So What's Happening With Adoption? Housing challenges and the timeline...
We've had some people ask us where we are in the process and how soon until the kids get home which made us realize some don't quite know where we are in all of this. So today I shall hopefully explain all the details of where we are in the adoption process!
We have not applied yet. We know we are called to adopt, that our babies our out there. God made it clear in September though we were to wait until next Summer to start the process. We have done the pre-approval portion but have not officially applied.
What does it mean to start the process?
Well hopefully in June we will fill out all the paperwork and get the ball rolling with all the stateside requirements for international adoption. The paper trail part takes about 6 months with the whole adoption process taking anywhere from 12 to 18 months. Right now our plan is to start in June but that could change. At this moment Rwanda is going through an accreditation process to become part of the Hague Convention. This is a very good thing and we are very excited about it. It does mean though that we have to wait until they have finished the accreditation before we can start our paperwork. We talked to the adoption agency this week and they recommended waiting until they were accredited because the paperwork might change, or ours might expire. If that happens we would have to start all over again. So the short answer after all that is we plan to start in June but that could change :)
One of our biggest challenges other than the finances we're facing is our home. We love our home but it is two small to bring two kids home to live in... especially if it's a boy and a girl (they require different rooms for each sex). We currently live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath home that is perfect for Steve and I. We have come to understand though we will need to sell our house and move in the next year. We are hoping to be able to sell our home in the spring and move at the same time. There have been moments of panic as we've watched the housing market in our area completely tank... but we keep coming back to the fact that God is sovereign, he has called us to this without a doubt. He will provide a way for our home to sell and for it to sell for what we need. As I typed that though I felt I had to tell you weak ol' me doubts that sometimes. We have so many foreclosed or for sale homes around us.... but then I remind myself this is just another way God will show his sovereignty and take care of the details for us! He is our provider.
So right now that's where we are. We'll be working on the house this winter to get it ready to hopefully sell in the spring. We'll be committing ourselves to prayer the entire time that God will bring us a Realtor who is 1. a Christian and 2. will understand and support what we are doing with the adoption. We really felt it pressed upon us this week that we need to work with people that will support us and lift us up through this whole process. Our previous Realtor was amazing and so good at her job but she wasn't a believer and as we go through this we're going to need to be surrounded. Does that make sense?
I have had such a vivid sense of the kids this week. I keep feeling like I could blink and they would be in front of me... sounds crazy right? I've found myself shying away just a little bit from other's babies... not because I don't want to see them or love on them but because I want to see MY babies. I want to hold MY babies and holding anyone else's makes me realize I've got a ways to go.... but that's only sometimes. If you have a baby and want someone to hold it chances are very good it will NOT be one of those days and I would LOVE to hold your baby! :)
If you have any questions about the adoption, where we are or have comments or advice we welcome it!
Love to all!
* Let me add to this. Since I wrote this we heard back about the
pre-adoption approval. We have been officially pre-approved!!! The only thing we can do now is wait, get our house ready and then we will move forward once Rwanda opens back up. When they contacted us they also told us about several other countries we qualified for. We both still feel a burden to wait and go towards Rwanda but are also praying for wisdom that we go where God wants us not us. Please pray with us because there are some days the waiting gets pretty painful... something it's hard to understand for those around us sometimes. <3
We have not applied yet. We know we are called to adopt, that our babies our out there. God made it clear in September though we were to wait until next Summer to start the process. We have done the pre-approval portion but have not officially applied.
What does it mean to start the process?
Well hopefully in June we will fill out all the paperwork and get the ball rolling with all the stateside requirements for international adoption. The paper trail part takes about 6 months with the whole adoption process taking anywhere from 12 to 18 months. Right now our plan is to start in June but that could change. At this moment Rwanda is going through an accreditation process to become part of the Hague Convention. This is a very good thing and we are very excited about it. It does mean though that we have to wait until they have finished the accreditation before we can start our paperwork. We talked to the adoption agency this week and they recommended waiting until they were accredited because the paperwork might change, or ours might expire. If that happens we would have to start all over again. So the short answer after all that is we plan to start in June but that could change :)
So right now that's where we are. We'll be working on the house this winter to get it ready to hopefully sell in the spring. We'll be committing ourselves to prayer the entire time that God will bring us a Realtor who is 1. a Christian and 2. will understand and support what we are doing with the adoption. We really felt it pressed upon us this week that we need to work with people that will support us and lift us up through this whole process. Our previous Realtor was amazing and so good at her job but she wasn't a believer and as we go through this we're going to need to be surrounded. Does that make sense?
If you have any questions about the adoption, where we are or have comments or advice we welcome it!
Love to all!
* Let me add to this. Since I wrote this we heard back about the
pre-adoption approval. We have been officially pre-approved!!! The only thing we can do now is wait, get our house ready and then we will move forward once Rwanda opens back up. When they contacted us they also told us about several other countries we qualified for. We both still feel a burden to wait and go towards Rwanda but are also praying for wisdom that we go where God wants us not us. Please pray with us because there are some days the waiting gets pretty painful... something it's hard to understand for those around us sometimes. <3
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