the next chapter....

for the Whitfield's is to add another to our family by adoption! I feel like it is really old news at this point, but i need to start talking about it on this blog...so here it goes!

We had felt like there was another Whitfield for our family, but just didn't have the picture of what it was going to look like. After much prayer and consideration (and overanalyzing like we do best), we decided this was where we were called and could not be more thrilled about it. We are in the process of adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia! This is a completely new experience for us and we are learning every step of the way. The process is very tedious and requires much more patience than I will ever have, but we are getting through it.

So where are we in the process, you ask??? We have completed our home study and are currently waiting (not patiently) for it to be finalized, and then we will send the dossier in! I have every piece of paper collected, typed, signed, and notarized to be sent to Ethiopia. The dossier is the huge collection of papers that tells everything about us. It will go to Ethiopia and then we will get a referral, which is where we are placed with a child. After that, we will travel to Ethiopia two times and then come home with our precious baby!

It feels so great to be doing exactly what God wants us doing, and really confirms all of our thoughts. The girls are beyond thrilled and pray for "baby brother" every night. We would love prayers as this process continues, because it is far from over. The cost of an adoption is between $26,000-29,000 and that is a really scary amount. We continue to pray for God's wisdom as we try to fundraise for our baby. David (the one in charge of ALL the finances in this house) feels such a peace that God is going to provide the needed funds, which is comforting...but its still a little scary.

I won't make any promises because I am bound to fail, but I will try to update the blog often with steps of the journey so everyone can keep updated. But most of all, we would covet prayers as our baby boy is in a far away country. I keep praying that precious people are loving and caring for him until he is home with us...