Do you believe it? I mean really, waiting on something is really hard, but do you believe the title of today's posting?
We have recently been struggling with the continued waiting process associated with adoption. It is hard to imagine that we were approved to adopt through the Good Shepherds Fold (GSF) nearly 15 months ago and that we were in a position to receive a referral for a child or sibling group nearly 13 months ago. Then, God directed us to move, to leave our home and friends and a wonderful church in Mississippi, as He opened a door for something that Joey has always had a dream of doing - ministering to and teaching college students.
We are adjusting well to life in Pennsylvania. Joey is indeed loving his teaching ministry in the School of Education at Cairn University, and we are slowly making new friendships and connections as we get to know the area. We love having Sarah's parents nearby, as they have helped us so much through this relocation process. We are a now a part of a great church, and our kids are no longer referring to our home as "the new house". Zoe is liking school again as she nears the completion of 1st grade, Micah is on track for entering Kindergarten in the fall with an IEP for his continued speech delays, and Caleb made so much progress on his speech issues that he no longer needs any type of services/therapy.
We have recently had some conversations with friends about the continued waiting with our adoption process, and we continue to rest in the fact that God can make this happen, though the timing now (though not later) seems discouraging and confusing at times. One of our pastors recently challenged us to remember that true Biblical faith when asking God for wisdom and direction can be found in James 1:6-8. It says "be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do."
In our prayers to the Lord, we can "come boldly to the throne of our gracious God" (Hebrews 4:16), and know that "the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." (James 5:16)
Here are some quick praise updates since our last blog post:
- Our homestudy was revised for Pennsylvania on March 8. We are approved for up to 2 children (siblings or non-biologically-related), of either gender, ages 0-5.
- Our government paperwork process (I-600A) was submitted, we were fingerprinted again, and we talked with the officer assigned to our file today, and our I-600A has been updated and approved! It is set to be mailed to us today too.
- GSF is continuing to work through referral possibilities for our family and is trying to get a court date scheduled this summer, which means we could be travelling to Uganda as early as potentially July.
Would you pray the following for our family as we continue the waiting process?
- Pray that we would not be discouraged or become weary as we continue to wait.
- Pray for the staff at GSF that speedy investigations can occur so we can receive a referral for a child or children soon.
- Pray that God would provide the remaining finances needed. We have now received 78% of the estimated $15,000 needed to adopt one child. We will then need an additional $5,000- if we receive a referral for two children.
- Pray that we would indeed be able to travel to Uganda as early as potentially July for the required court dates and to bring our new child(ren) home.
We leave you with some links recently put together by Heather Green, a short term missionary serving at GSF. It is still crazy to think that one or two of these could be a part of our forever family soon. Enjoy the pictures and the video.
Thanks for your continued prayers and support for our family. Blessings to you all!
Take care,
Joey, Sarah, Zoe, Micah, and Caleb
