2 Weeks From Today

Will the next two weeks ever pass? It seems as though time has passed at a snail's pace, and we still have 2 weeks to go. I have so many things constantly running through my mind. Our court date is scheduled for May 22, 2009 - this day is HUGE for us and for Alyza Kate.

I'm just going to be brutally honest, I suck at waiting (my Mom would so kill me for using that word) and with adoption, you spend most of your time doing that very thing...waiting. Everyone that is adopting is somewhere in the process. Some are waiting on referrals - tough times, believe me I know. Referrals were taking 6 months when we logged in our paperwork in China and it took us 17 months to get our referral - which sadly, pales in comparison to the China wait times now. And, again with the honesty, it never helped for anyone to tell me "it's all in God's timing". I know that and I believe that with all my heart - it is His timing, but I wanted to see my baby's face THEN! Sometimes you just wanted to scream, even though the words were very true.
My friends, your referrals will come. And, in an instant, all of those feelings of pain, anxiousness, frustration and sadness will disappear. It will be all but a distant memory when you see that sweet face. And you will praise God for His timing.

Some are waiting on medical reports, some are waiting on updates - just a little glimpse of their precious one's face. Some are waiting on the special needs list to come out, some are waiting on news from a foreign government. Some are waiting to see if they are going to be accepted into an agency's program. Wait, wait, wait...

For us, waiting on our court date to get here, comes with the feelings of "will we pass?" Yes, there is a possibility that we might not pass - then what? We will wait on another court date and pray to pass again. If we pass the first time, we will soon travel to our daughter's birth country and bring her home, hopefully sometime in June. In our case, she was relinquished by her birthmom, so she must appear in court. She is several miles away and must make the trip back into the capital to appear in court. That keeps me awake at night. So pray with me for that if you will.

Our agency blesses us beyond measure with regular updates and a picture or two. It eases the pain of waiting somewhat, but the longing and the desire to go get your child is hard to explain in mere words. It's hard for someone to understand your feelings unless they have had a child on the other side of the world that they could not get to.

Hang in there, my friends. For you will soon have one wait behind you, only to be staring another one in the face. It's a never ending cycle for those that decide to jump into the waters of adoption. But, oh what a sweet place to be. I will tread water forever if that is what it takes. I have said a million times "as hard as the wait was to get Jadyn's referral, I would have waited a million years, she is so worth it". God is good.

Pray for the next 2 weeks for us, for referrals for my friends, for the children of this world who need homes, for the birthfamilies who are making excruciating decisions of allowing someone else to parent their child(ren), for the governments, and for a precious Mother in Ethiopia who has be appear in court in 2 weeks to allow a family from a million miles away to come and pick her/their daughter up and love her like there is no tomorrow. My heart aches for her.

Thanks for reading and praying,