This year started off great with lots of prayer and hearing from God. I treasure those moments because they are not an every day thing for me. And if I really want to go into it, what a blessing to have a God that listens, loves, gives of Himself unconditionally. That sacrificed his only son, so that we could be lavished with his grace, his mercy. Not works based (Ephesians 2:4-10), but because of HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US. Sometimes I think, knowing I'm only pondering in my human brain, and I can't even imagine this great love for us. I know what it feels like to love my children, and He says he loved us first. His love is great (Read 1 John chapter 4 to learn about His love). And because of that great love, He predestined us for adoption as HIS sons and daughters.
We were made for a purpose. Not our will, but His be done. I didn't mean to speak all that, but the verses kept flooding my brain. Again, thankful for this past week, and my God proving faithful even when I didn't.
So, back up to January and we are cruising along. Still. I mean, as hard as it is to wait, to be 'paper pregnant' for almost 3 years, it has been fairly fluid. By this, I mean, anytime I would get sad at the process or the waiting, God would step in and remind me of WHY we are doing this. And that really, it's not about us at all. He was orchestrating our family and we had to simply be faithful. Our days are full, so most days, we prayed for our baby brother, and then got into our school/coop/church/serving/play/cooking time and did our best.
In February our agency (that sends out monthly emails, followed by calls by our social worker) sent out an email doozy. There are lots of issues with international adoption, Ugandan adoption, and making sure each piece of the puzzle is done with ethics and care, most importantly, for the vulnerable child, not the well-meaning adoptive parents. With that being said, our agency had to send out a hard email, with hard details, and we had to pray through it. Make sure we (Eric and I) were on the same page still and that God was still directing us down this specific path, because it will be difficult. It was actually good for us, because we did have to step-back, remember what WE specifically had been called to, and place our faith in what He has said to us.
We haven't shared much of the journey, but in the summer of 2012 (a year after we started our adoption process), we got an email that we were 15th on the waiting list. We kept moving each month and by October of 2012, we were 10th! And then it started, the waiting. We didn't move a spot until August 2013, about 10 months later. Many have asked so many questions on why. And I never know what all is proper to share in this setting, so I'll give basics. Our agency, and Ugandan officials, are very cautious when it comes to International Adoption. It should be seen as the last step. Our first goal is reunification! Whether it be with the birth parents if they are alive and able, or biological relatives. God created these families for a reason. And that has been the great part of being with our specific, Christian, agency. They have had to send email after email about no referrals were made, or no matches, but we have helped match X number of children back with their families. And each time I did a happy dance. Because that is where those children belong!
Ok, I could share forever, and if you want to know more, just call me, or take me to 'coffee' (I'm the person who likes to go for coffee, but I don't drink it, so I sit and talk and sip on my water) :). I'm going to post this now and save the rest for later. Will post later today or tomorrow, promise!
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