We have NUMBERS!

Oh, happy day!   All of our paperwork is DONE, our homestudy is revised and complete, and we have officially reached the waiting list!  A week ago, we overnighted our notarized homestudy and our dossier off to our agency, anxiously awaiting great news that no revisions had to be made and we were officially on the wait list.  While all of our paperwork looked great, we have one tiny revision to make and resend.  We overnighted that the next business day, and received the call on Tuesday, October 2 that we are officially a waiting family! 

So, now you are probably wondering what our waiting list numbers are.... 

The reason it took a few days to get it posted is that we wanted to have a creative way to display our numbers.  The only problem is, there is not a whole lot of time for creativity in our home right now!  Between school, coaching volleyball, Curt's job and transition to a new job, it's been a busy fall.  But, we chipped away each night this past week, and here are our OFFICIAL OCTOBER NUMBERS!!

For a baby girl, we are number....

For a baby boy, we are number....

For a sibling set, we are number....

So what do these numbers mean?

These numbers tell us how many families are waiting for a child.  Some families are on the waiting list for just a girl, some are on the waiting list for just a boy. Many families, like us, are on multiple lists, so when a referral goes out, there is a good chance that your numbers will go down in multiple areas.  Also, each family has their own set of parameters for their age preference of the child.  Some families prefer a toddler or older child, some families have a wide range from infant through child, and some families have parameters for an infant.  All of these variables affect the numbers and timing of referrals.  

What we do know is that God has already chosen a child for us.  The most amazing part is this child is likely not even born yet or even conceived.  But God has him/her/them chosen to be a little Bolhuis.  We find so much comfort in that as we begin this long wait ahead!  

We ask that you continue to pray that we will trust God's timing and provision completely.  Please pray that we will be patient and find joy throughout this next waiting phase of the journey!  

What's next?

It's time to relax for a little bit!  It's been a busy 3-4 months of paperwork, homework, and paper chasing.  We are ready to sit back a little and spend some time learning more about the Ethiopian culture, as well as reading some books about international adoption.  Each month, we will get updated numbers as to where we are on the waiting list.  We plan to share these numbers through the blog each month, so stay tuned!

Thanks for your prayers and support!