The Bumpy Ride (at times)

Time has really flown by since the last time I updated the blog. I've been writing and rewriting this post many times over the past few months, especially in November, but never felt ready to put "pencil to paper" as they say or fingers to the keyboard in this case. :)

Let me start first with a disclaimer... I often worry that people are going to get sick of hearing about our adoption details or give up on us that it is ever going to happen (please feel absolutely no pressure to continue reading; this is going to be a long one). Now, don't get me wrong. No one has responded in this way at all, but it is just something that floats around in my head. When we applied to start the adoption process with Lifeline, it was early September 2012. Though much has happened in the 2+ years since that time on one hand, little has changed on the other.

Ok.. disclaimer out of the way... Philip sent me this blog post on November 21 that very accurately describes the adoption journey as a "paper pregnancy." The author also does a really good job in verbalizing why Christians are involved in adoption (it is a great read!).

This blog post came at just the right time for me.

In early October, we got a very informative update on the status of adoptions in Ethiopia and our agencies plans moving forward with their Ethiopia adoption program. A few weeks after this update, we got an additional email updating us on the change of costs for the Ethiopia program. This change, though not entirely a shock given the additional time children are staying in the orphanage, was quite a significant increase. As a person who thinks and deals in numbers all the time, this made my mind begin to swim thinking and calculating what would need to happen for our savings to reach this number.

On November 3rd, we started the 10 week class to become licensed for foster care. We are still not quite sure where this journey will lead us, but are moving forward to go ahead and get licensed when we finish the class and then at that point evaluate where things are at in the Ethiopia process.

Early in November, we received an email sent out to all families in our agency about twin boys available for adoption from another country program. The email gave very few details and stated you could call for more information. I spoke with the other country program director. She gave me as many details as she could over the phone and offered for us to view the file that included detailed medical records, videos, pictures, etc. As Philip and I discussed the possibility and asked some close friends and family to pray for wisdom and discernment, we decided not to move forward and view the file. I knew that it would be very difficult to see the boys and then say no. There were some pieces in their medical information we did not have the peace to say "Yes". We know God knows the right forever family for these twin boys even if we are not that match.

Somewhere in the middle of this, I contacted a friend who runs a shop of handmade and vintage items for sale one weekend a month. I talked to her about making and selling scarves and holiday bunting at the sale in November to put the money made toward our adoption fees. She graciously gave me the opportunity. I sewed around the clock leading up to the November sale which went very well. I was humbled and overwhelmed by the friends and family who went out to specifically buy items I had made to help us out. Then I began sewing some more to get a head start for the December sale.

As I posted pictures of the finished scarves on Facebook, friends, family and friends of friends and family began contacting me to order scarves. I would barely get some scarves sewn and post pictures and within days or even hours at times, the scarves would all be sold. I have shipped scarves from Utah to Ohio and Iowa to Oklahoma as well as many all around the state of Kansas. I basically was down in the basement sewing during any free time I had in the evenings or on weekends for the past 3-4 weeks. It was a good problem to have. :) The Facebook orders kept coming as the weekend for the sale at the shop got closer, but thankfully, I was able to get enough inventory done for an even more successful sale at the shop this past weekend.

Who knew that scarves would be such a hit? God did. Who knew that some ladies who could easily sew their own scarves would still order because they wanted to support our adoption? God did. Who knew the generosity of so many to pay above and beyond the actual amount of the scarves and leave a note "put the extra toward your adoption"? God did. Who knew that we would find out about the raise in costs right before weather turned cold and people began shopping for scarves for the cold weather and for Christmas gifts? God did.

Oh and I have almost forgot the best part of the last month... for the last week and a half of November, there was regular posts on our agencies Facebook page of families being matched with children. It was a flood of good news on a daily basis and even some days where we found out about multiple matches which means movement on the list for those of us yet to be matched! December 1st when the monthly email came with the update of our wait list number, we knew for the first time in months, it was going to be a big jump!

We know not every month is going to be like November.

Every month will hopefully not be such a roller coaster of emotions.

Every month unfortunately will not be as much movement on the list.

But every month, God will be present with us through the journey.