6 months and waiting...

As many of you know, Mike and I started our adoption journey in June 2008. It began with our hearts in June of 2008, and we began the paper process in November 2008. All of our paperwork was completed and sent to Ethiopia in April 2009, and we are officially on the "waiting list" for a referral of a child age 0-3. We were told it could be a 6-12 month waiting period for a child in our age range, and we've just hit the 6 month waiting mark.

Being within the 'expected waiting time range' area right now makes me both happy and sad at the same time. We are praying that we can use this waiting time to help prepare our family more for our new addition, but in the same time, my heart is breaking for my child's family in Ethiopia. I can't even wrap my mind around the pain and suffering their first family in ET is experiencing at this time, whether through extreme poverty, death, or health conditions. My heart breaks that adoption is even necessary for our child, and they are not able to stay with their first family. My heart breaks for the loss our child will experience so young in life. My heart breaks for my child's first mom, thinking of the pain and strength it would require to take her child to the orphanage knowing that she is saying goodbye to the precious little baby she carried for 9 months.

I pray for our new child in ET that they are healthy and safe, and able to receive good nutrition and physical love until they are able to come home with us. I pray for their first family, whatever their situation is, that they would be able to use adoption as only a last option and to make sure that parenting their child is not an option for whatever their reasoning. I pray for peace and love and comfort for their first family. I thank God for the opportunity to parent our new child and for all the blessings children bring, but I am already heavily grieving for their loss and the pain of their first family. Although I do see many adoptions as a blessing, adoption is also painful and very complex. I pray that Mike and I will be able to be proactive about these issues in adoption with our child, that they will feel loved and be able to grow up knowing God's love.