Adoption Update

Long time no see!

We have been busy plugging along a bit and busy waiting a lot!

In mid-June we were assigned to a new caseworker so there was a several week pause as our file went to a different desk and the new caseworker got acquainted with ALL of her new cases. We finished our paperwork and worked really hard on our profile book. (If you would like to see it let me know, I would love to share it with you!)

Just last week Adelaide and I walked down to the post office to ship off the book. On Thursday we heard that our caseworker received the book and that "it was great" !!!!!!! We were really excited to hear this. I had been a little bit down because we were initially told it would take about 3 months to be certified but with adoption, any timeline may not be what it seems. At month 4.5 we were told it would be another month or two before we were assigned to a certification worker to complete our home study and our file making us ready to adopt. Hearing that our book was great put just the pep in my step that I needed!

We're coming for you, baby Martin! Slowly but surely.

Here at home we are making sure that our home is ready for the home study visit (baby proofing, locking away meds, fire arms, bows and arrows, bombs, gernades... you know the usual... just kidding :)) I've also been painting a Jenny Lind style changing table that I found on the side of the street for free. This was a serendipitous find because our crib is also Jenny Lind!

We've been studying a little bit more Cherokee language and history and I am in the process of making Adelaide a traditional Cherokee dress for a pow wow that we are going to in November.

For the most part our family has been very excited. They are joining us in praying and asking for updates often. On Saturday morning we sent a pic to Karen, my wonderful MIL, of the sign for the dachshund races at our town's Oktoberfest. She made me tear up a little when she texted back that her heart jumped when she saw the text had a pic because she thought it may be of our Cherokee baby!

With all the encouragement we have received however, I've been pretty heart broken by some family members' reactions and lack of reaction to our news.

In Isaiah 54, the prophet Isaiah was talking to Israel and is foreshadowing not only the bringing back in of the exiled people but also the bringing in of the Gentile peoples back to God and further more (because God is a God of fractals) it is not difficult or out of place to see that this is also drawing to mind the beautiful example of literal adoption. While talking to the barren, lonely woman, the author tells her to "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities" (v. 2-3)

Clearly God is telling us to generously open our home , give our energy, give our resources. DO NOT HOLD BACK! God is telling us to love largely because He desires to build us up and grow us.

Further in that same chapter it is written "All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you" (v. 13-15) and then in the last verse of that chapter it concludes that "No weapon forged against you will prevail"

I know that God has called us to adopt. I know that He has laid our path. I know that He has a plan and a desire, even in the hard days, to set the parent-less in families and to make our home joyful. Adoption is not easy, we know this, we are not ignorant or foolish to this part. We fully believe that if God has brought us to it He will guide us through the darkest of times and rejoice over us in the good times. 

To my family and friends who doubt or just don't know what to say (or to those of you who have family adopting and don't know how to react): Dig into the word of God, dig into books about parenting adopted children like "The Connected Child" by Dr. Karyn Purvis, pray without ceasing, and finally be joyful.

Please know that our family is most important to us. We know when to prune back those in our life that aren't bringing good fruit and who won't be productive in the long process of helping our child heal. Jesus made it quite clear that following him wasn't for the faint of heart, that hard choices would have to be made, that the choices would often be unpopular. In case anyone is doubting us: we are ALL IN! 

Bonus: Cherokee language lesson: Wado (wah-DOH) means thank you!

Adelaide with a freshly harvested carrot from our garden. This pic was from June