The Waiting Room

Waiting... not something I am very good at, but that is where we are, and I know there is a lot more waiting in store.  It is funny how God has brought this concept of waiting over and over again in my life.  My first year of college I attended a Bible school.  One of my professors repeatedly said two things to us, "Fret not thyself." and "Wait."  Little did I know at 18 how much those words would impact me for the rest of my life.

So, today we wait.  We have mailed off our I-600A form to the U.S. government, and we now wait for a fingerprint appointment and for approval.  The funny thing about this process of adoption is that it is filled with different intervals of waiting.  We wait to be on a waiting list so that we can wait to receive a referral so that we can wait some more.  (Are you noticing a theme?)

The other day I was watching what turned out to be a terrible movie , but it had a really good line in it about waiting.   "But all of this isn't only about me. All of this is more about waiting ...about that time spent waiting. And the people you meet in the waiting room."  This hit me hard, but in a good way.  The waiting is important.  Waiting can draw us closer to God and to others.  During this time I have met some wonderful people that have encouraged me with their stories, lifted us up in prayers, and supported us in so many ways.  So for right now I will enjoy being in the waiting room.  I can't wait to see who comes in next!

Details...

     More about our journey of adoption (still in process!)....  As we started this journey, we were not sure which direction we would go.  We had a situation that was presented to us concerning a domestic adoption that we pursued, but it did not work out.  We considered foster adoption, but God closed that door too.  We had another domestic adoption that we were approached with, but the mother changed her mind.  We then began to look to international adoption.  We considered many countries and gathered information from many sources, but with no single, clear, immediate direction that we felt led to go.
     Then, one day as I was on Facebook, a friend suggested we check out another friend's blog.  I had no idea that this would be a life changing suggestion.  I remember thinking, "Hey, I know her.  I wonder what she is up to."  And guess what she was up to ... adopting from Ethiopia!  She had posted several "gotcha day" videos.  I watched them and cried my eyes out.  Those children just grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go.  John and I talked and prayed about it and knew that God was calling us to Africa.  
     As we went through this process we found that what started as a desire to adopt one child grew into a desire for two children.  It was unanimous!  We knew that God was calling us to adopt two children at the same time.  My oldest daughter even dreamed about it one night.  She dreamed that we were coming home from Africa with her baby brother and sister.  She said that when she saw us the baby sister reached for her and hugged her and G began crying.  She told me how she woke up crying.  Now, if you know G you know that this is not like her.  She just doesn't cry about things.  We felt that this was a confirmation from God.
     What we originally thought would be Ethiopia changed to the Congo.  So that is where we are preparing to go now.  We have found an agency that will help us adopt two children at the same time (whether biologically related or not).  They have accepted our application, and our home study is near completion.  We are finally on our way!  Thanks be to God!

God's Timing

"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"  Ester 4:14

     Every time I read this verse it gives me chills.  It is one that has always resonated with me. I chose it to be the title of our blog because it has such meaning in my life.  It gives me hope.  It gives me strength.  It shows me how God has ordained me and my family to be where we are, doing what we are doing, when we are doing it, and that we are doing it for His glory.
 
     When I look back over my life, I can see how God has prepared us to adopt, and to do that now.  If we had tried earlier in life, it would not have the same meaning to us.  I believe we would have just been growing our family, not growing spiritually as well.  If we had not had miscarriages, I am not sure that the we would have treasured our children as much.  (That is not to say that one must experience infertility to treasure children, only that I personally would have taken them for granted and did.)  If we had adopted earlier, I do not believe we would have adopted from the same area of the world.  And if we had adopted earlier, our children who may very well be living today, would not have been alive then. 

      So to those of you who are waiting, remember that God's timing is perfect.

     We had to wait for such a time as this.

New Look, New Focus

     Today our blog has a new look, title, and focus.  Since we began this blog, our lives have changed dramatically.  We have begun a journey that has taken many twists and turns, a journey of adoption. 
     As many of you know, John and I struggled for many years to have more children.  We are very blessed to have two amazing daughters.  God has graciously blessed us by entrusting their lives to us.  Often in the past I saw parenthood as a right and not a privilege.  God corrected my attitude and created within me a thankfulness for all that I have been given.  My children are a gift from God. I still longed for more children and  prayed for years that the Lord would give me the desires of my heart. Then I prayed the Lord would change my desires to be what He desired.
     As time passed, I was able to accept that our family was complete, but the desire never lifted.  John and I talked about adoption, but he was not open to it.  In the spring of 2009, I brought up the subject again.  I asked John to pray about it and make sure he was seeking God's will and not his own, just to be open to the possibility.  He said yes.  I cannot tell you how that drew us closer together in our marriage.
     In September of that same year, John read a book called Adopted for Life.  As we were driving home one day he asked me if I knew what the book was about, and I said no.  He said it was about adoption.  He had picked up that book and couldn't put it down.  He then said, "I have changed my mind.  I want to adopt, and I want to adopt now!'
     My first response was shock, then I started crying, then I started arguing with him! (Funny, what shock will do to you!)  I brought up every reservation that he had.  Every time his answer was, "I don't feel that way anymore."  I was amazed!  He also told me that he would really like to adopt a son, not because the girls were not enough for him, but that it would be wonderful to experience the joys a son brings.
     God truly answers prayers.  I had waited for 10 years to hear those words.  Even more amazing God was answering the prayers of our daughters.  Each of them had prayed periodically to have a baby brother, but interestingly they had renewed that prayer consistently for the last month.  Each night when I prayed with them individually, they would each ask God to give them a baby brother.  Neither of them knew that the other was praying for this.  How wonderful that God would choose such a blessing to demonstrate to my girls how much He cares for His children.
     So now as we continue on this journey, we will share it with you.  Please lift us all up in prayer including our future children.  That's right; I said CHILDREN!