Another litte update

So I finally broke down and wrote to our agency partner in Olivia's country.  Our dossier had been in her country for 6 weeks and I was getting a little antsy.  Ok, a lot antsy.  Since they are in a very different timezone, I didn't expect such a quick answer, but Grace answered me the same day.  Now I will warn you that with all good news is a tiny bit of bad news.  I am learning this is what adoption is all about.

This was our update:

Good News
-our dossier was translated last week
-the Adoption Commission Center approved us as candidates for Olivia's adoption
-all of the paperwork is ready to be sent back for Olivia's I-800A (immigration paperwork) ....except one piece of paperwork

Not-So Good News
-we are missing Olivia's doctor clearance...actually we have it but it is not signed and sealed (another thing about adoptions- EVERYTHING must be signed and sealed)

Bad News
-Olivia's guardian will be unavailable from July 15 - Aug 2 (this means the earliest we can travel to see Olivia is August 2nd). Of course, I am the only one who sees this as bad news.  Apparently I am still the only impatient one in the process.  I know, I still haven't learned my lesson.

So that's the story folks.  My long lesson in patience.  Sometimes I wonder if they make adoption process so long to see if you are truly committed to sticking it out.  And I want to tell them...."I am may be impatient but I am not a quitter". (unless you are talking about housework...I quit in the middle of that all the time)

Ambiance

This is me....

 

 

Yep, I have been sitting here looking out at gray skies all day.  Now this happens very little in New Mexico; and when it does, we hope rain will follow.  And although we have had one or two drops fall, today has mostly just been gray --no rain.  Normally I actually like a day to sit curled up on the couch doing nothing --because the weather told me to.

 

 Today...not so much. 

 

Why? Today I am struggling to hope.  I am trying not to fall into the ambiance of the day. (Karen, the little black rain cloud.) I am letting circumstances and weather affect my attitude.  We are now going on 5 weeks with no word from Olivia's country about our paperwork. Nothing...nada...nyet. Now I know someday I will look back and think this process just flew by, but today is not that day. Have you ever tried to look at the bright side of things on a gloomy day?  It's hard!!!

But God is gracious....He makes sure we have His words to encourage us on days like these.

 

Psalm 39:7

And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

 

Psalm 31:24

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

 

Psalm 42:5

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

 

I really like that last bit...."the help of His countenance".  He doesn't have days of gloominess.  We do.  And if we hope in Him, we are given His countenance.  Which I am absolutley positive looks nothing like mine at the moment.  Maybe something a little more like this.....

 

 

A Window

Russia.  I hear a lot about it these days. When I first found Reece's Rainbow, probably two thirds of the children listed were in an orphanage in Russia.  Some of them even had families committed to them through Reece's.  For some reason I was never comfortable with going to Russia (I believe it all boiled down to the number of trips they required).  But there was this one girl..... I rooted for her; because had she not been in Russia, I would have considered her in a heartbeat. 

She was called "Dayna" and every picture they had of her was like this one. Happy!  It was as if she never realized that the life she lived wasn't ideal. After stalking watching her profile for a while,  I saw she finally found her family. They committed to bringing her home and were working on their homestudy.

 

  And then the ban.....her family was never going to be allowed to go get her.  "Dayna" died recently in that orphanage, not ever knowing what it would be like to have a family love her. 

 

And there are hundreds more children who will probably never know what it is like to have a real family thanks to Russia's ban. This really frustrates me; but then I am reminded that God is still in control.

 

I hate using this phrase but it fits..."when God closes a door, He opens a window".  He really does.  Because since the Russia ban, over 175 children in China have been listed on Reece's Rainbow.  Some have already found their families.  God cares for every one of these little ones; and even when man feels he is in control...he's not. And somehow God will find a way to take care of all those little ones who can't be adopted. For now He's making sure that these little ones in China find homes.

Tallulah

 

Lydia Rose

 

Annie

 

Liam

 

Bobby

 

All these they need is someone to care enough to move mountains to come get them. And trust me, what you may think is impossible, isn't.

 

Matthew 17:20

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

 

**Reece's Rainbow is an awareness and fundraising sight for children with special needs who are on adoption agencies waiting list.  They have permission to post photos of these kids (names are changed to protect children)