Some of you know that my family and I are in the process of becoming licensed to do foster care and hopefully one day adopt. This has been a very slow moving process for us. The average home gets licensed in 6 months give or take. At this point we are going on 15 months, with at least another month still to go. So while I wait, I might as well write...
Our most recent hurdle was almost comical really. Our “final phase” of this process occurred in December of 2012 when our caseworker came to our home and completed her homestudy assessment. She said she’d write up her report, submit it to her supervisor and that would be that.
Here we are, spring is upon us, and the wait continues. I do know that “the system” itself could definitely stand some room for improvement when it comes to communication and procedure. However I’ll avoid that soap box for now, and just say it's been slow and unpredictable.
Three weeks ago, we heard from our caseworker that she had written up the report and had submitted it to her supervisor. Hooray! We thought we were days away from licensure.
Thoughts of life change swept through my mind. Going from two children to three. Thinking about laundry, grocery, naps, transportation. All the things parents think about as their families expand.
Days later we received a disappointing call from our caseworker. She said that we had some major issues and wanted to come talk to us face to face. My heart sank. With that kind of voice mail, I feared the worst. I feared having to start over. Thankfully we wont have to completely start over but since this process has moved so slowly to this point, some paperwork had expired, training had to be re-done, pet vaccinations were due, and our family had to get our TB tests re-done.
Ok, we can work on this. No problem. I ramped up into “solve it mode”. I set up an appointment for the dog to see the vet, the boys to see their pediatrician, my husband and I to see our general practitioner. Our caseworker came to our home and papers were re-signed and updated.
Now we just have to find 4 hours of behavioral intervention training before we can be licensed. This is the tricky part. Classes are May 1st and May 29th. It’s April 23rd, now, so that just means we wait. We’ve waited this long, what’s another month? I talk myself into being ok with this delay and accept that it’s just part of our journey.
Minutes after I had set up all these appointments, I got a call from our doctor’s office. The gal on the other line says, “there is a national shortage of TB tests, we’ll have to cancel your appointment”. Shocked at this hurdle, I asked if anything else can be done. She offers a letter to prove this shortage and to place us on the waiting list for whenever TB tests become available. She has no idea when they might become available.
I contacted our caseworker, inform her of the national shortage and ask her how to proceed. Finally some good news, the letter is acceptable, and we can be excused from re-doing our TB testing! I was so very thankful to spare my 6 and 3 year old from having to get another shot. They were too!
Despite the delays the hurdles the slow process; my heart has been re-focused and rejuvenated by these two verses.
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”. `Isaiah 55:8-9
I know God has a plan. Though it’s not my timing, though I don’t understand why there seems to be delay upon delay, I can rest knowing that I don’t HAVE to know. God has a great big plan. Higher than the heavens are to the earth. Perhaps generations will be changed as He uses us to break the cycle of abuse in a child’s life. Perhaps we will adopt a child one day and get to show her that Jesus loves her just the way she is. Perhaps He is teaching me to be still and know He is God and I am not. Perhaps God is up to something that I can not even fathom at this time. Regardless of the reasoning, I’m thankful that He’s in control. I’m thankful that His ways are higher than my ways.
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