WHERE TO ADOPT?

So once we made the decision to adopt, we told the kids and they were over the moon excited!  I immediately started researching agencies, talking to social workers, reading blogs, looking over waiting child profiles, talking with friends that have adopted, etc.  I realized quickly that the process can be overwhelming.  While still doing my research on which agency to sign with, Alan and I just prayed that if God had a child for us, He would make him/her known.

The one thing we knew is that we were called to International adoption.  Our heart was for Africa but after researching and talking to friends, we realized the adoptions there were very unsteady and took awhile.  We knew this process was going to be a lesson in patience but with our kids getting older, we wanted them to be around the new brother/sister for as long as possible.  China has such a stable adoption system.   One thing we knew is that the community here in C-U is great for Asian culture.  We want our new child to know where he/she came from and our church has a very active Mandarin speaking service also.  SO CHINA IT IS!!

After lots of praying, we felt that God wanted us to have a girl.  I started talking with a few agencies and reviewed their waiting child list.  A "waiting child" is usually over age 1 and may have a minor/moderate special need (SN). I learned we also needed to review needs and determine what special need, if any, we were comfortable with.  China gives most children a label, accurate or not.  So a need listed may not even be accurate but we needed to be prepared for worst case scenario.  It was so hard to not sound selfish in deciding what we "wanted" in our adopted child.  I disliked the feeling it gave me.  Thankfully one social worker validated and let me know that those feelings were normal and ok.

Alan and I loved looking over all the sweet blessings.  It is so humbling and earth shaking all wrapped in one.  We thanked God a lot for our four blessings and prayed for all those sad faces that a mommy and daddy would find them and love on them!

So after looking over a ton of faces and praying, I got a FB message from Rebecca.  She runs a great website advocating for waiting children.  She had saw the specifics we were looking for and just got the profile of a little girl she thought we might like.  We had already reviewed about 5 profiles by then and just opening her video we knew she was ours!!