We continue to be amazed at God's faithfulness to us as we follow His call for us to grow our family through adoption!  We appreciate your continued prayer for us and our child (ren) as we wait to receive word from Honduras about the next steps.  Thanks to the many, many of you for the encouragement and support you have provided us so far.  Here is some information about another way that you can support us:  During Christmas, our family surprised us with these t-shirts for us to sell in order help offset the costs of this adoption process.  They are available in short or long sleeves for $20 or $25, and because of their generosity, ALL of the proceeds from the t-shirt sales will be applied to our adoption expenses.  Just call, send a text, or email clinthatch88@hotmail.com or amandaghatch@hotmail.com if you're interested.  Thanks to our family for this opportunity and everyone who has been so supportive throughout this journey.

In Christ,
Clint and Amanda

Dossier mailed off!!

Well, we have finally gotten to the point where we have finished all of the paperwork for our dossier (which is all of the required documents for Honduras)!  It has been a slightly frustrating few days since we completed our home study.  Once we received our paperwork from Homeland Security clearing us to adopt internationally (a big step that was finished sooner than expected!  Praise God!), we thought we had everything pretty much finished to where we could get the Secretary of the State of Mississippi to "apostille" our paperwork (which pretty much means they had to notarize the notaries.  I know it sounds redundant.......because it is; but it's part of the process).  However, we found out that we had to have certain documents apostilled in two other states, which took an overnight mail shipment and a flight to Austin, TX to complete.  We finished that and had been having issues with getting one document notarized the proper way, but we got it done and are praying that it will be sufficient.  We then received an email stating that Honduras wanted two identical sets of photos instead of just one (basically a scrap book that shows pictures of us, our family, and where we live).  So, we got up with Ashley, who did our other one and did an awesome job!  We asked her if she could do it ASAP, and she knocked it out in one day!  So thankful for her help on that!  The last thing that came up was the Secretary of the State of Missisippi informed us that some of our documents had to have a certain wording on them or she would not be able to apostille them.  So, we had to take those documents and get them notarized........again.  Amanda looked at me one night when I had gotten particularly frustrated and said, "This adoption stuff ain't for the faint of heart."  Ha!  She was right.  There are so many forces of evil that are fighting against us; and they will continue to do so.  Satan wants us to give up.  He does not want a child to be brought into a loving, godly home.  There is a child/ren that God has picked out for us.  He has called us to this and He will be faithful to provide.  We rest in the great I Am.  Jesus fights for us, our child/ren, and for the people who will be impacted by this adoption.  "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31b!

So, after journeying through the few setbacks we were able to finally get everything together.  We mailed everything off to our adoption agency Friday (November 25, 2011).  They will have to process it and double check everything to make sure it's exactly how the Honduran government wants it, and they then send it off to Honduras. 

Once it gets to Honduras they have to translate and process the documents through their departments.  This is an official statement from our family coordinator at America World Adoption Agency about that process, "It is currently taking two weeks, minimally, for dossiers to be fully translated and legalized after they arrive in Honduras. It may, occasionally, take longer if the individual who is reviewing the translations for legalization is absent from the office. There is quite a review process that the dossier goes through at IHNFA (the governmental body in Honduras that specifically deals with processing requests for adoption) before it is assigned a number so it will be up to 1 or 1 ½ months before each family receives an assigned number."  During that time if there is any paperwork that needs to be redone that is when we would have to do it; so it could take longer if problems arise.  We will pray that everything goes smoothly, but that God's will and timing be done.

That's pretty much where we are right now.  Kind of in another in-between place where we have done all that we can do besides wait for more progress.  So much of this journey is out of our control, which causes us to take comfort in the Holy Spirit and to trust in God.  One truth that has been helping me get through the moments of fear and uncertainty is something that Dr. Russell Moore wrote about in "Adopted for Life".  He spoke of the part of the adoption journey before we have our child/ren.  Instead of looking at it like it's a chore to be done, we need to look at it for what it is.  Service for the King.  All we are doing is stepping out in faith.  Our reasons for adopting should not be primarily to have children of our own, or as charity, or for any other reason than the gospel.  Our primary goal is to share the gospel of Jesus, and to make disciples of all nations.  We also desire to raise a child in the ways of the Lord so that they may be a man or woman after God's own heart.  We believe that our obedience to the call of adoption is a small step in that direction.  Glory to God for the work He has done and the work He has yet to do!

