Waiting...still...

Okay, so we are still waiting for our FDL (favorable determination letter) to come in the mail. Supposedly the going wait-rate is 4 months (to the day) that your letter takes to arrive from your fingerprint appointment date. That date was this past Wednesday. Yes, I know it's only Saturday, but as I said in my last post, I've never been a patient person. I HATE waiting. So this poem came in my email box today...it was from our agency's Ethiopia update email.

Wait with Faith

Lord you have faithfully shown me
So many times before
And this time is no exception, Lord
And simply can't be ignored

That you know all that concerns my life
Everything your eyes do see
You always come through at just the right time
To meet my every need

For nothing escapes your watchful eye
No problem that we may cross
But so often, Lord, it seems as though
There's a delay in your response

I know it's a testing of our faith
To wait so patiently
You stretch us so our faith may grow
Though we want it instantly

But it's for our good that you respond
In your time, not in ours
For if you didn't - we'd stay as infants
Getting everything right now

For us to grow more Christ-like
We need to learn to wait
For often that's the answer to prayer
And builds us up in faith

So I thank you for the answer to come
As I hand it over in prayer
Thank you that you're still working on me
And my breakthrough's drawing near

© By M.S.Lowndes

I can't say that I liked this poem, in fact, I didn't like it at all. But I still know that it is the truth. I read it with a lot of growling under my breath and a lot of eye-rolling. And yet, I still know...it's TRUE. What is it about us as humans that makes us not okay with things like this? Why do we struggle with knowing and accepting that GOD, the maker, creator, knower (I think I just made that word up) of ALL the appointed days--even mine--has EVERYTHING under control, and knows BETTER than we do? Why do we INSIST, and sometimes demand, that we be part of the inner workings of the plan...in-the-know, as it were?

So here's a video of a gal who knows my battle with trust, control and waiting, because she's traversed the road ahead of me. I'm thinkin' I may need to go out and buy myself this book!

Well, I guess I'll go on waiting...have a great weekend!

Waiting...always a challenge

I've never been a patient person...ask anyone who knows me. So any of you who know how international adoption works know that this is going to be a challenge for me! They don't call it the "waitlist" for nuthin'! :) 

When you send your dossier in and it is approved, you get a number. Basically, this is the number you are in "line" for the referral of a child. And you wait...and wait...and wait...the last time I saw an "unofficial" waitlist for our agency, the last number for a girl was in the 80's and the last number in line for a boy was in the 60's...that means that potentially 60-80 people are in line before you. Before the announcement that MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs) in Ethiopia was going to be reducing the number of daily referrals from 40/50 to 5 the wait time was about 8-10 months on average. By the way, they aren't just processing 5 referrals for your agency per day...they are processing 5 referrals period...that means from all of the other agencies requesting referrals for the adoption of an Ethiopian child. You can see...waiting and patience are kind of a pre-requisite for an international adoption. This is something I chose to willingly face...my aversion to waiting...and let me tell ya' it's already a challenge! And I'm not even on the list yet! 

Well if you aren't even on the waitlist yet, why is it a challenge you may ask?? Well, we have been waiting for our FDL letter (Favorable Determination letter) to arrive in the mail so that we can send in our dossier. This is a letter that says that you are favorably determined adoptive parents that have permission to bring your adopted child into the U.S. as a citizen of the U.S. We went to get our fingerprints taken on the 30th of March for this letter. They say it is about a 4 week wait to get the letter once finger printed. I was good with that! 

Today marks the 3 week date. I've been anxiously awaiting the mailman everyday since Saturday...and I was NOT a happy camper when he so ungraciously left my mailbox EMPTY yesterday! So, as you can see, I will be needing a covering of prayer for patience for the waitlist wait and anything else that comes my way. With international adoption, you never know...EVERYTHING is uncertain! Uncertainty...something else I struggle with. Thank you in advance for your prayers!

I do not want to completely discredit the mailman. He has brought me some happy things of late. Like the Christmas Gift Thank You letter from my Compassion sponsored child in Ghana, Africa. We sponsor three boys. 1 in Ghana and 2 in the Dominican Republic. These boys are one of the reasons we looked into international adoption.

If you can believe this, my Ghana child (a 10-yr old boy) told me in his thank you: "you are the hit of my dreams, the cornerstone of my world and treasure of sweetness. Thank you for your love and care." Would you like to know what I sent him for Christmas? $20...yep, that's it. Would you like to know what he received for $20? A bath towel, a pair of socks, and material to make a new shirt and pants (trousers, as he called them)...and I'm the cornerstone of his world...WOW.

Perspective...necessary medicine for when you are complaining and anxious about waiting a few weeks. Please Lord, send me more perspective in the coming days. I will need it!

If you would like some perspective of your own, check out the Compassion website here: http://www.compassion.com

Consider sponsoring a child...but be careful...we considered one and took 3! :) Happy Hump Day to you all!

Just for fun...Happy Hump Day!

Here's a video to get you through Hump Day! You're over the hump and half-way through the week! I think this little girl is AMAZINGLY cute! If we only had heard these stories like this when we were little (maybe some of you did)...and if we only knew these stories stories like she does...from memory! Enjoy!

(***DON'T FORGET TO PAUSE THE MUSIC BOX ON THE SIDE BAR OF THE PAGE BEFORE PLAYING THE VIDEO!***)

Nic


The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.