WOW!

Again, needless to say, school and being a mom of 4 is not conducive to blogging!  Since September (WOW! Didn't know it had been that long!!) we have actually made a lot of progress and have a few significant things to talk about!

1. We were awarded a grant in the FULL AMOUNT of the cost to submit our dossier!

2. We finalized all the outstanding paperwork, amidst many ridiculous obstacles, and finally submitted our dossier on November 6th.

3. And here's the big WOW! . . . I received this message tonight: "Good news! Your dossier is back from Washington, D.C. and has been authenticated by the Department of State and the Ethiopian Embassy. It is being sent to Ethiopia this Friday via our weekly DHL shipment. Once our team in Ethiopia receives your dossier, they will work on the next steps of authenticating and registering your dossier. This process typically takes about two months. The next stage of the process may be the most difficult one yet – which is the wait for your referral."

So, now my thoughts and the things God has spoken to me during these events:

1.  He really DOES provide.  The grant that we were awarded was one of four for which we applied.  It was by far the easiest application - we simply wrote a letter to the Kay Foundation.  In the process, I was able to talk to the founder, a lady who had several biological children and then adopted siblings.  She gave me some really good advice and spoke with wisdom and experience.  When I asked how old her children are now, she said, "Well, I'm pretty sure the youngest is 52 now!"  :)  It was a delightful conversation and gave me so much hope for our future!

2.  I won't go into all the ridiculous details, because you would not believe the trouble we had obtaining some of the simplest documents!!!!  More than once people commented, most from a place of frustration for and with us, things like: "Why is it so difficult?"  "Why is it so expensive - what are you paying for?"  "You would think it would be easier to give children a home." "They are just making you jump through hoops!"  One particular set of comments was not from an attempt to empathize with us, and praise the Lord that He who is in Me is greater than my flesh!!  The comments were biting and brought me to tears, but only by the Holy Spirit in me, I was able to respond in grace and walk away.  Later as I dealt with my own anger and frustration, I thought of all kinds of things I could have said (from my flesh - glad I didn't say those things! and more direct responses, still with grace, that could have pointed this person to Christ).  I realized that even through this the Lord is speaking to me, teaching me, refining me.  A thought that has continued to linger . . . Yes, I do feel like, at times, I am jumping through hoops.  However, God loved me so much that He sent his Son to DIE for my adoption; who am I to complain that I have to do a few tedious and seemingly ridiculous things in order to adopt my children?  As I write, I realize that same thought applies to my waiting, to my lack of control, to the expense . . . to any setback we may come through.  . . . . Those are the sacrifices God is asking us to make as He in His perfect timing is orchestrating EVERYTHING for the good of our family and for HIS glory!  And the part that is SO cool, He doesn't ask me to make these sacrifices in my own strength.  I just have to acknowledge my weakness and surrender to Him, trust Him - not just in word, but in deed, and He WILL carry me through.  He has given me the gift of His Spirit in me to be my Help, my Comfort, my Counselor, my Shield and Defender.  He is EVERYTHING that I will EVER need.  I do not need to control anything.  I don't need to know when we will get a referral.  I don't need to be worried that our children are suffering while we wait.  I just need to trust that My God is big enough, bigger than I can imagine, and that He loves me and my family.  He is drawing me nearer to Him and teaching me.  He is making my family ready for new children/siblings.  He is making them ready for us.  He has a perfect plan for us and will reveal it to us in His time. WOW!

3.  SO, tonight we celebrate that we are one step closer to meeting our children.  We are praying that the Holy Spirit would continue to empower us as we wait.  We pray that we would be moldable, that we would be compliant to His leading, that we would treasure this time of being made ready for things we can't even imagine.  We pray that the Lord would prepare our children, both biological and adopted, for all the changes that are coming.  We pray that He would protect our family.  We pray for the biological family of our children.  We pray for our children's health and spiritual well-being.  We pray for their care-takers.  We pray for the "system."  We are thankful that the Spirit intercedes and groans for us when we don't know what to pray.  We serve a great and mighty God.  Tonight I am humbled and grateful and expectant!