Time for change....

As summer finally gives way to fall, anticipation hangs in the air.   Thoughts of cooler days bring a welcome relief from the hot August days.  Changes are in the air for our family as well.  

Back in 2012, God began weaving a new thread into the tapestry of my family and into the depths of my heart.  He showed me a picture of a child, His child, a child that had waited so long for a family to call her own.

This child had been made available for adoption in 2008 and had been passed over time and again.   For four years, families had considered her but had unfortunately said no each time.   By 2012, when I first saw her picture, her information was already quite outdated.   I, too, after reviewing her file, felt that her needs were too great.   

I saw her picture again in 2014.   How could it be that this child was STILL waiting for a family to choose her?   Her file was now six years old and had been scarcely updated.   Her orphanage was one that was reluctant to provide additional information.   It seemed that she would very likely live out her life alone.

That thought haunted me.   Looking at her file again, this time asking God if she was supposed to be in our family and hearing  God quietly say no.  Her needs still loomed large before my heart.   

So I did the next best thing....I began to advocate for this child, making sure her profile was seen by moms and dads who were looking for a girl to add to their families.  I spoke to several families who serious considered her, each time feeling my heart torn between the desire for her to have a family and my own increasing desire for her to be my daughter.    Each time, I questioned God but each time I did not feel peace about moving forward to adopt her.   I found myself trapped by the unknowns, unable to lay my worries aside.  But little did I realize, God was chipping away at those fears, bringing normalcy to thoughts that seemed impossible in the past.  Suddenly what I thought were monumental issues, no longer seemed quite so insurmountable.   It was a slow process, but change was coming...

Then one morning in October of 2014, God clearly spoke to me, whispering to my heart that I COULD take a leap of faith and adopt this child.   This took me completely by surprise, so much so that I spent the next two months questioning whether I heard Him right.   By the end of December, after much thought and prayer, I was sure this child belonged with our family.   I contacted the agency that held her file and asked to move forward with her adoption.   The agency informed me that they would have her file until April, but that they did not think I was the best choice for this child. I was hurt, but also furious for this child who had already waited six years for a family.   Regardless, I resigned myself to wait out the next few months, until her file moved to another agency who might be willing to let me adopt her.

In the meantime, a dear friend suggested I contact a different agency and ask if there were any options, any way for me to move forward with this child's adoption.   This agency tried several avenues to get the file transferred but we hit roadblock after roadblock.   Lest I forgot, with God all things are possible, and on March 26, completely out of the blue, I received the news that her file has been reassigned and that I could finally move forward to adopt her!   I submitted my Letter of Intent (LOI) the next day and that crazy adoption paperchase began!!   And here we are, just shy of eight months later, about to board a plane and begin this new journey in the life of our family.  We covet your prayers for safety as we travel.   We also ask that you might pray for the heart of this child that will join our family on Monday, that she would feel God's peace and assurance as she bravely steps forward into a new life.   Next blog post....CHINA!!