Waiting

I think we are all getting anxious for the Ethiopian adoptions to proceed. It feels like we have been waiting for this "pregnancy" to end much too long!!

Bella has a comment to make nearly every day about the "new babies." She sees the cribs set up, blankets folded neatly, waiting to wrap up our treasures. She sees bottles and pacifiers in the store, and begs me to purchase them so that we can get them home "for our babies." She plays with her dolls, calling them "Africa" or "Opia." She asks to see pictures of our babies on the computer. Every baby in the stores, in her mind, is fair game and she doesn't understand why we can't take them home.

I hear you, Bella. I feel the same urgency!!

We got news late last week that our placing agency in Oregon finally received a first draft of our homestudy. Our social worker suggested some changes and sent it back to the homestudy agency in Michigan. I hope that means we could expect to receive a finished report some time this coming week. I can not express how frustrating this whole process has been the entire 2009 year. But now it seems as if we are nearing the close to that chapter, which allows us to move on, finally, to the next stage.

We knew when we started the process that International Adoption would not be easy. We knew it could be frustrating, time consuming, and a ton of paperwork. We have done our part, completing hours of training, determined to see this through to the children God has waiting for us across the world. I read stories of families who have been on this adoption path for years, waiting for government approvals, or to get to the top of waiting lists, and I wonder how they keep their spirits up. It is hard to wait. And wait. And wait. So far we are just waiting on paperwork. So out of our control.

Life continues. I pray daily for ways to make a difference in lives around me. In my home, in my family, in my neighborhood, in my church. I know somewhere in Ethiopia is a family in distress, making difficult decisions for their children. Perhaps they are struggling with life threatening illness, and they hope for a safe place for their children to grow and thrive. Maybe they have already taken their last breath, and children have been shuffled to an orphanage that is overwhelmed with the needs of the many others in the same situation. I don't know what our childrens story will be. But I know there is a story forming now, that will impact the lives of our future children, and our lives as well.

I am trusting our God to protect the children who may be waiting for us, and I am hoping He finds me faithful to complete the things I need to do here in the meantime.

2010 is a new year. I hope this year we can bring our children home.