Patience

If you could see our bedroom floor right now, you would see piles of papers. Papers that have been sitting there starring at me all day. I have been looking at those piles and trying to remain motivated to chase another rabbit trail or send off another form that will take several weeks to be returned. It can be discouraging. I realize that we are in the beginning stages of this process so I shouldn't be discouraged so soon but that's how I have been feeling. I know this is something the Lord has put on our hearts and I need to have the faith that he will provide. The paper trail seems like such an obstacle and the financials seem like an even bigger obstacle. I know there are two children out there that belong to this family so I will continue to give my anxieties over to the Lord and see what good thing he will do! Tomorrow we go back to Lexington to have our final meeting with our social worker. After that, we will be pretty close to having our homestudy completed. Then onto our Dossier. Thanks for your prayers!

Update on the Situation in Ethiopia

As I mentioned in my previous post, they had really put the breaks on in Ethiopia. They had gone from reviewing 50 cases a day to only 4-5. It has been reported that there have been some changes and new people have been hired to take on the work load and that things will return to normal. This is a great answer to prayer especially for the children sitting in orphanages who are waiting for their forever families to come get them. Thanks for your prayers.

Fit to be Parents

We completed our home visit for our home study and were deemed, "fit to be parents." That's a relief considering we already are. Our next move is to have our final meeting in Lexington next week. After that, we will just be waiting to receive various documents from the government that we are waiting on.
The Ethiopia court system has really put the breaks on how many cases they review a day. We are praying that things would work out quickly and that this won't affect the kids waiting to be adopted.

Adoption101

There is a lot that goes into adoption. You would not believe the paper chase that is required. So far we have been fingerprinted for the FBI, written letters, asked for references, taken Stella for a physical, copied tax returns, and we are just getting started.

Before you can "formally" apply to adopt, you must complete a "home study." Basically, a home study is a series of paperwork, interviews, and a home visit to make sure we are fit to be parents. (Too late...we already are parents.) Once the home study is complete, then you begin the second series of paperwork called a Dossier. The entire process can take anywhere from 5 months to 18 months.

So where are we in the process? We are about halfway through our home study. In fact, our social worker is coming tomorrow to look at our home. She will make sure that we have a plan in place for additional children as well as check to see if we have a fire extinguisher, smoke alarms, and first aid kits.

We have been able to work on our Dossier simultaneously. We have been fingerprinted, sent child abuse checks for each state we have lived in, applied for certified birth and marriage certificates and so much more.

It's funny that you have to go through so much to adopt. It can be overwhelming at times but then we just remember to take one step at a time and it all comes together.

Why We Are Adopting

James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

I had the opportunity to travel to Africa when I was in college. Being that I had never even been on an airplane before, it was quite an adventure for me. The three months that I spent in Senegal has had a profound impact on my life. There are images and experiences that I can't get off my mind. Since that first trip, I have had numerous chances to travel and see what the majority of people live like. Those are images I can't forget.

One experience in particular stands out to me. I was visiting a school facility in Zambia. Most of the children that attended the school received their only meals while on the property. They were dirty, they were hungry, and they were without hope. I'll never forget walking into the school one day and not seeing my little buddy Eleanor. The teachers said she was in the sickbay. I immediately went to go see her and there she was, curled up on a dirty mat, all alone, shivering with fever. I didn't leave her side for the remainder of the day. I laid beside her and couldn't bring myself to get up. I held her and rocked her all day. When the sun came out, I carried her out of the dark, dank, sickbay and into the sunshine. She even forced a smile.

We tried to give Eleanor all of the love and medicine we had available. I ended up having to take her to the hospital where I had to force her down while they gave her a shot. I've never heard a child scream so loud. She was so scared and so sick.

Eleanor seemed to improve over the week. We made sure she had plenty of food to take home with her and warm blankets. Once she was home, the food and blankets were taken from her and she was forced to sleep hungry, in the cold.

Eleanor didn't survive. She passed away at the age of 5 due to malaria and anemia. Both of which could have been cured with a little medicine and a little attention. It breaks my heart. Eleanor's life is just a glimpse of what children are dealing with and we can't sit by and not do something to help.

When Jonathan and I began talking about our family, we always included adoption as a way we wanted to expand our family. One day I asked Jonathan when he knew he wanted to adopt and he replied, "when I married you." I am so blessed to be married to a man who not only considers my convictions but also makes them his own.

We have started this process and trust the Lord's leading. Already we have come across obstacles and we know it may be a long road. We may not be able to help all of the Eleanor's out there but we can help a couple...and that's just what we are going to do.