53 Months...and Waiting...Again!

Today marks the 53 month mark since our Dossier was logged in China's adoption system! That's a long time of waiting. We have actually been in this process since July, 2006 but the "waiting ticket" is the Log-In Date. So we continue to pray, hope, wait, trust and anticipate the sooner-than-later moment when we will see our precious little girl...or two.

In the meantime, our official updated homestudy has been sent to USCIS (Homeland Security) for reapproval. We also received notification from USCIS a few days ago that Tim and I will go to Cincinnati soon for more refingerprinting sessions. :) So the usual "hurry up and wait" cycle continues. But we are thrilled that we are 53 months closer to our little sweetie/s.

Last weekend, Tim and I had the blessing of meeting with some dear friends of ours who have adopted three little girls from China. As soon as we met them, those precious darlings were hugging us, holding our hands and talking with us as we ate Chinese food, of course. :) I even got to carry Maria back to the car and realized that it all comes back so easily when we are holding and carrying little one/s. Thank you, Forrest, Robin, Laura, Shiyan and Maria, for spending the evening with us. You are such a blessing to us in our journey and we thank God for you and all of your family, including your precious three sons.

As September begins, I ask for your continued prayers for our family as we prepare for this new season in our lives. If you know us at all, you know that 2011 has been an extremely busy year full of transitions, challenges and much work...and that's just the beginning! Of course, it has been an incredible year of blessings on many levels. We have some of the most precious friends and family on this planet and are so thankful for them. It has been amazing to watch God work through them at just the right time in our lives. Now we begin to prepare for a trip to China someday soon...and for our new daughter who will come home with us. And we have no doubt that God will protect, provide and promote His perfect will through it all. Please pray for our family as we seek His direction on various levels. There is much that needs to be determined, done and directed before we board a plane to China. It is exciting...overwhelming...and a gift from God to be given this opportunity to bring home one of His precious children to raise as our own child. Wow!

For now, please pray that we will have peace, wisdom, discernment, as well as open minds and hearts as we wait for yet another call from the agency. It was so very difficult to "decline" the recent referral possibility. Yet we have complete peace that we made the right choice. But please continue to pray for us as we wait...and seek God's specific and obvious direction the next time the agency calls. We want to do His will above all else.

So...we wait...and prepare...and go to Cincinnati for more fingerprinting...and wait for more documents...and pray, pray, pray. Our hearts are filled with love for this little one...and we already consider her a definite part of our family. Now if we can just see her face and hold her in our arms...and bring her home. Yet we know that God has His loving arms around her each moment.

As with each journey we take in life, it is sometimes more waiting than we would like. But it is such a comfort to know that we are never alone in our wait...and each moment is never without purpose. May your journeys be blessed with peace, hope, purpose and assurance that you are never walking alone, either. Sometimes it is refreshing to wait...and listen...and count our blessings along the way. Then when God directs our steps to move forward, we are ready to do so. Thank you for walking this journey of blessings with us. We thank God for each of you.
Cherishing this season of waiting, listening and counting our blessings,
Terri & family