Our regional representative with Great Wall, Paige, told me that most people who want to adopt have thought about it for so long that once they make the committment they’re ready for it to have happened yesterday. We are no different. Waiting is so hard for us–I can just imagine holding Maisy for the first time and it feels as though my heart is going to tear in half. In the midst of all of the anxiety and sometimes, I admit, anger I am determined to learn something. The Lord knows how hard waiting is for me and all the other adoptive parents out there and He has never had His people wait without a purpose. I certainly don’t believe this waiting is punishment, but I do believe it has a purpose. Perhaps it is so I can see the Grace and Mercy in every action that comes out of the will of God. I catch myself frequently acting like Jacob in the Bible–trying to bring about and devise his own blessing only to learn the hard way that blessings come only from the hand of God. So I wait. It is so hard–but I will say it–I am thankful for the wait because I know that it is God’s will and All things really do work for good for those who love the Lord and are the called according to his purpose. Over a year and a half ago I prayed that the Lord would either remove the desire for another child from my heart or open the door for us to adopt. He heard my prayer and Maisy will come in His time and will be the perfect little girl for our family. On one of my very dark days when the waiting was bearing down on me so that it was almost a physical presence I asked my friend Carol to pray for me. Carol is a prayer WARRIOR. She e-mailed me and said, in response to remarks I made about my inability to see the end and how very dark it felt, “Rest in the darkness for He has hidden you in the cleft of the rock and covered you with His hand.” I don’t need to see the end. He sees it and is protecting Maisy with the same hand. What an awesome God I serve.
This month marks one year that we have been in the adoption process. We made our first agency payment on my birthday. So, happy birthday to me!! We have been in the referral stage of our adoption for three months–Yup, I’m waiting but I’m still counting down, Kids! In just a few days I will be the mother of a teenager! I cannot believe it either. Bobby is such a sweetheart and we are very proud of him. There are lots of exciting things happening in my family but I’ll let the responsible parties tell when they are ready. I really, really want to tell though!
Speaking of waiting…sometimes, as parents, we feel like we are the only ones waiting but the kids are waiting too. If you have ever considered adoption and don’t necessarily want a baby consider the following:
Out of the 513,000 children in foster care in the US 114,000 of them are waiting to be adopted.
The average child waits for an adoptive family for more than 3 years. 21% spend 5 years or more waiting for a family (24,395 children).
The average age of children waiting for an adoptive family is 8.5. Approximately 51,000 children are adopted from foster care (18% of the foster care population).
24,407 children reach the age of 18 without ever having a family.
You can access the children available for adoption in Oklahoma at www.okdhs.org or for children available for adoption nationwide www.adoptuskids.com.
May you be richly blessed, Amy
statistics taken from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families Administration on Children for FY 2005
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