Who knew?

To say the least, I am surprised that NOT being Indian decreased dramatically our wait for a referral. Decreased it by 12-18 months to be precise. India has a very strict pattern for how people are able to adopt from their country. First priority goes to Resident Indians (those living in country). Next priority goes to Non-Resident Indians (those who are citizens but live outside of the country). Third, and least prioritized are those who are not Indian. That last group would be us. Pretty obvious, huh. Who ever heard of pasty-white Indians? Not me either. Anyway, all indications were that we were going to be waiting a very long time. To get a referral now was mind-boggling. Maren got a chance to talk to one of the workers in Portland and was able to ask about this. It turns out that we are the only non-Indian family on their wait list, and the only family willing to take a child as old as the one we are now pursuing (3 years, 2 months old). Thus, the massive jump up the wait list. Huh, who'da thunk it?

But let him who boasts

This is what the Lord says, "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, let not the strong man boast of his strength, let not the rich man boast of his wisdom, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight" declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23-24

May I boast clearly about one thing. The Lord, He is faithful. The Lord, He is good. The Lord will not call someone to something to which He will not provide.

On Tuesday of this past week, Maren got a call that there was a referral ready and waiting for us if we were interested. After listening to some of the details about this little girl, she asked for more information. The next day, we received details of this wonderful little one. The following day, the day before Christmas, we received an 8 minute DVD of this sweet girl. By now, we had made the decision to move forward with accepting this referral. To do so would require a multi-thousand dollar committment. We didn't have that available to us. We weren't expecting to receive a referral for another 12-18 months. I can say with all honesty (and those who know me may be surprised) that I was not the least bit concerned about where this money was going to come from. God called us to it, He will provide. I was sure of it. Not arrogant sure, but peaceful sure. And yet, we didn't know where this money would come from.

Ok, are you following the path so far? Tuesday, we get the verbal referral. Wednesday, we get the paperwork documentation. Thursday, we get the DVD. We decide to adopt her, but have a boatload of cash to come up with. That brings us to Friday. Friday, we get an unsolicited offer for a no-interest loan for $1,000 more than we need to move forward with the adoption!

I am experiencing a mix of feelings about this. I think the predominant feeling is one of peaceful admiration for our God. Let me boast about Him. He is worthy to be praised. I am thankful for the number of people He uses to bless us and our daughter-in-waiting. I ask for return blessings for them.

Where paperwork meets people

So the past week or so, I have been meaning to add an update or two to our process but haven't gotten it done. Writing about paperwork is a bit dull, and let's face it, repetitive. Let's see, I think we are up to four sets of fingerprints now. Just yesterday I got our second copy of our marriage license. As a quick aside, may I say that if everything about the adoption paperwork process was as easy as obtaining our marriage license from Clermont County, why this would have all been over with months ago. From the moment I stepped into the Probate Court office, I walked out in less than three minutes with a new certified copy of our marriage license. Mind you, I did this without an appointment. It was marvelous. But I digress. Anyway, we have been working on the final touches of our dossier. Actually, we thought it was complete, but when I went to put things together, I realized there were several pieces that we were still missing. Very frustrating. So, the last several days we have been slogging once again through the gathering of more paperwork. It has been an aggravating process UNTIL...

Maren got a call last night from our social worker in Portland. After asking some routine questions about where we stood on our paperwork, he asked if she was ready to discuss a possible referral! Say what? We weren't expecting a referral for about a year at this point. She got off the phone with him and called me while I was on the way to a dinner meeting. We were both surprised to say the least. In the adoption world, it is generally unheard of that things happen faster than you expect. And things happening a year early, well, I have never heard anything like that. Today, we got information about this girl including estimated birth date, first name, and medical information. Due to Hague Convention rules, we are not permitted to share any of this information online. In a surprise Christmas gift, we are now very seriously considering accepting this referral for this little girl.

We are very excited about this yet calm. We are certain that the Lord will lead us and are seeking out His will. We are looking forward to tomorrow when we are supposed to receive a Fed Ex package that includes a DVD of her.