Easter 2013

Processing the Process

So, how IS the process going?

And HOW does the process go?

It goes. And it goes slow.

Though overall I guess it is moving along.

So far we have:

Met twice with our Social Worker. 2 more meetings to go.

We have been fingerprinted by Illinois AND cleared with in 2 days.

Go Illinois! I never uttered those words in the previous adoptions.

We have had clearances come back from Illinois, North Carolina and our local police department stating we have never been arrested. Still waiting on Pennsylvania for their clearance. Boo PA, you get last place.
(this is because you have to have a letter from every place you have lived, thankfully we quit at 3 states)

We have filled out a 28 page autobiography each.

Have watched 10 hours of online training and 4 hours of in person training.

Have solicited for 5 referral letters and 2 guardianship letters.

Have copied every financial paper (taxes/insurance) in our house along with all employee letters, special doctor letters, etc and so on.

Have obtained all marriage (that would just be one) and birth certificates.

Finishing up all doctors (each person in house) visits this week and next.

We have promised and shown our smoke alarms all work, we don't have a pool, we don't have guns, our animals are vaccinated, we don't beat our children, we will give them healthy water, we will allow social workers to visit us for the next 5 years, and that we will pay an insane amount of money to do all of the above.

Check, check and check.

This part I can handle. I am a really good list maker and a fair list checker.

Once the homestudy is written, prayerfully by the end of this month, it will move on to state level to be approved. Go Illinois? (PLEASE!?)

THEN we apply for a teeny tiny very important piece of paper that I am certain is going to be my nemesis. This would issued from our federal government. Deciding if we are suitable to adopt a child. Believe me, the irony that the government decides this, in their timing, does not escape me. (adopt babies, we put you through the ringer. Abort babies, step right up. What is wrong with this world?) We will just pray. Pray hard that we would find favor quickly. But quickly is most likely months.

When that gets back, we get all of the millions of gathered papers, state certified and authenticated. Or in others words we pay a whole bunch of money to have them stamped at the capital of Illinois & the Chinese Embassy in Chicago.

After that, the papers are China bound!

When will we get matched with a child? Good question. I do have to say, since I have done things both ways, this way IS easier. With Sage we had our paperwork in, received referral. Mavery we found and THEN started paperwork. Emotionally drained us.

So, right now I am ok waiting.

And THAT is the only time you will probably EVER hear me say that.

HOW can you adopt AGAIN?

Yes, we ARE adopting.

Again.

Yes, we realize that will make 6 kids.

For some, that seems a small number.

For others, it seems CRAZY.

HOW in the world can we bring home another?

And all I keep thinking is…

HOW CAN WE NOT?

The Lord has had us on a journey of prayer these last few years. Do we adopt? Do we help others adopt? Do we MOVE to China? Do we go on mission MORE?  We have questioned and wondered. We have looked at  children's files, and God made it clear, these were not our children.

I have traveled to China THREE times to work in an orphanage. Through the first trip, and even the 2^nd I felt that maybe another adoption was NOT in our future. Maybe orphan care was what we were being called to do.

It made sense. 5 kids, 2 adoptions. A STRONG calling to be a part of that orphanage IN China. 

Because I DO realize we can’t adopt them all.

And I DO realize there is MUCH more to orphan care than JUST adopting.

Oh how I WISH that more would realize this.

I LOVE going to China and working in the orphanage. Honestly our family KNOWS it is what we are called to do.

But this trip, I also knew that the Lord was calling us to more.

How can I walk the halls of that orphanage, how can I hold those children and KNOW there are MILLIONS more just like them all around the world and then say no?

How can I pretend that I have done enough when their little souls are dying there.

Seriously DYING. 

Did you get that? There are CHILDREN sitting in orphanages. RIGHT NOW. We need to stop pretending that it is not happening.

How can we say we are too busy, too tired to poor, too ANYTHING when I have held children who ASK for a family? Who will never know anything besides life inside those 4 walls.

How can we NOT say yes to more?

We just have to say yes. 

YES to bringing home more.

YES to WHOMEVER the Lord has already chosen for our family.

YES to how we know HE is writing our story.

He has penned the pages of this story since day 1.  

He has placed a burden on us for the orphan for THIS reason.

So that we would be open to our 6^th child.

We don’t know who it is, but HE does.

And we can’t wait to find out!

A few questions answered

-We have signed a contract with Madison Adoption Agency.

-We do NOT have a particular child we are matched with.

-Yes we are going to China for a special needs child.

-We are open to boy OR girl, 0-12 years old. J

-I AM still going to China in July, of course.

-AND will continue to be connected with that orphanage. Trips will NOT stop. We just need to pray through the options. 

-Kids are thrilled, though they each have an opinion on who our new child should be. Ranging from older boys to babies that I could put inside my belly to another middle child, to kids we love and pray for and everywhere in between.

-No we do not have the money for another adoption. Remember Dave Ramsified?  Hopefully we learned enough through that to do this with little  no debt. 

-Fundraising? Am I ever NOT fundraising?? 

- We are not sure on timeline but we are guessing we will be traveling early next year. 

-YES Mark actually DID agree to this! :-) The fact that after pictures yesterday he said NEXT TIME we adopt... did not escape me. 

-How, why, WHAT, all to be answered soon!