Process and Prayer.

Well for those of you who aren't sure how this process of adopting in the U.S. works, I will gladly walk you through it. Please understand all the $ amounts are based on our agency.

Step 1: Find an Adoption Agency.($50)

This is actually a little tricky. Some agencies only work in certain states or have qualifications for who can and cannot adopt. Living in New York makes it much harder. If you are interested, Bethany Christian Services is amazing. ( http://www.bethany.org/ )

Step 2: Meeting with the Agency ($450)

3 meetings usually. 1 to just go over paper work

2 for beginning interviews

3 for personal interviews

Step 3: Homestudy ($1,300)

This is when the social worker comes to your home to sorta "inspect" and make sure everything is safe and that there is adequate space for an additional child.

Step 4: Create and turn in your profile ($5,000) {this is where we are at}

You create a book for the birth mom and family to look at. This helps her to make a more informed decision.

Step 5: Wait.....

You wait until the birth mom has made a decision on who she would like to place her baby with.

Step 6: YOU GET PICKED!! ($16,000-$20,000)

Sometimes this happens early on and you have a little time to prepare. Sometimes you find out when the birth mom is already at the hospital.

Step 7: You bring your baby home!! Woot woot!!

You hug, cuddle and enjoy the tiny bundle of joy that God has blessed you with.

Step 8: You get a lawyer and go to court.

This is when they give you a legal birth certificate.

And you take a deep breath. LOL!

I am telling you all this for a few reasons.

1.People have been asking us a lot about the process so I thought I would lay it all out there.

2. I just wanted everyone to have a real idea of where we are at.

Our SW comes in a few weeks to finish our homestudy and PRAISE JEHOVAH JIREH we have that money.

BUT in order to turn in our profile we need $5,000 and I have no idea where that money is coming from. I am not going to lie... I am scared. I totally trust in God but it is hard to look blindly at a situation and have NO CLUE what God is going to do.

So we are going to do a Craft Fair where I will be selling t-shirts and homemade cards.

So I am forced to my knees again.

Please understand that this is just a genuine prayer:

Dear God,

You know my heart.... You know that my desire is to obey You.... I am scared. I am not sure why you would bring us this far to leave us hanging; that just doesn't seem like You.... Satan has a tiny tug on my heart and I am struggling not to believe him.... God, I don't know what You are planning but I trust You... I know that quite possibly You are forming our baby inside its birthmother right now... That thought brings peace to my soul... You haven't failed us and You cannot be mocked so I know you are bringing all this together for Your glory... I just want You to know the desire of my heart... and that is simply to bring this baby home to a family that loves it... Thank You Father for being the Peace and Strength I need... please forgive me for when I doubt how Awesome you are...Amen.