Get a paper bag, I'm starting to hyperventilate. We. Are. So. Close.
We are now #14 on the waiting list.
It seems surreal. The waiting list is averaging about 2 spots per month - which is fantastic for several reasons.
We move forward!
Kiddos get matched with their forever families!
Families get matched with their precious child(ren)!
We feel so much closer to getting matched with our sweet boy!
Did I mention we move forward and get closer to meeting Judah?!
Last month we had to resubmit some paperwork, and it was quite the process. We'll have to go next month and renew our fingerprints, and then update our home study at the beginning of next year. We are fervently praying that soon after we update our home study, we'll get to go meet our Judah! Before would be nice too, though!
We are now officially 20 months into the adoption process and 11 months on the waiting list. Here's a little insight to how I'm feeling:
WE ARE MOVING SO FAST!
WE ARE MOVING SO SLOW!
I cannot wait to meet Judah/bring him home!
Nothing is ready, I need more time!
I can't wait to be a mommy!
Oh my gosh, I'm about to be a mommy!
It's going to be impossible to come back to the USA after his court date.
How will I ever leave him after his court date?
There's no possible way I can leave him after his court date.
The Lord will provide.
The Lord will provide.
The Lord will provide.
Did I mention the Lord will provide?
What will Judah look like?
How old will Judah be when he comes home?
I'm not going to be okay if I miss his birthday.
I will be with him for every other birthday.
When will his birthday be?
I can't believe how much I love I child I've never met.
I love him so much.
The Lord will provide.
The Lord will provide!
Holy cow, Jason, do we have enough money to complete the adoption?
Thank you, God, for sending me a husband who is good as saving money!
[on the first of every month - waiting for agency update] I must refresh my email every minute. What if our email gets lost in cyber space?
The Lord will provide!
As you can see, I'm completely stable over here. What a joke - I am NOT! But that's okay because I have a community of family/friends surrounding me helping me to just put one foot in front of the other, lean on the Lord, and trust in His timing.
Our prayer request hasn't really changed - we still need prayer for the following:
Waiting children in Ethiopia and their future families: We pray for Judah, but we also pray without ceasing for the other sweet children who are in need of families. We are so blessed to be called to adopt, and we are thankful that there will be one less orphan, but the orphan crisis is real and intense, and there are hundreds of thousands of children across the world who need families. We ask you to join with us in praying for them, and also for God to raise up loving families for them.
Families traveling for court: Each month as new referrals come in, families are planning their first trip to Ethiopia for court. This is step one of a two part process, which means they'll be meeting their child for the first time and going to court. Please pray for these families as this process is filled with such extreme emotions as they meet their child, they legally become parents, and then they come home for several weeks/months and wait on a call that they can bring their child home. This is the part that we are dreading the most, and we know that these families are no different.
Peace for our family as we wait: The wait is hard. Really hard. But Jason and I are really trying to enjoy each month that goes by as a family of two. We cannot wait to become a family of three, but we know that God has us in this waiting period for a reason and He's diligently preparing us for what is ahead. We are truly trying to enjoy it without wishing the time away - which is really hard! It's also difficult because we are so anxious to see Judah, meet him, hold him, and bring him home! Please pray for peace, joy, and patience as we are still waiting.
Continued swift movement: We've been astounded at how quickly we have moved on the waiting list, and we ask for prayers that we continue to move quickly through this process.
Comfort for Judah: Since we're #14, there's a very real chance that Judah is born, or about to be born. With every adoption becomes so much joy, but also a very real sorrow (great article on that here). We know that something bad has to happen in our sweet boy's life that will cause him to become and orphan. As his future mama, that just kills me. Parents are supposed to protect their children, but I can't do anything about the sorrow in his life that will lead to the joy in adopting him Wow, that's heavy. Please be praying for our little one and his little life. May the Father of the fatherless be with him in every passing moment of every day.
Case worker at Dove: Y'all, our case worker is the best. In fact, we just got to meet our case worker while we were in Portland last week. She just really make us feel like she's walking through this with us hand-in-hand. Please be praying for the hands that are connecting the dots to make this happen for the Moraleses Three.
