Friday, March 29, 2013

Home Visit Update

Just wanted to do a little follow-up to my last post :) Our home visit on Wednesday went really well! It was VERY low-key, which was so nice. Our kids were friendly, and our house passed inspection ;) Actually, it didn't even feel like our house was being "inspected" which was a pleasant surprise. I had this image of her looking in every closet and cabinet in our house, and it wasn't like that at all. We just sat and talked for a while, and then we walked her around our house briefly. I think the kids enjoyed showing her their rooms :) We asked a few questions after that, and it was over! The whole visit only took about 45 minutes. This was actually probably the most "painless" part of the Home Study. Haha! Thank you to everyone who prayed for us during this process. I know I had a lot of sweet friends thinking about us and lifting us up before the Lord, and it has meant so much to me to feel the love and support of friends and family during this Home Study process. I know I can continue to count on love and support, and I am truly thankful.

So now, our part of the Home Study is done. Our case worker has 30 days to write up our Home Study, and it will be OVER. What happens after that is entirely dependent on the decisions we make regarding the country we're going to pursue. I know I've talked a lot about Hong Kong, and for a while, I was about 95% sure that's direction we were headed. But lately, the Lord has just put it on my heart to look into domestic adoption. Specifically, special needs domestic adoption. I prayed (and had friends praying) that the Lord would give us clear direction and that David and I would be on the same page as we make these big decisions. We wanted to see if there was even a NEED for families wanting to adopt a child with special needs domestically. After talking to our adoption agency, it looks like there IS a need for that in our state. So, right now, that's really the direction we're leaning. I wouldn't say we're 100% decided, and who knows where the Lord may lead us in the future. But right now, I have just felt this nudge to move in that direction. I really can't even explain it. The most exciting part, and the part that makes me think that this is the Lord's leading, is that David and I are completely on the same page. We cannot wait to see what the Lord does in our family!

If we do definitely decide to go forward with domestic, there are new decisions that have to be made. (New, meaning things that we didn't have to think about if we went the international route.) Also, the thought of going domestic is a little scary because the time frame is way less predictable. We want to be available for a precious little one who needs a family, but we have no way of knowing when our child will come along. David and I have discussed that in great depth, and we've just acknowledged that we have to give that to the Lord. We were never in control to begin with, but this feels like a tangible release of control (that seems to be a theme for me here lately). We believe that God is completely sovereign and that He will bring the RIGHT child into our family at the RIGHT time. That time may be sooner or later than our preference, but it's right. We fully believe that.

So, that's where we are right now in a nutshell! There are many factors that we're taking into account as we make these decisions, and maybe I'll go into some of them at some point when we've made our final decision. But right now, we're just happy to be finished with the bulk of the Home Study and waiting expectantly to see where the Lord leads!

1 comment:

Jennifer said...

I am so glad that it went well! You must feel a huge sense of relief.