We have wanted to adopt for quite sometime and now we are on that journey. Please follow along with us, ask questions, make comments, join us as we adopt and see our lives change once again!
They say the best things in life are worth waiting for, if this is accurate then we have quite a cupboard full of best things. It feels as though we have had many opportunties to wait (I totally recognise that almost everyone does and could pen a blog about their life situations), whether that be for a sign-off on paperwork, the visa application which was at a stand-still or for the right house to be available to be able to move to. So when we found out that we'd be waiting for our meeting with visiting social workers for about a month longer than originally expected we were both gutted and prepared at the same time.
Last week we broke the great news that we are being visited by social workers of a sibling group. This is going to happen but it is going to be in mid-June rather than this week. We found out the news on an email whilst waiting to check out from ASDA just after we'd created a to do list for the visit this week. Was it difficult? Yes. Did we see some real positives? Yes, firstly our social worker can be present at the meeting, we have more time to prepare, we are able to do the requested date so no diary shuffling is needed.
TBH having that meeting this week would have been extremely quick, maybe we are used to moving at a snail's pace, but when I looked back at my prayer journal from last Tuesday morning the sibling's we are interested in weren't even in my journal. That was only a week ago, goes to show how fast aspects of this process can move.
We'll keep you all up to date with the proceedings, although there may not be much to say as we are back in a holding pattern. It feels like we are on the tarmac and have been told that we can taxi to the runway for take-off but must wait for clearance from the tower before rolling down the runway and lifting off. To take the analogy further the engines are humming, the tray-tables are up, all baggage is safely stowed in over head cabins, seat belts are on and we are simply awaiting the roar of the engine as it picks up enough ground speed to hit the air. If you've flown you know the anticipation and excitement that hits when the plane takes that turn, there is no other plane ahead and thrust of the machine puts you straight back in your seat. We are in that anticipating position.
If you can picture it I was at the gym working out on the elyptical machine, about halfway through my warmup exercise, and then a tap on the shoulder. It took me by surprise as I had headphones in and was rockin out to some tunes while running along. Anyway it was an employee asking if I was Earl and if so that I had a phone call waiting at the front desk. Now if you have ever had this type of call you'll know it is one of two things - 1. Amazing news that simply could not wait or 2. Awful news that simply could not wait. Which was this rolled through my mind as I left the machine and quickly made my way to the front desk downstairs.
I knew that it was Rebecca and from the tone of her voice I'd know the answer as to whether this was 1. or 2. It didn't take Sherlock to figure out it was AMAZING NEWS, the kind that you do stop, thank the Lord, scream it from the mountaintops and then attempt to take it all in.
On Monday we were sent yet another profile, we have had more than we probably expected, and have been interested in a quite a few. As I told some friends only one of the profiles will be describing our future child or children. While they all tug at our heartstrings we can't adopt all of them, in fact only one or two at the most. One of the profiles of a sibling pair late on Monday did pique our interest and as protocol we emailed our contact at the agency to ask for more information (a CPR which is the detailed report about the child/children) The CPR's don't always come back quickly, some we have asked for we've never seen in our inbox, this is most likely because the social worker is unavailable or that child/children is already matched to another waiting adopter.
Well this requested CPR did come back, on Tuesday it was in our possession, it came in the evening so I took advantage of having a free night (my meeting was cancelled) and we sat down to dig into another detailed profile. After finishing reading and talking about it an hour and a half later we thought that we;d ask to have this go to the next step. The next step is stating that we would like to have our names put forward as a potential matching couple. At this point it is again out of our hands, our agency worker attempts to contact the social worker and let them know of our interest. Now we have gone this far with two other profiles and both times it came back that the social worker did not choose to see us.
This is where yesterday's phone call comes into play, at 12:15 an email came through stating that the social worker would like to meet with us, and if it works can that be next week. TBH these things do not usually move that fast, but it works for us and them, so it's on. If you are somone who prays and lifts us up please do as we have the opportunity to sit down and ask questions, share about ourselves, our hopes/dreams and see if there is a link and connection. Watch this space, when there is more news you'll be aware:)
Check out this beautiful song called 'Waiting Here for You' it is one that has really spoken to my heart, I love to play it with the youth worship band.
Having the crossed the undaunting finish line of approval we have quickly moved into the next phase of the adoption process, matching. The matching process is really interesting, in some respects it reminds me of Christmas morning or when the postman delivers a package which is a gift from somebody. On Christmas morning there are gifts there, you know that they are for you, the job that remains is to open and enjoy. Some gifts are fun, others are helpful, some need to be returned, some may not be your taste, and there are gifts that are just right. You can probably remember opening up one of those heart-felt gifts that means so much or what you have been desiring greatly but would not purchase for yourself.
Why is the matching process a bit like this? For about 8 days out of the last 9 business days we have opened up at least one email that has a profile of children who are waiting to be adopted. This means that they are on the national register and our agency has access to their files and contact details of the social workers/local agencies who are responsible for the children. We get emails with names in the title, at that moment Rebecca and I are like 'do we have time now to open it up, should we wait till later' or if we are not together we might open it up on separate computers and talk over the phone. Getting potential life-changing emails like these is extremely exciting, the children being presented to us, the cute pictures, the often distrurbing life-stories which the little lives carry.
It is near impossible to wait to open up the document, then to open up the attachment, and then to write back to the agency with our thoughts. It's a bit like opening up a present, except for one huge difference.
This quote by a young lady living in Uganda who is/has adopted at least 12 children maybe more by now
These are children, these aren't toys, clothing or the latest kitchen appliance. They are kids, they are alive, if they are old enough they are desiring a home to call home for life. It's not just another email, it is worthy of careful consideration, time-taking word-by-word reading, it's possibly our future written and seen before our eyes. So I suppose it's not like just another package or even the most thoughtful, loving, specially wrapped Christmas present, those emails are much more than that. They are profiles, a small usually undetailed window into a child or children who are looking for their own Christmas present or surprise parcel through the post... a loving life-long family.
We'll keep you all up to date with the proceedings, although there may not be much to say as we are back in a holding pattern. It feels like we are on the tarmac and have been told that we can taxi to the runway for take-off but must wait for clearance from the tower before rolling down the runway and lifting off. To take the analogy further the engines are humming, the tray-tables are up, all baggage is safely stowed in over head cabins, seat belts are on and we are simply awaiting the roar of the engine as it picks up enough ground speed to hit the air. If you've flown you know the anticipation and excitement that hits when the plane takes that turn, there is no other plane ahead and thrust of the machine puts you straight back in your seat. We are in that anticipating position.
