Saturday, May 31, 2008

Q & A

Would you like to adopt a boy or a girl?
Either. It's interesting how some people assumed I would want a girl and others thought a boy. I don't have a preference either way. I was reading profiles of children waiting to be adopted and I was surprised that I was drawn to the boys more than I was to the girls.

What age?
The ideal age-range is 4-8. (Hence, my degree in Early Childhood Education.)

Would you consider a sibling group?
At first, my answer was no, but God has since changed my mind. I am willing to adopt same-gender siblings if that is His will.

Navigating the adoption journey through DSS

Of course, I know that this journey is just beginning. It is a journey that will last the rest of my life and the life of the child God has chosen to join my family. However, this part of the journey, the application and training process, seems so long. It is definitely a lesson in waiting for me.

Thanksgiving week, I began calling the toll-free adoption number I found online every few days. I waited...

I finally heard back from someone the first week in December. This person gave me the phone number of a social worker in the Worcester DSS office. So, I began calling and leaving messages. And, I waited...

Another two weeks went by before I finally spoke with a live person at DSS. She said she would send me an application packet in the mail. I received it on December 20th. It was lengthy, but I wasted no time...I had it in the mail on December 21st. Then, I waited...

The month of January came and went. I waited...

In February, a social worker called to set up a time when she could come into my home and do the "physical standards" evaluation. The social worker came on Valentine's Day. She had a short punchlist of things that needed to be addressed. For those of you thinking of adopting, be sure you have a bathmat for the bathtub. ;-) She said she would send me a letter with the punchlist and asked me to respond in writing how and when I would complete each task once I received the letter. For the letter, I waited...

I received the letter two weeks later and responded within a day. Then, again, I waited...

The month of March came and went. I waited...

In April, I received a call from DSS saying that they were beginning a MAPP (Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) training class at the end of April. This is a 10-week training required of potential foster and adoptive parents. Along with this training, there are also home visits. My first home visit was on May 21st and the next one is scheduled for June 4th. The MAPP training will be completed on June 17th.

So, that's where I'm at on the journey right now...

Waiting for the home visits and the training to be over...

Waiting to find out if I am approved...

Waiting for the day when I meet this child, my child...

It could be two months...

It could be two years...

I will wait for God's perfect timing.

When Love Takes You In

In the beginning...

Some of you may be wondering how this all began...

Adoption has been a thought in the back of my mind for years. I went through my journals to find this entry:

November 7, 2001
"On my way home from work today, I found myself crying out to You -- not knowing if I'd ever get married, sharing my heart's desire to have children, knowing that I would not be able to adopt because of financial security. At the same time I thought about the possibility of being the guardian of one of the families that I am close to (making sure You knew that I didn't want anything to happen to them). Tonight, my friend Claudia im'ed me and asked me to call her. I did. She asked me if I would consider being the guardian of their children should something happen to Hank and her. God, You are so faithful to me. You know the desires of my heart."


Wow! I am always amazed how God is in the details!

Well, time went by, I got a job as the Director of Children's Ministries and finances were no longer an issue. However, I was living in a one-bedroom apartment and adoption was still not an option...in fact, I didn't even think about it.

Last summer, I decided it was time to move when my landlord chose to raise my rent yet again. So, I found a two bedroom apartment in Shrewsbury. At that point, space was no longer an issue, but the idea of adoption didn't even cross my mind.

In November, Jodie and I went to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert in Lowell. (For those of you that don't know, SCC is a great advocate for adoption.) During the concert there was a number in the corner of the backdrop that kept increasing throughout the night. It was small and I'm sure most people didn't even notice it, but it was annoying me. After the intermission, SCC started talking about that "annoying" number. He said that number represented the number of children throughout the world that became orphans during the time we were at the concert. WOW! On our way home, Jodie bluntly asked, "So, why don't you adopt?" As I shared my story, I realized that there were no longer any barriers. I spent hours praying and researching adoption when I got home. It was then that I decided I would like to adopt a child through the Department of Social Services here in Massachusetts.

Friday, May 30, 2008

This probably isn't the best time...

On Thanksgiving Day, after my brother, Ginger and the boys left, I said to my parents, "This probably isn't the best time to tell you, but I am pursuing adopting a child through DSS."

So, for all of you that haven't heard yet...I am planning to adopt a child!