...or lack thereof :). Writing posts like these are pretty tough because there hasn't been any movement since last month. We are still #17 for a boy and #24 for a girl.
Many people have asked why it has taken so long and why referrals are slowing down. I thought I would take a little bit of time to explain the best that I can the reason for the slowdown. The U.S. Embassy and the Eth. government are tightening down and making sure all adoptions are completely ethical. A great thing! A much needed thing! A thorough check must be done on each child to determine their orphan status and all their paperwork must be in order.
Our agency cannot take in any children at their children's home (to be referred to families) who are not paperwork ready. This means that all the I's must be dotted and all the T's must be crossed making sure that every child can without a doubt complete the adoption process without any hiccups. If something is missing in the paperwork, that child cannot be referred to an adoptive family, and our agency cannot accept them into their children's home.
Although we know the reasons for the slowdown logistically speaking, we know ultimately it is because God hasn't seen fit to bless us with a child...yet. We are doing lots of praying and seeking God's face, begging for His will to be done in our lives and in this adoption.
We know, read, and believe that He is faithful. We trust Him with all our hearts. But trying to navigate the day-to-day not knowing when or if this adoption will actually happen is just plain tough. We are being refined by the day and want to give Him glory in the good, the hard, and the unknowns. So very thankful that He already knows the outcome and looking forward to the day when it will all make sense to us!
"Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."
-Hebrews 10:23