The most overwhelming part so far about international adoption is the amount of paperwork and the exacting detail involved in the administrative process. I totally understand the reason for all the paperwork and I'm glad that the screening of couples wanting to adopt internationally is so thorough, but that does not make the huge amount of paperwork any less cumbersome. The fact that it takes someone working diligently six months to complete the majority of the paperwork speaks for itself. Whenever I feel like the paperwork is staggering, I remember two things.
First, a former coworker of mine had a saying she would repeat whenever a project seemed colossal: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." She would repeat this to herself and to anyone else as often as she or the other person needed to hear it. My husband now reminds me of that saying whenever the adoption paperwork seems mountainous.
Second, and more importantly, I remember that this adoption is God's will and God is in control of it every step of the way. As we follow His will and allow Him to order our steps, He is in control of the entire process, from the very beginning administrative portion to matching us with the child He has chosen to be part our family and beyond that to when we are a family of four walking in His way.
So, I remind myself, "Allie, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Friday, June 13, 2014
Can we go NOW?
This morning I had my first conversation with our two-year-old son about adoption. He had come with me to the post office to mail a packet and he saw me looking at paperwork, so he was asking questions.
Me: Do you know that some people have little brothers or sisters?
Noah: Yes.
Me: Do you want a little brother or sister?
Noah: Yes!
Me: Well, there are two ways to have a little brother or sister. God can grow a baby in Mommy's belly. Or we can adopt a child who doesn't have a mommy or daddy. God told us to go to a country called China and adopt a child.
Noah: Can we go NOW?
Me: Oh, Buddy, there's a lot more paperwork to do for the adoption, so it's going to be a long time until we can go. Do you understand?
Noah: Uh-huh
Me: Do you know that some people have little brothers or sisters?
Noah: Yes.
Me: Do you want a little brother or sister?
Noah: Yes!
Me: Well, there are two ways to have a little brother or sister. God can grow a baby in Mommy's belly. Or we can adopt a child who doesn't have a mommy or daddy. God told us to go to a country called China and adopt a child.
Noah: Can we go NOW?
Me: Oh, Buddy, there's a lot more paperwork to do for the adoption, so it's going to be a long time until we can go. Do you understand?
Noah: Uh-huh
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Order Our Steps
God, I pray that You protect our future child. That You bless his or her health and development, even though he or she may have special needs. That You help us find him and guide us directly to him. That You put him in excellent care - in an orphanage or with care givers who nurture, nourish and help him in every way. That he feels loved - by Jesus, by his caregivers, and by us. God, please give us wisdom throughout this process and order our steps according to Your will. Holy Spirit, please intercede for us in prayer.
Here are just some of the many Bible verses that have been helpful to me so far during the initial decisions involved in our adoption process:
"Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."
-Isaiah 1:17
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
-James 1:27
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayers and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God."
-Philippians 4:6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."
-Proverbs 3:5
"Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established."
-Proverbs 16:3
"The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
-Proverbs 16:9
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you."
-John 15:16
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint."
-Isaiah 40:31
"'For I know the plans that I have for you' declares the Lord 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.'"
-Jeremiah 29:11-13
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
-Hebrews 11:6
"Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do no anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
-Isaiah 41:10
"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
-Romans 8:26-27
Here are just some of the many Bible verses that have been helpful to me so far during the initial decisions involved in our adoption process:
"Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow."
-Isaiah 1:17
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
-James 1:27
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayers and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God."
-Philippians 4:6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding."
-Proverbs 3:5
"Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established."
-Proverbs 16:3
"The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
-Proverbs 16:9
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you."
-John 15:16
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint."
-Isaiah 40:31
"'For I know the plans that I have for you' declares the Lord 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.'"
-Jeremiah 29:11-13
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
-Hebrews 11:6
"Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do no anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
-Isaiah 41:10
"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."
-Romans 8:26-27
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