A PRAISE!

Praise GOD!  We have completed all forms.  Everything that needs to be notarized has been notarized.  Our SOFA document was signed by a lawyer and notarized yesterday.  Our medical has been done correctly and notarized.  30+ other forms are notarized correctly.  PRAISE GOD.  So what's next?  Putting all of these precious documents that we have worked so hard on in the mail.  We have to send them to Washington D.C. for apostilling.  Then they have to be mailed all the way back to us here in Germany.  Once we receive them, we will forward them on to "Finn's" country.  We are close, friends, VERY close.  I get teary just typing this!  Praise be to GOD.  Baby boy Solomon, we are coming for you SOON!

I have a strong urge to go buy some matchbox cars or something boyish!  I have NOTHING for a boy here in this house except for a size 2T coat, a pair of size 4T footed PJ's, and a Southern Miss ball cap.  (SMTTT!)  We just need to get him home and as long as we gather the basics, he will be just fine.  The plan is to meet him first and find out how big he is, then we will return home for the 10 day waiting period so that we can scurry around like mad to get everything we need for him during that time.   We could actually meet him in about 2 months, give or take!

Wow.  What a ride this has been.  God has really taught me many lessons in the patience category.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a very strong believer in that God's timing is perfect.  The day before all of our documents were done incorrectly (all 30+ pages, including our medical forms), I saw a little snippet of a Beth Moore video that was posted on my FB news feed.  In the video, she was speaking on Opposition.  She said to be very careful to not assume that the opposition is always from Satan. 

When we realized that all of our documents were done incorrectly, I had to think that perhaps God was slowing us down, not really because of pride, but that we needed to be on God's timeline, not ours.  Maybe it wasn't Satan at all.  Don't get me wrong, Satan hates adoption and I'm positive that I have felt his opposition over and over again throughout this process.  His attacks come in the form of doubts, fears, and anxieties.  I know those feelings come from him because every time it happens, scripture comes to my mind to reassure me that we are on the right track...

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world"..James 1:27

"Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

And so, so many others... God is GOOD.  Truly, truly good.

So why are we so antsy to get "Finn" home?  Well, I have heard that for every year a child spends in an orphanage, it takes anywhere from 6-12 months per year for that child to catch up, emotionally, physically, etc.  So "Finn" is 3 years old and it could potentially take us up to 3 years to teach him how to love, trust, receive love, learn, speak, walk, eat, etc.  We have to teach him how to be a little boy so every day is valuable.  I know that God's timing is perfect.  God has called us to this and He knows the details.  He really does.

Thank you so much for your prayers, donations, love, support, kind words, everything.  We are almost there, but we will be patient. 

God's timing is perfect.