Sacrifice

Well, we received word today that Agegnehu was placed with another family. Although we knew that we didn't have much of a chance in getting him, we still were excited about the possibility of getting a child so soon. However, we know that God placed him with a family that is best suited to meet his needs (whatever they may be). Please continue to pray for Agegnehu and his new family and the exciting future that they are about to begin together.

So, as for the Sutliff family, we will continue to be in a holding pattern while we wait for our Dossier to get translated. We feel that we are ready to receive our referral and begin the final part of the adoption process. The unknown is exciting, thrilling, overwhelming and scary all at the same time ~ however, looking into the future and seeing hope in the eyes of a little child makes the sacrifices all seem so trivial.

Please don't ever forget that all over this world there are little children that are being abandoned, orphaned, abused and just plain not wanted and that you can help. Whether it is through adoption, sponsorship, donations, education and/or prayer, everyone has the ability to make a difference. It starts with one...a sacrifice is still a sacrifice, no matter how big or small.

"One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving." - Amy Carmichael

A New Life Filled With Love

Just when you think you are in a holding pattern...BAM! Somehow I knew my timing and God's were a little different. Needless to say, this has been a week of unexpected excitement. As you are aware, just a few weeks ago we completed our dossier. Since then, it has been approved at the corporate office, been authenticated in Washington D.C. and is currently in the process of being sent to Ethiopia. Once everything is squared away in Ethiopia, we are looking at 6 months to a year before we would hear about a specific child.

Well...on Monday, we received an email about a 7 month old little boy. Because he didn't match any specific dossiers that were currently waiting to be assigned, they sent out his referral information to all of the various locations to see if there was any interest in Ethiopian adoptive families that were in various stages of the process. So, our Adoption Specialist forwarded it to us to see if we had any interest.

Immediately, we begin to think "what is the matter with this child?" or "why isn't he going through the 'normal' referral process?". However, after a couple of conversations with our Adoption Specialist we understood the complicated process of referrals and why this child was so special. To start with, his name (Agegnehu) literally means 'I have found you'. Once we saw his picture, we knew that he is going to be a fine addition to some lucky family.

After much prayer, some questions and a 'very basic' medical review, we decided that we would put our name on the list (along with several other families) to be considered for this precious little boy. Although we know that we are low on the priority list since we just submitted our dossier, we do know that God is ultimately the protector of this child and will match him with the best family.

What now? We wait. We wait to hear back from the adoption agency on whether or not we have been chosen for Agegnehu or if he was placed with another family. Either way, this little boy will be the winner. Our time will come, but his time is now. His world is about to be rocked upside down. A new life filled with love, opportunity and family. Please be in prayer for this situation and that Agegnehu will be placed in a home that overwhelms him with love in a God centered family.

The Waiting Begins...

Today marks an exciting milestone in our adoption process as we have finally (after 5 months of collecting documents, attending classes and having our home study conducted) turned in our dossier! Now for the waiting. Our dossier will have to go through several steps prior to getting to the Ethiopian courts. However, just knowing that we have completed everything that we are responsible for is a huge relief. Every day that passed as we were working on our dossier was one more day that we would have to wait to meet our son.

It's kind of cool knowing that today, August 3rd and our 14th wedding anniversary, is the day that our dossier is complete. It is a little sentimental...who knew that 14 years ago a union began that would produce two beautiful children and another one soon to be added to our family. We have been so blessed and know that our blessings will continue as we turn the page to the next chapter of our life story.

Prayers are requested during this "waiting period" as we are anxious to meet the little fellow...but, also know that it is all in God's timing.

"Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need." James 1:4