Already?

Amelia was our first experience with adoption, and it could not have gone more smoothly.  It was 8 months from meeting the social worker for the first time to meeting our daughter for the first time.  The funding fell into place and the timing was perfect.

Our next three adoptions had their ups and downs, times of not knowing how we would pay for it, and times of having to really push some people to get their part done in the process. 

And now it has begun again.  It is so hard to know if delays and roadblocks are of the Devil, since there is no way he wants an orphan to be placed into a loving Christian home...or are these just the normal trials of an adoption? I Peter 5:8 " Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

In our particular situation, the baby girl has special needs and because of this she needs a family as soon as possible.  That means whoever has a home study and the fees in hand becomes her family.  We are not done with the home study, and we certainly do not have the fees in hand.  We will have the home study in a few weeks, but we really have no idea about the funds.  This is so frustrating...we cannot apply for grants or adoption loans without a home study, but need a large portion of the funds as soon as it is ready.

So perhaps the little baby girl I have already named is not my daughter.  There are other little girls in that country who need a mom and dad...but I was so sure the Lord told us to pursue this little baby.  Not that it still is not possible, but I just don't like feeling like I am racing other potential families to get it all together first. Who will our daughter be?

So we keep pulling together the home study paperwork, keep planning a tag sale fundraiser for this weekend, keep praying for the funds to come NOW, and wait to see what the Lord has in store for the Lindsay family.