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Taking a Real Step and an Update

   


     It was a very exciting day! This morning we had our first home study visit and it went really well. I can honestly say that I wasn't really nervous and I think we both felt confident answering the questions asked of us. I think that we have been working towards this goal of adoption so long, that it was just a relief to have real movement. Aaron and I have been talking about adoption for so many years, that most questions were asked we had already discussed before. It was very affirming that we are on the right path and within God's will for our lives.
       As we answered various questions during our interview, I was reminded of the overwhelming loving, kindness of our God. One of the questions we were asked was about our support system. As we listed off all the people in our sphere who have walked this adoption journey before us, I was reminded that God has put us in this place, in this community so that we not feel allow as we walk this path. I was also saw God's kindness when I was reminded that we actually have someone in our church family who is of Taiwanese descent who will be able to help and guide us in honoring the culture of new child.
        God also showed up in a really big way today. We had to pay the fee for our home study, post adoption visits, and the mileage for our caseworker. As we have shared before, we have spent the last year raising the money to pay for our home study. After paying for other things associated with our adoption (like application fee, training materials, etc) I knew that we were going to be close on having enough money to cover everything today, but we took a step on faith and moved forward. Our final bill today came out to $2,329.40. When we looked at our adoption account balance, there was $2,354 in the account. God is SO GOOD!
       So what's next? Our second (and final) home study visit will be in 3 weeks and during that time we will be finishing up paperwork, getting our medical exams done, etc. Once the next visit is complete, we will hopefully have home study approval shortly thereafter. Then we start the next round of paperwork preparing for the international portion of our journey. We still have a long way to go before we reach our end goal, but simply taking real steps feels so good.
        A few more updates:
        Our T-shirt fundraiser was a success and they were delivered a couple of weeks ago. I asked people to take pictures of themselves in their shirt, and I was overwhelmed by the not only the number of people who bought shirts, but also by how many of them don't even know us personally. I was very pleased with how the shirts turned out and I love seeing people wearing them. When I look at the pictures below, I am reminded again that we are not alone on this journey.


        We have had a few people ask about getting shirts since seeing the finished product, so in light of that, we are relaunching the T-shirt campaign! If you missed out on buying a shirt the first time around, you have until May 1st to purchase one. The shirts are $19.99 each, with a portion from each shirt sold going towards our adoption fund. We need to sell at least 11 shirts for them to ship, so order one if you missed out last time and then tell your friends to order one as well! You can get your shirt at: https://www.bonfire.com/the-tants-go-adopting/
          Over the next few weeks there are specific things you can praying for us: endurance and focus to finish our paperwork, patience as we are still in the waiting, that the funds we need for each step will be provided, continued peace as we move forward.

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