Waiting
If there was a single word to sum up July 2019 on our adoption journey it was this: WAITING! It felt like the doldrums of the dog days of summer. Every day we worked on another grant application or another piece of education or another step in remodeling our garage to expand for more kids. Every day it felt that we were no closer than we had been the previous day.Three times we heard back from one particular grant agency ... "we have you scheduled for review." But after we updated our info and we were still waiting for our Dossier to be approved by CEJAI, the response "you have been rescheduled."
After the first set of our Dossier had been translated and submitted in very early July, I had hoped that we would hear back from Brazil that we had been approved by mid-August and then; possibly, that we had been matched by September.
Great News!
Yesterday (Aug 16) we got a phone call from the Help Us Adopt grant agency. They were pleased to tell us that our grant application had been approved and that we were being awarded the full amount available to us. Praise Jesus! This means that all of the remaining agency and lawyer fees that we will have have designated funds to cover them. We thought that we could not be more delighted!And then our Adoption Service Provider called. "Congratulations, you have been MATCHED!"
From waiting to matched. Just like that.
Erica and the girls and I are so, so happy. Happy and humbled. That God should choose us to walk this path of faith and that He has opened every door, each day in His timing. It is so overwhelmingly joyful and amazing.
"Bore"
In Exodus 19:4, God tells the Israelites ... "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." And in I Peter we are encouraged ... "[Jesus] Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness."The same God who bore/carried/removed our sins away forever through the cross, has also born/carried/removed us from bondage to that sin. We are saved from slavery to sin that we might live free to God.
As we learn more in the coming month(s) about the circumstances that resulted in our kids being without a family in Brazil. We are reminded that God has already been preparing us as their family here. We aren't that special, but we are honored.
"For to this we have been called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you might follow in his steps." ~ I Peter 2:21
Praise God! Very exciting! Love that you keep us all informed!
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