"So if you are able to call Jeff...," she continued
""Wait, you need to know TODAY!?!?!"
"Uhm, no...Monday morning would be fine."
Sweet relief. A decision of this proportion would be near impossible to make within hours. I finished receiving some details and knowing I wouldn't be able to get a hold of Jeff for a couple of hours, on three-way, I called two of my super-amazing friends who know me so well and are constantly my voices of reason. They never just jump in and throw-up their immediate opinions in my ear and they never judge. They listen and allow me to process, they support, they make me laugh, and they ask great questions....including, "So what's the next step?"
Be willing to follow God, trusting that He is going to open and close doors.
1. Jeff's response would be the number one gauge. I know that he is always seeking God's will, especially with big decisions. I was able to spill out the details in about 5 minutes while he was driving home knowing we weren't going to be able to process things fully together until Saturday night after the kids were in bed. It was such a sweet time of honest discussion. I am so blessed to have such a secure husband. We decided it would be a good decision to share with our church body during testimony time during the Sunday morning service.
2. Prayers of other believers and Godly counsel and encouragement would be necessary.
~We did share vaguely during our church service and were able to talk to a few families that have gone through the foster-adoption process. They were honest about the difficulties, but we could see the stream of excitement of what God has done in their lives through the process.
~We shared our situation with other friends and family. We are beyond blessed with having wonderful relationships with so many wonderful people. We would not have started this process if we were not positive that we would have the abundance of support that we would need.
3. Reading the Word and personal prayers... I love having "discussions" with God. I love how the seemingly silent God speaks. He speaks to my heart, especially through His Word (He lead me to Psalm 51 this morning, with verse after verse of encouragement and affirmation), and through music (there are so many songs out there that are filled with His Truths), and even through nature (clear blue skies and beautiful sunrises).
4. Julia's response: We weren't intending on telling her until it was a sure deal, but she was in the service when we shared. We hadn't shared the details in church, but then of course she was asking about it when we got home. Jeff held her on his lap and she was really happy when we first told her about the possibility of
having 3 more siblings. Then a couple of minutes later we heard her crying because it set in and she was
anxious and upset more so about the uncertainty of it all. But with talking and reassurance, she was fine
and later that night she was still fine about it. It is a great lesson in
faith as we explain to her how we are trusting in God's direction. We will definitely wait on telling Andrew. We just have to trust that if it is an experience that would be detrimental to him, that doors will close.
5. Practicality. Well, the list of practical challenges are loooooong. But we decided, to choose to trust that God would provide for every need. Jeff said we can't go into this with a romantic perspective that this would be easy. I am aware of the many sacrifices it would entail...and I'm sure there will be many more sacrifices that I'm not able to foresee. Managing 5 kids under the age 6 would seriously take supernatural help. One of my biggest concerns would be my emotional stability and sanity!!! But, if they are supposed to be here, as a part of our family for a week or for life...He will provide everything. Including financial security, which of course would be another concern.
6. Stay level-headed. We could get ulcers thinking about all of the practical logistics...but the fact of the matter is that we could call our case worker back (I'm calling her in one hour!!!) and she could say they are no longer available. So why waste time and energy on unnecessary anxiety? It was in the back of my mind all weekend, but it wasn't crippling. There is a family out there that needs help, love and support. God has put this ministry very strongly on our hearts. If it wasn't His will, I've repetitively asked Him to take the desire to adopt away in either of us. It hasn't gone away, it has gotten stronger. This may be the family He has prepared for us, it may not be. Regardless, it has been a growing experience and I praise Him for His goodness.
This is what I posted on Facebook and it is my strength:
So glad that my I can fully trust that my Savior has my family's future in the palm of His hand. What a blessing that I can rest in His sovereignty, knowing that His love for us is immeasurable
Update:
I called our case worker this morning. She let the county of the mom know that we are interested in pursuing things. There is a court case tomorrow and we will know more after that. There is no certainty as to if we would be chosen immediately to take the kids or if there are other available families and we would have to go through an interview-type process. Most likely we will not hear anything tomorrow. So we just wait on the edge of our seats.................
I called our case worker this morning. She let the county of the mom know that we are interested in pursuing things. There is a court case tomorrow and we will know more after that. There is no certainty as to if we would be chosen immediately to take the kids or if there are other available families and we would have to go through an interview-type process. Most likely we will not hear anything tomorrow. So we just wait on the edge of our seats.................
