray for them if you think of it as Vietnam has decided to close the doors to adopting from there.  If they are not matched by Sept. 1 then they will have to begin the process again or wait for the country to reopen.  We were blessed by our conversation and their joyfulness as they prepare for the child that God has for them. 

Then Saturday we got up at 7 am to drive to southern Illinois to meet with a couple who have used the agency we are planning on using.  It was such a great experience and we were so encouraged by our time with them.  

This post has gotten quite long so I'll continue tomorrow!  What a cliff hanger...Please check back for the rest of the story!