Decisions....again.....

This past week has been a wonderful roller coaster ride. While I thought we would settle into a wait for our court date, God had other plans. Our home study and our I-717H approved us to adopt 3 children. We have been referred 2. Then we got a message: would you consider adopting another one? (well, there is more to it, but I will keep it short)

All week we prayed about a child and what this little ones place would be in our family. Without revealing too many details on a blog, I feel that this child will always have a special place in our family regardless of adoption. Somehow, I know we will always have some type of bond.

To be perfectly honest, I was happy to pursue this adoption. I could see our family growing and our love expanding. This child would have a place in our family and fit right in. I was nervous about our finances and my ability to nurture all 5 children simultaneously, but I figure if God was in this plan, what is there to be scared of? As I reached a confident "yes" in my heart, a different decision was made by others. This child will remain in Ghana for now.

We will be a part of this child's life through sponsorship, which we set up immediately after finding out that the adoption was not approved yet. Who knows what the future holds for this precious little one? Well, God does, but the rest of us will wait and find out. Maybe there is an adoption in the future, maybe not. I feel that this past week brought our family to a new place spiritually as we urgently sought His will regarding this child, our family and our obedience. I was physically exhausted from all the work He did in me, but I am so very grateful for it.

On a different note, we have decided on family names for our two children. They will keep their Ghanaian names as their first names (will reveal those after we pass court) and their middle names will be:

JOY and ELI

They can then choose which ones to use. We love their Ghanaian names and their birth mom explained to us where those names came from. We don't want them to sever that connection, but they can also blend in a little better using their middle names:)