Adopting Dania

It is ironic that 3 years ago tonight I was sitting in on my orientation with Lutheran Services.(my homestudy agency) We had already chosen the country of Haiti and my adoption was to be the first one from Haiti that the director at the time had ever worked with, so I was basically filling them in on the adoption process of Haiti. They were great, and I felt confident that they were the ones to do our homestudy so I paid the application fee and we were on the way.

It is ironic because today was the day that I finally heard some good news. Dania's file has officially entered Minister of Interior (MOI), the final legal process of this adoption. When she comes out of MOI she legally belongs to us (according to Haiti) and then we just have to get her visa and go pick her up. The tricky part is that MOI seems to be just as random as the rest of the process and it could take from 2-8 months to come out. Please pray that this wait is short and nothing else hinders us.

When people find out that we are adopting the interested ones ask us when we expect her home, and how long have we been waiting. I always cringe when I have to give the answer of "going on 3 years now", because there is always the gasp and head shaking. I sometimes worry that people will get discouraged and I will become to them one of those horror stories you read about concerning adoption. (you know the "I know a couple that has waited over 3 yrs")The honest to goodness truth is that sometimes I feel a little sorrow over the passing of time and the years missed, but mostly I feel amazed by the grace that he has given me to walk this path. So many people have a path similar to ours and so many people have an entirely different one. Not everything makes sense all the time, but for the most part I am at peace because he holds our futures in his hand and I can live with that knowledge quite comfortably.

I so want my journey to Dania to inspire others that are considering adoption, not discourage them from ever starting. My best case scenario is still 3 1/2 years, and that certainly seems long, God tells us that our time here is short and is like a vapor but the eternal is what matters. Dania in Haiti has very little hope of an eternal life, Dania with us has a great opportunity for life eternal and that is what I am working towards, that is what I am investing in, therein lies all of my hopes. Someday she will sit in our car, eat at our table, sleep in her bed in our house, and hopefully give her life to our savior. Amen!