Referral (Make it Plural) Part IV

Plural Referral – Part IV
During our long weekend of waiting and praying, we were faced with the very real possibility that our daughter might not be on the next shared list. This would mean that our son’s file would still be ‘out there’ for at least another 30 days. Needless to say, we had already fallen head over heels in love with him and couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.

Every time my human self would begin to worry, I would turn to the Scriptures and be reminded that God has empowered me with the Holy Spirit who allows me to pray with confidence and expectation. I would also dwell on the mountains He had already moved and His numerous promises fulfilled.

During this battle, we had enlisted an army of prayer warriors, and at 7:30 a.m., Monday, May 4th our prayers were answered! Karla called with the referral of our daughter! We quickly viewed her file and completed our Nurture and Care Plan for both children. To our delight, Karla called again that evening to tell us that our Letters of Intent were being electronically sent to C*AA and that we should stop and pray because both children were being locked in for us at that moment. God is so good! But there’s more …

Stepping into the realm of special needs adoption can be a process, at least it was for us. We started out accepting a very short list of minor needs, and over time God opened our hearts to more severe needs, giving us peace that if we are obedient, He will supply what we need, including the stamina, funds and education to nurture and care for our children. After all, their most significant special need is a family.

We were expecting to adopt a toddler with a need that would require multiple trips to a specialist some 8 to 12 hours away over a period of 6 to 8 weeks. I could already envision the trips. I would take our newest 13 year old son along so we could improve our communication, and there would be tons of laughter, pointing and even the possibility that I might learn a few new words.

So now I get to tell you about my children! Our daughter’s Chinese name is **** and she has resided in **** since the day after her birth in **** of ***. When she was 8 months old she had surgery to repair her cleft lip under C*AA’s Tomorrow Plan. We have named her Kinley Grace, and she is essentially completely healthy with a postoperative cleft lip!

Our son, ***, was very ill and left on the roadside at 3 months of age, and has spent the last 13 years in foster care and the ***. He will turn 14 in ***, 2010, at which time he would no longer be eligible for international adoption and would be left to support himself. While this makes my heart ache, I know that I serve a God who turns ashes to beauty, and He has beautiful plans for our precious son, Kooper Joe. God is always on time. He is never late!

We have been told that in the rare instance C*AA grants a request for a family to adopt two children at the same time, the children must be from the same orphanage. This was waived in our case, but we were warned that we would have two provincial stays, about five days each, and extended travel and obviously increased fee.
We were once again blown away by the fact that our children are in neighboring provinces! Of course travel details will be worked out later, but there is a possibility we will be able to receive both children at the same time, drive to each Civil Affairs office for the adoption proceedings, and not have an extended stay! We expect to travel in ***, unless C*AA decides to expedite our paperwork :)

Once our Letters of Intent to adopt were submitted to C*AA, we were told to expect our PA (pre-approval to adopt) within 7 to 10 business days. I had care packages ready to ship the minute we got our PA, and on Monday, May 11 I began praising God in advance for sending our PA the next day, which would be Day 7. Karla called at 9:45 p.m. May 12 to let us know we had PA on 2 children! Needless to say, both care packages were shipped the following day.

I am not prophetic, and I am no one special (apart from Christ). But God has shown me the power in faithful, confident prayer. If I pray for something and don’t really believe it’s going to happen, I am faithless. I know my God is able to answer my prayers, and I know He is willing. I praise Him for giving me an abundant life in Jesus!
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22