We wanted to give you another update as to where we are at in the process of getting Sarah & Olivia home. We still have received no new answers from the U.S. Consulate in Lagos – they do not have any sort of time frame for when Olivia’s case will be processed. We continue to pursue various contacts to help speed up the process and have had some encouraging conversations, but nothing concrete yet.

Please pray for our leaders and those in power. Pray that they see the urgency for the families that are trapped in the bureaucracy and pray that they would move swiftly so all the families waiting, including ours, can be reunited back in the United States. This has been our prayer – not only that Olivia’s visa will be approved, but the Lord will use it to clean up the process so that other families can be reunited and more children can have forever families.

We also wanted everyone to know that Markus will be leaving for Lagos this Friday, October 4 for a roughly 10-day visit. We are extremely thankful to His Kids Adoption Ministry for providing a grant that made this possible. Pray that the family time would be a blessing to everyone and pray for peace for Olivia as she gets to see her daddy for a short time. Pray that we can enjoy this time as a family and not worry about what the future may hold. We would love if we get some encouraging news before Markus has to head back – this would make the goodbye a lot easier! We would be fine with all coming home together too. 🙂

Thank you all for your prayers, kind words, and encouragements. Know that no matter how small they may seem to you, they mean the world to us and make a huge difference. The Lord has richly blessed us with our family, friends, and our loving church – grace beyond measure. We are extremely grateful for you all!

Markus, Sarah, & Olivia