A Leap of Faith...

Yesterday I tweeted these words, "God rarely calls us to comfort and convenience, but rather a life of faith and trust (Debbie Eaton-She Reads Truth)."  Those words could not have been more spot on for where Nate and I are in our life right now, because, get ready for it...WE HAVE STARTED THE ADOPTION PROCESS AGAIN!!!!

Even as I type those words, it still feels a little surreal to me.  What's not surreal is the fact that we sent our first big check today with our application fee, and we have officially started the process to adopt a child from INDIA.  We don't have any details, we haven't been matched, and we are just in the beginning stages of what will most likely be a 12-18 month process.  We will be assigned a family service coordinator in the next few weeks and will then begin the daunting process of preparing another Dossier (which will include another home study).

Over the past year, we have been praying that God would open the door for us to adopt again, and more importantly, show us where.  This past summer, we had the opportunity to submit our names for an adoption of a little girl in the Philippines who was considered special needs, because she was missing part of her arm.  We were so excited about the possibility of that adoption, but when we were not selected for her family, it was a huge disappointment.  What we did gain from that experience was a better understanding of what a special needs adoption could look like.  So when we received an email last month from a well-respected agency about there being a need for families to adopt younger special needs children from India, we began to pray and ask some questions.  After talking with the agency, we felt like it was a great fit and officially signed our first paper work.

This is a HUGE leap of faith for us for so many reasons.  For starters, it's a huge financial leap of faith.  When we started Biruk's adoption, we were both working full time and we had no children.  Now, we are living off of one income (and a youth pastor's at that) while Nate stays at home with Biruk (which he is doing an AMAZING job at).  This is going to require a lot of fundraising, a lot of grant writing, and most importantly, a lot of trust in the one who we know without at doubt is calling us.  Second, the fact that we are going the special needs route is really new for us.   Special needs can range from minor physical abnormalities to more severe needs.  We will be looking over a list of needs in the next few months and deciding what needs we are open to.  That is a big decision.  Third, it's adoption.  We've done the process before and we know it's not an easy one.  There are a lot of hard days, a lot of waiting, and a lot of living in the "unknown."  The question is...are we ready for it again?

Today I was listening to Pandora when House Fires, "Good Good Father," came on.  As I listened to the lyrics I couldn't help but think how good God has been to us.  Every day I hold Biruk's hand, listen to his crazy laugh, dance in the living room with him, watch him be wowed by the little things in life, tuck him into bed at night, or watch him run around with his cousins, I am reminded that God is so good!  He was faithful the first time through our adoption journey and he will be faithful the second time.  He doesn't call us to do things that are crazy and then leave us out there to figure it out on our own.  He's a good Father.  He looks out for us.  He has these crazy plans that blow ours out of the water.  He surprises us.  He provides.  He...just...is...Good.

Are we ready?  I'm not sure you can ever be ready for the wild journey of adoption.  But I do know one thing.  The one who called us to this...he's our Father...and he is good.






Comments

  1. Kim P.December 4, 2015 at 1:02 PM

    So happy for you as you start this journey!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 5, 2015 at 1:18 PM

    Happy for the both of you. Your faith & love is extraordinary. The unknown challenges you face with the adoption process as well as a special needs adoption is an example of God's unconditional grace & Love. I wish the best for you.

    ReplyDelete

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