Watching and Waiting

We are still here, and we are still waiting. I almost titled this blog post "The Family Who Cried Wolf" because I feel like we keep saying 'we are so close, we are so close' and then silence. Taylor's emmigration permit (i.e. passport) was approved on March 26. We were told to expect travel call to come between two and four weeks from then. Today marks two weeks and one day, so we are right in the middle of the estimated time of travel. I am not sure why, but last week I truly expected to hear news of travel call (TC) or at least that his Visa Interview (the final stamp before his one-way visa is issued) was scheduled, which would indicate we are 1-3 days from receiving TC. HOWEVER, last Thursday I received an email saying that the agency staff in Korea were going through Tay's paperwork and noticed they had misplaced a document needed to send his paperwork to the embassy and that we had to have it redone and sent asap to prevent further delays. I feel like we have hung tough for most of this process with the waiting and unknowns, but this one hit me pretty hard. I was expecting travel call, not "we have not even sent your paperwork to the embassy yet and have lost a document that you will have to redo for us to be able to proceed." So, I had to reschedule my patients (thanking God for the flexibility in my job), drive home to print off the missing forms, bring them to be notarized, and meet Michael 'just in time' at the post office for him to sign and overnight the package to our agency in Oregon with the hopes that it will make it there in time to be sent with the weekly mail sent out to Korea on Friday afternoons. But we did it...our redone forms were sent on their way to Korea on Friday afternoon and expected to arrive Monday or Tuesday of this week. We are not sure what this means for travel time but are hoping that when they receive this document Taylor's packet will be sent to the embassy for approval and (hopefully) quick travel approval. Needless to say, I am emotionally wiped out and a little discouraged. I am ready to go get my little boy and feel like we have waited long enough. But I know that His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. He was not caught off-guard by this paperwork mishap and is sovereign over the processing of this adoption. From past trials of my life, I know that God's Word is the only rock to stand on and that it is living and active (Heb 4:12). I know that His grace is sufficient for me and His power made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9-10), so I pray that God gets great glory as we continue along this road.

I am sure many of you are wondering why I always put scripture throughout a lot of my posts. The answer is simple: This is where I find rest and peace, power and strength to keep pushing on when there are ups and downs along the way during this adoption process. I know and have experienced that the Truth really does set me free (John 8:32)!! So here we are, watching and waiting, somewhat anxiously if I am being totally honest, for God to make the way for us to bring Taylor home. Below is the verse that has been on my heart the most over these past couple of weeks. I ask that you pray that we would stand firm on these truths and that God may be glorified in our journey.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
 The LORD is the everlasting God,
  the Creator of the ends of the earth.
 He does not faint or grow weary;
  his understanding is unsearchable.
 He gives power to the faint,
  and to him who has no might he increases strength.
 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
  and young men shall fall exhausted;
 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
  they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
 they shall run and not be weary;
  they shall walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV)

Until next time, Amanda