October Update and That's My Pan! Fundraiser

Just writing to give you a quick update on our adoption.

As of November 6th, we have been on the waitlist for 18 months. The rumor is that we should anticipate a referral around Christmas or maybe end of January. That means we would be traveling for the first time in Jan. or Feb. and bringing baby home in maybe April or May! That’s not long! We are so excited. Our friends are currently in Ethiopia meeting their son. We can’t wait to get together with them when they return and hear all about their travels and see some pictures.

Here is a break down of what is going on, financially, with the adoption.

Step                           Cost                Date Paid   Due Date
Application Fee – LSS $420.00        10/25/10
Application Fee – Holt $300.00         10/27/10
Home Study Fee – LSS $2,780.00 1/14/11
USCIS                          $890.00          2/2/11
Program Fee – LSS          $1000.00 5/20/11
Remainder of Prog Fee      $750.00 Upon Referral
Dossier Fee – Holt          $3,000.00 5/6/11
Dossier Update Fee – Holt $255.00  6/28/12
Program Fee – Holt           $9,890.00 saved Upon Referral
Post Placement Fee – LSS $1,300.00         Upon Referral
Trip 1 to Ethiopia           $8,000.00 (estimated) Upon Scheduled Travel Date (have $400 in the bank for this)
Trip 2 to Ethiopia $8,000.00 (estimated) Upon Scheduled Travel Date

FUNDRAISERS

Just Love Coffee: $5.00 to us for each bag of coffee sold www.justlovecoffee.com/TheThomas. This fundraiser is on-going until we travel to Ethiopia to bring our child home – And the coffee is DELICIOUS!!

Lifesong for Orphans: Make a tax deductable donation. We have been told that they will continue to accept donations in our name up until we travel to bring home our child. Make checks payable to ‘Lifesong for Orphans’. In memo section: ‘THOMAS #1855 ADOPTION’. Send to Lifesong for Orphans  PO Box 40  202 N Ford Street  Gridley, IL  61744.

Adoption Bug T-Shirt Fundraiser:
You can order t-shirts from this site: www.adoptionbug.com/thomasadoption. You can order and pay on-line and the t-shirt(s) will be shipped directly to you. We make anywhere from $5-$10 (depending on the t-shirt) per shirt sold toward our adoption. Check it out! They have some cool, high-quality shirts for sale! This fundraiser will be on-going until we bring our child home.

Pampered Chef Batter Bowls: These make great Christmas gifts! I am selling pre-made Batter Bowls with the following recipes inside: Celebration Cookie Mix, Hearty Minestrone Soup Mix, or Cowboy Chili Mix. They are $20 each. You can add a medium scoop to your order for $17. I will assemble them for you and put a pretty bow around them with cooking/baking instructions on a gift tag. Let me know ASAP if you'd like to order one. They make great co-worker gifts, teacher gifts, or neighbor gifts, etc. ;)

That’s My Pan! Fundraiser: These also make GREAT Christmas gifts. You can browse online (http://www.thatsmypan.com/) but will need to contact Jennie to order. Please see the attached price list for accurate prices. Orders due Nov.26th, 2012.

PRAYER REQUESTS
- Finances to continue to come through and successful fundraisers.
- Patience and faith for both of us in this process.
- Jaden working on recording his first album (all proceeds earned to go toward the adoption). He is working hard. He has begun the recording process but it is taking longer than anticipated.

Thank you all so much! We are very blessed by each of you!

The Thomas Family