Officially Started

Well, we met with Hannah and Debbie from Heritage yesterday, turned in our application and fee, and officially got the process started. Got another BIG packet of paperwork to start on, and a list of things we needed to get together or working on. Now I need to schedule doctor visits for the kids, John, and the animals. Oh, and get the house cleaned up.

Several people have asked about a time-line of when we expect to have the boys home. IF we had all the money today, we could possibly have them home in about four months. Since we don't have the money, realistically, we are hoping by Christmas. The Ugandan government shuts down quite a bit around November/December, so we need to move quickly to get everything complete.

As far as fundraisers, we are looking at selling wristbands, having a yard sale, and the church is doing a dinner/silent auction for us the first of July. I would honestly LOVE to have the majority of the money raised before July, and just use that money for travel. I know that in the end, God is in control of this whole process.

After we were done at Heritage yesterday, we took the kids to Incredible Pizza. They all had a blast. I can't wait until we have the opportunity to take Emmanuel as well. I know it may be a while until he is ready for all of the excitement, though.

We have been down the adoption road before, and know the process can be daunting, but the international aspect is even a little overwhelming for John and I. Please keep us and the Myers' in your prayers. It is greatly appreciated.

Moving Along... With Friends

Things are beginning to move on the adoption front. We have decided to have Heritage Family Services do our home study, just to make sure all the paperwork is done correctly. We do not want any "surprises" that could possibly be avoided.

I have contacted another family that brought their daughter home from Mercy/Uganda in August, and am waiting to have some questions answered by them. Also, some friends of ours are joining us in this journey and bringing home a another little boy from the same children's home. I can't wait to go on this journey with them. It will be fun to share the adventure, and also for Emmanuel to have a familiar face here in Oklahoma.

Our church family is rallying behind us, helping us make this possible. Tonight, the Women's Fellowship was won over by our two little cuties, and they are making plans to help us raise some of the needed funds to bring Emmanuel and Ephraim home. Words cannot express what it means to us for our church family to be supportive.

In the next couple of days, I will be getting a donation button set up so you can help as well. Keep an eye here to follow our progress and keep up with events that are being planned to make these dreams a reality.

Emmanuel

Ephraim

Thank you for keeping all of us in your prayers!

Emmanuel Tumwebaze

Help us bring Emmanuel home!

As some of you may know, we have talked about adopting another child for some time now. We have received the paperwork to start the process twice, and have not followed through with it. We have felt that we were being called to international adoption, but perceived the cost as prohibitive. It appears God is now trying to stretch us. Michael has just spent about ten weeks in Uganda, and has found a precious little orphan who is in need of a home. His name is Emmanuel.

The following information was given to us about Emmanuel from the director of Mercy Childcare Ministries:

Emma has been with us since 2007. He was brought to us by the local authorities who found him abandoned in Nansana. The police tried to find out about his details but nothing was discovered. By then Emma was not social, he would not easily trust anyone, it seemed that he was earlier abused before he was abandoned. He used to wake up at night and cry and walk around the house. After like a year the lord changed him and he is now social, he knows that people around him love him and recently he started school.

We have the opportunity to bring Emmanuel home to join our family, but are totally dependant on God's miraculous provision to do so. We estimate the total cost of this adoption to be about $15,000. This is actually about 2/3 of what most international adoptions cost, but still much more than we can afford on our own. We feel like God is calling us to provide this precious child a home, and we will do everything we can, but we are totally dependent on outside financial support to make it happen. Any thing you can do to help would be greatly appreciated. May God bless you for your prayer and support!

Emmanuel (God with us) Tumwebaze (let us thank God)