Trust

My last post was nearly four months ago.  The me four months ago thought we would be getting our completed, written home study very soon and we could move on to stage 2: applying to U.S. Immigration to find our family fit to adopt.  We had just finished our third and final home study meeting and all that was left was for our social worker to write the study.  We were breathing a big sigh of relief for completing all the requirements, despite life circumstances which delayed progress.  I thought to myself: now the short wait should be easy and we'll be mailing our I-800A in no time - leaving summer to get our biometric fingerprints and hopefully be sending our dossier to the DR by fall/early winter.

That was MY plan, but God had a different timeline.  Two weeks later we got a phone call while we were reading a bedtime story to the girls.  I didn't recognize the number, and was reluctant to answer and interrupt our bedtime routine.  A still, small voice told me to answer anyway and also told me not to worry about the topic of the conversation.  I answered the phone while Ben and the girls sat by my side on our couch.  It was our social worker calling to tell us she was retiring early and would not be able to finish writing our home study.  We knew she was planning on retiring at the end of May, but she had said she would have the study written before then.  Unfortunately, she had fallen and broken her arms and was retiring 6 weeks earlier - leaving us with an unfinished study, thus stuck in "limbo" while our file was transferred to a new social worker who would attempt to write the study based off of our original social workers notes.

I remember my heart sinking from this news.  I knew it would mean another delay in the adoption progress.  Then, I remembered the voice that caused me to answer the phone call and not to worry.  My worry quickly disappeared and, while it was not the news I had planned, I knew I could trust in God's timing in all of this.

As any adoptive or prospective adoptive parent knows, well-meaning people will often ask how the adoption is going.  This question, with the best of intentions, can be agonizing when no progress is being made.  As this question came up, I shared with close friends and family our situation with a new social worker (which in turn meant somewhat new requirements and more waiting).  Many told me I should be angry, others said how unfortunate that was, others expressed their disappointment.  Normally I would have been discouraged, but I knew God's plans were for good and all I could do was to trust in His timing according to His plan.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 
~Jeremiah 29:11

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 40:31

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and we continued to trust in God's plan for our family.  I will be the first to admit, this is easier said than done as the days pass by with no apparent progress being made.  It is hard not to give into worry and doubt, but God has had a way through every step of this adoption to show up in unexpected ways.

June rolled around and summer break had begun.  The summer break I had planned would be post home study finalization and yet we were still waiting for progress.  Just as I was beginning to worry and doubt God stepped in through a Facebook message.  It was from our Student Ministry Pastor form our church who was organizing the itinerary for two women who were coming to visit from our sister church in the Dominican Republic.  He wanted to connect them with Spanish speakers and asked if we would be willing to host them for dinner one of the nights they were here.

That FB message came shortly after I had been praying and asking for ways to make connections down in the DR before it came time to travel.  What an amazing answer to prayer it was!  We were blessed to spend the evening with two sweet women from Iglesia Central and our girls have not stopped talking about them since that evening - how they can't wait to go to the DR to see them again.   It makes my heart so glad hearing the excitement in their voices.

OK God, you never cease to amaze me with Your plan for us.  I will continue to wait on Your timing.

While we've waited these past four months we also applied for the girls' passports and have gotten them in the mail in no time at all.  We decided we may as well take care of other "loose ends" while we waited.

Just last week, we got an email from our new social worker informing us she had reviewed our file and the completion of her new requirements and was ready to move toward finalizing the home study.  The email said "you will get a draft very soon".  While I would love for very soon to be today, in the meantime we will continue to wait and trust in God's timing through this adoption adventure.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
~Psalm 28:7