Kind of, Sort Of, A Semi-Christmas Present

It was last Monday afternoon. Nicholas was up in rest time playing and I was researching a few things on the computer when my phone rang. The caller idea said, “Private Name, Private Number”. Usually that means a telemarketer so I didn’t answer, even though I wondered if I should. As the answering machine came on I waited for the hang up, but instead came the voice of our social worker from our agency. She had a few questions for us.

I quickly called Evan to let him know and to tell him to try and be available for my phone call if this was really “The Call”. I listened to the answering machine message again and jotted down the phone number. Then, I made the call – and got her voicemail! AHHHH! So, I did the next best thing – I prayed. I prayed for her questions, for wisdom, and discernment. To be honest, I’ve been having a hard time the past couple of weeks. We thought we’d be matched and even placed with a baby by this Christmas. We love when people ask us about the adoption, but hate when we have no answer to give. It’s incredibly frustrating.

Nicholas continues to pray for his new sibling every day – more than once. My favorite is when he prays, “Jesus, we don’t know who this baby is or when the baby is coming, but you do.” How true! That is the peace we have had through this whole process. Yes, we grow impatient. Yes, we get frustrated. But, we have peace that we are not in control. We know who holds our times in His hands.

So, back to the story . . . it was over an hour before our social worker called me back. It turns out that we are one of two couples selected by birth parents that saw our profile around Thanksgiving. The birth mother needed some time to think about it before narrowing it down. So, now we wonder if we should get excited. We are excited about the possibility, but not letting ourselves dream too much.

We will be meeting the birthmother at the end of January (seems so far away). She will also be meeting the other couple. Then, she will make her decision. We don’t want to look at this as a competition. Yes, we want to be chosen. But, if we are not, then we know that this is not the baby God has for us. We are not matched yet, so we can still be chosen by other birth parents as well.

So, that is our big update. Will you pray for us and the birth mother during this time? Pray that we would be ready for whatever decision she makes. Pray for her and her pregnancy. Pray for our meeting together.

We will also continue with our fundraising. Now that we will be meeting with a birth mother, this is a little more real. I know Ordinary Hero is having another grant contest in mid-January. There is also our puzzle fundraiser and our tax-deductible account with Lifesong.

Thank you for following us on this long and unpredictable journey. It looks like 2012 could be a very exciting year!