Whew...what a day. It's been about 97 degrees in nearby Indianapolis today and I was out in it doing grocery shopping for the assisted living home I work in. It doesn't seem too much to do but since I do not have a handicap license or hang tag for my van and I had a client in a wheelchair with me, I had to park waaaaaayyyyyy out there so that no one (hopefully) would park next to me and I could load and unload the wheelchair. And the little old man I had with me decided that he really couldn't make it to the van thus needing my assistance...all the time I was also pulling a shopping cart with $200 worth of groceries in it. It was loaded down. I am quite a shopper...

Anyway, I'm home now. Yay! I have six hours before I have to get up and go back to work. One of these days I'm gonna have to get a different job. But God is good. I think He wants me there for a while...if for nothing else but the insurance it provides our family.

Some of you know that we have been talking about adoption for a while now. I got a call from the adoption agency we had decided to go through. This was about nine at night on Wednesday and we had just gotten home from church. To make a long story short, they said...."no." at least for a newborn. "No birth mother would choose you and your husband because you are too old and you have teenagers." Ok, yeah, maybe we aren't in our 20's...or 30's...but we aren't exactly old. And they don't know OUR teenagers!! What wonderful big brothers and sisters they would make.

I'm a little bit disheartened but not terribly. I didn't really feel like God is calling us to take a newborn. It seems like everyone is fighting over newborns and to be honest, I remember the newborn time...FIVE times to be exact...and it wasn't always wonderful. Of course, I thought it was THEN, when I held my little baby during the night and did all the wonderful things I did.
But I wouldn't want to rob another lady of that joy. I can't imagine NOT having been a Mommy.
But a newborn isn't absolutely necessary to me.
A toddler or preschooler would be PERFECT!!

So, we may try foreign adoption or adoption from foster care. God is planning something for us, I know.
My heart is really burdened for third world countries and the orphans. However, parts of the United States aren't much better. Oh, of course, the CONDITIONS are better but there are so very many people without the Lord and they are raising their children without the Lord.

I work in a VERY rough part of Indianapolis. A few weeks ago there was a shooting about a block from the house I work in. In fact, at the end of the street where I turn into the neighborhood, there were ambulances and police cars all over. (This is 5:30 a.m.!!) Evidently, there was a shooting at the gas station down the road and the victim drove home to his house and called the ambulance. (There is an armed guard at the gas station all the time and the workers stay in a bullet proof "cage" to do their transactions! I know this because I bought gas there today. Oh dear, I think I am CRAZY!!!!! Scary place! It's not too bad during the daylight but when I leave work during the winter months, it's very dark out and I am not very comfortable with it!
But people are raising their dear little ones in this neighborhood. All the time we see little "memorials" for children killed on the street in gang or drive by shootings. And this is Indianapolis...a reasonably safe city!

I feel that I would be doing the same amount of good for the Lord by adopting from foster care if I could take a child or two from this kind of environment and love and nurture him or her. We have our own "mission field" in our back yard! (Well, not exactly OUR back yard...thank the Lord! Did I sound like a snob?? I didn't mean to!)

So, anyway, that's where we are now. I think we need to talk to an adoption attorney and ask around. We are also planning to take "foster parenting" classes.
Keep us in your prayers, if you think about it.

Blessings!
Beth