BLESSINGS IN THE WAITING

What a gift it is to have family support. I have been so blessed on both Garrett's side and my my own, to have family that shares in our excitement and anticipation of the upcoming changes. With all of the unknowns and uncertainties we have over the next couple of months, their thoughts and prayers have meant more than any of them (or for those of you reading this) know.

Garrett is getting more and more anxious about his interview in Bethesda. While the world doesn't rest on the outcome, I know he feels a certain amount of pressure, but I am hoping that he can root himself in what he knows to be true. Things happen for a reason. There is a bigger picture than the small world we are encompassed in. If this path comes to an end we have to remember that where God closes a door, he opens a window.

The home study process is moving forward. We are working with an agency in Sacramento, so weekly trips down there have become fairly routine. We have one more meeting in Sac on Friday, then we leave for Garrett's interview and have a break for a few weeks. The agency has been great thus far. They have even combined our 2nd and 3rd classes into a single day which saves us a trip down. If we don't hit any glitches, our home study should be completed by Thanksgiving.

We mail our application out to our placement agency on Monday. For those of you that aren't familiar, because our adoption is international it is pretty complex so I'll try to line it out in steps as I understand them thus far.

*Research which agencies have what qualifications (ages, income, lifestyle, etc.)
*Find a placement agency and a home study agency that will work together and with you.
*Apply with a home study agency and begin attending required classes/meetings.
The home study agency lets the placing agency know that you are meeting the standards required by both agencies as well as the country chosen by the adoptive parents.
*Apply with the placing agency The placing agency specializes in matching prospective children and families. The placing agency also works directly with the country of your choice and navigates all the politics and paperwork involved.
*Complete your home study. Your social worker turns this document into your placement agency.
*Begin gathering the paperwork needed for your dossier completion. Dossier's are needed for each placing agency. This is a complete profile of your family and includes legal paperwork as well as your home study documents and biographies of your immediate and extended family.
*Turn in completed dossier and file Immigration paperwork for the children coming into the US. The placing agency assists in this process as well.
*Wait......
Once all the paperwork is completed and financial requirements met, the family waits for the placing agency to find a good match. Depending on the specifics each family is looking for this can take between 3 days and 8 months.
*Referral! Once the referral is received and accepted, travel plans are made and within a few months the the family gets to pick of their child!!!! Yeah!!!

In all, the process can take from 6 months to two years. Variables can throw a curve into the time line at any point in the process, so we'll be taking it as it comes and working out the knots as we find them. So keep praying for us and our families as we continue to conquer this process one step at a time.