A New Direction

Well, it is official now.  We applied to, and were approved for a domestic adoption program in Georgia.    And I. am. so. excited!  I was excited about Ethiopia too, but I think I was kind of holding back knowing that the wait would be so long.  Now we are looking at a wait of one year or less.  It is by birth mother's choice so really it could be anytime.  And the child that we will be bringing home will most likely be an infant.

This seems like a completely new direction for us, but really it's not. We were called to adoption for sure. I don't really think it matters where from.

It might take a while for me to let go of the idea of Ethiopia. We were so focused on Ethiopia for the past 6 months. And I think that sometimes the church can be so globally focused that we can tend to overlook how much missions are needed here in the US. Well, with over 1 million abortions performed each year in the US (that's over 3,000 per working day) it is clear that the mission of the agency we are working with in Georgia is so necessary. No matter where in the world you look, you will find children who just need someone to give them a chance at life.

So the downside to going this route is that it may be full of heartbreak for us. We have been told that the main mission at this agency is to the birth moms and not the adoptive families. Their goal is to provide an alternative to abortion and counseling. Only 1 in 10 moms that receives free counseling actually relinquishes their baby, and over 50% of moms change their mind about relinquishing. So we are viewing this as a ministry first, and a way to grow our family second. I know I will be heartbroken if our first (2nd, 3rd) birth mom changes her mind, but I know that that is a possibility and we're willing to go through that to support this mission.

So here's where we're at. When I talked with our agency they said the need is the greatest in the African American program. They have trouble getting enough adoptive families. So that's the program we signed up for. We are STILL waiting for fingerprints!!! And we have just ordered our family info book for the birth moms to look at. Once the agency has our home study (which is completely done except for the fingerprints) and our family books, they will give our books to the social workers and its only a matter of time! I may have purchased a new baby item the other day ( :

Prayer requests:
-that we get our finger prints back (this week please?)
-the health of the birth mom and baby that will choose us (and for the birth moms/babies that aren't going to choose us as well)
-the agency
-fundraising
-and children around the world who need homes