The first "official" step - Done and Done!

Congratulations on successfully submitting your online application to Holt!

Please print a copy of your completed application as it appears on the screen below for your records. Shortly, you will receive two e-mail messages from Holt. One message will provide you with a receipt for the credit card charge for the adoption application fee. The other message will provide you with an overview regarding the next steps of the process.

Can you believe it? We actually went through with it! There was a deep breath before hitting the "submit" button, and away it went! With the application we had to include a picture of our family, a picture of the front of our house, a signed & notarized International Adoption Services Agreement, and the application. Here is some if the information from the application:

What age of child are you open to adopting? 0-2 Years (We feel that it is best for our family to keep the birth order intact, and that bonding/attachment issues might be easier with a baby. This is what we think is best for OUR family - not necessarily EVERY family.)

Many countries have more boys who need families than girls. What gender of child are you open to adopting? Either Gender (This was a really tough one for us. As most of you know, we already have three daughters, and given the opportunity to CHOOSE the gender seemed like a win-win situation. However, we came to the realization that if we truly believe that God is calling us to this, then shouldn't we let Him decide? He did a pretty good job deciding the other three for us, couldn't we trust Him with this one too? If we truly believe that God has already chosen another child for our family and we just have to bring he/she home from Ethiopia, does it really matter what WE want?)

Are you open to adopting children in a sibling group? Ummm...No. (We already have three children. Although, that being said, I always thought we would have TWO kids - guess God had other plans.)

What country are you interested in adopting from? Ethiopia. (Wow. There is so much that goes into that answer. First and foremost - This is where God is calling us. Without a doubt. The other reasons are as follows (stolen from www.itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com):

• Life expectancy in Ethiopia 39 years for males and 42 years for females. The leading cause of death is communicable diseases such as malaria, typhoid, meningitis, cholera, AIDS, tuberculosis, yellow fever.
  
• Woman have an average of 7 children and the maternal mortality rate is 1 in 14
  
• Ethiopia's neonatal mortality rate is one of the highest in the world - 49/1000 births with tetanus infection being the second major cause of infant/neonatal death.
• Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Over half the population lives on less than a $1 a day. The average income in Ethiopia is US$100 a year. Almost 82% of the population lives on less than $1 a day.
• Malnutrition levels are among the highest in the world.
• Ethiopia is experiencing yet another drought now.
  
• Ethiopia is home to 4-6 million orphans, or 12% of all children.
• That is the same number of children under age 18 who reside in Massachusetts, New York State, and Washington DC combined. If every parent in those places died tonight - that would be similar to Ethiopia's orphan crisis.
  
• More than half a million of these were orphaned as a result of AIDS.
• Only 42.7% age 15 and over can read and write.
• Only 18 percent of children reach grade five. That means 82% of children don't.

Need another reason? Because the children are BEAUTIFUL!

Most countries require one or both parents to travel to the child's country to process the adoption and escort the child home. Are you open to travel? Yes, father; Yes, mother. (So, anyone want to take care of our kids and dog for 7 days while we go to Ethiopia? BTW - it will only take 41 hours to get there. It is actually less than 20 hours of flight time, but with the time changes and everything it actually takes about 40 hours...I think. Craziness. We also have this crazy idea in mind to try to visit our sponsored child in Uganda on the same trip. Why the heck not? Not like we frequently take trips to that part of the world. It would be a shame to be that close and not go the extra distance. God willing...)

It's all in God's hands at this point, which is the best place for it to be. We should hear something within the next 3-4 days, and then, upon approval, we start raising funds. Yes, my dearest friends and family, this is where you get to be involved!

Stay tuned...