It just keeps getting complicated! ;)

This has been such a strange 48 hours around here! You would have to read my previous post to fully understand, but within 8 hours, we were told or were seeking information about THREE precious children available for us to adopt!

THEN, THE INCREDIBLE THING HAPPENED!!

Just over two weeks ago, we had applied to adopt little "I"...a 5 year old boy originally from the Congo. We were pretty certain that he would be ours...and so was the adoption worker. However, as I was expecting to get the email or phone call confirming our thought, I instead got the email saying that he was being returned to his home in the United States. (it's complicated and for privacy issues, I don't think I should explain...)

Anyway, I cried a LOT for a few days and then decided to move forward with other avenues of adoption. I returned his clothes that I bought...started putting away what I had out to make his bedroom cute....etc...

SOOOO....yesterday....drum roll, please.....we got the email saying he was available and that I needed to call immediately! So I did! (of course...) I was able to talk to the adoption agency and we were basically chosen for him!

We have a conference call set up for Saturday night and if that goes well, we will travel to the other side of the United States to meet him! (just in time for his 6th birthday! I think this prospective Mommy will need to go shopping! WooHoo...shopping for this little boy!!!)

He is beautiful! He plays the violin and speaks French and English! He's brilliant! Did I mention that he's beautiful and brilliant?????? Well, he is...just in case you weren't aware....

Please pray for our decision...and his parents' decision and his decision! He's had some difficulty and we really feel like we want him to WANT to be our little boy. It's going to be a hard adjustment for us all...but with the Lord's help, I'm sure we can do it!

Oh, by the way, my birthday is this Sunday and my husband asked me what I wanted...I told him "a little child." Maybe my birthday wish will come true!

OH MY OH MY!!

Today has been a fairly remarkable day for us! We need prayers for wisdom....

I received a phone call today from a foster mother who has a little boy who is 9 months old in her care. She wanted to tell me about him and asked if we were interested in pursuing his adoption. He sounds wonderful...he has some health concerns...but none the less...wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THEN...I got an email from our original adoption agency and SHE SENT US A PICTURE OF A LITTLE GIRL WE CAN ADOPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is about three years old and is in an African country. She was abandoned at the gate of the home of a government official in her country.

You know...we've been calling our little girl that we have been praying for God to give us.... "Grace."

Well, her name isn't exactly Grace...but it is "FAITH" !!!!

Pretty cool, don't you think?

We're not sure what we are going to do. Right now we have three options...the 5 year old little boy from the neighboring state, the infant boy from our state, or little Faith.
By the way, I also think the 5 year old little boy is WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With both of the little boys, we will have to be chosen by the foster care "powers that be"...to be able to adopt either of them. There may be lots of red tape and issues and other families trying to adopt them...and then there is always the fight to have the parental rights terminated. The older little guy is already able to be adopted. (I kinda want all of them.........I REALLY want all of them.....) Unfortunately, we will not find out if we can get the 5 year old until the middle of June...possibly too late to see about the other two little angels. It's kind of a gamble to work with the Foster system....We haven't yet been told we are even going to be considered for him. We won't know yet for several weeks.

With Faith, I think we just have to say "Yes"......and be able to finance the adoption.

It's pretty strange...after all this time of heartache and "living in the desert" feeling we have been experiencing, we have these three options. I hate the feeling of saying "NO" to a child.

I am not sure I will be able to sleep tonight...I may need my friend, "NyQuil."

Or better yet...I need my Friend, Jesus. I can talk to Him and fall asleep in His company!

Hello! I have just hung my first load of laundry out on the clothesline! (However, I can't find my clothespins so my mattress protectors may find themselves in the neighboring farmer's field...)

We have started the process to try to find out about little "M"...a five year old little boy in foster care. We had to update our homestudy and Jennie and I had to get new fingerprinting done since ours were over a year old now.

