If a picture is worth a thousand words...

...then what do these say?

responsible parent?

trust me with your child?

law abiding citizens?

Not bad...if we weren't in a restaurant bar...

Does Bryan ever NOT wear a cap?

So, we needed a family picture for our dossier that would communicate to the Liberian government that they should allow us to adopt a child. Considering our options, we ended up taking our camera to church and having a friend snap this shot...

We even match, as if that is important!

Prayer

Lord, teach us how to pray... Luke 11:1

How do we pray for our adoption? This is a question that has been on my heart since we started this process. At this point, everything is so abstract, and so indefinite. We basically have a checklist of documents to collect and forms to fill out. "Lord, I pray that our marriage certificates will be in the mail today" is the type of prayer that definitely gets prayed around here, but that doesn't seem to cover all the things that are taking place that will eventually result in Brett being our son.

So, in my searching, God has helped me to learn how to pray for our adoption, and I hope that you will join us in praying for our adoption in the following ways:

1. Brett. We don't know how Brett is going to come to be at the orphanage, but we know it is going to be the result of great tragedy, and Brett is going to experience most likely the greatest loss of his life before he turns one year old. So, we pray that his heavenly Father will bring him peace even now, and that Brett will know God's love. We also pray for his health. Medical care is very limited in Liberia, and there are many sicknesses that would be easily treated in the US, but can be life threatening in Liberia.

2. His first family. Again, we don't know the situation Brett's family is in, but we know it is one of great desperation. Many times a mother or father is still living, but literally cannot afford to provide for the child(ren), and bringing the child(ren) to the orphanage is their way of giving their child(ren) a future. I cannot imagine being a parent faced with that kind of decision. So, we pray that God will be their source of hope and He will care for them.

3. His country. Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Fourteen years of civil war finally came to an end a few years ago. So, it is slowly rebuilding. Liberia's government is recovering, but the country lacks medical care and industry. We pray that the conditions in Liberia will improve.

4. His adoption. Of course, we selfishly pray that everything will go smoothly and quickly. We pray that nothing will happen that would interrupt the adoption process. We ask that you will also pray with us to be patient and trust God's plan.

5. His dad and momma. Lord, please prepare us for parenthood and for being Brett's dad and mom. Prepare us for the unique challenges of helping Brett grieve the loss of his first family, and growing up in a race conscious culture, which we will never completely understand. We pray that Brett will bond with us and we will bond with him.

We are so grateful for all our family and friends who have been so supportive and excited with us! We know you are praying! Thank you!

Take Dad out for a Frosty!

On the weekend of Father's Day, June 16th and 17th, Wendy's will be donating $.50 of every frosty sold to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The Wendy's Wonderful Kids program awards grants to adoption agencies across the nation to move children from foster care into permanent, loving adoptive homes. For more information, go to http://www.davethomasfoundationforadoption.org/

Adventures in Immigration

Today was our fingerprinting appointment for our I600A, which we have been waiting 3 weeks for. We were initially glad it was scheduled for noon, so Bryan could slip away at lunch. We had no idea what to expect, and the plan was to meet there. Well, I couldn't find the place and had to stop to ask for directions. I was panicked when I got there 10 minutes late, afraid they would tell me I'd have to reschedule. Turns out there was a waiting room full of people with appointments at noon. We were given numbers and sat and waited...and waited...

Around 12:30, in walks Twins pitcher Carlos Silva! He happened to be scheduled to start tonight. Guess who didn't have to wait in line? Carlos Silva. Guess who waited almost 2 hours? We did!

Lesson learned: bring a good book!

Brett's First Outfit

Grandma "Sitka" couldn't resist - but not before asking us if it was okay to buy Brett a Twins outfit. Bryan has set up a system for Brett's wardrobe:

• Brett should always have plenty of Brewers and Packers clothing that fits.


• Brett may possess Twins clothing as long as he has at least twice as many Brewers outfits.


• Under no circumstances will Brett be in possession of anything Vikings.

The outfit is a 3T-we have no idea how big our son will be when he comes home, so Grandma was playing it safe! By the way, Grandma "Ardy" already has a Christmas stocking for Brett!

In other news, yesterday, we finally mailed our application in to Acres of Hope, our referral agency.