Hi Everyone!
We know it's been a while but we have been waiting till we got settled here in Florida to update everyone. The transition to the new location and the new jobs have gone really well! Luke is finally getting comfortable with the administration part of being a principal and balancing teaching grades 5-7 as well. I am teaching 3-4 part time and give release time to Luke for a couple hours. We are finally making some friends and also connecting with others that happen to live near us. We also took a trip to Beijing and Hong Kong this last summer to visit Luke's brother in China for his wedding and my sister in Hong Kong. Everything's been great!
Now...where were we in the adoption? Last November we had almost completed all of our paperwork and our social worker was about to write the report for our home study. Fast forward 11 months...we just handed in ALL of our paperwork to complete our home study here in Florida!! They do things a bit quicker here. Instead of having us write essays on our childhood, how we were raised and disciplined, and how we plan to raise our children and discipline, they just come over twice and interview you. Some of the paperwork we had filled out a year ago was able to be used as well which was a HUGE help. Now that all of the paperwork is in, we wait a couple weeks for our new social worker to write our report and give us the Florida stamp of approval! YAHOO! Now we are working on our dossier (doss-ee-ay) which is a fancy word for paperwork required from Kyrgyzstan. Once we send that we begin the waiting and fundraising process.
We are so blessed to be where we are and wouldn't have it any other way. It's amazing the way God has designed our lives and how there is a reason for everything:) We are so blessed!
More updates to come...
Monday, October 26, 2015
Sunday, January 4, 2015
We are in for a Rough Ride!
Hey All!
Or should I say y'all?
So many things have happened in the past month or so that I thought I would wait until it all played out to update everyone. After we had our home visit with our social worker in November she began working on our home study. She actually would already be complete with it right now if it wasn't for Luke receiving a call to teach at Ascension Lutheran School in Sarasota, FL to be principal, grades 5-8 and Hispanic Outreach.
After telling our social worker she decided to pause our home study until we told her our decision. She said that was the best option because if she completed it and found out that we would be moving we would have to pay the home study completion fee and then also start over if we moved to Florida. Since each state has different regulations and paper work we would have to start from scratch.
It was a long 5 weeks that we deliberated...and we have decided to accept the call. After years (as a woman) of being told that the choices that I would make would affect having a child I was thinking that God is SCREAMING at us that this was not our time to be parents...it's hard not to take that personally. What's a few more months, right? When Luke heard that a choice that he would have to make would push everything back he automatically said "We need to stay!" It's hard not to be thinking about what you can control and what you can't. A lesson that is difficult for everyone to learn. The position was so unique for Luke's skill set, would strengthen us as a couple, and would help us work together towards one common goal: Point souls toward the kingdom of heaven. So... we will be moving to Sarasota sometime in June. And so the classic Lutheran question comes into play "What does this mean (for the adoption)?" Our home study is basically scratched and once we move there then we can start over with all the paperwork. I have already spoken with one agency in Sarasota and found out that nothing is transferable. We will need an adoption agency for the home study, the paperwork, and the home visit. After that is complete Lutheran Social Services in Milwaukee will still be our placing agency, since we have committed to the Kyrgyzstan program.
Hope this helps! It's still cold in Wisconsin and children are in need of warm winter head gear!!! My friend Keturah is still making hats for kids! Half of the proceeds go to the costs of our adoption. Here is the link below...
Made From the Heart
Also...Luke and I are planning on making a puzzle with a world map and the country of Kyrgyzstan is highlighted and a Bible passage is also on it. Those who have already donated will receive a piece or pieces to sign and then we will be "selling" the pieces for a signature to be part of our journey. More updates to come!!
Or should I say y'all?
So many things have happened in the past month or so that I thought I would wait until it all played out to update everyone. After we had our home visit with our social worker in November she began working on our home study. She actually would already be complete with it right now if it wasn't for Luke receiving a call to teach at Ascension Lutheran School in Sarasota, FL to be principal, grades 5-8 and Hispanic Outreach.
After telling our social worker she decided to pause our home study until we told her our decision. She said that was the best option because if she completed it and found out that we would be moving we would have to pay the home study completion fee and then also start over if we moved to Florida. Since each state has different regulations and paper work we would have to start from scratch.
It was a long 5 weeks that we deliberated...and we have decided to accept the call. After years (as a woman) of being told that the choices that I would make would affect having a child I was thinking that God is SCREAMING at us that this was not our time to be parents...it's hard not to take that personally. What's a few more months, right? When Luke heard that a choice that he would have to make would push everything back he automatically said "We need to stay!" It's hard not to be thinking about what you can control and what you can't. A lesson that is difficult for everyone to learn. The position was so unique for Luke's skill set, would strengthen us as a couple, and would help us work together towards one common goal: Point souls toward the kingdom of heaven. So... we will be moving to Sarasota sometime in June. And so the classic Lutheran question comes into play "What does this mean (for the adoption)?" Our home study is basically scratched and once we move there then we can start over with all the paperwork. I have already spoken with one agency in Sarasota and found out that nothing is transferable. We will need an adoption agency for the home study, the paperwork, and the home visit. After that is complete Lutheran Social Services in Milwaukee will still be our placing agency, since we have committed to the Kyrgyzstan program.
Hope this helps! It's still cold in Wisconsin and children are in need of warm winter head gear!!! My friend Keturah is still making hats for kids! Half of the proceeds go to the costs of our adoption. Here is the link below...
Made From the Heart
Also...Luke and I are planning on making a puzzle with a world map and the country of Kyrgyzstan is highlighted and a Bible passage is also on it. Those who have already donated will receive a piece or pieces to sign and then we will be "selling" the pieces for a signature to be part of our journey. More updates to come!!
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