So thankful for Erica

(This is Brian posting this)
We are about a week away from traveling, and I feel compelled to share my overwhelming appreciation for Erica, and everything she has done over the past 10 months of our adoption journey. You all need to know that the adoption of the kids into the Parks family would never have been possible without her tireless research, completion of endless applications and organization of endless paperwork, emails, attention to detail and vigilance. She has been absolutely amazing to keep us on track with the complicated and overwhelming process of international adoption.

While maintaining her many responsibilities (maintaining our home, caring for the kids, home schooling, serving others, Friday classes, dance class, swimming and especially bearing with me) she has been steadfast in seeing our hearts desire to adopt these two beautiful children come to reality. I love her and am so thankful for her.


He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. (Proverbs 18:22).

Answers to Prayers

Tonight we wanted to share with everyone some very specific examples of God's kindess to us by providing for us in ways that we wouldn't have even have thought to ask!

• Erica's Grandmother, Eleanor, spends her winters at a Methodist campground down in Florida. A few weeks ago it was missions week and there was a man speaking who was talking about the country. After the meeting, my grandmother went up to talk with him and he shared that there were currently 2 missonary couples in that country right now, so she got their email addresses and forwarded them to us. They have given us so much valuable information and helpful websites for our travel. They even invited us to stay the 3 weeks with them in their home, and although that won't be permitted by the orphanage, we hope to meet up with them while we are there!
• We had been praying that perhaps we would meet Americans on their way to the same country at the same time that we may be able to experience the infamous Airport together. Erica posted a comment on the forum, and found another couple traveling the same route and time to the same country that we are! We are getting in touch with them and hope to travel together as much as possible
• We have been blessed immensely by 2 of our friends, the McCrackens and the Versaces, who have recently adopted from the same orphanage. They have given us invaluable information on how to navigate our way through the country. They have been able to guide us through every step - and believe me, they have answered SO many of our questions! They have helped make this adoption process run so smoothly. And we know that they will be our biggest resource when we bring our own children home!
• We continue to receive support from friends and family who are helping us with our practical needs to fill in the gap between our planned finances for this trip and the unexpected expenses. For each of you, we are grateful.

God has been so good to us through this process. There are many details that we can not really share with everyone- "He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" (Rom 8:32)

Our Pictures

Picture that our friend, Tony, took while picking up his son.

Our first picture

Christmas 2007

Where to begin?

We decided to start a blog to keep all of our friends and family members up-to-date on where we are at in our adoption process. With things moving so quickly right now, it is hard to keep everyone up to speed! This will also be a great way to keep everyone connected when we are away (provided we have access to a computer!)
We have all paperwork completed and ready to go...we have our visas and we are just getting everything ready for travel.

Those who want to donate to the orphanage, we just need to have the stuff to us by the 29th of January, so that we can get everything packed (and repacked :-) )
For any still interested, we received an email from with some immediate needs of theirs:

• Formula
• Diapers
• Baby Cereal
• Wipes
• Bulk Foods
• Financial Donations to purchase supplies

We also just wanted to send a thank you to all of you who have given to us financially, and to those of you who have given us supplies that we needed. We are often reminded of the verse in Ephesians, "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." At the beginning of our adventure, we had it all planned out. Needless to say, God had our path already planned and it wasn't what we had mapped out. It is God's goodness that our plans changed, it reminded us that it is Him who plans the day, not us. The most recent change being the need for us to stay in the country for 3 weeks in stead of 2. We had everything budgeted down to the penny and this extra stay threw everything upside down, BUT God, proved faithful, in that we were supplied (down to the penny, I might add) with financial support from fellow believers! We were also given the extra supplies that we would need to stay that extra week. And for that, we want to return all glory to Him! We hope you all find encouragement in His work! God has supplied us with more than we asked for and more than we could ever think of...He is good to us!