All I Want For Christmas
Christmas is already six months away. School will be starting before we know it and suddenly we’ll all be stumbling around saying, “I can’t believe Christmas is only four months away!”
As we work hard to get our dossier to Ethiopia before the courts close in mid-August for six weeks. That being said, I’m praying for the best Christmas gift ever (apart from the birth of Christ, of course!): our referral!!! If we’re able to get our dossier to Ethiopia before the courts close, there is a very good chance we will know who our daughter is by Christmas. For those of you who may be wondering about all of this adoption lingo, the dossier is basically just a collection of documents about your family, finances, home, etc that will pass through all the right hands in Ethiopia before you receive your referral. The referral actually refers to YOUR child. When your name makes it to the top of the waiting list with your agency/orphanage you are matched with a baby in the orphanage. You then receive the long-awaited email with your baby’s picture, story, and medical history (all that is available). You then ‘accept’ your referral and begin the long wait to receive travel dates to appear before the Ethiopian court where, if all proper documents are present, your referral becomes your child, legally. I can hardly believe that day is potentially as close as it is. Sometimes this still feels like a sweet dream. Sometimes it still feels like it’s so far away. I know that one day we will look back on this process and hardly remember life before Zoe.
We still have $5,000 to raise before our dossier can be sent to Ethiopia, so please be praying for that money to come in. Please share our fundraisers with your friends and family. Don’t forget about our puzzle fundraiser! We still have many unnamed puzzle pieces. And of course our Bows for Life, which have been a great success. If you’d like to host a party, you will receive one free bow of your choice for every $20 spent by your shoppers. The average bow party raises between $150-$200…so that is 7-10 free bows for the hostess!
And lastly, there is still one week left to order a “Bringing Home Baby Zoe” t-shirt before we place our first order. $25 for adults and $20 for infants and children.
~audrey