Getting Close...

 This picture was half way through the Garage Sale!

 Over half of the inside items had sold!!

Matt Hogg, Jenny Sims and Carrie Moreland

"...whatever mission God gives me is my cross." 

Bill Hull

We had a very successful Benefit Garage Sale on October 16th!  We had SO MUCH donated - much more than we ever imagined! Matt and I were a little overwhelmed, but we got through it!  So many volunteered their time Saturday morning, and let me tell you, they can sell!!!  It was great seeing everyone come together to help raise money to bring Connor home!  We raised over $2400!!!!! God continues to amaze us throughout this adoption process.  Matt and I were so scared we were going to have so much left over after the garage sale.  This is ALL that was left...

 WOW!!!  Now that is a God thing!!!

It was such a successful day!  Matt and I were so proud and felt it brought so many of us closer together! 

Matt and I found out that if we get all the documents to Russia by November 16th we can have a court date in Russia November 30th!!!  If the paperwork does not get there by this date we will have to wait until April for the next court date.  This first trip is to meet Connor and make sure we still want to adopt him.  We do not get to bring him home just yet.  We are getting our family portrait done this week and that is all we are waiting on.  Matt is hoping to drive the notarized paperwork to Austin next week to speed up the process.  We are waiting on the FBI clearance on our background checks and our prep work on getting Connor's visa, but we do not have to have this before the 16th.  We are getting closer!  It is so exciting that we might be able to meet our future son in 5 1/2 weeks!!  YAY!!!!! 

Our prayers right now are that the documents that Russia needs will get there by November 16 and that they are satisfied with what they receive. Pray for sweet Connor... that the Lord will be the arms to hold him when he is scared and the arms to hug him to say 'I love you'.

I came across this prayer in Ephesians 3:16-19.  It has been personalized by using "I," "me," and "my" for the word "you"...

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen me with power through his spirit in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith.  And I pray that me being rooted and established  in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.