A New Adoption Direction

So, it's been 22 months since we finished our home study interviews and entered the period of "waiting" for an adoption placement. I hate to say it, but in some ways I feel like my life entered a holding pattern; not overly fun. It seems like everyone else's life is moving right along - babies being born, kids getting older, more babies being born, people graduating, people getting married - and we're just sort of stuck in waiting.

God is faithful, though, and I've been busy. I did a play at the local theater and played piano for a rehearsals for other plays, I have rejoined our local Chorale for the first time since Mom & Dad Latona came to town, I operate a healthy-sized piano studio of 26 kids, and we are both still working with the college students in the local BCM club - we actually had the officers and the campus pastor over for dinner Friday, and we spent time praying for the students and for the work God wants to do with the club on campus. We got to travel to see my parents and my sister during Christmas, and I went back in mid-January to meet my new baby nephew. Of course, Mom & Dad keep me busy too, but they are feeling pretty good, and we have been 6 months without a hospitalization. whew!

Things have been happening on the adoption front too. We connected with an additional agency, Lutheran Services of Georgia, shortly before the end of the year. So far, we've done orientation, submitted an application (not much paperwork), and attended an IMPACT training session, which is required in order to adopt children who are in state DFCS foster care. Yup, that's right, I said foster care. The Lord has been opening our hearts to the idea of adopting slightly older children (past the infant stage) who need a family to call their own. We are both going to get fingerprinted this week (hopefully), and we're currently working on at least 60 pages of paperwork that's required by the agency and/or DFCS, hoping to have it ready for our caseworker early next week. We're also registered to attend a "domestic infant adoption" training session with this agency, as they also place infants who are not in foster care and whose parents voluntarily terminate their parental rights.

So, things are happening. I am not overly happy about having to do all of the paperwork, medical exams, background check, and interviews again, but it's a different agency, and they need it done again, so we're doing it. We still don't know when or who or how... but we're praying that God puts our family together as only He can - miraculously. Thank you for your ongoing prayers for "Baby Latona" and/or "Little Latonas" that will be coming into our lives.