Oh, Happy Day!

The adoption process is full of waiting. Waiting, waiting and more waiting. Adam and I started the process on April 10 of this year, and we have been working toward and waiting for our sweet little one ever since that day. We have passed a lot of milestones along the way. Finishing our home study. Being cleared by immigration. Sending off our dossier. Having our dossier arrive in Ethiopia. In fact, when I look at our "Pray with Us" page, there are more praise reports than prayer requests right now, and that is SUCH a beautiful picture of God's grace and mercy and faithfulness in our lives. Each thing we have prayed for has happened, and, to be completely honest, most of it has happened way faster than we thought it would. And today was no exception.

Adam and I have been blown away by God's work in our lives through this process. We really feel like we are growing and learning every day. As each day passes and we continue to wait, God continues to demonstrate His faithfulness to us. He is teaching us to rely wholly and fully on Him. There are days when it is painful, when we feel like we only ever be waiting. That our whole life will be like this, waiting with no end in sight and aching to have our little one home with us. But then there are days like today. Days when God just kicks the door of doubt down and we are left with our jaws on the floor. 

We finally have one of the things we have really been waiting for. Our VERY FIRST waiting list number! Usually, you only get numbers on the first of every month, but our program director is going out of town next week, so she sent us our number early. Sooooo sweet of her, because you know I would have been fretting like a crazy woman all week long. 

So here it is, for the very first time. We are number...

Attempt 1...

We are #86!!

We are so excited, and for a few different reasons! First (and most obviously), we are one giant step closer to our little one. When I told my dad today, he said, "So God already has a baby out there for you guys. That is so crazy." And it is!! It feels real now. Our name is on a list that will lead us to our sweet child. I can't believe it. I have been saying for a while that, while I know we "have a baby on the way," it hasn't really felt like it. Well, I am happy to say that that is OVER. I do finally feel like we have a baby on the way, and it is absolutely incredible. The second reason we are so excited is that in order for us to be matched with our child, 85 other orphans have to be placed with their forever families. That is 85 precious children who will be welcomed into loving families over the coming months. It is impossible not to see God's beautiful hand in this. 

So today is a day of serious rejoicing in our lives. We are on our way to becoming a family of three (well, 3.5 if you count the pup)! God is being so gracious as we seek to follow the crazy, curvy, twisty, turny path He has laid out for us. We are continuing to pray that God will strengthen us and uphold us during this time of waiting. We (OK, mostly me) are not great waiters. And we know that we will need the Lord to get us through this season. But there is such hope in this, the fact that all of this waiting is truly only a season. That means that one day it will end. That is the hope we are clinging to, the truth that God has called us to this, and because He is the One who called us, we know that He is the One who will bring through it. And when He brings us through it, there will be a beautiful child for us to love for the rest of our lives. More than that, we will be able to tell our sweet little one about how the Lord brought us all together, just like He planned all along. 

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess, for He who promised is faithful." 

Hebrews 10:23

Love, 

Baylor