Still Waiting ...

Did I just post on July 19 that it would only be two weeks or so until we received our agency contract and dossier packet? Hurrrrrummmph ....

We're still waiting.

I know, I know. Good things come to those who wait. Blah, blah, blah. Well, in all seriousness, AAI does do this for a reason. They very carefully manage how many "waiting families" they have at any given time. (Officially, a "waiting family" is one whose paperwork has been logged into Ethiopia and is officially waiting for a child to be match with them. Of course, in my mind, we began "waiting" the moment we decided to adopt!!!) Other agencies allow you complete all your paperwork immediately and then let you settle in for a 12-month (or sometimes longer) wait for a referral. THAT is agonizing to be sure! AAI kind of splits the wait for you, but they do that to help avoid you needing to update any paperwork. It also means that we will probably only wait 4-6 months for a referral (or less!) once our dosser is in Ethiopia. The good news for Ethiopia's children is that the reason we have to wait so long is because there are so many families applying to adopt them and that truly is a good reason to wait.

I also have to remind myself that when we first decided to enter on this journey, we prayed that God would use the timing of paperwork and funding to guide us to the one, very special child that He, in his sovereignty and grace, has set aside for us. So remembering that has brought me some comfort and contentment.

The only other small tidbit of news that I have right now is that our homestudy is in the final draft stage. We received a copy of the final draft this week and it looks good to us, so we are forwarding it on to AAI for their review (which reminds me, I gotta get them in tomorrow's mail!). Once they review it, our homestudy agency will print, sign and notarize two copies for us. They have already sent a signed and notarized copy to the USCIS office in Charlotte, which completes our file out there, and we should be called out there for fingerprinting very soon!

Our children continue to pray every night for their little brother on the other side of the world. When we first started, some folks expressed concern about telling them so soon in the process - -that it would be hard for them wait so long -- but it is so precious to hear them pray for their little brother and ask God to protect him and provide for us "so we can be together" that I just can't imagine them not knowing!!

On that note, we are continuing to pray for the financial aspects of this journey. We have enough set aside for the next step, which is our agency fee, but the rest (which is the biggest portion) is still only known by God how it will be provided to us. Please continue to pray for us in this regard.