The Master Plan

Last weekend I made a giant thermometer with the total adoption cost.  At first it was more terrifying, since we are trying to adopt without acquiring any debt, but in the master plan for Benjamin it's something Paul and I have to deal with every day.

Our next goal is raising $3500 for the 1st home study.  And at the same time we are getting our home ready for the home study.  Paul and I rearranged bedrooms so we officially have a baby room ready to be filled with a crib, changing table and rocking chair.  Benjamin's nursery theme is Doctor Who; as we wish to start his life in the right direction.  :)

A friend told me something earlier in the week that helps me when I get down.  "God already knows little Benjamin and who he is or will be!"  I love this.

Thank you for your support and prayers!

The Paters

2nd milestone!

We have officially raised enough money for the 2 day adoption workshop, which is going to be held in the middle of June.  And we got our next huge packet of paperwork to start filling out for the home study.  Thank you to those who helped with this milestone and thank you for those who are keeping us in your prayers.

Paul and Shannon

Stuff is actually happening!

Just got off the phone with a woman from the adoption agency.  They have us scheduled for an informational meeting in May.  That meeting is about the adoption process and making sure we are ready to adopt.  It will be nice because we will get to meet another couples who are getting ready to adopt as well.

They also scheduled us for a 2 day workshop in June to work further through the adoption process, figure out lawyers and other adoption folks we will need to get in contact with.

It's very exciting.  Stuff is actually happening!

Praise be to God!

T-Shirt campaign is a go!

That's right folks!  Order your awesome t-shirts now and tell all your friends.  Because with every shirt sold, Paul and I become one step closer to being parents!  And we have very anxious parents that want to be grandparents, so help support the dream of a little Pater running around.

Order your shirts here.  There is a $3.50 shipping fee and the shirts will be shipped out directly to your house when the campaign ends.  

This is the link:

http://campaign.customink.com/ug-1365966271

Thanks and God Bless!

The Paters

1st milestone!

With some help we raised enough money for our registration fee's!  And we mailed out our paper work today.  It feels good to finally take that first step.

Now our next step is attending an information meeting in the beginning of May down in Sioux Falls.  

The t-shirt fundraiser is still a work in progress but I will let everyone know when it's up and running.

We thank you all for your prayers and look forward to the months to come.

Paul & Shannon

The Beginning of the Journey

To start out, I figured we should tell you a little bit about ourselves.  

My name is Paul Pater.  I'm a pastor in rural South Dakota.  

My wife is Shannon Pater.  She works from home as a custom jeweler.  

We were married on 11-11-11.  

In 2008, Shannon was diagnosed with lupus.  

Since pregnancy would be extremely difficult on her, we decided that our path in life was to adopt.

On April 8, 2013, my wife Shannon and I started the adoption process.

We started this blog to keep friends and family updated on the adoption process.

Thanks for coming along with us on this journey.  And in the words of a famous Doctor, "Allons-y!"