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Excitement and Anticipation

Each passing day brings new excitement and joy as we look forward to being united with our Brazilian kids for the first time. Erica was able to update the photo wall in our room with pictures of the kids and the visual of seeing all 9 of us on the same picture collage is exhilarating. (Sorry we can't post them yet, we will share pictures ASAP!)

The reality of traveling is hitting us hard. We know it will be soon ... but not exactly when. It means coordinating multiple flights and a lengthy stay at a rental house in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.

Another of our grant application was reviewed and approved! This one if from Gift of Adoption. They are contributing $7,500 to our final adoption expenses! We are simply speechless as we receive grant awards from these organizations and continue to be supported by family and friends alike. The generosity of the family of God around the world is overwhelming.

Our family is also knee-deep in our next and (hopefully) final fundraising effort. BothHands (bothhands.org) has approved us as a project family. We are going to be gathering a group of volunteers and completing a day of service at a widow's house. Our volunteer team asks family and friends to "sponsor" their volunteer work for the day by donating to our adoption fund. So, both the widow and orphan are blessed! The widow gets a full volunteer crew for a day to perform service projects around her home and our four kids get another huge step closer to home. Soon we will have a link to our project with a donate now button and all contributions to BothHands are tax-deductible.

Thank you all so very much for your continued prayers and support. We are mentally and emotionally frazzled as every day brings higher highs and lower lows. The highs as we receive news of more grant awards or another technical legal hurdle being cleared and the lows as we get our kids updated files and read the court case and facts revolving around their history.

Every single orphan matters. Every single one has a story. Every story is heart-rending in its own way.

Our kids have a story too, and they will be told as they grow up that God was writing their story from the beginning and that His plans for them are plans for good and not for evil, to bring a future and a hope. That what man intended for evil, God will surely work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

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