Ben & Angie Englerth

Updates

• Update 7

  

  18 Weeks of Love and Growth

  March 25, 2025
  It's been awhile and I believe we are due for an update here! It’s hard to believe Sylvia has only been in our arms for 18 weeks—it feels like she’s always been part of our family. Her big siblings adore her, and she’s bonded so beautifully with all of us. Watching her run to Ben or me with a huge smile, arms outstretched, is something we don’t take for granted. She’s thriving—playing outside, chasing chickens, and absolutely loving Tank. She’s even started going to the nursery at church and is doing so well! Developmentally, she’s made incredible strides—babbling more, understanding everything... Read morewe say, using over 20 signs, and gaining strength daily. She’s keeping up with her siblings more and more, which is both exciting and exhausting! We do have a surgery coming up, likely this summer, with multiple specialists working together so she only has to go under anesthesia once for now. It’s not officially scheduled yet, but we’d love your prayers as we prepare. This season hasn’t been easy. Keeping up with therapies, doctor visits, and the financial strain of completing the adoption has been overwhelming at times. The weight of navigating trauma has been even heavier—helping her process fears she doesn’t yet have words for, soothing her through nightmares, and teaching her, day by day, that she is safe here. Some days, the progress feels small, and the setbacks feel big. But recently, at a women’s event at church, I was reminded to Remember. God has carried us through hard times before, and He’s not leaving us now. Even in the exhaustion, the questions, and the uncertainty, we know He is using this journey to shape us to be more like Him. We’re so grateful for your continued prayers and support as we walk this journey. Sylvia is living proof of God’s faithfulness, and we can’t wait to see all He has in store for her.

• Update 6

  We have a Court Date!

  October 16, 2024

  We have a court date! Court will be happening NEXT WEEK! We will then wait to hear exact travel dates, but we should be leaving to pick up, Lord willing, in November! If not, December!

  We have been blessed with a generous grant from Gift of Adoption so we have adjusted our goal down to $7,500. Thank you to all who have been supporting us! We can’t wait to update that she’s home with us!

• Update 5

  

  Trip One Recap

  September 10, 2024
  A couple weeks ago, we began our first trip to Bulgaria, filled with excitement and gratitude for our family and friends who cared for our big kids. Our journey went smoothly, and we arrived in Sofia on Sunday. After meeting our translator and settling into our hotel, we eagerly anticipated Monday. On Monday, we drove through challenging mountain roads to reach our baby girl’s town. Unexpectedly, we went straight to the facility instead of the hotel. Nervously, we walked in, and after a tense wait, our baby girl was brought to us. The brief visit was emotional; we played, I held... Read moreher, and saying goodbye was hard. Dinner with our NGO helped ease the emotions. The next morning, our second visit was wonderful. We played outside, and though she was nervous around Ben, she was intrigued by his beard. The caretakers invited us back after her nap, which was exciting. We returned for lunchtime, fed her, and played more. We were invited back again after her nap. By our third visit, she reached out to Ben, showing she was starting to warm up to him. Over the following days, we had three visits daily. The caretakers noted her strong connection with us and her increased vocalizations, which was reassuring. We cherished every moment of feeding, playing, and snuggling. Leaving on our final day was heartbreaking. The visit was joyful with laughter and tickles, but parting was painful. We pray she feels our love until we can bring her home. Returning to Sofia, we faced a canceled flight and a tight connection in Frankfurt. After a tense sprint, we miraculously made our flight due to a delay. Despite the travel chaos, our luggage arrived, and we finally returned home to our kids, relieved and grateful. Now, we prayerfully wait for all the pieces to fall into place so we can get back to her quickly and bring her home.

• Update 4

  The Best Update So Far

  July 25, 2024
  It's hard to believe we get to send out this update, but yesterday, we got a call that will forever change us. Our family was chosen for a beautiful little one year old girl. We are still very much in shock, but so so grateful! God is so good! She is absolutely perfect and we cannot wait to get to the final step of bringing her home! We cannot share more than that at this time, but ask that you please be praying for her. The next two weeks will be full of appointments, paperwork and scraping together any funds we... Read morecan to make this referral official! Please pray that we are able to get everything completed in a timely manner and that we can fully trust the Lord to provide exactly what we need (as He has throughout this entire process)! Please continue to pray for our family. The kids are beyond excited and shared in the happy tears with us yesterday! We all cannot wait to love on her, but as we know, this is a process and we need to get through all the steps that will lead us to pick her up. Please pray that the Lord would be glorified through it all. With Gratitude, Ben & Angie Englerth

• Update 3

  

  Still Waiting

  June 11, 2024
  It's been too long since we updated here! We get asked often how things are going and the answer seems to always be "still waiting." We are officially updated on all our paperwork and back to waiting. We are focused now on saving all that we can to be prepared for the exciting day when a referral comes. We will owe $9,300 at that stage of the process and then need to travel for trip one a couple months after (estimate is around $7,500 in expenses for that) so every little bit helps! We feel more and more a deep... Read moresense of longing to meet our child. We pray for her every day, many times multiple times a day. Our children talk about her as if she'll be here next week. We have gained so much peace from the Lord and while this process has been full of challenges, the Lord has used every one of them to refine us and bring us closer to Him. Please pray for our family as we continue to wait and pray that the Lord will provide in ways only He can for our next step. Thank you!
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