So much has happened this week so I thought it would be a good idea to give an adoption update. Back in June, I mentioned we talked to an agency that we loved but their cost was outside of our budget. Craw and I immediately started doing some research and talking to other couples that have adopted to try and get some agency ideas. We have been praying from the very beginning that God would make it abundantly clear which agency was the right one for us. What I did not expect from that prayer would be how quick he would close the doors on the potential agencies we had in mind. This can only mean one thing...He is leading us to our agency and He will not let us settle.
I am not going to give any agency names as I would never want to deter anyone from using one of these agencies. The two agencies we met with this week are REALLY great agencies, just not the right one for us. The agency we met with on Tuesday was a really big agency. Craw and I were impressed with some of their programs but the people leading the meeting were not very friendly. When we arrived at the meeting, we were the first to enter the room and the agency workers just sat at the front of the room and stared at us. We had to be the first to speak and that did not sit well with me. First impressions are a BIG deal. We want an agency that is a little more personable and one that is not quite so big. While big agencies may place more kids each year, there are a lot more waiting families so the timeframe could be anywhere from 2 week to 2 years for an infant. When Craw and I got in the car, we both looked at each other and instantly knew that this wasn't the right fit for us.
The second agency we were looking at was an agency that I was REALLY excited about. It was a lot smaller than the first and the cost was the lowest we had found. My initial conversation with the adoption worker was very pleasant so I had high hopes for this agency. I had to send the agency a little description about us, our interests, what we were looking for, and a picture. The worker immediately wrote back and said that we are exactly what they are looking for but they do not currently have any spots open in their program. Since they are a small agency, they only work with a certain number of families at a time. The rest of the families are put on a waiting list. I asked her how long it usually took to move from the waiting list to the actual program and she said that she couldn't really pinpoint a timeframe. However, they only place about 6 babies a year. That is pretty much all I needed to hear to know this agency was probably not the one for us either. While we are okay with waiting, we don't want to wait for an entire year or two before ever being accepted in a program. Needless to say, I was a little bummed about this one.
We do have one more potential agency that I am speaking with tomorrow. I am praying that God will continue to guide us in the right direction, even if we keep getting closed doors. I know there is an agency out there that is going to be perfect for us. It's just a matter of God's timing and us finding the right agency.
