A - is for APPROVED!

We got word from our agency that our approval letter from the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth has been received (well the electronic copy anyways)! Our home study was sent to them on April 5th so it took over 16 weeks for them to send the letter... grumble grumble and apparently according to them, that is the new standard timeline. So any new potential adoptive parents will have to go through the same long wait as we did. I can't say I was too pleased about waiting, but am lucky to have so many supportive family and friends who listened to me vent many a days.

I celebrated with a mid morning 10 pack of Tim Hortons Timbits YUM!

And tonight we get to try out my aunts brand new to her pool! Today is a GOOD DAY! Praise Jesus we have made it this far!!!!

Now our completed dossier is being notarized by the lawyer down the hall from our agency and when that is completed sometime next week our dossier will be sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada to be authenticated and after that to the Chinese consulate. This whole process takes 3-4 weeks and we are praying that is IT. Next step is sending everything in a courier to China and waiting for a referral of a sweet little girl who is to join our open arms. ♥♥♥
This is our dossier which I dropped off last week in hopes of receiving the approval letter soon after.

After the above dossier is shipped to China we wait for our match which could be a short or long wait, we are depending on God to find us the perfect match!

Timeline so far:

June 13 2012 - info session at the adoption agency
October 19 2012 - get on wait list for the Waiting Children Program for China
November 13 2012 - initial consultation with our adoption practitioner
November 17-18 & 24-25 2012 - PRIDE training course
November 19/20 - adoption medicals
November 30 2012 - police checks and RCMP fingerprinting
December 13 2012 - meeting at adoption agency to get more detailed information
December 17 - make the decision to go forward with the Waiting Childrens Program
January 24 2013 - first home study interview
January 31 2013 - second home study interview
February 13 2013 - third home study interview & home safety checklist
April 5 2013 - sign final copy of home study and send to the MCYS in Toronto
July 23 2013 - dropped off 99% completed dossier to our agency
July 30 2013 - received approval letter, dossier is now complete

Anticipation

This week I am finally anticipating our home study approval letter to be finalized at the ministry. If not this Friday the next one for sure. This Friday is week 14. Back in the fall this part of the process only took 4-6 weeks for potential adoptive parents. Budget cuts and a new director is the cause of the delay as far as I can tell from chatting with our adoption practitioner.

Regardless the word anticipation really stuck out in my head this morning. I felt God leading me to see what He had to say about the word. The google dictionary says this:

an·tic·i·pate /anˈtisəˌpāt/Verb
1.Regard as probable; expect or predict.
2.Guess or be aware of (what will happen) and take action in order to be prepared.

Synonyms
expect - foresee - forestall - await

Which rings true. I am expecting our file to be approved soon and I am predicting it to be received by our agency this Friday or next.

I used a Bible Gateway keyword search in a few different versions to see if anything would give me peace in the waiting today. I came across a few verses. A verse in Isaiah 65 really stuck out in The Message version and made me smile. It is God speaking to His people about New Heavens and a New Earth.

All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain
are things of the past, to be forgotten.
Look ahead with joy.
Anticipate what I’m creating:
Isaiah 65 verses 17-18

It reminded me that even though we have been trying to create a family for 940 days (yes I keep count) that HE is the one creating our family. He knows what is best and I am trying my best to look forward with joy. I am planning in anticipation of vivi's arrival. And today I am trying to forgot the earlier pain of those 940 days. Maybe day 941 will be better.


The other verse that stuck out in my search was 2 Chronicles 15:14-15 also in The Message version.

They shouted out their promise to God, a joyful sound accompanied with blasts from trumpets and rams’ horns. The whole country felt good about the covenant promise—they had given their promise joyfully from the heart. Anticipating the best, they had sought God—and he showed up, ready to be found. God gave them peace within and without—a most peaceable kingdom!

While these two verses refer to the Israelites I find it can also apply to us potential adoptive parents. God has promised to set the lonely in families. And if we seek Him he will reveal His heart to us and give us peace. Like the Israelites I so desire the inner and outer peace that only He can provide and I am so glad to be able to praise Him and let Him have my pain in exchange for His peace.