The beginning ...

In March of 2010, God told us that we (Josh and Marissa Svaleson) were going to adopt children. We didn't know when, or from where...we just knew that we were supposed to adopt children. So, we looked into it. We found out that we weren't old enough, AND we hadn't been married long enough in order to begin the adoption process. So, we began to wait. And while we were waiting, the Lord prepared us more, and showed us that we were going to adopt somewhere in Africa, probably Ethiopia. Now, we are old enough, so we applied with the Village here in Fargo, and was accepted. We also think we may have found our international adoption agency as well. We found out that adopting is going to cost somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000...and that's A LOT of money! :) We are currently at the point in which we need $3,000 to do our home study which "officially" begins the adoption process. We created this blog to document our journey, but also to inform everyone of where we are at in our adoption process! We know that God is in control of our lives, and has a purpose for this adoption. We are trusting him, and know he will provide for our every need. He deserves ALL of the glory for everything that happens in our lives.  We currently have started a fundraiser "Adopting for a dollar"...where we only ask people to give a dollar to our fund! God has worked WONDERS through this simple fundraiser...he has blown our minds with showing us the generosity of people! To hear the full story on how this fundraiser started, and to get updates as to where this fund is at, click here http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=288489077845181 Because of the money raised so far from "Adopting for a dollar", we were able to sign up for a work shop that we need to do to get our home study done! We are so thankful that God has provided for this! This will get the ball rolling for adoption, and we are very excited! Stay tuned for updates, prayer requests, fundraisers and other fun stuff (like how God is working/providing) Thank you so much for taking the time to invest in our lives and in this part of HIS story. In Christ's love, Josh and Marissa Svaleson