So, on Monday, June 22nd, I received a call from Holt (our agency) notifying us that they matched us with a little boy :) Luckily I was at home working on some school work when I received the call. It was about 3:30 pm so I immediately got off the phone (after jotting down a few details) and called Conner who was at work. I told him (well, sobbed) he needed to come home IMMEDIATELY so we could meet our baby! It took him about an hour and a half before he got home (the LONGEST hour and half of my life!). When he got home we looked over all of his information and pictures. He is seriously the most precious thing in the world! Later on, we started cooking dinner and invited family over to meet him. It was so fun to be able to surprise our family with the news! Some were able to come over and some we had to FaceTime or call. Everyone was super excited and just loved him instantly!
We are naming him Nathan and calling him Nate. These are roots from his birth/Thai name. He is 9 months old and healthy! He lives with his foster mom and foster dad. They have grown children that are out of the house and have fostered several children before Nate so he is in very good hands! His reports say that he sleeps through the night and is a very good eater! We are aware that this will likely not be the case when he arrives home but we are so glad to know he is happy and healthy with his sweet foster parents. We have received some pictures but I am not able to post them since this is not a password protected site :( Thailand is super strict about posting any pictures or identifying information about Nate so we have to keep his privacy safe.
We are hoping to be able to travel to Thailand before Nate turns 2 years old (Sept 2016). Holt estimates travel anywhere from 10-18 months from match. I know this is a very long time to wait but unfortunately it's just the process Thailand requires. The Thai government has to approve the match between family and child and there are several families in front of us so... we wait. But that's OK because we are rejoicing that the Lord has led us to Nate! He is happy and healthy, loved on and cared for, and we are one day and one step closer to meeting him and bringing him to his FOREVER home!
We are SO thankful that we have family and friends that love us so perfectly. Many, many people have expressed love and support for us through out the whole journey and it really means the world!
We are expecting to receive another update on Nate at the end of August so we will keep you posted!
To our prayer warriors, these are some things we have been praying over: Please pray for Nate (health, happiness, adjustment, attachment, and most importantly that he is loved and cared for in the wait), his biological mother and father (peace and that they would know the love of the Lord), and his foster mother and foster father (that they would love and care for Nate as their own, be able to meet all of his needs, and just blessings upon them and their family for such an amazing and selfless act of caring for Nate and the 18 other orphans they have cared for). Overall, that the Lord would be preparing Nate's heart and our hearts for his arrival. And of course, a speedy travel date! We want to get to him as soon as possible!! We appreciate all of your prayers! God is so good and we feel so blessed to be Nate's parents!
