March 16th - Approval... now what???

     We have always looked at our trip to Indiana as one of adventure, listening to this part of our call, a certain amount of unknown territory and of course excitement. One of the areas of unknown territoriness (word?) was can we get everything done in a 3 1/2 week period of time planned in the states? If we could not get it all in during that space of time, then what?, how could we finish the process of becoming approved to adopt? It's not like we can just hop on a plane and go back to Indy for one more meeting. Anyway that question is one that hung around our heads for quite sometime, especially in the run-up to the scheduled trip and whilst (for all you Brits:) in the USA. Most people take much more time to do the interviews, education meetings, paperwork, creation of the family profile, but most people are working alongside of those portions of the process whereas we were there for that reason firstly, then meeting up with people secondly. On reflection had we attempted to do a trip like that on our regular visit to Indiana it would have proven all but impossible, but being there with that singular focus afforded us the possibility of completeness. So without any further ado... we are officially approved to adopt!!!

     We have been waiting for this official document for a fortnight or so, and it did in fact arrive tonight in our inbox. It did not contain any new information, but that does not diminish the importance of the letter, or diminish the excitement of the finish line of this part of the process. The importance lies within the fact that without it we would not be able to adopt through our chosen agency. Without their being willing to adapt to our unique circumstances and continually work with us through our mountain of questions we would not have been able to get to this point. So exactly what is this point you might ask? Where do we in fact go from here?
 

 The short answer is wait, we have done what we need to do, we are now in a position of waiting until we are chosen. I have been struck more than once by the reality of the choice we have made to enter this amazing process and now we are at a point where we are the ones waiting. Maybe the most common question of the last couple of months is when, when will you know, when do you go back to the US, when this,when that. We have plenty of answers but not those. Being called to wait now, is a great position to be in and yet a difficult spot: As Lizzie says 'waiting is a dichotomy because you vacillate between fear that you are out of control and the freedom of having things out of control' So while we wait would you be praying for us, that God would give us His peace as we live within His timing.