Well, as usual we have been slammed with activities, trips and life in general. Scott took 21 students, teens and adults to Kenya Africa with Tin Roof Society and they had a wonderful time exploring Mombasa while serving in schools. They also went into Nairobi and visited places I'm sure most of these kids had never imagined even existed. And while Scott was in Africa the girls and I went to California to visit my mom and brothers. And while both trips would be considered a success it is always hard to come back together and find common ground. Scott had several encounters with God while serving in Africa, while I played at Disneyland and the beach. We didn't really have the same goals or focus. But God is so good in bringing our family back together with a shared purpose.
A couple of days before I left California I decided to check our "unofficial" referral list. This list is simply a basic cataloguing of all the people in our agency adopting from Ethiopia. It lists families by last name and is placed in order by DTE or Dossier to Ethiopia. (Our DTE is 10/28/11.) Then it gets even more detailed based on requests, male/female, age...etc. I can honestly tell you I rarely check this list. Most people are probably wondering why...& I can tell you, it can be frustrating and rather discouraging for me. When we landed on the list the beginning of November we started at 61. Meaning 60 other families were "in line" before us for the same request. Male infant 0-12 months. And in the next 6 months we did nothing but go up. At one point our number was 63 then 65 and back down to 61 where we have stayed. 8 months and we have essentially seen no movement. But 3 days ago I happened to check and YEAH...we were 57! Now 4 numbers may seem insignificant to most people but 4 numbers was like manna from heaven as far as I was concerned. 4 numbers can sustain me for quite some time. And then today I went to show Scott and guess what....54!! 3 more numbers down! Apparently almost 10 children had clearance in country and were able to be referred to loving families. Meaning families have now been matched with children and orphaned children are no longer orphaned. John 14:18 coming to life!
I also received an email from our agency with a detailed attachment answering a lot of questions while we play "The Waiting Game". And with some of these answers Scott and I find ourselves wondering what are the best decisions for our family. So I ask for you to please pray for us as we pray and discuss our options.
Adoption is a roller coaster ride and until you are on it you cannot understand all it entails. But we know that this roller coaster is one we want to take and one we are humbled and excited to be called to. Love y'all!
The Windham's
