God's Timing #2

In my last post, I told you that we would see the children on Tuesday.
That was before someone got sick.
Now, we are just praying that all will be well by Saturday.
Although we are disappointed and sad, we realize this is just another opportunity to
trust God.
We sent notes to the kids since we knew we would not see them before Thanksgiving.

Is This It?

After waiting for 2 + years, we have been SELECTED by the case worker for a sibling group. This does not mean it's a match, but at least the case worker thinks there is a good possibility.
We are praying and waiting on God to lead us.
On Saturday, November 3rd, we will get to meet them at an adoption event.
Pray.
1. That God will prepare our hearts for a "yes" or a "no".
2. That we will see the kids' true personalities.
3. That we will hear God's voice on whether to proceed further after this first informal meeting.
4. That if we are not a match for them, that God would have another family for them soon.

Fun and Games

I haven't posted in a while. But we HAVE been doing adoption related things. The past few months have been loaded with what's called Adoption Parties. A funny name, I think, simply because it sounds to me like something that celebrates adoption or the fact that children have found a place to call home. Now that might be something to celebrate.

But sadly, that is not at all what these events are about. In a nutshell, it is an event that takes place at a location where kids in foster care can come and have fun. At the same time, families looking to adopt come to meet them and hopefully help them have fun. If families are interested in certain children in attendance, the case workers will make sure that they get to spend some time together. It's a good way to meet the children and get a feel for their personality. We are given a list of do's and don'ts for communicating with them as well as a list showing names, ages, interests, and their case worker's name.

The kids, at least the ones old enough to know, are checking us out, too. I wonder what's going through their minds. Some are afraid to look at you, afraid to hope, or just afraid. That's the sad part. But we try to draw them out, help them relax and enjoy being a kid, having fun, playing games.

We leave Hannah and Josiah with a sitter. They cannot help with this part of the search. We pray, Lord, may we somehow bless these children who come to the event with some joy. And may You help the case workers to find good homes for them.

Family fliers are passed out to all of the case workers. We meet case workers. We talk to them and they tell us what they know about the children under their supervision. Before we leave, we are asked to fill out a form to let them know if we met any children for whom we are interested in submitting our home study. We have yet to meet our match, even though there have been some that we thought were possibilities. We just have to leave that up to God.

(The pictures, with the exception of the first, are of our flier, which Theron lovingly designed. It's actually a relatively new thing that the case workers like to have. Don't know who came up with the idea, but it helps them to remember us. They say a picture is worth a thousand words.)

The Journey Continues

. . . and gets more exciting.

We got a call last week about a sibling group. Could this be it?
Besides trusting God, there were alot of things that needed to happen around here if that were a possibility. They were wanting to get them placed within a week.
The trundle beds had to be finished with drawers in place. The garage cleaned up and alot of clutter removed. Messes organized. Whew! We were tired. We had let some of these things slip, because "Hey, it's been almost 2 years." Not that I'm complaining. I am trusting in God's perfect timing.

Hannah and Josiah were very excited about the possiblility of having a little brother and little sister.
We did alot of praying and waiting.
Finally we heard that the state was going to try to place them with the grandmother.
Disappointment mixed with relief.
Okay, now we are at least a bit more prepared than we were before.
Which is a good thing, since we were just notified of another sibling group that just became free for adoption with no legal risk.

Bethany Support Group

Dashing the through the snow in a . . .

well, not really, . . .

we were rolling slowly down the interstate
to a Bethany Christian Services Support Group meeting.
Traffic was crawling, because of all of the people headed to the mall
for "Christmas" shopping.
We arrived just in time, thanks to my husband's wisdom in leaving the house
early.
Pizza and childcare provided and a cookie swap. Since this meeting was open to
families who were still waiting to have children placed in their homes, we thought it
would be good to show our faces and earn an hour of credits to add to our file.
As it turns out, we were not alone. All but one family that came were waiting families,
just like us. We all enjoyed hearing that one family's story of placement and upcoming
adoption, and shared our own stories of disappointment, waiting, frustrations with the
system. For some reason it's encouraging to know that we are not the only ones in this phase,
but still I am inpressed with the importance of trusting God in all things.

Josiah's craft

Two other families also had biological children. They were all so well behaved that it drew
compliments from an older couple who were there. "You parents must be doing something
right." It's good to hear those things. While the adults talked, the kids watched "The Grinch
Who Stole Christmas" and made a craft.

