Dear Friends and Family, 

We can't believe that we are nearing the end of what has been such a long process, that all of you have experienced with us in some form. Thank you so much for walking with us through this journey of bringing Little Heart home to her forever family! 

On February 14th, 2017 we received official Final Placement Approval from the Inter-Country Adoption Board in the Philippines. We had been waiting on this since September and it was the most difficult of all the waiting segments thus far. As we prepare the next steps and packets of paperwork, we are reminded there is more waiting to come, yet that season was most definitely the hardest up until now. 

Currently, we are facing the last 3 three big pushes of our adoption (Katie is a Midwife so the analogy works well for us). :) First, we are preparing US Citizenship and Immigration forms for the Department of Homeland Security. This total of 30 pages will be submitted soon, and will take roughly 6 weeks to be processed. Once this is done, the Adoption Board in the Philippines can then set a Visa and Medical Review day for our Little Heart. She will be taken from her orphanage by a social worker for these appointments, and we hopefully will receive word when this happens. Lastly, her passport can then be issued after her Visa is. 

Then comes the day we have all been waiting for, the day our beloved agency calls and tells us we can FLY TO GET OUR GIRL. Our hearts long for this day more than anything else, and we feel great pain every day as we wait. When we received the great news on February 14th, we also received new pictures of her and new medical information. Her pictures are absolutely adorable and we gaze at them daily, feeling so much painful longing to have her with us. Her medical information was very encouraging, and it seems that despite her lack of nourishment reflected in her physical growth, she is getting much needed attention from physical and speech therapists as well as the orphanage house parents and her doctor. She is currently a 9 month old in her weight and height, which could be a result of her special need, but we do look forward to introducing her to all the fun toddler foods she's been missing in her life. 

We have been told July is a good target for traveling, so we are praying for June-July at the latest once these last three steps are completed. Many of you have asked how we are doing financially, and we must say with great thankfulness that we have everything we need to actually travel and bring her home. However, there are some expenses we still hope to fundraise for, including her post adoption legal fees we will have to pay once she is home in the court system and the required post adoption social worker visits (4 total) in the first year. We estimate these fees may come to $2-3,000.00. Furthermore, if we do not travel by July, then our Home Study will have to be updated and we will have to pay our social worker to do some updated visits. Once we can see that these last fees/needs are met, we can say for good that our adoption is FULLY FUNDED, a total of $30,000.00.

We are SO THANKFUL for all the support we have received form you, and from all the generous grants we have received. We are at peace knowing God will provide for us in miraculous ways, just like He already has. We can't wait to share Little Heart with you when she is in our arms. Please pray for her safety, health, and peace in her heart as she waits for forever family. 

~Joseph and Katie Murrey