A new possible route

Sorry if you've been one to look here for updates on our adoption and haven't found any for awhile! We've been traveling all over the place this past month! We're back now.
This trip did involve some adoption work! While we were in Florida, we visited with another Christian Adoption Agency called, "Embraced By Grace."
Feel free to check them out: http://www.embracedbygrace.org/
We are very blessed to know several of the neat people who work for Embraced By Grace. One of which is our friend, Patti Parks. She was a bridesmaid in our wedding and we've known her for a long time. This seems like a perfect job for Patti. It is very comforting to hear her voice on the other end of the phone when we call with adoption questions!
We also know two of the other staff members. All of these people attend the church Joy's parents do, so we've got some previous connections. Knowing them does not offer us any shortcuts though. This will continue to be a vigerous process, but Lord willing, a sweet one that will be well worth the effort in the end.
*So our plans are to begin pressing ahead with this additional agency in the next few weeks. (tons more paper work!) This does not mean that all of our work with our local agency was in vain. To do an out of state adoption, we still need a local agency to represent us, and that is the current plan. Our local agency was begining to refer us all over the country, so when that began, we told them we knew of an agency that we'd like to consider working with. CAC is supportive of this, so that is an exciting praise.
While in FL, we completed a second interview with EGB. We were also blessed to be able to attend a wonderful Adoption Conference that happened to be going one of the weekends were there. That was encouraging and extremely refreshing! Here is some info about it:
Adopted 4 Ever

Conference Summary


One of the most profound aspects of Christian truth is that a holy God would adopt sinners into His family! Have you ever had questions about adoption? Have you ever wondered where the concept of adoption came from? The spiritual adoption of sinners is a picture of what the Bible actually calls His people to do.

Caring for orphans and needy children is a very practical outflow of sharing the love of God. There are scores of needy children in the world.

This upcoming conference will seek to emphasize both the doctrine and application of adoption as a true expression of everlasting divine love.


We will hear gifted men exposit the Scriptures concerning how you, your family, and your local church, can embrace this life-changing truth in very practical ways. The speakers will trace the love of God to the adoption of His children. They will also bring out how that love should motivate us to care for the needs of children that do not have loving parents or a family. These teachings on the comfort and hope of adoption will warm your heart and deepen your understanding of what it means to be a part of God’s forever family. Your appreciation for the Christian family and the church will grow as you discover how these divine institutions meet very real needs in practical ways.
There will be two workshops to offer advice on how a family can adopt a child and how a church can begin an orphan care ministry. There will also be a question and answer session to afford the opportunity to completely interact with the entire theme. Believers will learn more about their own adoption and will leave with praise and adoration for the heavenly provision of adoption that is found in Christ.


So, the evening we were able to attend was well worth it. We hope to listen to the remainder of the conference we missed!
If you feel led, please pray for God's provisions and direction regarding our adoption desires as we move ahead and while there are times that require waiting!