Adoption moves forward

I sent the last bit of paperwork to our home study social worker, Amy. Hopefully, we will get this packet from her by week's end. From there, we have to send our packet to the immigration office. It could take as long as ninety days in their office before we will be ready to send our information to China. At this point, we are hoping for a January or February "log-in" date. This is the date that China officially tells us we are "waiting". It is at this point that the wait begins.

The current estimate on wait is 22 months; however, it is steadily increasing month-by-month. Currently, China is processing 7-15 "log-in" dates per month. When there are actually 30-ish days in a month, you see how this would put them behind. The number of people waiting, the number of "vacation" days employees take in China (apparently they take days fairly often), and the amount of orphanages participating all affects the number of people they process.

Yesterday, during our weekly home study, the men gathered at one home for a study while the women and children gathered at another to make cards for a family in the church (who I don't know) who delivered a premature baby and is currently staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Pensacola.

Normally, sitting around making cards for a new baby -- putting pink stinkers everywhere and watching a dozen kids run around would have been torture for me. It's amazing how healed my heart is. I can truly say that infertility is now a passing problem instead of a daily occurrence for me. I don't think this is something that can happen without time, healing, and prayer. Thank you to those of you who prayed for my heart during the last four and a half years. It is such a relief not to fight back tears constantly. JB and I spent half of our married life dealing with infertility. I prayed so hard that I would just not be in daily pain. I can honestly say that I am not in daily pain, and I am so glad and thankful for that. It is something only the Lord can bring.

We are excited about becoming parents, no matter how long the wait may (or may not) be.