Home Study

Home study interviews for International...complete! Our precious, Precious, now just has to write it up and we are officially in business! She is awesome...just simply awesome. We had our interviews today to finish up our international home study...several hours later, one long, napping toddler, and we got it all done. One more thing to check off our list and take us one step closer, one day closer to our baby in Ethiopia.

Another thing off the list, we mailed off the paperwork for our I-600A today! As I was filling out the paperwork, there is a section that looks like this:

Well, guess who sat and stared at the top box for what felt like.... an eternity??? You guessed it. Was it the fact that I felt a twinge for two? That friends praying for us have seen two? The fact that we hadn't discussed more than one except for a brief moment a month or so ago? So there I sat. I read that if you are even considering more than one, to fill out the form for more than one so that you do not have to do this form again (and pay $670 again). So I fill out the I600A and get papers ready for us to sign...I fill out two I600A forms...

This has been a BUSY travel month for Will - he's not usually this busy with travel, but this month is the exception. So I prepare all the papers that we need to sign and sit down with him and his attention after E has been put to bed. We sit at the table and I start page by page of the small stack of papers that we need to sign (for USCIS and Bethany). We get to the I600A and I explain to Will about the 2 children (and the twinges I have). We talk briefly...he's not feeling the twinges. We talk some more...then sleep on it and pray about it. We don't know what God wants for us and I am feeling we need to be ready for anything (the unexpected?!?!?) and be smart about our paperwork and save ourselves time and money later if that is what God has planned for us. If not, then we didn't lose out in any way.

So we talk the next morning in the flurry of the morning. As Will is about to walk out the door - he says, "send in the form for 2. I'm still not feeling it right now, but if that is what God has planned, then we are ready and I will feel it later."

So there you have it - we sent in the form for up to 2 children (siblings). Boy or Girl. Will is emphatic about a boy (I would really like another boy too - we have everything for a boy already - scads of clothes, all of E's baby stuff - which we have JUST put away for now)...but I have to think to myself, who are we to dictate if we get a boy or girl? With adoption you have the option to specify boy are girl and I fully support all families who do that. But for us, and for how we feel, if we are truly following God and his will and his plan, than we have to deny our self, and surrender to God fully and trust him fully and let him work. He's already written this part in his book - it's already done - so let's see how it plays out! If we were having a baby by our own nature we wouldn't have control of the gender...so why not let this play out the way God intends? God knows the desire of our heart...he also knows what we need and what he's planned...he knows full well what he's doing and he doesn't need our help acting as MOD - Manager On Duty.

So I leave you with a final thought...where in your life are you acting as MOD when you need to let God work in and through you? Blessings to you.