Photo Fundraiser

     So....we are still playing the waiting game....waiting to be matched with our precious Ugandan angel!  We don't really have much of an update on that other than that we have moved a few spots up on the waiting list, and our agency is looking to make a few more referrals soon, which will mean we will move up some more on the list!  We do have an exciting event coming up....a photography fundraiser!  When we get matched with our child, we will immediately owe our next fees, so this is an important fundraiser for us.  The awesome thing about this fundraiser is that we will get 100% of the proceeds for the adoption AND those that participate are getting an AWESOME deal on a quality photo session! 
     The fundraiser will be held in downtown Lexington, NC with photographer Lisa Prevatte (my sweet sister-in-law!)  We are praying for good weather, as we are planning on the photos being outside, near Perfect Blend Coffee Shop.  When you sign up for a session, you will get 20 minutes have your photos snapped by Lisa, and then you will receive a disc of all your photos.  This is a BIG deal because you can then take your disc of photos to the print shop of your choice and have as many prints made as you want.  If you want just the raw photos, we are asking for a minimum donation of $40 and if you would like a disc of edited images, we are asking for a minimun $60 donation towards the adoption. 
     This is a great opportunity to have pictures made for Mother's Day gifts, engagements, senior pictures, family portraits, or just for fun!   Below is some info about the day, as well as some samples of Lisa's beautiful work!  Click here to visit/join the Facebook event for this fundraiser.

When:  Saturday, April 13, 2013
Where:  Downtown Lexington (Meet at Perfect Blend Coffee Shop, 1 N. Main Street)
How to Sign Up:  Join our Facebook event or e-mail Madison at mprevatte113@gmail.com to schedule your time slot

Exciting News!

Well....we are OFFICIALLY on the waiting list for a referral for our sweet baby!!!!  We sent off our mountain of paperwork (dossier) to our agency last week.  They received it and have been going over it for the past few days.  The e-mail came this afternoon that we have officially been put down on the waiting list today!  SO EXCITING!!!!  The timing is in God's hands, and we know that when the time is right, we will receive a picture of our precious little one that God created us to be a family for.  Please pray for us as we go through this time of waiting and unknowns.  Please pray that our son or daughter is protected and comforted as they are also going through a time of waiting and unknown which far surpasses anything we are going through on this end of the wait.  I can't tell you how much we appreciate all the prayers, love, and support that have been poured out on us.  We will continue to celebrate each step of the way with all of you!    

More

     Once again, I have been a slacker as far as the blog is conernced...but I have been working on our dossier, and it's almost done!  As mentioned in the last blog post, we were given the go-ahead to start working on our dossier paperwork right after we had filed for our U.S. Immigration approval.  So the paper chase began in early December!  As we were furiously collecting documents to go into the dossier, we received notification that we had a fingerprinting appointment scheduled for Jan. 2 in Charlotte with the immigration department. After our fingerprinting appointment, we waited (yes, again!) to hear back for final approval.  And as of yesterday, we are officially approved!!!!!  And with the exception of a few loose ends, we are ready to send our dossier off within the next few days!!!!  Next, out dossier will go to our agency for final inspection, and they will then send it to Uganda!  Please be praying for this step....we are praying that all our paperwork is done properly with no errors or discrepancies.  If our agency finds any errors, we will have to redo those portions of the dossier, and that will delay its arrival in Uganda.
     Once the dossier is complete, I feel like I have done what I need to do, and we wait on God's perfect timing for our baby.  From this point, we will be waiting for a referral, which is when we are matched with a child!  I am so so so so so excited!!! 
     Our pastor has been doing a sermon series entitled More*, which comes from the verses in Ephesians 3:
²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
   He challenged us at the beginning of this new year to expect more and be open to all the abundantly awesome things that God wants to do in our lives.  I love these verses because I see how very true they are in my own life.  Sometimes I expect little things when God has SO MUCH MORE in store then I could ever ask or imagine.  I'm praying that this year God unleashes so much more than I could ask or imagine in our lives and in our family!