Since that New Year's Eve nearly 15 months ago, not a day has gone by where I don't think and pray about my future children. I wish I could say we are so much farther along in the adoption process than we really are. Oh, how I long to meet those kiddos that will someday join our family - to see them, to cuddle them, to kiss them, to teach them, to play with them, to live life as a family with them.
A lot has happened both good and bad since being called to adopt from the Dominican Republic. We've been blessed to find a home that was better than we could have asked for, our girls excitement and questions about the adoption continues to grow. Still, I feel like we've only just begun. So many "life doesn't always go as we planned" bumps in the road have come up and our savings for the adoption have been consumed, mostly on the Sleepy Eye rental house.
But, through it all, we've been blessed. Am I glad we had to endure the nightmare that was the Sleepy Eye damage? NO! There is definitely a big part of me that resents having to drain our entire adoption fund and more into a house we wish we no longer owned. However, God has continued to provide for all our needs and even bless us beyond our expectations.
It's been a little over three weeks since ending our every weekend trips down to continue repairs. We had the help of friends and family and even were able to enjoy some genuine fellowship through the tears. We now have reliable renters and I am beginning to feel the stress and exhaustion slowly melt away.
We purposely set aside the month of March to refocus on family time after so many weekends spent apart. Initially I thought that meant simply focusing on the family we are now, putting the adoption on hold temporarily. But that yearning simply became even stronger. Simple, little, daily conversations so easily turned to the adoption. Even the girls have seemed more curious about it - Amelia asking when she will have more brothers and sisters, Shannon telling me she can't wait to show new brothers or sisters this or that.
We decided to contact the law firm in the Dominican Republic who handles all the adoptions to get more information from them directly since we've been having a hard time finding an adoption agency anywhere in the U.S. that has actual experience with completed adoptions from the DR. Within 24 hours they responded back to us and we've also begun looking into more ways to save/raise funds to bring our kids home someday.
And so, tonight, while I know there is so much more of our adventure ahead of us than behind us, I am thrilled to report we officially have been assigned a lawyer! We will be on a conference call with them soon to discuss the details of adopting. They can help us with everything on the DR end and we are waiting to receive the application for our home study from a local home study organization right here in MN and begin the process on the U.S. end. We look forward to starting our homestudy soon and will continue to take this adoption adventure day by day and know that God has a plan for our growing family.
We've got a great big adventure ahead of us and I know God will provide us with all that we need: the patience, the finances, the love, the grace and so much more. My heart is overflowing with excitement to continue on this adventure and see it all unfold for my growing family.
