MOE Update

Diaper Bag that James' Mom made for me and baby Ava! Beautiful isn't it!?

We should be out of the MOE by next week! This would be wonderful. We are still praying for summer travel even though it looks more and more like fall. We know all things are possible with God. He has already moved mountains during this process. The really exciting news is that we may have a referral (picture and information of a baby) in a couple weeks. That will really be a special moment. We are praying for Ava every day and wait with anticipation. Your continued prayer for a summer travel date would be very appreciated. You can specifically pray that the right people (government officials and baby house director) will be there when we are set to travel. We're just a few months away! Thank you God.


Our adorable pink and brown stroller. Thanks everyone who pitched in!

YAY...again

Well, as of a couple days ago, our paper work has left the MFA and is on to its final approval. Praise God!

Delays

Hello All,
We spoke with our agency director today and he informed us that, yes, things are certainly slowing down in Kazakhstan. They seem to have more dossiers than in the past and don't have enough people working to approve them. I guess we can praise God that more families are looking to adopt from this country. In the summer months, paper work moves much slower than in the spring and fall. This means that we may be looking at traveling this fall rather than summer. We also know that God is bigger than any government or any delay, and that is why we know that if we are meant to travel this summer, we will. We'll keep you posted!

Where in Kazakhstan is baby Ava?...We can't wait to find out!

Praying for Steven Curtis Chapman and family

We were so sad by the news of the tragic death of Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter. We have been so encouraged by the heart that this family has for international adoption and our prayers are with them. Check out the link on our page for Shaohannah's Hope to hear more about the Chapman's adoption assistance ministry and their heart for international adoption. They have also set up a fund, Maria's Miracle, which is in memory of their precious child who just passed.
Our adoption has unfortunately slowed down a little. Our paper work has still not left the MFA. We reported a couple weeks ago that it had, but we have now learned that it has not :-( We know that God is still faithful and that this is part of his plan in our journey to bring Ava home. Please pray for paper work to be processed quickly.
Love to you all!

YAY!

We are approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!!!! Oh wow are we excited. The director of our agency said that we should be totally, 100% approved in Kaz in two to three weeks. After that we wait to get our letter of invitation and then we're off! As far as we know the baby girl that we were told about is still waiting for a family to take her home. That family very well could be us :-) So, right now, if things keep moving along we will be traveling in July. James and I have been praying and trusting that we would get through the MFA for so long and it's finally happened without any complication. Glory be to God.

"To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
Jude 1:25

Prayer Requests:
-That our paper work continues to be processed smoothly.
-That Ava is safe, healthy, and loved wherever she is.
-That we would have safe travels and no unexpected changes while in country.

We love you all!

Short Update...

As we wait for little Ava, please pray that God would continue to grant us His peace. Our agency director is checking the status of our documents before the end of the week. We are praying that we will hear the good news that the MFA has approved us.
We haven't had much to report as of late because every bit of news that we hear from now on is big news. Once we hear that we have been been approved by the MFA we move on to our very last step which should only take about 30 days.
We know that God has a plan and that everything will work according to his perfect timing. But in my humanness I'm thinking...it would be so nice to have the summer with the baby before my school year starts! So, we ultimately want God's timing but are praying that his timing is this summer :-) Thanks for your prayers and support.

Love to you all,
The Letterneaus

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
Colossians 3:15

I am so getting us these t-shirts. We need to find a website that makes shrits for men so James can join the party.

Update...Please Join us in Praying...

Today we heard some very exciting news concerning our adoption. Our coordinator informed us that there is a baby who he thinks would be perfect for our family! However, our paper work is not yet through the two levels of approval. We have at least 30 more days before our paper work will be leaving the ministry of foreign affairs. After that, it will be moving onto the next, and final, step. Please pray that our paper work is pushed through quickly as there is a child who we could be matched with immediately. We are spinning at the idea that our baby could be coming home in the next couple of months. We are praying that God would allow our paper work to be processed quickly. We know that the Lord knows the best time for our baby to come home and would appreciate you prayers for God's continued provision. We will keep you posted.


Ava's first bit of Padre apparel.
Thanks Smrekars!