1. Painting and decorating our main areas - I still have to finish the kitchen...just need to get motivated!
2. Hosting people in our home - we co-lead a discipleship group from the Bible School and have started a life group with our church (10adults and 15 kids...so good!)
3. Having Thanksgiving in our new home with family and friends!
4. Being more settled in my jobs. And actually enjoying my commute to work on Wednesdays...am going through a Beth Moore Bible Study on Wisdom (on CD in my van)!
5. Enjoying more relaxed time with my man- with less weekend commitments and no house to build I feel like we have TONNES of time!
6. Going to Edmonton (more than once) to shop
7. Seeing my kids develop friendships and become more and more settled in our new community.
8. Laughing a lot more
9. Getting on track with a budget again - really, truly this is relaxing and freeing for me and our family- moving is crazy in terms of finances and transitions. Espceially when 2 vehicles are needed. So it is all good now.
10. And beginning a new season in our ADOPTION!
So in one of my last posts I explained our decision to open up another file for another country...we have been super excited to begin the process and have started our criminal record checks, references, the paperwork for our home study and my husband (he is incredible) has initiated emails with all parties involved (province, agency, our home study agency, CIC etc.) I was privileged to be able to attend a seminar on international adoption which is required by our provincial agency and it was great to connect and realize that our experiences with little man are beginning to prepare us for the realities of what is to come. Not all mind you.
This time around we are hoping to adopt a sibling group. Of older children (somewhere between the ages of 2 & 9). We have prayed over this and wondered if we are crazy. Maybe. But God has impressed it more on our hearts each day that we have the capacity (with God and our support system), the space ( a gorgeous new home), the resources (although the financial ones seem daunting some days), eager kids (who asked for 6-10 sibling:)!!!) and the commitment to see this through. Our thoughts and prayers are not without doubt, uncertainties and if I am completely hones- straight out fear. But we have begun the preparation - we have ordered more books an adopting older children, started examining our own lives & desires and have recognized the challenges that this may bring.
I am reading a book in which it says,
"commitment, rather than love , is a key element to long term success in an adoptive family. The feeling of love can be elusive to us parents during times of prolonged stress and unrewarding parent/child relationships"- B. McCreight (Parenting your adopted older child)
God is showing us more of Himself as we begin this process in our new province. He is also causing us to examine our own lives, our priorities and what we as parents & as a family want to be about. And we want to be about being open to having our lives stirred up for His glory and for His sake. Amidst the challenges that will inevitably come, we long to see His face, to be His hands and feet, and to have more kids!! We have the opportunity once again to grow our family through adoption- so please join me/us and we begin another part of this adventure!
Tomorrow we begin our home study in our new home with our new social worker...here we go.
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| our new home- with many memories to come |
Candra
That quote about adoption - it sounds like the key to a successful marriage too. Home study time - wow, that's exciting. Have you decided what country you'd like to pursue?
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