A light at the end of the tunnel

On February 9th, 2011 we announced we had committed to  pursuing the adoption of a sweet little girl from Eastern Europe. On April 5th, 2012 we announced we had recieved the referral for the little girl we wanted to adopt as well as another sweet peanut. 






On April 14, 2012 we set off on our first of three trips to meet the girls and accept the referrals. I will never forget the first time we met both girls. The only thing I can compare it to is the first time you hold your bio child. That instant love. We were in the girls country for 10 days and spent two days traeveling there and home. The picture to the right is the hotel we stayed in. 

Over the past 20 months we have jumped through hoops, leaped over hurdles, and rode the emotional roller coaster that is international adoption. We have held just about every fundraiser possible, We've made so many sweet friends and (and lost a few too), we've grown in our faith and strengthened our own family relationships.  It has been 20 months of learning and growing.  

Today we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. We mailed off the last of our dossier today. Our court dossier has been in country for some time now. The judge reviewed it and wanted a couple things (well 12 to be exact) redone due to dates or wording not being done correctly. So we asked our doctor to please redo medicals for the 5th time (we seriously have the BEST doctor), our home study worker (again the BEST) redid paperwork, and we got the items we needed. We even redid 2 forms (which threw our total to 14) that we knew were going to expire within a month, just to be safe. And they are all on their way to be reviewed again. We are praying for a court date soon. 

As we sit back and think on the last 20 months we see God working in each situation thought couldn't be overcome. Mountains moved that only God could do. We are leaning on Him as we continue following the tunnel of adoption, walking one step at a time towards the light. The past 8 months or so we have felt SO very alone on this journey. The longer the adoption takes the more "supporters" fall away. God has never left us and it's with His strength we keep going. 

We can't wait to hold the girls again. To ask a judge to let us be their parents forever. 

If you felt led please pray for the health of the girls, for their safety and comfort, for their caregivers and orphanage directors. Please pray for our family as we prepare for our next trip.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.~ Isaiah 41:10

"Born not from our flesh, but born in our hearts, you were longed for and wanted and loved from the start"

Author: unknown