October Adoption Update

We had our 3rd (out of 4) meeting with the social worker today. David and I were asked questions about our family life separately. Every meeting with her feels like a mini-therapy session. You have to bare your soul in order to adopt. I mean, good grief! All those little things that I tend to sweep under the carpet have come out in these meetings.

Last week we put a child on "hold" for us. What that means is that no one else in Bethany is eligible to adopt him. Now, if a couple from another adoption agency decides they want him, there is nothing we can do to stop them from adopting the child. It would just be a matter of who gets there first. Hong Kong won't recognize a "hold" on a child until the paper work is sent to Hong Kong and approved.

Trying to "pick" a child was a pretty hard task. We have prayed over several of the children. I asked for open and closed doors and God did just that. Another couple in the Atlanta are adopting the little girl we had been considering. That left the little boy wide open. I can't give too many details about him here except that it is a little boy and he is less than 3 years old. He is also a special needs child.

I have poured over his medical charts, which thankfully, were written in English. I have called and consulted with my pediatrician (who also consulted with her husband who is a neurologist). I've talked to countless people about his medical conditions. How do you know how much you can handle? How do you know where the child will ultimately end up? Will he grow up and be a productive member of society or does he face a very different future?

And you know what? We decided it didn't matter. If this was the child that God has chosen for us then nothing else mattered. It is no different than if the child sprung from my very own loins. We'll do everything in our power to fix what is wrong and we'll just deal with the un-fixable.

So the big question is, how are we going to come up with the funds for the adoption? Well... We are planning a yard sale for the first weekend in November. If you have anything that you'd like to get rid of ( and you live in the greater Atlanta area) please let me know and we'll come by and pick it up so it can be included in our yard sale. I'm also selling some things on Craig's List.

David and I ask that you pray for us, our kids, and our "to be" kid. Please pray that we continue to follow God's path. Please pray for patience (for me especially). My pediatrician was very adamant that we move as quickly as possible to get him over her as soon as we could. I think I felt my anxiety level rise as we talked.

Anyway, that's it for now. Thanks for hanging in there with me!