Be the Difference

A video our adoption agency developed.

Bountiful Blessings

When we said yes to this adoption, we said yes knowing that we don't have the money for it. That's a giant leap of faith for two people who are very careful with their money. We know it will work out, we know that God has an always perfect plan...but it would be a lot easier to have our daughter in our arms and talk in the past tense about the goodness of God and how he fulfilled his promise and completed our story than it is to be in the middle, looking at the deadlines and all the zeros and wondering if the money will be there.

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bring your children from the East and gather you from the West." ~ Isaiah 43:5

But what kind of a faith would that be? To only trust when it comes to the easy stuff. It's really easy to walk the walk when it doesn't really matter.

I get my courage up and say yes and then doubt creeps into my mind and I wonder what the heck we're doing. I read your kind words on Facebook and in the comments section of the blog and I feel reaffirmed and then I go online to pay bills and I see the balance of our savings and I wonder how.

But friends! (there I am being all dramatic again) GOD is so much bigger. He is teaching me so many things through this process and he is showing me little by little that He really does have it covered. That that statement is more than just a cliche, it's the truth.

A couple of examples just from this week:

• Our agency made a couple of minor errors on their cost estimate sheet, causing the price to drop by about $1500.
• The company I work for, a NONPROFIT, is for the first time in my eight years of working here granting a $500 bonus to employees.
• Rob has been super busy the past several weekends with Christmas gigs which means an extra several hundred dollars.

These are not coincidences and we feel totally blessed.

So last night we were watching TV and we heard the storm door open and something hit the door. I got up  and opened the door and found a remote and car key on the floor. I looked out and there, in front of our house was a blue Dodge Ram. I turned around and asked Rob why someone was dropping off a truck and he said that he didn't know...to which I jokingly laughed and replied, "Praise the LORD! Someone gave us a truck to include in our silent auction!! Thank you Jesus." OK - so it ended up being our neighbors. Someone thought our house was theirs. Oh well!
Speaking of silent auctions - someone has generously agreed to host a fundraiser for us in February. We'll share more details as we have them!

Making a List, Checking it Twice

Dare I say...we've crossed a lot of our list this week! Seriously, about four times Rob has had to tell me to save my energy for the things that matter. It's the little things that drive me the most crazy. What can I say? I get a little worked up. Combine that with my dramatic nature and the fluidity of adoption and ladies and gentlemen...you have the makings of a hot mess.

Most of the time we try to just laugh it off...like yesterday, when we went in to get our FBI fingerprints. We park downtown, go in, go through security and find the office only to have her tell us we needed a large envelope to put the cards into so they can seal them and sign over the seal. So there we go...back out the door to find an envelope and repeat the whole process about 10 minutes later. It's the little things...

So this week we can check off:

• Medical clearances (the photo was taken in the waiting area - what a cute little guy! I'm talking about Evan, not Bradly.)
• Taylor Johnson assessment (personality profiling)
• ND Background Checks
• FBI fingerprints
• 1/2 of the workbook our agency requires to prepare us for what lies ahead

So for now we plug away at collecting our dossier documents and we wait for our references to send in their recommendations and our background checks to come back so we can finish up our home study.

If all goes smoothly, we should be able to ship our completed packet off to Bulgaria sometime next spring. What an amazing feeling that will be.

On a totally separate and way more fun note...

Please pray for:

* Michelle and Scott Zajac and family - Michelle is a high school classmate of mine. Her family recently accepted the referral of a 3 year old named Kya from Uganda.

* Christina and Terry Parkman - I connected with them through mutual friends in Bismarck. They just got word that their request for a specific child was accepted by the Chinese government.  They should be traveling to pick up their one year old daughter, Avalie Jiayin, in the next six months. Follow their journey on their Facebook page.

He Called and We Were Reluctant

Paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork. We're officially up to our heads in paperwork. Our social worker told us to try to enjoy this process because it's the last thing we'll have control over. Once our paperwork makes the long trip to Bulgaria, it's all in their hands. So I'm supposed to find comfort in that, huh? 

We just completed a nearly 20 page document (about eight questions per page) where we told the story of our lives. In fact, question number one was,"Please write an autobiography of your life." That's not intimidating at all.

We disclosed what we think of our parents (amazing), how we parent our children (with love, rules and patience) and what we think of each other (me describing Rob: loyal and impatient - Rob's take on me: kindhearted and unorganized). We think all couples should fill out these pages. We've been married nearly seven years and this totally reaffirmed the fact that we are 100% perfect for each other. Although we had severe writers cramp that lasted for days, we were thankful for the opportunity to reexamine who we are and where we have come from.

Our Calling

So while Rob continues on with more paperwork, I'll write a little more about this calling. Actually it's more about who was calling. If you haven't already done so, you can check out the family section of our blog for a few details.

I mentioned that this all began at a Steven Curtis Chapman concert before we were even married. At the concert we heard about the Chapman's amazing adventure of bringing their daughters home from China. So there the idea rested in a sort of idea-slow-cooker. After Evan was born, the idea moved from the slow cooker into the pressure cooker. What can I say? When I get something in my head, it's hard to focus on anything else.

I really believe that there are many, many issues that are close to God's heart and he singles people out to take up those causes and be His hands and feet.
Believe me when I tell you that it wasn't as easy as recognizing that calling and replying with an enthusiastic, "YES!" We obsessed over the "what ifs."

• What if our daughter comes with issues bigger than we can handle?
• What if we regret our decision?
• What if we are forced to trade our perfect life for misery?

We thought about our two boys, about the financial burden and...get this...how we probably would never get to take a trip to Disney World. Because, after all, who can afford to take four children on a plane to Disney World?!? ::sound of a screeching halt::: 

I thought it and I was ashamed. Deeply ashamed. After all, how could a good and decent person say no, not only to God's direction, but also no to a child who has no home, no family, no bed of their own. A child who doesn't even have Disney on their radar. We dream of extravagant vacations and they dream of family. Don't get me wrong, as I mentioned before we had lots of concerns, but I'll be honest and admit that there was a lot of superficial, material reasons at the root of it too.

The truth is that He does not only call us when the outcome will be easier and more comfortable than we have it now. For a long time I have prayed with all my heart that He will use me, that He will change my heart and make me passionate about the things that matter to Him. So, why am I so surprised when He answers my prayer and gives me exactly what I've asked of Him? We simply couldn't say no. Yes, we know it will be hard. Yes, we know it comes with risk. But we know undoubtedly that it will be worth it. He has promised us.

A Positive Trend

The US Department of State has published the Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption.

Bulgaria report summary:

75 adoptions from Bulgaria to the US were completed between October 1,2010 and September 30, 2011.

The good news is that this is a big increase in the number of Bulgarian adoptions to the US from 40 in 2010 and only 15 in 2009!
 
I have no idea what this means for our family looking down the road since we are just beginning our process. (Governments, politicians and adoption processes can change outcomes quickly, either positively or negatively.) I don't know if it will mean we will be able to bring our daughter home much quicker, but what I do know is this is a GREAT thing for the children who are waiting and the families at the end of their journey who desperately want to bring them home. 
 
We pray for the trend to continue. God is so good.
 
A copy of the report can be downloaded on the DOS Adoption website: http://adoption.state.gov/ by clicking the link under "Latest News" on the left hand side of the screen.