Ups and Downs

Did someone say that adoption was like being on a roller coaster? The last two weeks have definitely been that.

CHINK CHINK CHINK

heart pounding as we head up the hill  i can almost hear my life groaning under the strain of my train named the Stress Express

                                      HOP ON BOARD

Our second choice social worker agency was just awful. Mean and triple the price of other agencies.  I had all the paperwork filled out and the check filled in, but I just couldn't bring myself to send it. Something felt wrong. So I called up the original agency I wanted to go through and switched. Starting over. Big gamble! Here is the dilemma...

EVERYTHING needs to be logged in by October 1st or we start over. The agent I do like has a pending Hague Accreditation. As of October, China requires full accreditation. We need to MOVE and I mean FAST! If we get it logged in in time, we are OK.

So, who would have thought that the adoption agency(ones who told us to move fast) would be the one holding things up? On May 11, they sent the contract as an attachment. When I opened it- empty!

                                            DERAILED

Turns out, they are in the process of switching over the contracts to ready themselves for the October 1st change. We got caught in that mess. I called them on May 24 to ask "WHERE IS OUR CONTRACT?" 

They finally sent it, but all the fees went up almost 10 percent! WHAT? So not fair. Oh well. We lost two weeks and have to pay more. Guess a smooth running train was too much to expect.

then.....

SPIRITUAL ATTACK



My mind started eating itself.

you can't do this you are wasting your money you aren't good enough why mess with your perfect family your extended family will never accept her as a legitimate grandchild/niece

Oh,  but it was loud! I cried I prayed for protection I called on God. While reading my Bible, I found the perfect passage to help ease my fears. Just as I was hungrily devouring it, my Bible slammed closed losing my place. I searched tearfully in vain for where it was. No luck. SATAN BE GONE!

Then on Sunday our water heater died. The funeral cost a thousand dollars. Ouch- when we still owe the water people over five grand for the furnace's funeral. Then on Thursday, just 90 minutes before our first home study visit. The toilet upstairs started hemorrhaging water all over the floor. Needless to say, I dissolved into a sloppy, huddled on the floor, mess. What will I do? I have a physical this afternoon. NO shower. NO shaved legs. AND how are we going to pay for an adoption when our heating and water systems have smacked us for over $10000 in the last ninety days?

GOD WHERE ARE YOU? HELP ME!



                  Oh no the top of the track. Here we go....       AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The social worker came. We love her. She seems to love us WHEEEEEEEEEE!

Physical....passed with flying colors WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Driving home I hear an amazing song on the radio. Who is this? I press the info button. Steven Curtis Chapman. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

GOD YOU HEARD ME AND I PRAISE YOU FOR YOUR SIGNS

I just finished reading Steven Curtis Chapman's wife's book,  Choosing to SEE the day before. Then the DJ said the most inspirational thing....he said, Don't tell God how big your mountains are; tell the mountains how BIG your GOD is!  WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I got home to learn that the plumber took pity on us and operated on the toilet for free! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

As I pull into the station, I remember how fun it is to be terrified when it is followed by miracles. That night I found my verse Satan had hidden.

2 Corinthians 3

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

AND I opened to this one too.

Isaiah 54:10

¹⁰ Though the mountains be shaken
   and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
   nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
   says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

LOOK OUT MOUNTAINS MY GOD IS BIG AND HE LOVES ME

My mother told me that UCONN Basketball Coach Jim Calhoun spoke at her work that day and he said that their mantra on the road to the National Championship was "YES WE CAN YES WE CAN YES WE CAN YES WE CAN" until it became YES WE DID!

So this little engine will warn those mountains while chanting....

 YES WE CAN YES WE CAN  YES WE CAN

until our little girl is in our arms and I shout

GOD YES WE DID!