Update

For those of you praying us through these adoption interviews, THANK YOU and we want to update you on a few schedule changes. Doug's meeting for today at 3:00pm has been changed to NEXT Wednesday the 25th at 9:30am. Heather's meeting for Friday has been moved up to THIS Wednesday the 18th at 11:30am. So here's the remainder of our schedule.

Heather this Tuesday 10:00am with the Social Worker, Nadia
Heather this Wednesday 11:30am with the Phychologist, Lorena
Doug this Thursday 12:00pm with the Social Worker, Nadia
Doug NEXT Wednesday 9:30am with the Phychologist, Lorena

Then we'll have one "final" meeting of this interview/homestudy process to be given the "verdict" of whether or not we can adopt.

PLEASE KEEP PRAYING!!!

Phychoanalized

My kids (the ones we have here at home) were phychoanalized yesterday. Hannah did go first and the only tough question that I can gather from her was what she missed from school because she is home schooled.



Clarification : Homeschooling is VERY rare here in Chile and we were questioned by the social worker about why our kids are not in school. She indicated when she was here last Tuesday that this may cause us trouble in the adoption. We´re trusting God with what He´s called us to do and will continue to homeschool as long as we feel God leading. If that means no more kids, then that is how God closes the door.



Hannah had to draw 4 pictures of various things. She had to describe the house that she drew and the trees. She came back pretty content and smiling saying that she really liked ¨Miss Lorena¨ better than the social worker who had come to the house and asked them questions.



Caleb also had to draw various things and describe them afterwards. The only question that Caleb had that was hard was how he and Hannah are disciplined. Caleb responded well and sought to clarify with his limited vocabulary. I´m proud of how he handled himself and once he even had to say something in English for her to look up later.



Doug and I have 2 more added appointments next week. That means that between the 2 of us we have an appointment Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. But that will END our interviews!!! Then we wait to be called back in for the verdic of our options. Remember we have 4 options.

Please pray for option number 4 of adopting 2 siblings. We are praying specifically, as I was taught by one of my parental role models, Sandy Longo, for boy and girl twins younger than 1 year. I´m not saying that will be God´s answer, but I´m simply having faith that God will answer in HIS way, in HIS time!!

Kids' Interviews Today

Please pray for Caleb and Hannah this morning. They have their meetings with the phycologist. Hannah will go first since she likes to talk. Then Caleb will go second and can reclarify anything. I'm praying that both kids have the vocabulary IN SPANISH to clarify well the difference between spanking and beating as well as raising one's voice and yelling. God knows the outcome and we are praying too that God would guide the interpretation of all that is said in ANY and ALL of these interviews that we've had/still have coming.

Little Sophia

For those of you that enjoy reading about adoption stories, this one is precious! Terry is the daughter of Jim and Gail Christian long time missionaries in Chile where Terry and her 2 younger sisters grew up. God has lead both of Terry's sisters back to Chile to minister with their own families, but God is using Terry in great ways in the US. Please pray for Terry and her family as they await Sophia and even if you have just a few dollars to spare, help them with their adoption fees!!

God bless you little Sophia!! We're praying you home!

Our in home visit

will be on August 3rd at 3:00 pm.

Also, there is a new couple here who just shipped their container and graciously included a double stoller for us. We are SOOO excited!!! Double strollers are SOOOOO expensive here, so even if God closes this door of adoption : ( we can easily sell the stroller for equal or even more than what we bought it for.

Doug's interview OOPS!!!

Yesterday I was contacted by the psychologist who is going to evaluate us. She offered us an appointment today, Wednesday, so we took it! We've realized in this process, flexibility and availablity can GREATLY spead up the process. So today at 3:00 pm we had our first meeting with Lorena and our second meeting overall.

Lorena was great and thankfully we were in a room with no gas heater!! She asked us about how we met. She asked about Caleb and Hannah and how they get along and what they fight about, because we all know that even missionary kids fight!! Then she asked when and why we chose to adopt. If you have read this blog from the beginning, then you know from my very first post that from the moment Doug and I started dating, or just about that first moment, that we would someday adopt. This was mainly because of the doctors telling me that I had polycystic ovarian syndrom and therefore, might never have kids. Well as Doug was seeking to explain this to her IN SPANISH I must remind you, he told her that because I had been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis that I couldn't have kids. Well, that sent shivers and laughter out of me. What went through my head and then out of my mouth was. "NO!! If you tell her that, she's going to think that I'm going to die and then we'll never adopt. No, I really have Polycystic Ovarian!" Then after we were all laughing, I said jokingly, "There goes that adoption out the window!!!"

Praise God, even after Doug's little OOPS, we have all of the appointments for our interviews. Here they are in order.

July 30 12:30 PM Doug and Heather
August 4 11:30 AM Heather only
August 6 10:00 AM Doug only
August 13 10:00 AM Caleb only
August 13 11:00 AM Hannah only
August 16 3:00 PM Doug only
August 20 11:30 AM Heather only

We still have 2 more "meetings" to schedule. One is in the midst of this when Nadia the social worker will visit our home. The second is after all of these interviews are over, then Doug and I will meet with both Nadia and Lorena to get the results of the interviews. There are 4 results that could be decided.

1. We can't adopt ever. - We are just too screwed up to adopt any other child.
2. We can probably adopt after therapy. - We're only a little bit screwed up.
3. We can adopt no problem but only 1 child
4. We can adopt no problem 2 children

We are obviously praying for #4. We are confident in what God is doing and we pray that all goes well. Thanks for praying with us. As meetings come and there are things to tell, I'll update and of course I will let everyone know the results.

1st one down...

MANY to go.
Our first meeting for our ¨homestudy¨ yesterday went well. It was basically the social worker asking us questions about how we met, when our kids were born, and about our family. It was pretty easy. We had to make our first payment and then the psychologist is going to call us to set up our next meeting. She told us that since our schedules are so flexible, that we might even finish this first part of the process in only 2 months instead of 3. COOL!!

Therefore, PLEASE keep praying for us, that God would bring us the children HE wants in our home!