I have said that adoption is not for the faint of heart as there are so many ups and downs during the process. At every major point you are just praying and holding onto a piece of hope that the answer is yes. "Yes" that the agency approves you, "yes" that US immigration approves you, "yes" that the consulate approves your documents, "yes" from China for their official approval and the list goes on and on. It can be nerve wrecking. But in the midst of all this waiting for "yeses" most families are always working on financing the adoption.
That has been the hardest part this time around. When we started our adoption process this time our path was very clear! It seemed so simple. Sadly things happen in life and situations change. I'm now starting to see our financial struggles as God's way of keeping our faith. Because after every "no" we have gotten, we have turned to Him looking for the next "yes." We could let hardships and "no's" devour us but that wouldn't help us bring home our son. We know that God has a plan for this adoption and we have learned to fully put our trust in him and he will provide.
As I said in my last post, we were lucky to receive a small local grant a few weeks ago and we have been "tabled" for another grant until the next meeting in a few months. But this past week, we received a "no" to a very large grant that we honestly thought we had a shot at. It was a big blow for us. But God continues to provide in other ways and helped us to have a successful fundraiser this past weekend! Although we only have half of the money needed for this adoption accounted for, we continue to keep the faith. This process has definitely strengthened our faith and has shown us that God will provide, but just in the way that he has planned!