The clock is ticking...(and this one is for you...you know who you are)

We are still praying that our magic phone call comes this week. My heart has started to race every time the phone rings, even though I know the call will probably come toward the end of the week, if it comes at all this week...

Our DTE buddy (DTE = dossier to Ethiopia, this means their paperwork was sent to Ethiopia in the same package as ours), Alisa posted a bit about why we have to wait longer for our referall and why fees are going up. She explains the situation so well, so visit her blog if you are interested.

And...some families met their children for the first time yesterday. Get ready for chills and tears. Reading about and watching what we are about to experience is crazy! I am so thankful and so happy for these families. The Lusse family was full of encouragement for those of us still waiting. These are the other families picking up their sweet ones: the Redfern, Schmidt, VenWetten, and Wempe families.

I have been reading Romans in the morning when I come to work, before the girls come out from their rooms. Some of it is pretty heavy reading at 6:30am, but I press on. Last week I read this passage:

Romans 8:24-28 "For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. "

...and it could not have been more timely...yes, I know, when Paul was writing Romans, he wasn't writing about the Reno family 2000 (?) years in the future waiting for their referral call, but regardless, the Holy Spirit used these truths to comfort my heart and mind. God is good!

Time to Pray! (again)

Ok friends and family, it is time to pray, pray, pray, pray...we recently found out that our adoption agency is raising some of it's fees, starting on November 1st. This is all for good and above-board reasons. No, they are not trying to squeeze more money out of us. It is genuinely needed for several reasons, including keeping our kiddo and the other sweet ones at the orphanage and Transition Home clothed, fed, healthy and loved.

So, please pray that we receive our referral before November 1st, not only because of the fee situation, but also because we are so ready to bring this baby home!! There is a decent chance that we won't recieve our referral before the end of the month and also for good and above-board reasons. If we don't, then please pray that God would provide the extra $4000-some. Yes, a lot of money, but He brought us the first $17,000, so we are pretty sure He can pull this off.

In the mean time, visit these blogs...they are families who just passed court in Ethiopia and are traveling within the next 4-8 weeks to pick up their long-awaited kiddos...so exciting!

the Nunez family
the Britton family
the Laughner family
the Hammond family

Also, please be praying for the Forrest family, who recently found out that the little girl who was referred to them passed away.

In case you were wondering...

I almost forgot our adoption update...notice that our little ticker at the top of the page says that we have been waiting 7 months for our referral. So it is about that time...the predicted wait time is 5-7 months. There is a group of 4 families that are next in line for a baby boy, and we are one of those families! I found that out last Friday as I was rushing out the door to an English Dept meeting at school. Of course, I had to check the Yahoo Group one more time for any referral news. Needless to say, I was quite breathless by the time I found Chris to tell him the news (lucky guy - he was on lunch duty).

Anyway, we could receive our referral anytime now...I think...Crazy!

So let's just pretend...

...that October didn't just begin today...and that I am not 2 months late posting some additional summer adventures with TeamReno. I guess it is my blog, so I can operate according to TeamReno time.

Here is some of our early summer produce. The squash grew bigger as the summer went on and the larger tomatoes just began to ripen a couple of weeks ago. My hubby and I are throughly convinced that fresh garden tomatoes are just about the tastiest part of summer (and bbq) ...with some olive oil and vinegar - yum!



Towards the end of the summer, we took a trip to northern California to fish and relax and write some thesis (that didn't quite work out). The fishing was great - Chris caught a couple of large trout, and I caught my first fish on a fly rod!



The fam came over for some slip slide and bbq...







That's all for now!