Somewhere A Tree Cried

Well, we received our Ethiopia Adoption Manual and several other documents.  Printed the whole thing out (lots o paper) and signed the appropriate papers.  I scanned in all the needed docs and tried to send it to her via email, but apparently the file was too big.  So I'm guessing the hard copy mailed to her will have to do.  

Guess I didn't mention who "her" is.  We met our contact at Lifeline and her name is Brittney!  She is very nice and helpful and I'm looking forward to working with her. 

I tried to pay our first payment online and had issues.  So after phone calls and emails, it's on it's way to being fixed.  Paypal is so much fun. (Can you hear my sarcasm?) We'll have to try again in a few days.  Crazy how I'm so anxious to pay out large sums of money. 

I think we have found the social worker who will be doing our home study.  I was given her name a few weeks ago and we've been trying to figure out if she can do the work for us since she is an independent social worker.  Think we've got it straightened out finally.  Our agency is located in Alabama and they do not have social workers here that they use.  They advised me that I could find one online, but I felt better contacting someone who was referred. 

I'm learning that there is so much to this adoption process that I never even imagined.  The rules for a social worker, the tasks we will have to do for the home study, etc.  And I know I haven't even scratched the surface yet!  I'm not complaining; I don't mind doing all these things.  There is just so much that I never knew!  

Bret and I talked the other day about getting siblings instead of just one.  I felt like it was something I'd be open to, but Bret wasn't on the same page as me.  So for once, my crazy thoughts didn't go any further and I was fine with that.  We are not sure that this will be our only adoption, but we are only going with one this time.  

Thinking about and praying for our little boy is hard sometimes since I don't even know if he's born yet.  But I pray for him and his family, specifically his mother.  I don't know how or why she will have to give up her precious boy, but I know it will be terribly hard and I am so sad for what that will be like for each of them.  I wish it didn't have to happen, I wish that he could stay with her and remain happy, I wish there were no orphans for us to care for and take in.  But Christ was clear that there will be orphans , and we are the ones who need to step in and do what He is asking us to do in order for them to be cared for.  Whatever that may be.  

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27