Changes: Part 2

It was not my intention to leave everyone in suspense about changes in our family. But as so often happens, life and busyness got the best of my intentions. I am sure you have all been spending many sleepless nights wondering what on earth we are doing.
Wait no more.

Almost exactly a year ago Kevin and I began to discuss seriously the prospect of adoption. Neither of us have ever felt particularly attracted to adoption and never thought that it would be a part of our family’s story. But last spring something began to grip our hearts and minds and take root in our conversations. And once the seeds were planted, we could not go back.
The idea of adoption was at first cloudy—an ideal that seemed too far out there for us. It seemed (and still does seem) risky and unpredictable. Sometimes it seems downright crazy.
But through our conversations, God began to whisper to us His heart; “that the fatherless find fathers” and that “the orphans be orphans no more (Psalm 10:14, 18).” We began to see this not just a personal calling to care for orphans, but a mandate that we must all answer in some way.
And so we entered what seemed like a meandering search for what this might look like for us.

We researched all types of adoption. We discussed what it would be like to bring home a child that is not biologically ours. We talked and talked about what we should do, and then stopped talking about adoption for weeks at a time only to restart the conversation again. We spoke with and even met with other families who have adopted. We listened to webinars and requested packet after packet of information from different agencies. I attended an introductory seminar and talked on the phone to foster care agencies and representatives from adoption agencies. We asked questions and I took notes. We gathered so much information that it seemed like maybe we had done enough—like we could stop there and say, “yes, we are aware of the worldwide orphan crisis, of the overwhelming needs of those who lack families” and that somehow that awareness would help and we could just go on with our safe life.

But the whispers into our hearts wouldn’t stop. The call to plunge in to this risky opening up of ourselves the unknown, to welcome in a child that we would call our own, wouldn’t quiet down. It just got louder. And the sense of longing for this child that we know nothing about to be found and come home to us got stronger.

Finally we made the decision to go beyond the talking and researching. Through an acquaintance we were connected with MLJ.

We have officially started our paperwork and the application and if all goes as predicted, we should welcome home our child in 10-14 months.

It is important to us that our friends and family walk this road with us. Adoption is now becoming part of our family's story and we appreciate you listening and engaging it.
I promise that not all of our posts will be this heavy. For example, I have been hanging onto some great video of a few new dance moves Ada has been working on (can you hardly wait?).
Interspersed in all that I want to tell you more about what we are learning about the adoption process.
And I want to document all of this so that someday this child of ours, along with Cambel and Ada, will see how they were prepared for and waited for and searched for and longed for even before we knew who they were.