I am thrilled to be writing that in less than a week we have our third (and final) home study date. This time our social worker will be coming to our house and be meeting our girls. We've made it through a rough winter on many levels and it is wonderful to be moving forward again towards bringing the rest of our family home.
I titled this post "Ready" for many reasons. We are ready for what God has in store for our family on this adoption adventure. We are ready for new beginnings and forward progress. We are ready to fully trust Him and His plan.
When I wrote that we've made it through a rough winter I did not merely mean the record cold and heavy snow we've seen here in MN this winter. Yes, we survived "Polar Vortex 3.0" and many school closures for "cold" days (days where the high was -20). Honestly, the weather was minimal in the grand scheme of things.
As a family we survived a grueling winter of uncertainty, anxiety, tests of patience and faith, and trial after trial. While I will not list it all, I do want to use this blog as an opportunity to document our adoption journey in the highs and the lows.
Had this winter gone according to my plans, we would have had this third home study meeting back in December over my winter break rather than waiting until March - now during my Spring break. God is continuing to teach me not to rely on my own timing and this winter was no exception.
The Friday before Christmas, Ben picked Shannon up from her last day at her old school. It was planned to be a fun family evening out to celebrate Shannon getting into mommy's school which she would be starting in January after winter break. Unfortunately, in an instant those plans were changed - as was our home study timeline.
While driving home, Ben and Shannon were forced off of the road by another driver in a SUV. I am incredibly thankful for Ben's skillful driving which allowed him to avoid falling into the ditch. God undoubtedly sent His angels to protect Ben and Shannon during the accident because only by a miracle did Ben avoid hitting additional cars as his car spun across 3 lanes of highway traffic twice before coming to a stop in the opposite direction of traffic. Both cars were totaled, but all lives were spared with no major injuries. Praise God for that!
I wish I could say everyone walked away okay and that was that, but this car "accident" was the start of a 3 month ordeal in which the adoption and Ben's record was on the line. The trooper who responded to the scene knew immediately this was a result of road rage, but decided to cite both drivers and "let the courts sort it out" since she had not witnessed the crash. The citation: careless driving with endangering life and property - a misdemeanor. And so began our winter to remember, which we may rather soon forget. But, through it all God was there.
We knew immediately this citation could significantly hinder the adoption process and that Ben had not done anything wrong to be cited. In January, he plead not-guilty trusting that God was with us in this adoption and we needed to clear Ben from the citation. The decision to plead not-guilty meant going to trial and the possibility of the prosecutor deciding to up the charges.
Tensions were high and our patience was tested. However, we both knew God had called us to adopt and He has been with us through the whole process. We had to trust whole-heartedly that this too would pass. It was excruciatingly painful to know the home study was "on hold" further delaying the day we can hug our future children. As painful as it was, I grew closer to Him. In my most painful nights, all I could do was cry out to Him and trust He was in all of this.
Nine days less than three months after the crash, Ben headed to court for pre-trial ready to file a motion for dismissal and potentially hire a lawyer. God showed up again. Before Ben even had a chance to argue for dismissal, the prosecutor told Ben he had seen the traffic footage Ben shared with him and knew Ben had done nothing wrong. The prosecutor asked Ben how he felt about dismissing the charges and for Ben to testify in the trial against the other driver. The case was dismissed!! Praise God!!!
We immediately notified our social worker the case was dismissed and 24 hours later we had our third home study meeting on the calendar. We are ready. Ready for this adoption, ready to see what God has in our future, ready to trust in Him. Ready.
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Hoping, Praying, Waiting for you
