Faith

This weekend was rough but I have emerged with a sense of peace.  Obviously, Friday was a disaster.  After receiving the DOS announcement for the suspension of adoptions from Nepal, my mind went into overdrive.  I belong to a Yahoo group that is only for potential adoptive parents with the Nepal program.  There are about 400 members, from both 2009 and 2010.  As you can imagine, the website started blowing up immediately with everyone's comments and information that someone heard through someone else that someone blah blah blah.  According to what people have posted, they are jumping ship and trying to switch to a different country to complete their adoption.  They are saying that Nepal is completely closed to intercountry adoptions and basically those who have not received a referral yet are S.O.L.
  This did/does not sit well with me.  I talked to my agency briefly on Friday but they were on the phone with the DOS trying to ascertain the situation and possible ramifications so they did not have many answers for me.  My big mistake was tuning in to all of the hubbub on the yahoo group.  Everything people were posting conflicted with what my journey has been so far.  In response to all of this uncertainty, I went back through my journal starting in February from day 1 of when I started praying about specifically adopting from Nepal.  I saw how God has had his hand in this from the very beginning.  So many things have fallen perfectly into place, perfectly timed.  I know that adoption is God's will for any believer.  Throughout the bible, he commands that we take care of the orphan and widow.  I believe that it is our responsibility to be involved whether through adoption, sponsorship or volunteering our time and resources.  So on this front, I believe that my pursuing an adoption is God's will for my life.  Now, how he is going to bring this to fruition is in his hands.  Two verses smacked me in the face as I went back through my journal:

"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord.  Remember the great reward it brings you!  Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will.  Then you will receive all that he has promised." - Hebrews 10:35-36

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."  - Hebrews 11:1

Everything I have been reading in the old testament has shown me that God provides for his children- but he also challenges their faith.  His provision required that they took a step of faith.  I am taking a step of faith in believing that I know God is working to bring this adoption to completion.  I know it is God's will for me to adopt.  I know that it was God who brought everything together in perfect timing so that my dossier was submitted by the deadline.  Even though I don't have any answers or understand everything that is going on, I am believing with the patient endurance that somehow, God is going to work all of this out.  I spoke with my agency today and they said that the suspension is for orphans classified as "abandoned."  Those who were relinquished are still able to be processed through the normal adoption procedures.  Presently, all of the referrals are for children who are classified as "abandoned."  My prayer is that the Nepali government will implement thorough and sufficient documentation of those children who have been abandoned so that they may experience life with their forever family instead of life in an orphanage.

Finally- I would like to thank everyone who has been praying for me and sending me messages of encouragement.  I can't begin to even tell you how much your love and prayers supported me this weekend.  One dear friend told me to not give up hope, that Sofía's story just got more interesting:)  You have no idea how incredibly, amazing that moment is going to be for me when I finally get to hold her in my arms.  That is the hope that I am setting my sights on; the promise for which I will patiently endure.