Thank you for your prayers! We had the first part of our home study yesterday afternoon, and it went even better than expected. Our caseworker just recently adopted two girls from Ethiopia, so she was extremely knowledgeable about the process. She was able to tell us exactly what we should expect, from paperwork down to the transition home that our son will probably be in before we bring him home.
We already have the second part of our home study set up for next Thursday, December 3 at 3 pm. For this part of the study we will actually go to her house and we will get to meet her girls. We are expecting this visit to be more intense than the last, as she will be asking us several questions and interviewing us individually. Please be in prayer that God would guide us, even down to the words to say.
As we prepare to do the final part of our home study, we are also in the process of putting our dossier together. The dossier is a set of documents that will be sent to the US government, and it will basically grant us the privilege to adopt and to bring an orphan to the United States. Those documents will also go to Ethiopia with us when we go to pick up our son. The dossier is a lot of work to put together. Right now we have almost all the paperwork we need, but we are waiting on certified copies of our birth certificates and marriage certificate. Once we finish the dossier, we will then begin to proceed with finding a specific child to adopt. Please pray that these documents will arrive soon, so that we can get the dossier sent!
We really covet your prayers. We have clearly seen God's hand through this process and we pray that He will continue to guide us, provide for us and make things clear to us. We are also praying that God would protect and care for our son while he is in Ethiopia. I am so thankful for those who are loving him and caring for him while we cannot be there.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
News from the Bruce Family
After much prayer and clear direction from God, we have begun the process of adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia! We are very excited, and joyful in obeying the Lord’s leading.
Even before God gave us Noah, we talked about adopting an orphan someday. We feel like saving a child from an orphanage and providing that child with a family is such a beautiful picture of the Gospel. Christ saved us from our sins and brought us into his family. Galatians 4:4-6 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Although we thought adoption was still some time off, God has made it abundantly clear that His timing is now. We are so thankful for such clear direction and knowledge of His will in this situation. Through prayer and investigation we have found absolute confidence and peace with the opportunity of bringing an ex-orphan home.
In the past two weeks we have started the long process of paper work and background checks. The first big step is the “home study.” We already have our home study set up for Monday (11/23) afternoon. This is just the beginning of a long process of paperwork and waiting. We have been told that this process can take anywhere from 6-8 months and the cost will be upwards of $22,000. Both of us feel confident that the Lord will provide both patience and funding because He has made it so clear that we are to do this.
We would like to ask for your prayers over the next several months as we go through this process. Please be in prayer that God will continue to open doors for us to bring this child home. We covet your prayers for God’s provision as well. As this will also be a big change for Noah, we ask that you pray for him in the transition. Last night when we told him that we were going to get him a brother, he was so excited. He then began to cry for his brother, because he wanted him now. We pray that this little boy will be a constant reminder of the Gospel, the love of God, and the family of God. We pray that he will be an amazing witness for the glory of Christ.
Even before God gave us Noah, we talked about adopting an orphan someday. We feel like saving a child from an orphanage and providing that child with a family is such a beautiful picture of the Gospel. Christ saved us from our sins and brought us into his family. Galatians 4:4-6 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Although we thought adoption was still some time off, God has made it abundantly clear that His timing is now. We are so thankful for such clear direction and knowledge of His will in this situation. Through prayer and investigation we have found absolute confidence and peace with the opportunity of bringing an ex-orphan home.
In the past two weeks we have started the long process of paper work and background checks. The first big step is the “home study.” We already have our home study set up for Monday (11/23) afternoon. This is just the beginning of a long process of paperwork and waiting. We have been told that this process can take anywhere from 6-8 months and the cost will be upwards of $22,000. Both of us feel confident that the Lord will provide both patience and funding because He has made it so clear that we are to do this.
We would like to ask for your prayers over the next several months as we go through this process. Please be in prayer that God will continue to open doors for us to bring this child home. We covet your prayers for God’s provision as well. As this will also be a big change for Noah, we ask that you pray for him in the transition. Last night when we told him that we were going to get him a brother, he was so excited. He then began to cry for his brother, because he wanted him now. We pray that this little boy will be a constant reminder of the Gospel, the love of God, and the family of God. We pray that he will be an amazing witness for the glory of Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
