ILR - Feb 21st - Feb 24th

     One of the perks and highlights of leading a church is the opportunity to attend leaders conferences from time to time. Going away for a weekend where we'd most likely encounter some awkward chats about how we are waiting and haven't heard anything yet. At this point at least we knew were not headed to the US just for meetings, we were still itching to go but for the much more substantial reason of an actual adoption not more conversations about how one could or might happen.
     We were excited as on this occasion we'd be staying with our dear friends Jonny and Beth in their new home in Middlesbrough. After the long drive we were happy to sit back and catch up with them over a drink. Of course we talked about our work situations, what we've been up to and our news with adoption. Later on that evening we had another late night chat after the first meeting of the conference and I don't remember much of what was said but I do remember Beth saying

'Indefinite leave to remain, that's important, look into it'

Some explanation is probably needed here, it's not like that statement is as famous as 'one small step for man one huge step for mankind, or I have a dream that one day...' The words about indefinite leave to remain probably don't mean a great deal if anything to you. To us those words meant a possible massive shift in our thinking and after she uttered those words my eyes locked with Rebecca almost as if saying 'let's make sure we talk about that later.' Indefinite leave to remain is the next level of visa that we allowed to pursue, it is only available  residents who have been continuously living in the UK for five years. (it's not citizenship, it is a level just beneath it) We had decided that we would not, could not apply for this status, it would effectively close the door on adoption in the US and the UK too since we couldn't use the system in this country. Little did we know that her statement would start us down the path of not only changing our minds but radically changing our plans.

     The conference was entitled 'Momentum' and one of the areas of living out faith that is gaining momentum among Christ followers is adoption. Numerous speakers shared stories of couples adopting, or of a whole church fostering and adopting every child in their council. That meant that the council where they lived had no children available to adopt, the people in the church had already spoken for each one, giving each one a home to be raised in, all the children under the collective wing of the church. Another guy spoke about how he and his wife have fostered and adopted along with having natural children as well. He also stated that he was going to host a special lunch for people who would like to learn more about adoption in this country. I had a previous meeting planned but Rebecca was free and eager to attend. What would she find out? Would it be more good news, possible open-doors that we had not walked through before?
     The last meeting of the conference we both found ourselves responding to the message entitled 'The Inconvenience of Obedience'. The call was for people who were willing to move anywhere in the UK for the sake of the gospel of God. Why were we responding? We both didn't understand but in unison we made the short walk to the front to join the many others who were kneeling and offering themselves to God as willing to go. We couldn't go, our visa states specifically that I can only work for BCC's, moving is not an option. At no point in our lives here in the UK had we so unequivocally, absolutely drawn a line in the sand that this is where we live and where God has called us to long term. The two of us going forward that morning was our statement, our expression physically of where we stood with God and ourselves. It also cemented the idea that the ILR status was our next step and something that was indeed worth looking into.