Anyway, I thought now would be the perfect time to share another guest post with you guys while I still work to find my sanity with all my school stuff this week. This post if from my friend Lindsy from http://wordfromthewallaces.blogspot.com After reading her guest post you MUST go and check out her blog and their recent awesome news that is adding another bit of awesomeness to the beautiful story God is writing in their family. Enjoy!!
I'm not a fan of adoption timelines. (You'll see why below.) But there's no easier way to share our story and journey than to lay it out timeline style so, here goes:
September 2005 – We decided to adopt during pre-marital counseling.
October 2005– We got married:-)
June 2007 –Began researching placement agencies and decided to adopt from Ethiopia. I read every adoption book ever written.
August 2007 – We found out we were pregnant with our son. We put our adoption plans put on hold.
June 2008 –Moses is born!
October 2008– I attended an adoption seminar (The first of many!) and we decided on a placement agency.
March 2009 –Officially applied to adopt from Ethiopia.
July 2009 –Home study #1 complete.
August 2009 –Dossier #1 complete.
August 2009 –We found out we were pregnant with our daughter! We put our adoption plans on hold.
April 2010 –Meadow is born! Adoption journey begins again.
July 2010 –Home study updated.
July 2010 –Dossier #2 complete.
July 2010 –William is diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma. Adoption plans put on hold.
Second half of 2010 – Blur of surgeries and cancer treatments.
February 20, 2011 - My step-mom is diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer.
March 10, 2011 - My step-mom passed away.
March 22, 2011 –William is given a clean bill of health!
April 2011 –Meadow is diagnosed with calcifications on her basil ganglia (brain). We are unable to proceed with our home study update (required because of William's cancer) until a “diagnosis” is given by the pediatric neurologist.
August 2011 –Meadow is given a clean bill of health - aka God healed her and the brain calcification's were gone! Home study update #2 completed.
September 2011 – Dossier #3 mailed to Ethiopia.
October 19, 2011– Ethiopia denies our case. (cancer)
October 26, 2011– Switch to the Democratic Republic of Congo pilot adoption program.
November 2011 – Home study update #3 completed. Dossier #4 mailed to the DRC. Officially waiting for a referral for the first time in 2 ½ years!
November 18, 2011 – Matched with a 3 ½ year old little boy!
February 10, 2011 – We learn the little boy we have been matched with was claimed by his uncle and sister. One less orphan! We are back on the referral list.
March 26th, 2012 - We took in two boys through the Safe Families for Children program.
May 7, 2012 - Referral Day: Take Two May 31, 2012 - A request has been made for the Consent to Adopt our little guy in the DRC! The first of many steps in the DRC court process.
June 7, 2012 - Our two boys transition back to their mother.
September 6, 2012 - Our two boys come back to us under very difficult circumstances.
October 9, 2012 - Our two boys officially become our foster kids!
October 30, 2012 - End of first 30 day waiting period in the DRC court process. Getting close to filing for court!
December 7, 2012 - We learned our little boy is not ours. He was returned to his family and for that we are grateful.
I share our story a lot. God spoke to us a couple years ago about the importance of sharing our story. Not because we are awesome - because He is writing it for us. Because we are simply the pen in His hand. So we share. In person, over the phone, on our blog and through speaking engagements. More than once, after sharing our story I've gotten the comment "Well, at least we know what worse case scenario looks like."
But I don't see our story that way.
Our desire has been to simply say "Yes" to what God puts in front of us. In the world of adoption, more often it is saying "Yes" to who he puts in front of us.
So we said "Yes" to adoption as an engaged couple when we were CLUE. LESS.
We said "Yes" to adoption when we were newly married and broke.
We said "Yes" to adoption when our world had been turned upside down by cancer.
We said "Yes" to adoption when we were deemed unfit to parent a child from Ethiopia.
We said "Yes" to adoption when we were scared of corruption.
We said "Yes" to two little boys in need of a home and a family because we had both.
We said "Yes" to foster care when we didn't really want to be a part of that broken system.
We said "Yes" to His will when our little Moise went back to his home in his village in his country.
Saying "Yes" is simple. And it's not. (Does that timeline above strike you as simple?!)
We've said "Yes" as best we could but it's never ended the way we expected. When you give your life away and realize you are simply a pen in the Writers hand, His story becomes your story and that story becomes far greater than anything you could have written. Not easier. Not safer. Not more fun. FAR. GREATER.
While we eagerly wait for the return of our Savior, we do our best to say "Yes" to the things and the people He puts in front of us now.
I'm guessing there is something in your life, dear reader, He has placed in front of you. Let me encourage you to allow Him to write your story. You are simply a pen in the Writers hand.
Will you say "Yes"?
