We're Expecting Again!

I'm very excited to announce that on May 30 we committed to the adoption of a 4 1/2 year old boy with Down syndrome from Caleb's part of the world. This little guy unfortunately has already been transferred to an institution so I am working hard to get the paperwork portion of the process completed as quickly as possible. Then the actual travel dates--whether right away or a few months down the trail--will be in the hands of the Lord. So far we've got our home study update scheduled for June 28 right after my adoption physical on June 26. We are once again using Dixie Tate from A New Beginning Adoption Agency for our home study. I have my child abuse clearance done from Health and Welfare, we've received the two certified copies of our marriage certificate, and have our notarized local police clearances back. AND today we even got our fingerprint appointment from USCIS. With Caleb's adoption it took 2 1/2 MONTHS to get this appointment and this time I don't think I even mailed the I-600A Application until June 9. Unfortunately, they had us scheduled for June 18-as in 2 days from now!!-which we can't do because Kevin has a required continuing education class that day so we are requesting June 25 instead. I hope that will be OK with them.

For right now I'm going to refer to our new son as Little R because we haven't discussed names yet and I don't want to cause any problems with his country.


I realize that with Caleb's adoption I didn't start blogging until the end of the process so this will be different to keep an online record of the process. Of course, my Reece's Rainbow friends had to endure many of the gory details of that paper chase (remember the physical exam fiascos and the USCIS fingerprint adventure, and the last-minute difficulties with getting the final paperwork signed and notarized, for instance?) Those are all great stories but I'd just as soon not have to repeat any of them this time around.



I'd like to share some verses from I John chapter 3 that really spoke to our hearts as we were contemplating the idea of adopting another child, especially so soon after returning to the States with Caleb on Feb 26. My friend Kris had met Little R. around December of 2007 while adopting her daughter from the same orphanage and had been asked to try to find a family for him. Then on May 7 I found out that he had already been transferred to an institution and began to have such a burden for him. I prayed and prayed, talked to Kevin and the kids about him (kids' response was 'Why don't you go get him?) and prayed some more. Seriously, though Kevin and I were both concerned about his plight, we were both pretty fresh from the hassles of dossier preparation, arranging 5 weeks of child care, the long separation from our family, and the negative changes Kevin has faced at work since he returned from Eastern Europe. Finally I asked Andrea if she could give us until Friday, May 30 to decide. So on Thursday night, May 29 I was sitting beside Kevin on the couch out in the living room and said, 'You're going to kill me' and confessed that I'd told Andrea we'd give our answer the next day. So we talked more. Finally on Friday morning after the elementary kids left for school we discussed R. more but came to the conclusion that we didn't know what God wanted us to do. Finally Kevin reached for a Bible saying he'd had these words going on in his head--and he started freading from I John chapter 3. I'm not sure exactly which verse he read but these stuck out to me (except he read from the King James Version and this is New International Version): "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

I was crying by the time he stopped and the decision was made. We have Jesus as an example. He could have had the same kind of concerns but He laid it all down for our salvation.

I had been thinking about a similar phrase from the book of James. James 2:14-17 says "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

So we are once again on an adoption journey. I hope you will enjoy the journey with us.