It's funny, because I was just reading through some posts from other families in the adoption process who are busting their tails doing fundraisers. I have nothing against that, done it myself and could very well find ourselves there again real soon but something occurred to me...I have been in the mindset that each day He gives us our daily bread and we have what we need today. That's it. I'm not freaking out or plotting and planning for the rest of the funds that I could need in just a month or 2 because we have what we need for TODAY. I'm not complaining. I'm pretty certain it's a good thing...as long as it's a God thing.
It's just that we have been down this road before, I guess. First adoption, did not yet know the Lord and busted our tails to pull together the funds. Second adoption, started out not yet knowing the Lord and reaching for the credit card. Midway through the second adoption came to Christ; the adoption crashed and burned but when it resurrected again, I was changed. God came through without us sweating it out. Third adoption, God provided so abundantly from nearly day one. Things twisted and turned, so then we did need thousands more just before I was about to travel but again, God came through. Even the flights I put on the credit card were able to be paid off when I came home AND we still had money for Christmas. I didn't sweat it, I trusted Him and He came through.
Now we are at it again and He has been providing each step of the way. Of course I am thinking we need to simultaneously do our readoption of Olya and Ivan (since I travelled to Ukraine to adopt them as a married single) for several reasons...but that will add probably more than $3,000 to our costs right now. I am praying about what the Lord would have us do.
In any case, our homestudy draft is done. Our agency is waiting on a few documents to plug-in some dates (which I have all but one...hope to have the kids medicals statement back from their Dr on Monday), then we will be on to our next steps. We MAY be able to submit our dossier much sooner than originally predicted. If so, we could be looking at being submitted in just a matter of WEEKS! And if that works out then we could potentially travel in September - PLEASE be praying we will travel in late Aug/ early Sept. With an unstable Government and desired changes to the adoption rules/laws/international agreements, I am believing if the door is open we must RUN through it while we can. With "Joy" being the age she is, if things shutdown even temporarily (I don't see any reason to believe that a permanent shutdown is in the future) then her fate would be an asylum!!!!
So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, be in prayer for "Joy's" adoption. And if God lays a burden upon your heart to help bring her home, please know that we would be eternally grateful to you.
Thank you SO much to those who have already contributed and to all those who lift our family and/or "Joy" in prayer through this. We are so blessed to know we are not walking on this journey alone.