Hannah's craft

We came away full of cookies and encouragement enough to last us awhile.

Will We Ever Adopt?

After waiting for a year, it starts to get discouraging. You wonder, where are all of those kids that they said needed a home?
Why is it taking so long?
Have we been rejected?
Are we not good candidates?
I did yell at young ones the other day.
I did despair over a sibling squabble.
I did compare my family to those of others, . . .
and mine didn't measure up.

Well, the truth is that there are kids that need a forever home and there are families that are waiting.
The truth is that social workers are trying to match kids with just the right families (at least I believe this to be true) and it's a tough job.
The truth is that God is in control, and it's not about us, it's about His will and what's best for the children who are searching for that place to be loved and safe.
The truth is, I can pray for those on the waiting list, in foster homes, and those still crying out for help.

I will wait upon the Lord.

New Picture and Verse

As I was adding our new picture, I noticed that part of the verse I had put at the top was being cut off. I fixed it as I thought about how this very verse is the one Josiah has been memorizing this past week. And I pondered why I chose it for this blog.
Our whole life in Christ is about trust. If we believe in Him, we will trust Him.
We do not understand, so we must lean on Him.
We must confess that without Him, we have no hope.
Unless we keep our eyes on Him, our path will be wavering.

Though the waiting seems long, I will trust in Him.

What's New?

Theron's parents got to start the New Year off together in their new place. It's like an apartment. They have two rooms -a sitting room/kitchen and a bedroom. Mom Rose wears a call button around her neck, they get their meds brought to them, meals are prepared for them in the cafeteria, and they are given help throughout the day.

They have furniture from their own home, so it feels like home for them and they are adjusting well.

We had a family get together at Christmas over lunch and got a picture of Grandma and Grandpa with their son and three daughters and their families in the gathering room at Parkwood where they are living.

Attitude

Our morning Bible reading has us going through Exodus. Lately, I feel like a grumbling Israelite. I feel like I can't trust. I feel discouraged and not very hopeful. I feel like God has abandoned me.
It's a good thing these are only feelings and not truth. God is faithful no matter how I feel. He is with me whether I can sense his presence or not. He is still working even though I can't see it.
Just like in the Psalms, I  need to say how I feel before I can see how wretched I am and how merciful God is. Then I can cry out, "Lord, help me!".
And He answers. He gives us just what we need. It might not be what we wanted, but He knows better than we what is necessary. Theron and his mom continue visits to see his dad, who is now in rehab again. The kids and I have been sick quite a bit, so have not gone as often as before. We are just getting over another bout of illness. Only God knows what is next and I guess this is another opportunity to trust Him.

On Hold

We have asked Bethany to put us on hold while we take care of Theron's parents. His mom has been living with us and we have been taking her for daily visits to see her husband. He was in a rehab facility in Snellville, but as of last Saturday he has been in Eastside Medical Center with pneumonia.
We had begun remodeling our downstairs to put in a bedroom. Originally it was for the grandparents, but we are not sure now. Things keep changing.
It has been a hard road watching Theron's dad improve and then have another setback. He had gotten to the point in rehab that he was getting up into his wheelchair on his own. We would have lunch with him once a week and the kids played a game of Skip-Bo with him one day. Now he is back in the hospital connected to wires and tubes and the kids can't see him.

God's Timing/ Grandparents

God knew we needed this time to care for Theron's parents. We have taken some trips to Tennessee, although not as many trips as his sisters have taken. There are decisions to be made for them. Things are getting packed up. Facilities are being checked out.
My heart aches for them. This couple that has been together all of their married lives is now seperated by circumstances beyond their control.
He - in a rehab facility recovering from a punctured lung and three broken ribs.
She - dependant on someone to drive her to visit him.
Neither one of them ask for much.
During my short time knowing them, I've not heard one of them complain.
He - would take the kids for "tractor" rides with his lawnmower.
She - made a special doll for Hannah that is very precious to her.
In the past when we've visited, we would attend services with them at their church in Mine City. Now they are not able to go.

Theron is dealing with all this. So many changes.

We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we must Trust God.

Waiting

Some people say this is the hardest part and I agree.
Our excitement has waned and we are clueless as to when anything will happen.
This is where trust really comes in.
Waiting on God's perfect timing and his choice for us and the kids that are out there.
Praying, waiting, trusting.