Pondering but not Worrying

As this process becomes more and more real, something dawned on me. Oh yeah, we don't have the money for this yet.  I am completely faithful, and believe that the Lord has planned this for our lives. It's hard for me to think about relying on other's generosity for this adoption.  It must be some weird combination of not wanting to be selfish but also maybe being a bit prideful. BUT, ultimately, I know that the Lord has called us all to care for the widowed and the orphaned.  We have already been blessed by others who have felt led to contribute to our efforts.  And so, Mike and I are prayerfully considering the ways in which to reach out to others.  There are so many amazing ministries that help adoptive parents with fundraising, that we will be working to determine what is the best fit for our family. I have plans to post our progress soon. 

I am amazed at the Lord's peace about this adoption.  If you know me, you know that I can be a stress-bucket. So it's a miracle that as I sit here with so many unknowns, I feel His calming peace and assurance. 

Excel'ing

I opened up the dossier list from our agency last night.  I was quickly overwhelmed by the amount of work to be done! So I spent some time, and put it all in an Excel spreadsheet... to track what I've requested/received/compiled/etc.  I had no idea how much my husband (an Excel addict)  had influenced me in our 4.5 years of marriage until this moment.  But now, I see the merit in using the program.  There are columns, and color coding, and highlighting. And somehow, all of this has made me feel better. While I have achieved very little in creating the document, I somehow feel slightly more accomplished, slightly more organized, and slightly less behind. 

I understand why adoption is called a paper pregnancy.  I think about my son everyday now.  And so while I do not have a growing belly, I will have a growing dossier binder.

Looking to Africa

For my husband and I, adoption has been part of the plan for growing our family, even before we were married.  We are blessed to have a beautiful little girl, two cats, and a very large dog.  We have considered starting an adoption throughout the last year, finally settling on starting the process once I complete my graduate program.  And so now, as we plan to add a child to our lives, we prepare ourselves to start this process.

The Lord has placed it on my heart that my son is on the continent of Africa.  As we researched and prayed, we found the Lesotho Adoption program. Lesotho is a small country that lies in the middle of South Africa.  The orphan rate is 16-30 %, and is considered to be possibly the highest rate per capita  in the world. This last Monday, we turned our application in to our agency to adopt from this small country, and are waiting for an acceptance.  While we wait, this is what we pray....

1. That the Lord's will be done.
2. For our son's well-being, protection, safety, and that he be loved by his caretakers while we wait for him to come home.
3. For our son's family, whatever the case may be and the people who love him. 
4. That Christ's church continues to hear and respond to the needs of orphans
5. For the patience and endurance the journey may require

There are so many unknowns.  It is so early in the process.  But I dare to be excited, and look to Africa.