A new perspective.

Well, today is the day that our social worker who is conducting our home study actually comes to our home and does more investigations into who we are. The control freak in me (thanks mom for this wonderful characteristic) wishes that the basement full of the boxes we haven't unpacked yet and other crap was organized, but I know she won't be judging us on how organized our home is. This happens in about three hours, so keep us in your prayers. I'm confident it will go just fine.

I have lots of people asking, usually people I see occasionally in passing like at work, where we are in our adoption and when our baby is coming. Sometimes I feel like a jerk when I laugh, which I usually do, but we are nine months into a process that is going to take about two years. So at least we're almost half way there? The funny thing is we are pursuing a program which has a real short wait time - so two years is considered short in adoption world. Our society really doesn't know about how long it takes, all the hoops you have to jump through in the adoption process, unless of course you are doing it. So I try to educate people. I keep saying I think 2014 will be our year! And I have faith that it will.

One thing that I have really been blessed with in this entire scenario is the many people that are in our lives that have struggled with infertility and who have, in the past, or are currently in the process of adopting. It's really cool for me to have people share their thoughts, experiences and feelings about everything. And sometimes it gives you a new perspective that you had never had before. I have recently had one of these experiences that I would like to share with you.

A few weeks ago we went to Alberta to go to Justin's brother's wedding. There we were blessed to see many family members we haven't seen in quite a while. Other members of Justin's extended family are also in the process of adopting which is a real encouragement to us. It was really neat to talk with them and hear their experiences and their insights. I was talking with Justin's cousin who lives in Ontario, April (their adoption blog is www.tuiningafamily.blogspot.ca check it out) about fundraising. I have mentioned before how humbling it is to pursue the fundraising route. How heavy it can be to know that people are giving you thousands of dollars - it is incredibly humbling. April shared with me an amazing insight on this topic that I have now taken as my motto in fundraising. In James 1:27 it tells us that we are called to look after the orphans and the widows, the ones that our society has outcast. Not all of us are called to specific things like adoption, but we are all called to do our part. I am giving you an opportunity to fulfill your calling from God - to take care of an orphan. Although it won't be directly you taking care of an orphan, your money will make it possible for us to take care of an orphan! For those who don't believe in Christianity that follow our blog - I would just say that I am giving you an opportunity to take care of an orphan, to make our world a better place. It's a different standpoint to have, but to look at us asking for your money as an opportunity is truly profound, to me anyways. Thanks April for this insight! Thanks to everyone who has already donated to our adoption! We look forward to our future fundraisers, and will let you know once we have everything organized.

James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."