Tuesday, September 25, 2007
No Doubt About It
If there was ever any doubt that the Lord was behind this adoption, there certainly wouldn't be now!! We got an update on the yard sale total last evening. We are now at $1,200 and counting!!! Is that a God thing, or what?!?!?!? I'm am blown away by all of this. I certainly didn't expect this to happen, but I shouldn't have doubted. Our God is a great God and greatly to be praised!! Amen!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Home Study
It just dawned on me that I never wrote a thing about the home study, although I did ask for prayer.
For those that may be contemplating an adoption, the home study is not a big deal. It was a very painless process, just a long one. We talked with out social worker for about 3 hours. She asked a lot of questions about our families while we were growing up and our family now, how we met, why Zambia and the list goes on and on. One of the questions she asked was how Ralph and I met. It's an interesting story (if you don't know it and want to, just let me know) and she was quite intrigued. By the end of the interview process she made the statement, "This is the most fun home study I've ever done" and she's been doing them for close to 30 years.
She interviewed Edward and Johannah but that lasted about 5 minutes. She basically wanted to know if they thought that we would be good adoptive parents and if they were in favor of the adoption. No problem there!!
Roberta, our social worker, was getting ready to leave and I thought that all of my cleaning was in vain. But, no. She did want to do a walk through of the house to see the space that we have available for a child. Not a problem there, either.
The interview process was actually enjoyable and nothing to stress over. She will be writing it up and giving a a draft to read and make corrections (of a factual nature) if necessary. She'll finalize the document and send us a copy.
The only thing that I was really concerned about was the dog. However, she loves dogs and Oliver was on his best behavior so it is not a problem.
All in all, it was a great experience for us all. I am looking forward to reading what she wrote from her copious pages of notes!!
For those that may be contemplating an adoption, the home study is not a big deal. It was a very painless process, just a long one. We talked with out social worker for about 3 hours. She asked a lot of questions about our families while we were growing up and our family now, how we met, why Zambia and the list goes on and on. One of the questions she asked was how Ralph and I met. It's an interesting story (if you don't know it and want to, just let me know) and she was quite intrigued. By the end of the interview process she made the statement, "This is the most fun home study I've ever done" and she's been doing them for close to 30 years.
She interviewed Edward and Johannah but that lasted about 5 minutes. She basically wanted to know if they thought that we would be good adoptive parents and if they were in favor of the adoption. No problem there!!
Roberta, our social worker, was getting ready to leave and I thought that all of my cleaning was in vain. But, no. She did want to do a walk through of the house to see the space that we have available for a child. Not a problem there, either.
The interview process was actually enjoyable and nothing to stress over. She will be writing it up and giving a a draft to read and make corrections (of a factual nature) if necessary. She'll finalize the document and send us a copy.
The only thing that I was really concerned about was the dog. However, she loves dogs and Oliver was on his best behavior so it is not a problem.
All in all, it was a great experience for us all. I am looking forward to reading what she wrote from her copious pages of notes!!
Pictures, Finally
I've finally gotten access to a quick internet connection, thanks to my son's computer. So, I can finally update everyone with pictures of the yard sale. By the way, as of Friday evening, the yard sale total stood at $1,100. The greenhouse owners, my cousins, keep adding flowers to be sold and they keep selling!! Thanks so much Ken, Jon and Dan!! Your support of the adoption is overwhelming and greatly appreciated.
Okay, now for the pictures.
This gives you an idea of how we displayed the items for sale. Since the sale was basically inside the greenhouse, we needed a way of displaying the items. These carts are usually used for moving plants around. We just cleaned off the soil and put the items on them.
In the center we were able to set up some table for displaying books, puzzles and games and clothing. Behind the clothing table is our daughter, Johannah. She worked very diligently on getting the clothes organized.
The plants made a great impact on people as they drove past. They were just beautiful!!
Cousin Dorothy, the idea lady!! She suggested the idea for the yard sale fundraiser, and her mom, Aunt Nell, ran with the idea.
Ralph, my husband, is on the left and Uncle Russ is on the right. These guys "manned" the flowers and outside sale items (like the bikes in the foreground).
Other miscellaneous photos are below:
This pictures shows the carts as they are normally used.
I think that gives you an idea of the yard sale. What a blessing it has been for us!! Yes, the amount raised has been a huge benefit, but knowing that others are supporting us in our adoption (through their donations to the yard sale) has meant a lot to us.
With the home study finished, we are just waiting for police clearance and USCIS approval. When that's done, we then wait for our referral. It's an exciting time for the Ritter family!!
Okay, now for the pictures.
This gives you an idea of how we displayed the items for sale. Since the sale was basically inside the greenhouse, we needed a way of displaying the items. These carts are usually used for moving plants around. We just cleaned off the soil and put the items on them.
In the center we were able to set up some table for displaying books, puzzles and games and clothing. Behind the clothing table is our daughter, Johannah. She worked very diligently on getting the clothes organized.
The plants made a great impact on people as they drove past. They were just beautiful!!
Cousin Dorothy, the idea lady!! She suggested the idea for the yard sale fundraiser, and her mom, Aunt Nell, ran with the idea.
Ralph, my husband, is on the left and Uncle Russ is on the right. These guys "manned" the flowers and outside sale items (like the bikes in the foreground).Other miscellaneous photos are below:
This pictures shows the carts as they are normally used.I think that gives you an idea of the yard sale. What a blessing it has been for us!! Yes, the amount raised has been a huge benefit, but knowing that others are supporting us in our adoption (through their donations to the yard sale) has meant a lot to us.
With the home study finished, we are just waiting for police clearance and USCIS approval. When that's done, we then wait for our referral. It's an exciting time for the Ritter family!!
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