We are thrilled to be able to post that we have accepted a referral of a little girl from Nigeria! She is a beautiful little toddler, and we could not be more excited! The name we picked for her is Olivia, which carries with it the meaning of peace. We chose this name because we think that is both beautiful and fitting. It also goes well with her middle name, which is the name given to her by the orphanage. Nigeria has strong privacy regulations on sharing information regarding pending adoptions, so we will not be sharing any pictures or specifics about her publically until the adoption is complete. We look forward to sharing a little more about her as we talk to you personally! We also will be setting up a private Facebook group for friends and family to follow along through the process from now until we get home from Lagos. Please let us know if you want an invite for this group.
We now begin the process of preparing for travel. Due to the elections in Nigeria, we will not be traveling in March. Our hope is that we will be able to leave at some point in April, but we are holding that very loosely, as there are still a few steps before we can hop on a plane. Between now and when we do travel, we need to get Nigerian visas, buy plane tickets, secure lodging in Lagos, and pack. There are likely lots of other little things we need to do and paperwork to fill out, but those are the big milestones and tasks we will be working on over the next several weeks.
Prayer Requests
- Please pray for little Olivia! We especially are praying that the Lord is preparing her heart for us, and that in the mean time she is happy, healthy, and safe.
- Pray for us as well, that we would be preparing well to meet her and become her parents. Pray that the Lord would bless us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as we begin preparations to travel and meet our little girl.
- Pray for the elections in Nigeria – the national elections are tomorrow (2/23) and the local elections are in two weeks. Pray for peace, safety, and a smooth transition of power. Pray that any changes resulting from these elections would not slow things down but only serve to simplfy and streamline the adoption process.
We again can’t thank you all enough for your support and prayers – it means the world to us!
Markus & Sarah
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