Adoption activity has been relatively quiet around here lately. And I sense this being more of a trend as the steps from here on out are out of our hands and into someone else’s.
Adoption is a waiting game.
And we’re just at the beginning of it.
But the wait is good. The wait helps me keep everything in perspective once again and reflect on why. And answer the many questions being asked. Questions of confusion. Questions of bewilderment. Questions of wonder.
Why are you doing this?!??
From the beginning of this adoption process, what I felt impressed on me so strongly was the responsibility to put ourselves in the position of being able to receive orphans. We did not venture into this journey because we are desperate for more children. God knows I’m not bored. Our life is busy and filled with much activity. I’m sure our life (my life) would be much easier if we would just keep to the script of “normal” and tie a nice bow around our family and call it “finished”.
But we can’t. I can’t. Because we know there’s more we are called to.
Called to because we have to? Not at all.
Called to because we’re obligated to? Far from it.
We are called to because we can see beyond the difficulties, beyond the inconvenience, beyond the expense, to be a part of someone else’s rescue story. And we don’t want to pass that up.
But let’s be quick not to romanticize it. Adoption is not a fairytale. An orphaned child is not the ideal. The original family unit is. Adoption happens as a result of a tragedy. And we aren’t rejoicing, nor are we anticipating tragedy, we want to be ready to step in after it occurs.
My mother-in-law (she’s Brazilian) told me the other day that up to 40,000 deaths occur in traffic related accidents every year in Brazil. That’s tragedy. Reports estimate up to ten million children in Brazil are “street children”, second to India. More tragedy.
Orphaned and left to figure out life on their own, so many Brazilian children have no hope and are in desperate need of intervention. We have the ability to intervene— we know the culture, the language (some of us are still working on it), and have access to resources. Knowing this need and having the ability to do something drives our resolve to position ourselves to help when help is needed.
But from where we stand right now in the process, we don’t know. We don’t know if our future children are in an orphanage, living on the street, or still with their family not yet tasting the bitter taste of tragedy.
But I trust that God knows.
He knows who they are, how old they are, where they are, and how many there are. And He knows where we are in the process. I believe He’s working on both sides at the same time. While I see our adoption timeline as what we’ve accomplished and what we have left to do, He sees it into the future. I believe He’s working it out from the position of the children— they are the ones that matter most in the timeline. I can rest in knowing He’s sovereign over it all.
Waiting isn’t easy. Is it ever? But waiting brings anticipation. And anticipation eventually brings joy.
So where are we in the wait?
We are almost done with our paperwork. Last Friday we had our final biometrics and now we await our approval letter— the piece of paper from the U.S. Government that declares us eligible to adopt. Then, our dossier will be complete. Once it is, it will get certified by the state of CA and sent off to Brazil.
That will be a great day.
And the beginning of a new wait.
Mandy