Woohooo! Well, not the BIG woohoo, yet…but a little woohoo closer to the big one. We heard good news today that things are moving along – our paperwork is in country and we should be signing some final papers from our lawyer in December, all getting us ready to go in January! We’ve had estimated dates/times/months before, but this has all the signs and evidence of being the real thing. Ultimately we are still at the mercy of Uganda’s court system, and above all – God’s perfect plan for our family.


So this is it – the final push!

If you are one of the families blessing us with a “Nickels for N--” jar we are going to try to collect those by the middle of December. Feel free to bring them to the church office, or just let us know and we can come by to pick them up. We have been so overwhelmed by the number of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters we’ve received! WOW – those add up! And I never fail to cry when a sweet little person hands me his/her jar of change…actually I usually weep. Sorry to all the kids I’ve scared as I blubber out my thanks while they gingerly hand me their gift.

Adopted by Design! So this is an incredible business a new friend of ours started just to help adopting families get a little closer to their children, not only because she is a soon-to-be adopting mommy, but because she loves the Lord and desires to serve Him with her talents. Wendy is an incredible artist, the really cute, funky stuff, you know! And she has designed a variety of Christmas cards, photo cards, greeting cards, signs, cookbooks and all sorts adorable things. She has featured us on her blog and added us as a recipient family for items sold in her store. When a purchase is made and our family is selected 40-75% of that item’s proceeds go to our family’s adoption fund! How amazing is that!!! She is already working on our Christmas card and I can’t wait to see it! So if you want to get a head start on a little holiday correspondence, or just stock up on a few unique and meaningful gifts, this is the place to go!

http://www.justlovecoffee.com/thevanderstoeps (recently nick-named by a faithful coffee-connoisseur “Brown-baby coffee”) There is a special Christmas blend, lots of hats, t-shirts, and fun packages available just for the holiday season! If you love coffee, or know someone who does, this is the most delicious brew you have ever tasted (we’ve had many people tell is it’s better than, well, you know…the S- Place).  The packaging is so unique and you’ll love the way it makes your house smell! $5 from every bag of coffee purchased at our store (and a % of all other gifts) goes directly to our adoption fund. Plus it’s all bought through fair-trade coffee growers so major support to smaller farmers is provided. Just wonderful all around! AND, said connoisseur above also discovered “it is just as good run through a second time” upon forgetting to change the grounds out of his coffee maker on day two. We’ll let you be the judge of that though…


We are continually amazed beyond our imaginations by the creative and inspiring ways the Lord has provided the ransom for our two precious children…someday we hope to share all the magnificent stories with you, but until then PRAISE GOD for the work He is doing, in and through all of you for the sake of our children and His glory. This is the most humbling place we have ever been. Thank you with all our hearts!