The Lord Loves Adoption

I have made a point not to blog about specifics of our adoption up to this point. My point in blogging was to shed light on lessons the Lord teaches me. However, adoption has obviously been one thing that has occupied the front of my mind over the past year. I wake up thinking and then praying about it and I go to sleep thinking and praying about it. The Lord has used this process to teach me more and direct me back to His Word in many, may ways.

Recently there has been talk of reform to international adoptions in Ethiopia. There has been a lot of concern over the situation in the adoption community as a result. We have taken this information..what little we have....and asked the Lord what we are supposed to do with it. This is information that puts a lot of uncertainty in to an already uncertain process. We don't understand the politics in that country.We are learning. We don't understand what initiated the talk of reform.  We are learning. Not having a full understanding of the subject has driven us to do research. ...to learn more about the beautiful country where our two children were born and still live.  Not having certainty in the situation has driven us to pray.  And what have we learned?  We have simply been reminded that these children are His. First and foremost these children are His. He has the whole world in the palm of His hand.  I think He has got this. I think whatever plan He has laid out will ultimately bring more glory to Him. And isn't that why we began this process in the first place? It is amazing the peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding, that has accompanied us in this recent series of events in Ethiopia. This is truly a peace from The Lord because my anxiety-ridden, human flesh typically in the past would not have reacted this way.

One really cool thing that has happened as a result of research and networking online with other adoptive families through this, is that we have met several folks with different agencies that are in a similar place than us in their process.  Some have adopted before under the old one-trip process...some have even adopted before under the two-trip. Some are newbies like us.  Some are pre-PAIR, some are PAIR like us.  I have learned that is is comforting to share stories and timelines with others so I have decided to put our timeline here so folks can refer to it.

Jan 2013 Began our Homestudy with LA Baptist Children's Home
Held Noonday Fundraiser....really cool company if you are not familiar with it
April 15, 2013 Found our two kids on Rainbow Kids
May 3, 2013 Applied with WACAP
July 2, 2013 Homestudy done

July-Sept continued to work on getting dossier completed, traveled 4 hours to Jackson, MS for USCIS fingerprints. Held three fundraiser yard sales, one Scentsy Party fundraiser with the help of the person I want to be when I grow up-Kasey Ellis, Just Love Coffee fundraiser

Sept 23, 2013 officially accepted referral of our two kids and began PAIR process
Sept 23, 2013 an article honoring the Lord was published in the Bossier Press Tribune about our adoption
This same week we found out about an anonymous $10,000.00 donation to our adoption from someone at our church, and also a $7000.00 sibling grant from our agency. Our fees except for airfare are taken care of. Praise the Lord.
Nov 18, 2013 Received the first video of our children and it was of them receiving our family albums
Nov 27, 2013 Received email that Embassy had made request for Birth Parent interview
Dec 12, 2013 Birth Parent interview held in Addis
Dec 16, 2013 Email stating I-604 investigation complete
Dec 23, 2013 PAIR letters received in mail <<<greatest Christmas present ever

January 1, 2014 Our dossier with PAIR letter submitted to court in Addis
Jan 7, 2014 got word from agency that Birth Parent court date scheduled Jan 27, 2014 and they were going to appeal it to be moved up. Suggested we begin to make preparations to travel as early as mid Feb 2014 for our first trip.

The Lord's hand has been in on this process from the beginning. Why would it not be?  The Lord loves adoption.

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."

Galatians 4:4-5

 

We have received the spirit of adoption. Praise the Lord. What we do with it can honor the Lord more than just about any other act on this planet in my opinion. We can adopt.

We make every attempt to honor Him and sing His praises whenever we can. From sharing little blessings like free-ultra convenient parking in downtown Jackson, MS in a city strange to us when we went to get fingerprinted, to HUGE blessings like good test results after surgery to remove my thyroid in September.

And we wait. More importantly we pray.  We pray that we are able to continue to glorify the Lord in every step of this process.

..picture from NY Times of the Tigray region of Ethiopia where are children are from.

He makes beautiful things.