I know it's time to update because the past few times I've texted or called family and friends, I've gotten a "Is there any news?!!!?" response. The answer to that is, yes, there is news, but no, not the kind of news we've been wanting and waiting for. In short, it's looking like our wait is going to be a bit longer than we originally thought. Basically, when we started the process of adopting from China, we assumed that we would be matched from the shared list, because that's how many families were being matched at the time. But during the past year, fewer and fewer minor special needs children are being listed on the shared list, and more of those children are being placed with specific agencies through orphanage partnerships. Our agency is relatively new to orphanage partnership. We only have one partnership and currently, all of the children from that orphanage who are paper ready for adoption have already been matched with families (which is absolutely amazing, by the way). The good news is that they are currently working on paperwork for 45 children! Most of those children will be severe special needs, but we have been told that 10-15 of them will have moderate special needs. We don't know if one of the moderate needs babies is our child, and the paperwork won't be ready for another few months, so it looks like it will be at the very least a few months until we are matched, if not longer.
Is that news disappointing? Yes. Of course it is. But it's ok. Adoption is full of delays and changing plans. Our plan has changed all along. One thing that prompted us to start earlier than planned was hearing stories of Ethiopia adoption where the wait time increased dramatically for families in process. Our wait time has not increased dramatically. We are excited to know who our baby is. We want him in our arms. We wish it would happen sooner than later. But we will wait for him. He (or she, of course!) is worth the wait. We've heard it said many times and we believe it! We will pursue him no matter how long it takes.
And in the meantime? While we wait? We remember that God is good. We tell our children "God is good, all the time". Because He is. He has been so good to us. His goodness is seen in our agency's partnership with this orphanage, in the care of waiting children, and in the connection of families. I see His goodness in the joyful dancing of the two miracles our family has already been given. I see His goodness in the sunshine coming in the windows. He is so good to allow us, our little family, to be part of this amazing miracle of life called adoption. He was good when He called us, and He is good in the wait.
We don't know what the rest of the year holds for us. Maybe we're waiting longer so we have more time to save and have the rest of the money we need. Maybe our baby just isn't ready yet. Maybe my heart needs more time to just be Gracie and Liam's mama. Maybe there's a really good reason we aren't supposed to travel this year at all. I don't know. I don't know why children are born with special needs or why they must wait for a family. But I know that my God is good and He has a plan that is far better than mine. Today, I'll rest in that.
