And the Countdown Continues...

I have been a horrible blogger lately.  Sorry!  Here's my amazing excuse (which I meant to share with all of you before I randomly disappeared from blogland for an extended period of time)...we have been on vacation in Southern California since last Monday.  It has been a wonderful trip, and we've been able to make some special memories with my family.  I had great intentions to stay semi-caught up on blogging (and have even taken a bunch of cute pictures with every intention of posting them), but somehow hiking, Disneyland, and relaxing in the sunshine have filled up my days.  (Computer or hammock in the sun? Hhhmmmmm...)

I have been on the computer enough to obsessively check for updates about the new special needs list.  (Check out my last post if you don't know what I'm talking about.)  I've also been praying like crazy, thinking about special little ones in EE, and counting down the minutes until October 10 about 500 times a day.

I finally got an update today, and it wasn't what I wanted to hear.  As I mentioned several months ago, our country is in the process of changing the entity that handles adoptions.  There was originally a plan to close to adoptions on July 11 while that transition happened.  Thankfully, the government in our country changed the plan at the last minute and allowed the current entity (the SDA) to continue processing adoptions during the transition.  Now, months later, the time is approaching for the new entity to begin functioning.  Our country has not decided how to handle this transition, so they have temporarily stopped giving travel dates to adoptive families.  The last appointments are scheduled for October 17 (and have already been assigned).

What does this mean?

Well, first of all, it means that the possible-but-not-super-likely timeline from my last post becomes a very-unlikely-if-not-impossible timeline.  I had hoped that we could travel very soon if the new special needs list was released this week, and HIV was on it.  That can't happen if travel dates aren't being assigned.

Also, our country has a regularly scheduled closure that usually lasts from the end of November until the beginning of February.  New paperwork cannot be submitted during this time but travel dates are usually given for a portion of the time (normally through December).  Having our country begin a temporary closure so close to their normal closure definitely makes me nervous about whether they will reopen or not.

The update I got had one more piece of discouraging news: the new list may not be released on Monday after all.   That was really not fun to read.  It feels like we have been waiting on this list for ages, and I am so ready to get some answers.  By law, the list is supposed to be done by October 11 (Tuesday), but the update made me uncertain about whether the list will be released this week after all.

So...the waiting continues.  I feel like I am on a roller coaster ride with no end in sight....a little queasy and not sure whether I'm right-side-up or up-side-down.  There are times when I just want to give up.  When I'd like to take my heart and put it in a big vault.  It hurts to care.  It hurts to be 100% invested in something when you have absolutely no idea how it will turn out.  It hurts to fall in love with precious little faces like this one.  

But I'm going to hang in there.  

I truly feel that God has led us on this journey and that he has some very special children for our family.  Do I have any idea where our roller coaster ride adoption journey will go from here?  Not at all.

Over the past few days, I've gotten emails and FB notes from friends who have told me that they're praying for our family and walking this road along with us.  Those words of encouragement mean SO much.  Thanks for being the kind of friends who are there for us no. matter. what.   Please keep praying.

Here are a few specific prayer requests...

1.)  Pray that the new special needs list would be finished this week as the law requires.  Pray that those making decisions about the list would consider the needs of children waiting above everything else.   Pray that HIV is on the list.

2.) Pray that this temporary closure would be very short and that adoptions can continue through the end of the year.  

3.) Pray that the transition to the new adoption entity goes smoothly and does not cause any other hang ups for those in the process of adopting.

Thank you!  You guys are the best!