Thursday, November 04, 2010

Backing up

Surprised? So were we. :)

We weren't intending to adopt again yet. We had things we wanted to get done, certain things we wanted to finish, situations we wanted resolved before we adopted again.

Notice the key word in that paragraph? We.

I had actually stopped looking at the RR kiddos because I knew we weren't adopting anytime soon, and I would just fall in love with someone. :) :) But Mark was still checking periodically, and I still volunteer for RR through document preparation, dossier assistance, and chat moderation. So I was well aware of who was being advocated for, and there was one little girl who was due to be transferred imminently, possibly to a place she could no longer be adopted from. Everyone was advocating for a paper-ready family for her, which we were not, so I kept ignoring.

One evening, we were talking about various RR kids and in particular this little girl that was due to be transferred. I confessed that I felt like we were waiting for the wrong reasons.

We have a large house, plenty of income, and plenty of love, but because we didn't feel this was the ideal time to adopt a little girl might lose her only chance of ever having a mama and papa.

Selfish? Yes. And not how God calls us to act. So we agreed that if this was what God had planned, he would have to make it happen, and quickly. We knew Ukraine would not be accepting dossiers after November 25 (this is an annual occurrence) so we only had a few weeks to see if this was even possible.

And God opened all of the doors. Every time someone said "there's no way you can get such-and-such done in time," God made a way. And so, 3 weeks after committing to Candace, we have a nearly complete dossier. We still are not sure if we will be able to be submitted before the closure but we are trusting God to get our paperwork (and us!) to Ukraine at exactly the right time.

5 comments:

Tonya said...

Lord-a-MERCY, Woman! What a whirlwind! I so will be praying for you guys. This is just so exciting! I know your head is spinning but we both know that God is so good and that He always gives us what we need when we need it, right? Are the kids excited? How old is Candace? Details for the nosy, please.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
My name is Tanja. I found your blog via Reece's Rainbow, and I am SOOO happy to be reading about how God called you to adopt Candace! I saw her some months ago in the RR listing, and I have been praying for her many times ever since. She looks just like my niece, Jasmiina, and my heart was breaking for the thought that she would soon be transfered to an institution and not ever be adopted.

We have four children, one of them is adopted and one is a foster child. We could not adopt anyone from Ukraine, since we live in Finland, and adoption in this country is very rare, expensive, and restricted to just a few contacts the three official adoption organizations have in the whole country...

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, that to me this is a huge answer to prayer! Thank you for following the calling God has given you, and opening your home again yet to another little one.

I would like to send you email with a picture of my niece, if you would like, but could not find your email in the blog page? My email is . johansson.tanja@gmail.com

God bless you, it feels like the best possible start for the holiday season this year - to know that Candace is coming home to her family:)

sincerely,
Tanja

Thuy said...

That is a cool story indeed. I'm surprised, but not too surprised. :) She will have a great family, and I pray that God keeps making the way for her to come home soon.

Unknown said...

You are a brave woman, with an equally brave husband. Not because you're "crazy" to have 5 kids, but because it takes real courage to recognize and follow God's promptings. Congratulations, and bring that sweetie home soon!

Erika said...

You and Mark are amazing. I am so thankful for your inspiration. I don't even think it is necessarily just inspiring people to adopt but it inspires me to be still and listen for God's call and then get up and go. I will be praying for your family! You go Olmsteads, I knew that van had empty seats to fill....