As far as a time frame goes, we have no idea. It could be a year. It could be less than a year. It could be more than a year.......it could be enough time to drive me crazy waiting! Even though the wait will be longer than we want it to be (which is assured because I'm already tired of it), we are patiently-ish waiting and praying that we are receptive of what God has in store for us during this period. We have learned so much about His character as we have walked this journey and I know that He will continue to teach us more as we slow down and wait. I pray that we continue to seek His will and look to Him in the (relative) silence. With no more paperwork to do, no more meetings to prepare for and nothing requiring my immediate attention, I feel a little lost. I know that things are happening and moving on the country's end, there is just nothing left for me to do. When our social worker cleared our dossier and said the words, "It's out of your hands now," I thought it was the sweetest thing that I had ever heard - I had worked so hard to get to that point, for us to be deemed acceptable parents, to prove that our home was ok and safe for kids, for the government to make sure that we had no criminal records (multiple times by every level of law enforcement), to complete what seemed like the same forms over and over and over...the laundry list goes on and on. Now, the control-freak part of me desperately desires to take over again. I have to constantly remind myself that I'm not in control anyway and to let it go. The desire to control everything runs deep and is too often my first reaction to any situation but I'm working on that!
So, during our wait we will continue to save/raise money, knowing that with The Call comes the need for the largest portion of our expenses. All at once we will have referral fees, acceptance fees, attorney fees and travel. That fact is what motivates me to continue feeding my people more rice and beans than they would like ;), selling everything that doesn't move/serve some purpose in our home (and even some things that do), applying for every grant that I can, and baking all the cookies and cakes that y'all want! We will continue to pray for our family to be as prepared as possible for the new baby and for the family that we will forever be connected to. We will continue to praise our God that has brought us this far and will continue walking with us, even as we become more and more impatient with the wait.
On that note, if anyone would like some homemade iced sugar cookies or a sour cream pound cake, please let me know! The cookies are $12 a dozen and the cakes are $20. They are both delicious and are perfect for holiday gatherings!
We cannot begin to tell everyone how much we appreciate all of your support and prayers. It means the world to us that you love us so much! As we wait, please continue to pray for and with us. Pray for our patience, for us to continue to prepare the boys for the changes ahead, and for our future child and their birth family.
Side note: November is National Adoption Month and this coming Sunday (Nov. 8) is Orphan Sunday. Please take a moment to remember the millions of orphans worldwide and carefully consider your role in caring for them!
Love,
Ellie
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27
