adopting from uganda!!!

A couple of months ago, Lance and I decided that we needed to change adoption countries.  Originally when we started our adoption process, we thought we would be adopting from Haiti.  But due to some of Haiti's laws and the age requirements of the adoptive parents (at least one parent has to be 35 years old), we decided it was best for us to go ahead and decide on a different adoption country.

Only problem??  

We didn't know which country.

We eventually narrowed our choices down to Uganda or the Congo.  We also knew that several consultants from our adoption agency were planning on visiting both of these countries early February. They would be visiting the different orphanages our agency partners with, as well as meeting with country officials and attorneys for both Uganda and the Congo.  Lance and I wanted to wait until our consultants returned from this trip before we made our final decision.

After lots of questions to our agency and a few days of praying through a decision... we are so thrilled to announce that WE WILL BE ADOPTING FROM UGANDA!!!

There were a few factors that helped us make this decision...

>> The timeline (and paperwork) for Uganda seems to be less than what it was for Haiti.  While timing is definitely not the end-all-be-all... it is most certainly encouraging to know that we are making progress... moving forward.

>> There are likely sibling groups available.  As some of you might remember, Lance and I are wanting to adopt 2 little ones.  This could mean 2 children that are blood related... or simply 2 children from the same orphanage... either way, we are excited.

>> We will actually have a very good friend that will soon be living in Uganda.  This may not seem like a very big deal... but the thought of having a familiar face in such an unfamiliar process is very comforting to me.

There are still several things that need to happen... papers need to be notarized... doctor appointments need to be made... background checks need to be mailed... but we are making some major progress.  We just happen to have our homestudy scheduled for NEXT WEEK!!

We are very excited to be moving along in this process, and we would soooooo appreciate your prayers as we continue to navigate through the unknown.