Awaiting Number 11...

Each adoption is as unique as each child waiting for a family. There are parts of adoption that I do not look forward to..for instance, the paperwork involved. The seemingly endless amount of forms that are required to be filled out and often notarized before they can be sent off. We are sending the same information in two different forms both to the Alabama agency and to New Horizons, our agency here. We have answered these same questions 9 times now (for each adoption)...and our answers have not changed much...although I would hope that we may have gained a little wisdom over the years.

I think that homestudies are a very important part of the adoption process. Families need to go into adoption with a level of understanding of what they are getting into. Agencies need to be responsible in assessing the families ability to parent. Get it...

But, we have done this 9 times now...we aren't much of a risk for a disrupted adoption. We have shown that to be the case. We have been fingerprinted more times than most hardened criminals. I can pretty much say that the two days we have spent in the state of Alabama (to pick up Brennan there 11 years ago) were not crime filled ones. And we have proof...our fingerprints have been analyzed there many times. I think we're good. Even Tyler had to be fingerprinted this time...something he can share with his friends when he has to play those "getting to know you" icebreaker games..

With each adoption, I go through the paperwork in a systematic way and try to not to waste time getting annoyed at how redundant it is...unless I am waiting for a fragile baby who will turn 1 year old before we get to bring him home if we can't get moving on the process. Since we just finalized an adoption two months ago...it just seems like there just can't be that much to be done to update it. Let's see, what has changed? Not much. End of story.

So we are waiting again and we are going use the time as a gift. A time for prayer, and a time to reflect on how God has led us in our lives and how He is leading us now. I feel such peace and contentment as we prepare to add another child...I am not going to spoil that by trying to rush things along if they aren't meant to be rushed. I am trying to rest up and get some unfinished projects done so that we can spend our first weeks with our little boy without feeling frazzled or hurried.

We are wholely trusting that God will provide the funds for us to adopt this sweet little one. We do not have the funds ourselves for the $15,000 that we expect to have to put out to finalize this adoption. Our savings are depleted as we raise 9 children with one in College. Amazingly, I have not felt anxiety about this at all. I feel so strongly that God is directing this and that he will provide the funds. We would appreciate your prayers as we call upon God to take care of all of the details regarding this adoption.