Family and friends, 

Our long season of waiting has officially set in. Winter is coming and we are bracing ourselves for quietness on the adoption front and lessons of patience coming than ever before. We rejoice because progress is happening and that means less days our daughter has in her orphanage. 

This past week we finally sent our Dossier and Home Study to the InterCountry Adoption Board in the Philippines. Right before we sent it we got official fingerprints done at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services right here in Fargo. We were told we would receive a permission letter from the Department of Homeland Security in a few weeks, but it came exactly one week later! We quickly overnighted it to our agency so they could get everything sent to the Philippines as soon as possible. This is just a quick glimpse into the mad dashes we make all the time to the post office, often in the midst of life's chaos and to do lists. They are beginning to know us by name! :)

It takes an average of three months for a social worker in the Philippines to review our Dossier. They might come back with more intricate questions about our life and finances before giving the final approval. Once they are completely satisfied they know us and believe we are good to proceed, they will issue a final placement approval letter. We will receive this letter and sign it and enclose a fat check of $3K, and send it back immediately. After this, they will spend the following months getting our daughter ready to travel, which includes her passport and immigration papers from the Philippines and getting all her medical paperwork updated. Please PRAY this process is QUICK!! 

They estimate an average of 10 months from sending the Dossier to traveling there. This estimate would place travel in July 2017, but of course we are praying for a miracle and asking for May of 2017. In the waiting we are applying for grants, planning a big Silent Auction Fundraiser with our local Church, and studying all we can on how to be the best parents for our little heart. We stare at her picture every day and pray for her heart and body every night. We sit in wonder that we have a little girl on the other side of the world depending on us to be her mommy and daddy. We marvel at how much our life is going to change, and we pray Jesus would continue to fill the store houses of love in our hearts so that we can pour them out on her the moment we look into her eyes. 

Fundraising has been wonderful, with $3K raised from two yard sales, over $2K raised from our adoption t-shirts, and over $6K from private donations and our savings. Financially, we are looking to raise the final chunk we need to actually travel, which is roughly $7,000.00.  We also have a $9,000.00 adoption loan we are working to pay off as well, which we took out at the beginning to pay initial costs in the first few months. God and His people have been continuously providing and we have not been without what we need thus far. We feel like falling on our knees in gratitude every time someone donates to bring this little heart home to love and safety. 

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. 
With love, Joseph and Katie Murrey