And The Winner IS.....

After a heated contest, the lucky recipient of the TWO Kenny Chesney tickets (along with Uncle Kracker) is......KAREN CARPENTER from Northport, AL!!! Congratulations, Karen. Thanks for your support. We hope you and a friend enjoy the concert at Tuscaloosa's brand new amphitheater! Take some pics of Kenny and post them for all to see.

Many thanks to the others who chipped in to help bring Selah Evette home. May God bless you this summer for your spirit of generosity and encouragement!

Kenny Chesney Ticket Auction

Our friends, Alan & Laurie Snyder, have generously donated to us two tickets to the Kenny Chesney concert scheduled for Wednesday, May 25th (7:30p) at the brand new Tuscaloosa Amphitheater. They suggested we use these coveted seats (section 202, row P, seats 26&27) in order to raise money for our adoption. Each day, Selah Evette is a little closer to being home but we still have a ways to go. WE NEED YOUR HELP!

HERE'S HOW:
Chip in just $10 for ONE chance to win the pair of tickets in a random drawing. Chip in $20 and earn TWO chances in the lottery. The more times you chip in, the higher your chances to win! Help also by sharing the story through facebook & twitter. The lottery will officialy close at 9pm on Monday, May 23rd.

Many thanks to you and the Snyders for all the love and support. Please keep us in your prayers. We leave for Ethiopia on May 24th - our anniversary! Can't wait to meet this little girl. Thanks for being a part of our journey.

COURT DATE!

This morning as I pulled out of our apartment complex, my phone rang and I instantly recognized the area code. It was the long awaited call from our agency letting us know we finally have a COURT DATE! Jenny & I will appear before a judge in Addis Ababa, the capitol city of Ethiopia, on Monday, May 30th nearly two years after our decision to adopt.

Needless to say we are thrilled to finally have travel dates! For the next several weeks we'll be making a thousand arrangements and packing as many supplies as we can stuff into two 50lb bags. (More info later on what we will be collecting to take. We know the orphanages need wipes, formula, plastic mattress covers, and more. We are also taking soccer balls for older children!)

We have some more fundraising to do between now and then. Some good friends of ours are working on a benefit dinner and silent auction. Details of that will soon be available. Also, Jenny is continuing to sell custom cards on Etsy - great for birth announcements, party invites, address changes, etc. Jenny is also selling cookbooks and booking photo sessions. (Yeah, she's a pretty big deal!) Email her with any questions you might have on these fundraising ideas!!

Of course, once we pass court, we'll be able to share pictures of Selah Evette Dixon! Can't wait for that! Please keep our family in your prayers during this exciting and busy time!

Fighting for KIRILL!

Please help our friends! We are all praying for Greg & Tesney as they try to adopt this little boy, Kirill. The judge in Russia has ruled that he is better off in an institution for the rest of his life rather than in a loving family as he is not "socially adaptable" despite all the experts in the courtroom saying the boy would, in fact, benefit. The ruling has been appealed but there is little hope. Clearly this is a spiritual battle! Please join us in prayer!

See full story:
http://networkedblogs.com/fPjpi

Also, please take the time to forward the sotry to the following major networks. We are hoping they will pick the story up and this will apply pressure to the judge. She just needs some encouragement!

evening@cbsnews.com
nightline@abcnews.com
oreilley@foxnews.com
2020@abc.com
foxreport@foxnews.com
special@foxnews.com
dateline@nbc.com
nightly@nbc.com
today@nbc.com
ombudsman@npr.org

Thanks for your prayers & support!

Finally a Referral!

It finally came! This past Friday afternoon, Noah & I were in line at the city Water Department (of all places!) and I had to screen a call since I was mid-conversation with the clerk...didn't recognize the area code anyway. About a minute passed and I realized what I had just done. I ignored our adoption agency's big call! Obviously, I called her right back. Our America World agent explained that Jenny was not answering her phone and so she tried again. Jenny picked up and she now had us both on the line!

We knew what was next and couldn't wait for her to get started! She described to us our baby girl, her situation, her current condition and weight and height and more! It was awesome to finally learn something about this mystery baby we have prayed for and talked about for months as if she were already here.

Our agent explained that she was sending an email with info and pics. Fortunately, I was about 10 minutes from home. I told Jenny I would be there in a second so we could open the pictures together. She was already crying and couldn't hardly wait to see her!

Once we got home, she had the mouse hovering over the email and she made sure we were ready! She asked, "well, are you ready to meet your daughter?!" It was surreal in that this was the equivalent of that moment right before birth in the delivery room but this time without all the horrific stuff.

To see her for the first time was amazing! She is precious in every way. We were sent four great photos and look forward to more later. Of course we are not allowed to post any of the details about her or her situation. Once she is legally ours, of course, we can post photos, etc.

Now, we await a court date! Supposedly this will come in 8-16 weeks. We can't wait to go! On this trip we will get to meet her and see her several times. In the meantime, we'll be able to send her care packages with other traveling families (including our friends, the Dreyfus family, who will be able to hold her, take pictures/video and provide a first hand update for us!)

We are truly excited but kind of holding our breath too. Unfortunately, the DAY after the referral, discouraging adoption news from Ethiopia hit the airwaves. Essentially, the organization that recommends international adoptions is drastically reducing the number of cases processed daily. This could mean a VERY long wait time for our second trip when we go to bring our child back home. Please pray for movement here!

Thanks for your support and continued prayers!

WE ARE NEXT!

At long last...the Dixons are #1 in line for a referral! We found out today that the last family ahead of us received their referral today. It seems like we have been saying "any day now" for months...but this time, it should be ANY DAY NOW! Really. If you are like us, it may be hard getting too excited after such a long wait. It is starting to seem a bit distant. But we are confident that when we see the picture(s) of Selah, our hearts will be more officially and completely involved.

We still need to get some immunizations for the international travel. Also, we are considering taking our oldest son, Noah, on the first trip to Ethiopia with us - so he'll need to get crackin on his passport. Jenny is already bracing herself for the chaos that will ensue upon receiving a referral. There will be so much to do related to packing, preparations and all travel arrangements. And we're gonna need this year's tax return back asap :)

Thanks for your continued prayers and encouragement. Hopefully, we will have some great news soon!