Refrrals came in for August almost two weeks ago. I just haven't had a chance to post about them yet. They only covered through November 21, 2005--so not a whole lot of progress. It is really sad that there are babies in orphanages and parents who want them, and the CCAA is just taking their sweet time to match them up. They claim that there are not enough babies, but most waiting adoptive parents agree that there are not enough "paper-ready" babies. The orphanage directors have to send in paperwork for the babies to be matched with the waiting adoptive parents, and apparantly they are limited on how many they can send in. China does not like being the world leader in international adoption, so they are making it appear that they don't have as many babies as they used to. In actuality, people have been to the orphanages and have seen the cribs lining the walls with babies and young children everywhere. There are some orphanages that are relatively empty, but in my opinion this is because the CCAA is moving the babies to foster care, so it looks like there aren't as many babies. I am glad the children are being cared for in real homes, and I pray our Molly is in a foster home, where she is getting a little more attention. But, it still does not alleviate the problem of all the babies and children who need homes. It makes me very sad to think about these babies.
With the wait continuing to grow we are certain we will find our baby through our agency's waiting child program. We are very excited and can't wait to meet her, even if it is going to be awhile. We really hope to get a referral by the end of the year or beginning of next, and travel in the Spring of 08. There is alot of money that needs to be saved between now and then if it is going to happen, but we know that when our baby is ready for us, God will provide the means to go get her! Please continue to pray for us and our family to take on the challenge of coming up with the money, as well as the adventure of bringing a new child into our family.
On another note, we went to our first outing with our homeschool group today and we had a blast. It was just a "play-day" at the park, and it was soooo hot (right at 100) that not many families were able to come. Paul met 4 other children, 3 of which are his age and one just a year older. They all played really well together, even Zach played right along side the big kids, and since the kids are used to having siblings of varios ages around, they were fine with the little brother being there! The Moms got some time to talk and compare notes on homeschooling. It was refreshing to see that other Moms have many of the same struggles that we face day-to-day. It will be nice to have this group to bounce ideas off of as we start our homeschooling adventures. Paul is looking forward to getting started, as am I. We hope to finish the room we are setting up for our schoolroom this weekend, and then I can get everything going next week.
Thanks for reading our blog!
