Wednesday, August 5, 2009

The State of the Union

When I first heard the phrase "adoption is not for the faint of heart" I could never have imagined the enormity of truth that it contained. The last few days I have been truly struggling - tired, overwhelmed, tears come easily. I have been praying for wisdom. I have been praying for peace. I have been asking God to help me praise Him even when I feel like I can't. I have asked a few close friends to pray specifically for me and I can feel the difference your prayers have made. Today is a new day and thankfully His mercies are new every morning.

Our dossier was fortunate enough to make it to Ghana at a time when the adoption process was beginning to be scrutinized more closely. Of course it is difficult to find fault with that. If I was sending a child off to another country I would want to be sure they were going to be well cared for and loved also.

So where are we at? Waiting for court. Our case cannot go to court until the social welfare report is received and that is not done yet. Another mom I've become friends with is in Ghana right now and had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting with our attorney. He is saying that at this point they are not requiring parents to travel to Ghana for court, but that it couldn't hurt and would most likely be beneficial in the long run. We are praying about when/if I will travel to Ghana and how we will find the resources to do that. We are trying to discern if this is what I am meant to do.

After I started this post I was able to talk with Mercy on Skype. It was such a blessing to hear her bossy little voice (she has no problem saying what's on her mind). She asked when she could come to America and got very sad when it was time to say goodbye. She did have a special request for when I come to Ghana - she wants a pink mesh scrubby for the bath. I think I can handle that one.

Thank you Lord for my praying friends. Thank you Lord for sustaining me during these difficult days of waiting. Thank you Lord for letting me talk to our sweet girl. You are worthy of my praise.
Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
Psalm 150:1-6

7 comments:

Sean and Lisa said...

Ugh! I'm sorry for the delays and the waiting but am so thankful that you can talk to your girl, attitude and all! LOL! I'm guessing attitude helps with survival over there so that's a good thing. :)
Continuing to pray for Good news and dag-gone it Lord can it please be SOON! LOL!
Mountain-sized hugs sent your way....

Lena Just Lena said...

I hear you. I'm struggling. I'm weary. No, I'm exhausted. I think my focus is in the wrong place. I know it is, and yet, I'm not sure how to change it. I don't have the energy to figure it out right now. Pray for me and I'll pray for you. Thanks.

Annie said...

So, do parents NOT go for court generally? And if parents are not their for court, when do the children get to come home? I'm not clear.

Salzwedel Family said...

Parents have not been asked to appear for court, however, with things becoming more formalized that could change in the future. Once court is done you get an adoption decree which makes it final. After we receive our copy of the decree we can file our I-600 and just wait for it to be approved so she can have a visa appointment and come home. It's a pretty straightforward process, especially compared to Haiti.

Amanda said...

Praying that these things happen very quickly for you. Man, it's been a LONG couple of years!

For His Glory said...

Praying that every little detail falls into place exactly according to God's plan, and that He brings peace/answers to you daily. I certainly know how it feels to struggle in the wait. But God knew we were up for the challenge.

Katy said...

That post above was actually from me Stephanie....I was logged into our photo site..oops!