Almost There!!

Hey ~ 

Just wanted to share a quick update! We received an email from our adoption agency & they wanted us to know that the Liberian government is sending a social worker tomorrow to meet our kiddos! He/She will also interview the orphanage manager to get our children's case histories. After that, the government social workers will meet with our kids' biological father & then write up the case histories, so they can be reviewed & signed by the Deputy Minister handling adoptions. 

They are telling us that this process can take up to 90 days, but we aren't worried. God has been moving things along so fast & we believe with all of our hearts that He will have our kids home by Christmas. Once the case histories are complete, our case will be forwarded onto our agency's lawyer. The lawyer has already met with our kids' biological father to explain what adoption means & their father has already signed the relinquishment papers. At this point, we would travel to Liberia & head to court to meet with the judge. Once the adoption decree is issued, we start the ball rolling at the Embassy & our kiddos will have their medical exams, etc. Once the children's visas are issued, our contact at the orphanage will handle the required exit letters with other Liberian government ministries. Eek! I cannot tell you how excited we are! 

On top of this good news, we also received another grant last week of $2,500!! So, we only have $1,500 to go & our program fees are all paid!!

Please keep us & our kiddos in your prayers! We still have a number of things to get worked out before we leave for Africa!!

Thanks friends!

Michael & Carey 

Exciting News!

Hi Ya'll,

Hope you are all doing fabulous & enjoying this beautiful fall weather! It's a gorgeous day here in Minnesota! A lot of you have been asking for an update & I finally have some time to fill you all in on what's been going on.

As many of you know, our dossier was sent down to Liberia in August. We were under the impression that it was with the government waiting to be processed, so a friend of ours contacted someone she knew that worked in the government to check on the status of our case. It turns out that the person our friend knew is the one that oversees the whole adoption process! Is that amazing or what? God continues to blow our minds! Anyway, our contact did some checking & it turns out that our dossier wasn't with the gender (Liberian government) at all. It was being processed/held at the orphanage where our kids are at along with 5 other dossiers. After some discussion, we received word that all of the dossiers were going to be delivered to the government, so we have just been waiting for confirmation that this happened. As soon as we know for sure, we will post another update & let you all know, but please keep this in your prayers! God has really pressed on our hearts that He will have our kiddos home by Christmas & we are standing firm in that promise. Will you stand with us? We are asking for everyone to pray that our dossier was delivered to the gender & is being reviewed so that we'll receive our invitation to travel soon! Thanks friends!

On another note, Michael & I have some exciting news to share on the financial side of things! Here's a quick breakdown.

1. Ragini Project fundraiser grant wrapped up at the end of September & we raised $570! A HUGE thank you to everyone that shopped on their website & helped us out! We cannot thank you enough! Michael & I are planning to use these funds for travel expenses since we hope to have our program fees covered soon.
2. On October 3rd, I received an email from Laurencia's Victory stating that we had been chosen for a grant in the amount of $3,000. God is so good! That means we only have $4,000 to go before our program fees are completely paid off! Michael & I can't even begin to wrap our heads around everything that God has done! It's simply mind blowing!
3. As many of you know, Michael has been working under a contract for the last 4 months. On October 3rd, he received a permanent job offer that included a 10% raise & benefits, which is phenomenal! This will definitely help us provide a better life for our kiddos! His last day with the staffing company is October 19th. Woo hoo!
4. Lastly, Michael & I are launching a puzzle fundraiser starting today! For those unaware with how this works, we purchased 3 puzzles (one for each child). When you donate $5 or more, we will write your name (or family's name) on a puzzle piece. Once all the pieces are claimed, we'll frame the puzzles so that our kids will always know the names of the wonderful people that helped bring them home from Africa & how incredibly loved our kiddos are. You can purchase one puzzle piece for a specific child or you could purchase one for each child. It's completely up to you. We can accept donations in a couple of different ways. If you live close by or we see you on a regular basis, we can pick up donations in person. They can also be mailed to us via check or electronically through our PayPal or go fund me page. Please contact us if you need our address or PayPal account information. You can find a link to our Go Fund Me page on our blog. If you have any questions, email us at togethermc@gmail.com. 

Thanks friends! We are so close to the finish line! 

Blessings, 

Carey & Michael