adoption update

It's been a long time since I've done any updates on our adoption, because honestly, there hasn't been anything to report.  Sometimes the journey to adoption can feel a lot like drifting.  Sometimes it feels like it's not even happening.  Like I dreamed it all up.  But that's never for very long.  I still yearn for our third child.  It takes every ounce of self-control that I have to not run up to trans-racial families and hug them all. I still read every adoption story I come across.

I'm still ready.

I've mentioned before that our agency is tiny.  The three women who run it work tirelessly to take care of their birth mamas.  Therefore, if we want to hear any updates from them, it is usually up to us to make the call.  And we hate to feel burdensome.  We are those types of people.  Nevertheless, sometimes, we just can't stand the "not knowing" any more and have to touch base.

John called our agency yesterday just to see how things were moving.  Our case worker told him that last year was the strangest that they've ever had.  They only placed 6 children.  They had numerous near placements, with the birth mom changing her mind at the last minute.  They had even more near placements with birth dads stepping in at the last minute to claim their rights.  Some of these dads even stepped in after the child had been placed.  We have to keep all of this in mind as we move ahead.  Adoption is not a done deal, until it is.  You can be told one thing, only for the situation to change in a matter of hours.  So we step forward in faith knowing that whatever comes our way can be handled through God's grace.
And let me just add this, in case there is any confusion- we are 100% about orphan prevention.  If a birth mom decides to keep her child, we rejoice in that.  We rejoice when knowing that the child is with a loving parent that can and will parent.  Sadly, this is not always the case, and it is hard when a person who is not ready to parent chooses to parent.  Our agency has seen this countless times, only to see Child Protective Services have to step in and remove the child only a few months after birth.  We want to prevent orphans, yes, of course, but we also want to prevent abuse and neglect.  And that is one of the reasons we have opened our hearts and our home to adoption.

Back to our update.  We still have not been chosen by a birth mom, but our family book is currently being shown to three moms!  We are excited about this and we know that before the foundations of the earth were put in place, that God has planned the children that are to be a part of this family.  What a peace and a comfort we find there.

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If you would- please pray for these moms.  I mean, can you imagine that kind of decision to be made as a young girl (sometimes as young as 12)?  Please pray for our case workers.  They are machines.  Except they're not.  They are sweet ladies that need to rest and need respite.  Would you pray for their stamina, their comfort, their wisdom?


Thank you!