Fundraisers- Please help

Since we are moving closer to bringing our children home- we are also moving closer to time for our final payment. We believe we will still need at least $13,000 to bring our munchkins home. Of course that all depends on flight cost and if our baby girl can ride as "lap child."
So we have planned more fundraisers-

Salsarita's Resturaunt is hosting another weekend in our honor- Friday, Saturday and Sunday (May 6-8). If you eat at ANY Knoxville Salasarita's and bring in a flyer or MENTION "The Thomas Family Adoption"- 15% of you ticket will be donated to our fund. It is an easy fundraiser- everyone likes to eat and this time... it pays:)

We are also having Yard Sale on May 14. As you are doing your spring cleaning please save any unwanted items for us. We would like to get all items by May 11 so we have time to price. We will take any items except for clothes and books (they have not sold well and are hard to display). Tools, furniture, sports equipment, bikes, knick-knacks- they all sell well.
We also will need help with pricing ahead of time. And then we will really need help the day of the sale with setting up and selling.

Please be in prayer for each of these fundraising opportunities. Pray that God will bless both weekends!

Birth Certificates!!

We are so excited- We received our children's birth certificates today!! We can't read them, but we have them. Hopefully they will be translated by later this week and then we can use them. We will use the certificates and the other documents to fill out forms for the US government.
Please pray that we recieve translations quickly!
Check back soon for more updates!!

Hopefully more to come

We have just a short update, but we hope to have more to come soon. So here goes...
-The grant that we wrote about in our last post is giving us the chance to "reapply." We are really excited about that, since it is the last grant that we have to hear from. They will be meeting about us on May 3.
-We hope to have birth certificates this week for the kids! This will allow us to continue on with the next step in the adoption process.
-We are working on some fundraisers. Check back tomorrow or Tuesday for a "fundraising update."

Not so great news- but still trusting!

I know many of you have been praying for us as we were awaiting word on a grant we had applied for months and months ago. The grant would have been a huge help toward the last of the finances that we need toward our adoption. And in my (Carrie's) plans seemed like it would be a great way for God to provide:) Well, we got word tonight that we did not recieve it. There were tons of applicants but only eight were chosen. I was a bit dissapointed. But I also was reminded that MY plans are not HIS plans!!
God has been so amazing in HIS provision of our adoption and in our daily lives. HE has provided each step of the way. He has provided every penny we have needed so far for our adoption. He has provided us a great vehicle to transport our growing family. And He has provided some additional space in our home. He is so very faithful. So even though this grant would have been great- I know God has plans. Plans that are so much bigger and so much better than mine! And I can not wait to see what they are.
Please continue to pray for us as we are getting near to the end of this journey. We are so hopeful to have our children home in June. However, we have much to do to prepare. Please pray that paperwork would go smoothly and quickly. Pray for us to trust God's timing. And then also- pray as we have one more grant that we are waiting to hear from. Pray for that commmittee as they make decisions.
Thank you so much for your love, prayers and support.