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I couldn't wait last week to be able to finally share with you guys that we had sent in our application to Thailand. I was going to wait to start back our fundraiser and announce it all at once with a picture of the submitted form on my computer stating: "Your application has now been submitted." That would've been awesome. It would have been proof to myself, finally, that this thing is going forward. After all, as some of you guys know, we've had soooo many bumps in the road already and have been delayed several times, whether it be by our original country program interest in Taiwan closing, my health, finding new housing, or finances. I was so excited to finally move forward and be able to take this next step.
We've already had a fair share of learning to trust God in this process fully. His timing is perfect. His plan is perfect. He knows who our future little one will be, and he knows how to get us there.
We know all of these things, but it still doesn't make the process any less difficult while you are experiencing it.
Last week, on the day we were finally going to be able to send in our application, we found that the Thailand program as of January 1st was shut down to new applicants temporarily. The time frame is indefinite, most likely up to 6 months as my best guess, because we were told not to start the application process as things were time sensitive. They do this periodically to keep wait times down, since Thailand has such long times to begin with.
It was disheartening to say the least. Thinking about all the what ifs, questioning why we hadn't just filled out an application 2 weeks sooner, and why we decided to wait. However God already knew this was going to happen. There's no happenstance with His calling. He knew when it was going to happen, and he already started to direct our hearts in small ways in a different direction.
Just to begin thinking of our other options, there really weren't any other Thai agencies we felt comfortable proceeding with or qualified for (in case any of you guys were thinking that). Most require you to have proof of infertility to work with them or aren't as reputable. As far as other countries go, there are certain requirements for each, some of which we wouldn't meet the age requirements. He could've just been telling us to wait because the timing was off, but we didn't really feel this was the plan.
So what new path was God pulling us towards?
Several weeks back I was looking at some waiting child pictures which were posted on the website. For those of you that don't know, these are the kids with special needs so to say that are somewhat harder to place because of age or medical issues. If the agencies are unable to place the children in the normal process, they advocate for them to find a family this way. As a future adopter I find myself drawn to blogs of other families and these waiting children pages; usually praying for the kids I find. So back to several weeks back, I was looking and found a picture of a little girl that I decided just to email Holt about, mostly just to check into the program more. I kind of found out a little bit about it, but brushed it off and moved on thinking that we would be starting the Thailand program anyways, and told myself just to wait on that process.
When we found the above news that our program was closed, some of my friends offered encouragement stating a reminder that while we know deep down, we sometimes still need to hear. "God's timing is always perfect, and that he already knew which child He would entrust to us, that perhaps this road block was His way of pointing us in a new direction."
After praying about this, seeking God's direction, and talking with Will; I decided to write the same lady back that I had previously discussed the waiting children program with. I wasn't sure if it was even a possibility, but asked if we could fill out a waiting child only application, and proceed just doing that program. The next day I heard back with a yes and two days later we talked to her more in depth about the program on the phone. We had a lot of questions and fears, but this made us much more at ease.
We are both in agreement that this is the way that God is leading us to proceed right now. We trust that this is God's plan for our family, and that His plans are much greater than anything we have ever imagined for ourselves.
So what is this program?
This program is specifically with waiting children. These are children advocated for on websites, that are more hard to place. They might be older or have some medical issues making them a little harder to place with a family. We will be able to start the home study process, then we will choose a child we become interested in, get consulted about the medical stuff, and then there is a committee process to find the best fit for a child. Near the end of the home study we will need to make a decision on which country will be from in order to complete necessary paperwork. If by the end of the home study process we don't find a child, then we will move into a more normal country program process.
Where will the child be from? The child will most likely either be from South Korea or Thailand.
How long will it take?
This is both amazing and scary. We could get matched with a child right away as in within the next few months. However it is scary because this also means much less time to raise the necessary funds we need for the adoption. If the child is from Korea it also means more expense for the country fees, and 2 trips are required to the country.
Are you guys comfortable with "special needs?"
Absolutely. We are actually really excited about providing a home to a child that might have more difficulty finding one. It breaks our hearts to see that some children are somewhat skipped over because of special needs. Also some of what we think of as special needs actually varies some from what other countries think. Most things we might even consider minor. Either way, we believe every child deserves a home and parents to love on them- especially those with medical conditions- I mean I don't even want to picture a child in a hospital or going for a surgery without mom and dad there. It's heart breaking.
It's also even more, such a great picture of God's grace for us and His love. We were orphans with absolutely nothing to give, yet he chose not to leave us, but to adopt us into His family. We are more loved and accepted in Jesus than we ever dared hope. That's the gospel friends.
Ways you can pray for us:
Finances- Please PRAY PRAY PRAY that God will provide. For us this is the SCARIEST part. We are really stepping out in faith and learning to trust God with this part. This process could be sooo much faster, and that means we will need to raise funds fast! We also need to raise funds pretty quick to be able to start our home study which is usually around 3,000. Once we get through the home study process we will be able to apply for more financial assistance like grants and loans, but we have to get there first. With my having to stay at home right now because of where I'm at with my lyme treatment finances get hard, and it kills me that i'm not able to work full time and help contribute better through this. We do plan to do everything in our power to save everything we can, and work as hard as we can to fund-raise. So pray for some pretty effective stuff. :) If anyone has any ideas we would love to hear them. Also if you would like to donate, you can now do so directly through the paypal link on my blog. We'll be posting some more fundraisers very soon, along with HouseDownSouth opening back up on etsy to sell my paintings. I know that if God has called us He will provide- and I rest in that, but stepping out in this, depending completely on the generosity and God's leading of others, and trusting God in this is definitely one of the hardest and scariest things we have ever had to do.
God's direction and our future little one: Please pray that God will direct us to the exact child He wants to be ours. Pray that He will close doors and whatever else He has to do to get us to our child. Pray for us in the decision process as well as we seek to find our child. Please also pray for our future little one. They very likely have already been born at this time!! That's unbelievably crazy to think that our child is on the other side of the world. Please pray for them, that they get the care they need (breaks my heart thinking they're not with us already), pray for their care givers- whether in a foster home or orphanage. Pray for their health; they might have medical needs- pray that these get addressed effectively and that they are comforted during this time.
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