In Christ,
Clint

Love God.  Love others.

Home Study complete!!

We haven't posted a blog in awhile because there really hasn't been much going on besides waiting and praying. But now...we are very excited to have finished our home study!  We've been walking through the necessary steps to complete it - such as being interviewed by our social worker, completing forms, collecting information and documents, and meeting other requirements.  We completed the requirements over a month ago and have been waiting while our social worker organized all of those things into a very-detailed final report.  This is a huge step forward, and we're so thankful to God for taking us this far.  He has been faithful to meet our spiritual and financial needs so far and we know that He will continue be faithful to walk us through the rest of this journey. 

Today, we sent off our home study report, along with a letter of approval from DHS and an application to USCIS, to Homeland Security, who has to approve our bringing home a child from Honduras.  Once they recieve our request and process it, they will notify us of a time and place to be fingerprinted...again and then send back our approval to move forward.  This process will take anywhere from 1-3 months.  After that the Secretary of the State of Mississippi has to approve the paperwork, and then we'll be able to send all of it off to Honduras!  After that we just have to wait (and pray!).  We also received word today about a financial grant that was approved for us from our church.  It is so encouraging to know that our church is behind us and supporting us in every way throughout this process.

While being so excited about moving from one stage of our journey to another, today we received an email today from our adoption agency saying that the employees of the main governmental body in Honduras that processes adoptions (IHNFA) are on strike.  The IHNFA will also be investigated in the coming months, and some of the government employees will be replaced.  Please pray that this issue will be resolved quickly, and that we will still be able to continue the process toward adopting from Honduras.

It truly is a journey filled with ups and downs, unknowns, and trials, but God is allowing us to develop a deeper relationship with Him through teaching us patience and trust.  It helps to remember that God has called us to this, and ultimately we know that He is in control.

Thanks so much for your continued support and prayers!

In Christ,
Clint and Amanda

Love God. Love others.

Home Study and Building Our Dossier!

Well, we have just recently started the most time-consuming parts of the adoption process.  Going through the home study and gathering the proper paperwork for the dossier (which is a file that contains detailed records about us) that we are going to be sending to the government officials in Honduras.  There is so much information everyone wants that it can become overwhelming (i.e. interviews, financial checks, background checks, psychological evaluations, home visits, medical physicals, etc.).  We're taking it one step at a time and are beginning to see progress.

Throughout this we are also gearing up for a second mission trip to Guatamala with the Jackson Prep girl's basketball team at the end of July!  It has taken a deeper significance to us knowing that our child will be coming out of that area.  Hopefully we'll be able to visit an orphanage while we are there!

We are continuing to see God's hand at work in this process.  He is teaching us to trust Him in EVERY area of our life.

In Christ,

Clint

Love God.  Love others.

Our adoption into God's family!

One of the amazing truths that God has recently set upon my heart is how we, as Christ followers, have been adopted into God's family as sons and daughters through what Jesus has done and by the power of the Holy Spirit!  This truth is so deep and wonderful that there is no way that we will be able to plumb its depths in this lifetime.  We are loved by God!  What did God see in us that caused Him to look our way?  As I take an honest look inside myself I realize that there is nothing about me that would cause God to love me.  It is only because of the love within Himself.  And oh how great that love is!  The following verses are beautiful reminders of where we stand with God in Christ.

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"  So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." (Galatians 4:4-7)

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15)

"In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ," (Ephesians 1:4-5)

As I try to take in this picture of God's love and our adoption through Christ I can't help but parallel it with earthly adoptions.  There is nothing good that our child will have done to earn our approval or our love.  Our love for our child is already there; made manifest by the Holy Spirit.  Put simply, any genuine love in us is put there by God.  Amanda and I have now been called to share that love through adoption.  Thank God for the work He has done!

As we walk through this journey of life my prayer is that we, as followers of Christ, never forget our identity in Jesus as a son or daughter of God.  We were made new for the purpose of good works, and by God's grace we are walking through what He has called us to do.  Whatever that might be!

Love God. Love others.

In Christ,
Clint