We are getting close to completing our home study! We have one more visit with our social worker and our medical physicals are all scheduled within the next week. We only lack a couple other forms, such as our employment verification and some reference letters (you know who you are) to finishing. From what we've been told, once our home study is complete and approved, we will begin working on gathering any additional paperwork needed for our dossier, which is the packet of information that will be sent to Ethiopia.
On the home front, our time as foster parents has come to a close. It was no secret that our reason for getting licensed for foster care was to allow us to adopt a child who could not be reunited with family. After living with us for 3 months, our foster teen (sorry for the vague name but trying to protect his anonymity) is being moved to another living situation. We have prayed extensively and feel at peace that we did all we could to show him the joy in having a relationship with Jesus and all He has done in our lives and our family. This decision was tough for us because we hoped our teen would become a permanent member of our family, but he made it clear over the 3 months he was with us that he was not interested. The biggest disconnect was our differences in religious beliefs, which created an ever-growing chasm in our everyday lives. We will continue to pray for him and he will forever have a piece of our hearts, just as we have for the other children we have met through the foster care system.
We do hope and plan to stay involved in advocating for foster children but will not continue to pursue adoption through foster care. Please pray for all the children who are in foster care and for all those involved in the foster care system. Even if being a foster parent is not a calling or possibility for you, there are many other ways people can get involved, such as becoming a CASA (court-appointed special advocate) or a mentor, or even donating items for foster children, such as clothing, toiletries, and toys. One thing that struck us from our experiences, is these children, who are your neighbors, your children's classmates, or your child's T-ball teammates, have not gotten to experience many little things in life, such as a trip to the zoo or the movies, going out to eat in a restaurant, or picking out an outfit in a store. It is amazing how many things we take for granted that these children are missing out on. If you are interested, here are some links with ways you can get involved:
http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.5301309/k.9D58/Volunteering.htm
http://dhr.alabama.gov/services/Foster_Care/Intro_Foster_Care.aspx
Please keep praying for our family. We often feel weary on this journey, which for us is approaching 2 years since we started praying about and pursuing adoption. We likely have a LONG wait ahead of us to complete our family, but we trust it will be worth all the heartache in the end.
But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. --Romans 8:24-25
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