Two Steps Forward...One Step Back!

Right when we think that we have our adoption plan all figured out it turns out that we don't!  I spent the better part of five days filling out paperwork, researching loans & grants, gathering pictures for our profile and writing a letter to potential birthmothers...Only to realize God has something else in store! 

I personally think God probably was shaking His head at Matt and I wondering why we weren't listening to Him!  But, I have to say, it's my fault.  I kept wondering about the orphans and widows mentioned in the book of James:

Jam 1:27	Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, [and] to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

 and wondering how we were to finance $20,000 for adoption!  How does that work?  Should rescuing an orphan be costing us this much???  I know there are so many people out there who figure it out, maybe take a 2nd mortgage out on their home, credit cards or grants...maybe even pay cash!  But for us, we knew that it was not following in the Lord's plan for us to open up a line of credit and we knew to save up cash for this would take us quite awhile.  Like we said, the first thing we knew about this adoption process is that it would not involve GOING INTO DEBT. 

So, as the thought of helping an orphan weighed on my heart and the stress of the money dampened my spirits, Matt and I finally sat down and figured it out: although we were walking closely to the plan God laid out for us...we weren't following the actual plan.  So, now that we have made two steps forward into the first plan, we take one step back and start over!

In two weeks, Matthew and I will attend an orientation meeting to begin the adoption process through Orange County.  Yep, we will be adopting a baby through the government!  There are so many children who need a home and rather than upwards of $20,000 we are now looking at a total cost of (at the most) $5,000.  We have already been blessed with donations and gifts to raffle, money in the savings account and more...God's got this!  Here is the process of adopting through Orange County:

• Orientation
• 6 weeks of parenting classes
• Wait to be assigned for a social worker
• Wait
• Begin home study
• Wait
• Pass home study
• Wait
• Apply for certificate to be a foster parent
• Wait
• Recieve certification
• Wait to be matched
• Wait
• Be matched with a child
• Wait
• Bring baby home!

As you can see, we will have a lot of time on our hands to grow in patience!!!  But, these are the babies that need to be fought for.  These are the babies who need a family to stand up and say "I will rescue this orphan"...and let's face it!  It will be the baby who is going to rescue us!  Whoever that sweet child is he/she is the love of our lives.  We do have the right to specify age & we will request to be matched with child no older than a few months.  But, age, gender, race, ethnicity...none of that matters.  All that matters is this will be our baby.