Finding "Caleb" - Part Two

(Please read THIS POST first, otherwise you may be confused! :)


After seeing the face of this beautiful 5 year old boy in Haiti...

Eric and I spent time praying for W. and how God might allow us to be part of his life.  We both felt we should learn more about him and see if we could adopt him.  Then on went our day.  I can't speak for Eric, so I don't know what he was thinking / feeling, but I was in a bit of a daze.  The extreme reaction to seeing W's photo was something I had never experienced.  I was no stranger to looking at "Waiting Child Photo-listings" (photos  w/ brief description of children available for adoption, usually older kids or kids with special needs - i.e. harder to place children)  and over the years we have enquired about quite a few.  We felt very drawn to a handful of kids, enough so for Eric and me to pray together and consider adoption.  Yet no photo bowled me over--and with such intense emotion--like I immediately experienced when I saw W's face.  As one of my friends said to me recently, "That was when his family story began.  That was his moment of "birth", when God birthed him into your family."  I think she is right about that. :)

So what next?? 

Since I am the DAS (Designated Adoption Specialist)(ha!) in our home, I set to work contacting the crèche where W is living, as well as the two adoption agencies they work with.  Eric and I filled out an application to the crèche and expressed our serious interest in adopting W.  After a few weeks of getting questions answered back and forth, we selected one of the agencies to work with us (Praise God, they still had a couple of openings in their Haiti program).  We filled out the official application and mailed in the fee--woot!!  We also continued to express to the crèche that we wanted to adopt W and asked them lots of questions about him along the way.

Then early last week, we heard back from our adoption agency that the crèche had selected US to be W's family!!!

Now here's "the catch".  In order for us to be officially matched with W by the crèche, we have to complete our home study.  Once that is submitted, we will have what is called a "soft referral", meaning W's has been "promised" to our family, if everything works out...  Then we complete our dossier (more paperwork) to submit to IBESR-- the government agency in Haiti that processes the dossiers.  They are the ones who decide which child goes with which family.  This is the nerve-wracking part of the process.  I can tell you, Eric and I sure will be praying that IBESR honors the match made by the crèche and will let us adopt W...

What now??

We (meaning me - the DAS) are in high gear planning fundraisers, trying to figure out what items in our house someone else might buy (anyone interested in purchasing an antique settee??), and how we  might earn a few extra dollars by doing a few extra things.  Hey--I am totally open to bright ideas!  Mostly we are doing lots of praying.  Only God can fund this adoption.  He knows we don't have the funds.  But He knows that HE does!!  That gives much comfort as we look out into the unknown.

We are also starting the home study process!!  We are going to use a great social worker in town who knows us well, due to our long and varied **Adoption Journey**.  Selah and I picked up the stack of forms from her office this morning.  Boy am I hoping and praying the home study and dossier paperwork process will be smooth and efficient...and into the hands of IBESR in just a few short months.  Let's get this boy home!!!

Just a 'little' paperwork.  Uh huh. ;-)