From the start of us dreaming about adoption, I think that we always wanted more than one child. Alina has surpassed our hopes as far as temperament (she is so happy!) and we want her to grow up with the joy of having a sibling. Chris is hoping for a boy and I kinda want another girl but we would be so thankful for either, trusting that God is planning out the future of our family in advance.

Chris and I started the process in February to get a new Home Study so that we can get back on the list with the Adoption Attorneys we are working with in Florida. We have just finished our paperwork! Praise the Lord! We did almost have to start over with the process as the agency we worked with to adopt Alina is no longer doing the Home Studies for another agency.

The next step is to have a meeting with a Social Worker who will interview us and compile our paperwork into a completed Home Study. We hope it will completed within about a month but we don’t have an exact timeline. I can say that we are excited to get back in the game of waiting to be matched with a child!

Alina is now 15 months old. She is just the sweetest girl. It’s a joy to watch her explore her world. She is tenacious and curious but so much fun. We think she will be a wonderful big sister! She is walking, “talking” and freely expresses her opinion to us. I almost never post photos of her Facebook or Instagram but I do share pictures of our everyday life on the BeReal app because it’s only people that I know. If you want to see how adorable she is, please text me!

We started a LifeSong fundraiser before adopting Alina and didn’t use those funds for her adoption – since there was no agency involved, it was not very expensive. We will use the money for our next adoption! Assuming that the child will come through Florida, it will be a much more expensive process – not to mention travel and the need to stay in Florida for 1-2 weeks after the birth. Thank you to those of you who have given so far! We appreciate you! I know that many of you reading this have supported us and prayed for us as we have moved to LA, then served in Malawi, finished seminary in Spokane and moved to Oregon… we value you all so much and know that God has used His body to carry us where He has wanted us to go. And we trust in His provision for the future!

Thank you for taking the time to read this brief update! We no longer live near many of our friends so these updates are a small way that we can keep you informed about what is happening in our lives. Please reach our and know that we would love to see you if possible!

Please pray for us!

• That Alina will continue to grow and that we will parent her in a way that points her to Christ always
• That God would allow us to adopt a second child and that they would fit into our family culture well
• That we will have all that we need (time, money, help, etc) to adopt again
• That whoever is the birth mother of our future child will be protected from evil and do the right thing