I have been approached by many people in the last few weeks asking for an update on the adoption process. Truthfully I have dreaded updating this adoption blog because of the lack of progress I have to report. So here it goes...the update is...we are still waiting!
At the beginning of this process back in early October we were instructed that once the home study was complete that it would be approximately 5 months until we receive our child referral (picture and specifics about OUR child). Our home study was completed on Dec. 12, do the math, May 12! So for months I have been eager for the month of May to come so that we can finally see the child that God has hand picked for our family. My longing for the month of May was completely misplaced after I received an email last month updating our process. The email informed me that the referral would arrive closer to 6-9 months, not from the home study date, but from the time that our file was sent to Korea. Our file was sent to Korea on March 24.
My heart was broken, I cannot explain the emotions that overwhelmed me at that moment! 6 to 9 more months, are you serious? Our adoption agency explained the process again and informed us that appoximately 25 other families are waiting with their agency for a child from Korea.
Doing the math again it could be Sept. or after before we even have our referral and then another 3 months before we can travel to pick up our child. I can't imagine spending Christmas with part of our family a whole world away, not only Christmas but the possibility is very real that it could be next year before we go to pick up our child.
So now you know that math, you know the possibilities, but the fact is that we don't know anything at all. AIAA receives no updates from Korea, they know nothing until the referrals are sent to the state. Our adoption agency could easily call us tomorrow and tell us that they are sending a referral, we just don't know. There is nothing left for us to do but wait and trust God.
I have to admit to you that I have really struggled in the last few weeks with trying to grasp all of the unknown. The truth is my heart absolutely longs for our child in an indescribable way. As I explained in my first blog, this has been a life long dream for me, a dream we now share as a family. Anna is beginning to feel the effects of the wait as well, one of the first things she said to me when we woke up on Sunday morning is, "when am I going to get my baby?" My answer, "I don't know baby, I don't know."
As I write this, with tears in my eyes, I know that God has a better answer than I did. He knows exactly when our child will be ready and He knows exactly how to comfort us as we wait. Please pray for us, for our child, and for us to be able to accept God's timing, whenever it may be!
"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!"
Isaiah 30:18
Oh Bethany, I know EXACTLY how you are feeling. I spent many days and nights crying, wanting to hold my baby in my arms. And it's double hard when you have another child at home who can't undertand the need to wait. It rips yor heart out. But I can tell that through prayer and support from family and friends you will get through this difficult time. Cherish the memories you are making now as a family of 3 and you will be a family of 4 before you know it!
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