The following is our latest news (written by Laura).Hello family and friends!
We have recently been made aware of some changes within Bethany’s China program and we wanted to share them with you. As most of you know by now, the wait times for adopting a healthy infant from China have drastically increased since we started this journey. If things continue as they have been, their best estimate for us to receive our child would be spring of 2015. Yes…another 7 years. To say that this road has been excruciatingly hard would be an understatement. At times I have wanted to quit because I just can’t take the pursuit of another child any longer! At times we feel encouraged and feel like we can wait forever until we bring our daughter home. This ride is a roller coaster with many ups and downs along the way. But one thing I am sure of…God led us to China for a reason and I believe that our daughter is there. She may be very different from what we first imagined her to be, but she will be perfect for us. I know it. A friend from the internet once said, “Sometimes your dreams change along the way, but the new ones can be just as good!”
That’s where the next part comes in. We feel we cannot wait in line for a healthy infant any longer. Jay and I have been discussing the possibility of adopting a child with special needs for some time now. I won’t lie and say that the prospect is not scary. After all, every couple wants to give birth to a healthy infant, right? So why would someone go halfway around the world and spend their life’s savings to adopt one who isn’t? I don’t have a logical explanation other than, that is what is right and good. God called us to a life of service and to a life of loving others. This life is not about me…it is about serving “the least of these.” I believe that this is where we have been headed all along… originally we asked for a healthy infant, but God knew better. He has hand-picked Raina and has chosen us to be her family.
We were notified today that the process for accepting a special needs child has changed. Bethany will no longer be receiving agency-specific lists of children 4 times a year. The CCAA has now allowed them to have access to the entire list of special needs children 24/7. We no longer have to be through review to be eligible. We just have some paperwork to do and that’s it! But…that’s the hard part. We need to fill out a very specific list of what needs we are willing to take on. The list is very daunting and can be quite overwhelming. Pray for clarity as we make this decision because whatever you put on that list, you will be matched with. Our agency now has the ability to look at these lists which are updated every few weeks and then match you to a specific child based on what you have requested. That means, once we have our paperwork in, we could be matched AT ANY TIME!!!!!!! It could be weeks, months, years. There is no way to know. There will be no predictability of watching your log-in date like before. Basically, when a child becomes available that Bethany feels fits our criteria, we will get “THE CALL”.
We covet your prayers as we embark on this new step towards becoming parents again. Pray that we will be able to choose the medical needs that we feel most comfortable in taking care of and that we will have peace of mind with that decision. It is at times very scary to us, but we feel that this is where God has led us. We have become passionate about adoption and truly believe that every child deserves to be loved and cared for. I don’t think God would place this desire on our hearts and not give us the strength we will need to raise her. Also, please pray that God would help to provide the finances needed to adopt her. It is a very overwhelming task to raise that much money so quickly…but honestly that has been the least of our worries throughout this whole process. We have been doing our best to put money away weekly into what we lovingly call our “China Fund”. However, if we travel sooner than later, it will not be enough. Pray that God would keep us both healthy and provide me with extra hours at work so that we can continue to save. Pray for our daughter. I know she’s been born…I feel her in my heart and know that because we are open to an older child now and the process will seemingly be quicker, I have every confidence that she is living somewhere in China waiting for her family. I don’t allow myself to think of that very often because the helplessness that it causes makes my heart hurt. Pray that she is receiving good care, good medical care, and that there is someone that loves her and is kind to her. Pray that we will be brought together sooner, rather than later.
You are the nearest and dearest to me and that is why I share from my heart. Our God knows the timing and the details of this all. I trust Him.
With love,
Laura
P.S. I have made a decision that I will no longer be posting the regular CCAA Updates. It has proven negative, and considering our possible future, no longer necessary. We are headed for a new tomorrow... and tomorrow will take care of itself.
