I haven’t said much about our adoption for a couple of weeks.  Of course, I haven’t said much about much of anything for a couple of weeks, so why would this be any different?  😉

Our agency application was received and approved (maybe I already said that?) and we sent in our agreement a few weeks ago.  About two weeks ago, I received the very symbolic dossier guide.  I have been very excited about this document.  Something about it just symbolizes to me the realness of the path we’re on.  And then I printed it out – all 35 pages plus 9 pages of home study report guidelines – and once my head stopped spinning, I became very thankful that I’m more than a bit of a paperwork nerd and get a weird thrill out of checking things off lists and gathering obscene amounts of information into one place.  If I don’t get bogged down in the minutiae, this could be fun!  😉

So I have the guide and Wednesday I had a conference call with the agency to go over it.   The conference call was very helpful and kindled new excitement as I was told we can go ahead and start gathering our dossier documents in early June (I had previously assumed late June, due to our December 27 birth date issue) with the goal of having our dossier in Haiti in September and sitting on someone’s desk at IBESR on December 27 (in a perfect world….this is the world of international adoption, so we’re not holding our breath, but God is big and this adventure is all Him).

One question we have gotten is how will you pay for it? I do not know if it is the fact that Matt and I both grew up in families where income was such that it was often “feast or famine” or if the experience of owning our own business for 9 years and watching God’s amazing, miraculous, providing hand in our lives has made us this way, but we really haven’t been too concerned about the money.  That said, there have certainly been moments when I have looked at the months ahead and the natural expenses that go along with raising a family with four children and then look at the numbers on that adoption fee schedule and I break into a cold sweat.  But I know that those whom God has called, He will also equip, and He will not leave us nor forsake us.

So, where will the money come from?  Well, first there’s the good old fashioned savings account.  Matt has worked so hard the past few years putting any extra money we have away.  I know it was not his plan to draw from that so soon, but what’s to say that God was not preparing us for such a time as this?

Our other “fund” is a bit of a risk.  Okay, a big risk, but the timing of how it came to pass has us believing that Lord wants to use this opportunity for His glory.

Last fall a house across the street from us came up for sale.  We have bought and sold houses many times over the years, both ones we’ve lived in and ones we’ve tried to flip.  To be honest, I am over that whole process, especially the ones that we are buying simply to resell.  However, this particular house was cheap enough we were pretty sure we could do everything for cash, so I was okay with it.

Matt made an offer and nothing happened for weeks and weeks and weeks.  Matt went to Haiti in January (remember, the offer was placed in the fall), with instructions on what to do if the Realtor called while he was out of the country.  That wasn’t necessary, as the Realtor never called.  I didn’t care one way or the other, as I didn’t really want to own another house.

Matt returned home and our world began to spin a little faster as we contemplated and prayed about the whole adoption possibility and all the different things it would mean.  We knew we had the money to pay for it, but really didn’t want the hit to our savings.  But we knew we were being called to do this and we knew that the money, while a lot to us, was nothing to God and He would provide.  And if He chose to provide through our reserves, so be it.

About a week later, the Realtor called.  We were closing on the house across the street on Friday.  The closing date ended up moving a time or two, but we did close and we are now the proud owners of another home.

As we talked about it in the days that followed, we both really felt that this could be the Lord’s way of paying for our adoption.  Even before the Realtor called to confirm our purchase, Matt had felt that this could be part of how we pay to bring our daughter home.  Once we learned we were closing, Matt dubbed it “our adoption fund”.

We are well aware that the real estate market stinks right now, but our God is bigger than that.  If what we are feeling is correct and not just our vain imaginings, He will bring all these things to pass and work in even a crummy real estate market.  Worst case scenario, we have improved a house in the neighborhood, but I believe the end result will be better than just that.

So, our next several weeks will be filled with fixing up an old house and making it ready to sell.  If you’re local and can wield a paint brush or roller as well as or better than our seven year old, feel free to drop by and join us!  If not, could we ask you to pray that the Lord would be bringing and preparing just the right buyers for this house?  Not only will they be helping us bring our daughter home, they’ll be watching her and all her sisters grow up across the street.

For His Glory ~

~ Sara