Our agency will submit our homestudy and then find out more information about him. Then we can decide if we want to pursue it. Other families will most likely be pursuing his adoption as well so we just have to wait and see....and pray...and hope...and try not to get MY hopes up too much!

We won't know any decision until mid June....what a LONG wait!

Until then, I guess we can concentrate on organizing and cleaning our home...something that needs to be done anyway!

Marci's wedding is in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!!! We are pretty well ready, yesterday we bought some more things for the meal for the wedding. It may sound strange, but we are having a "pasta buffet"....it is something we all love and it will be less expensive to do than to do a big catered meal. None of us are wealthy and it just isn't wise to go into great debt to have a lavish wedding. I'm sure it will be nice and I have a friend who is going to help me!

It is a little sad because we were planning to have our child home with us by now but the adoption just hasn't gone as we expected. We had thought that we would have a little girl in our family and that she would be a flower girl. We bought a matching flowergirl basket but her basket will remain empty.

God sees and knows all things...I need to keep that in mind. He knows which child He wants us to have, boy or girl, toddler or older. I'm beginning to accept that now where before I was adamant what "I" wanted. I'm glad that God is working in my heart and life and I really want what HE wants for us and for our future child. I was telling Roger just last night that I honestly don't have the same wish that I had a year or two ago. Now I just want to have who GOD wants us to have.

I am SURE that I will have all the love in the world to give to that special child God has picked out for us!

Many Blessings on You This Lord's Day!

Beth

Have a lovely day!

Beth

Praying for "M"

Good morning! What a beautiful day it is here in Indiana! I have little Brody today and he just makes my day!

We are praying about a little boy..."M"....about a possibility to adopt him. He is just adorable and five years old. We have to be chosen, again, and won't know anything for at least a month. We also have to have the adoption agency who did our homestudy cooperate with the agency who has the little guy. I know that there are a lot of laws and certain licensing that everyone has to abide by so it's kinda not up to us....but he is really a cutie pie!

I keep losing my heart for these little children and it is so hard when we are disappointed. But it is all in God's hands and He knows what is best for all involved.

Lots to do today...working on Marci's wedding flowers in a little while! It's coming up...April 28th!

Well, take care!
Blessings,
Beth

Not the News We Expected....

Late last night we received the good/bad news that the little boy who we wanted to adopt was being given another chance in his adopted home. He has spent several months in a therapeutic home and has just returned to his adopted parents. So....hopefully, for him, it will work out and he will not have to have any more sadness in his life. That means that we are not an option for him...if it is successful for him. Of course, we are kinda hoping it WILL work out for him because that would be better for him in the long run...but we are very disappointed...in a selfish way.

We are growing weary of our adoption journey. We aren't giving up...just very weary and battered. Perhaps we will find our child in the foster system.

(By the way, Ann....Jennie will be travelling to Surrey, England where her "true love" is! )


Blessings,
Beth

Waiting for Adoption News!!!!

Well...a lot has happened in the last week...Jennie and her English boyfriend, Chris, had a wonderful time together!! I cried when I had to take him to the airport yesterday! (I think Jennie shed her tears privately!) She is anxiously planning to get her passport and hoping to make her own travel plans to England this summer!

Now for the BIG news!!! We have applied to try to adopt a beautiful almost six year old little boy! I'm on pins and needles waiting to see what news we get. We have to be "chosen" once again so it's really out of our hands! God is perfectly capable of planning our futures and the little guy's future...but we do hope we will be together! He is originally from the Congo and has seen much sadness...so we are praying for God to heal his little spirit...and to help us understand him and to love him through all his fears! (Ok...I'll confess to you...because I know you won't tell anyone...I'm already getting a little carried away. I've already done some shopping.......) We do hope we are chosen for him! I think that the next step will be to have a phone interview and if that goes well, we will travel to meet the little cutie!

So, keep us in your prayers, if you think about it! I hope we will let you know good news within a week or two!

Blessings!
Beth