Yesterday, we went to our first informational meeting in Columbus. It was nice to see how organized and attentive Bethany is to the needs of adoptive parents as well as the children and birth parents with which they work. There was another couple across the table from us planning to adopt a baby domestically. Kevin and I just kept nodding our heads with each step of the domestic adoption process that was mentioned. At one point, I thought I would burst with an "Amen!" Honestly, it was like taking a field trip down memory lane when Jack was born. I hope this couple will be as blessed as we have been.
We received a big packet of resource material, timelines, fee schedules, etc...for our own path to international adoption. Right now, we have filled in all the blanks we possibly can and eagerly await the next package of blanks to complete that will get us one step closer to bringing our son/daughter home.
One amazing event that reassured us we were with the agency we should be was when we left the agency and the social worker who will complete our home study asked where we were from because Kevin looked familiar. As it turns out, her father was his doctor when the Riley family first moved to Tupelo. Not only that, but her brother or brother-in-law is the current preacher at Mt. Hebron West Baptist Church, where I grew up. Finally, the local director once dated the son of my former youth minister at that same church. What are the odds that all our paths would cross in Columbus, MS?
We continue to pray for financial blessings to help us afford the great cost of adoption. We know that God will fill all our needs, but we can't be complacent and sit back and wait. We must continue to seek in order to find. A special thank you goes out to all of you who have contributed to our puzzle to help bring the missing piece of our family home, Rachel Lautenschlager, Jen Smolka and family, Linda Grill, Aunt Linda and the Sport/Eveld/Shirley families, Heather Dodds, and Grandma Joyce Riley. Thank you also to those who have lifted our intentions up in prayer. We are truly grateful. So far, 121 pieces have been purchased. We just need 4 more to complete the frame and 879 to complete the puzzle. Here is what it looks like:
