Anyone who has ever adopted, been in the adoption process, or known someone in the adoption process would say that adoption is definitely a roller coaster ride. We can attest that is true and we're still in the very beginning stages, but for us, it seems that we take a couple of steps forward and then take more steps backward. At times, we have wondered if maybe all the tears, frustration, difficulties and hardships are worth it, but then when we look at the photo of a little 2 year oldHaitian boy and see those big dimples, we know that one day it will all be worth it. All the frustrations and expense and forms and time. It's MORE than worth it.
The last time I wrote was in August and we had been told that adopting a special needs child would mean leaving Canada and the position that we had at the mission board. After a month or so of praying about that decision, I just couldn't find peace. And so the stubborn and persistent person that I am decided to appeal that decision. Without going into the long version, our missions leadership advised us to first of all decide what God is leading us to do and then they will work with us to do what's best for the child once he is adopted. They couldn't give us a definite answer that we would be able to return to Canada, but they were positive about adopting special needs children and were truly concerned for the child. For that, we felt as if God was saying to continue again with special needs adoption. That was our 1 Step Forward.
We were excited and ready to move on finally. We called our adoption agency to find out what the dates for our home study would be and they politely(well, not really politely) informed us that we were taking too long in moving forward and they were dropping us and would no longer work with us. So $250 lost and back to square 1, we began looking for another adoption agency that worked with Haiti. As we began contacting other agencies, they informed us that Haiti is now unofficially on hold and are no longer accepting applications for adoptions. That was our 2 steps Back. ARGHHHHH!!!
As you've probably heard before, God's ways are not our ways. That statement definitely applies to this situation because this is not at all the way I would have chosen to do this. But we believe that there is a reason for everything and we choose to have faith that God is working even though it seems that we are moving backward. So.........where are we now?
A new agency has been hired for our home study. More money paid to this agency. More paperwork to be done. FBI checks and background checks from 2 states and 3 different countries, 16 different documents to be filled out and some notarized, references to be filled out, 10 hours of online adoption classes to take, 4 day weekend with a social worker, medical exams and lots of blood tests to be done, etc....... Then when all that is completed, we'll pray that Haiti is open again for adoptions. And will it be worth it? I believe with ALL my heart that it will be.
Thank you for staying with us on this journey/process/marathon of an adoption story. I will try to keep the updates coming more often. :)
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