Update

It has been a while since a post.  That isn't because nothing is happening, but because there isn't much new to report.  But I do want to provide a little update since some of you have been asking. 

Our current status for Arizona clearance is that we are waiting.   Our completed homestudy and fingerprint clearance (that was something we were waiting for a while back, but finally came in on 11/29 and we couldn't move to this step until we had it)  are probably sitting in a pile on a judge's desk somewhere in Maricopa county and when he gets to our paperwork then he will deem us approved to adopt in the state of Arizona. 

Before we can do anything for national clearance, we have to get the state's approval.  So in the meantime, we are working on more paperwork!  On December 12 we got a phone call from West Sands that they would be sending over our dossier and we can begin working on that.  This consists of things like:

•  a letter indicating why we want to adopt from Ethiopia, signed & notarized by both of us
• gathering government issued birth certificates (not copies) for Brent and Allison
• obtain a new government issued marriage certificate (not a copy)
• we need to get a "Good Conduct" or local police clearance letter for each of us
• more medical reports for each of us that must be notarized by the doctor
• write a financial statement and get it notarized by both of us
• Brent needs a letter of employment verification letter and it must be notarized
• a letter from our bank saying we are in good standing
• a letter from our insurance company for life and health
• more letters of recommendation, but we will just use the same as we did for the homestudy.  but this time they must be notarized!
• passports, which we got our photos taken last week.
• and a few more papers that we need to sign and take to a notary.

It really doesn't sound like too much but a lot of it just depends on how fast the companies are with getting us the letters back.  So this is what the dossier is and this is what we are working on in free time!!  It really isn't so bad :)

Other than that, we are going to go to the Post Office on Thursday to apply for the passport and then we will wait for those to come in. 

Until next time, thank you for praying for us.  May God be glorified!