Finding Home Part 2

The waited for information came in the mail and we began the process of getting the government requirements together.

We needed a Home Study (HS), and an OK from the Immigration Office. We were told that the collection of these requirements would likely take 6-8 months, since getting a HS and an appointment at the Immigration Office in a shorter time frame was difficult. We were discouraged by that news but began the process as quickly as possible.

In those days you could have a HS done by a private source, so when we were quickly connected with a Counselor who was qualified to do HS for the government, we were very excited. We began this process within a week or two and had the study completed in a very short time. First hurdle jumped.

The appointment at the Immigration Office came quickly too and before we knew it, we had the papers in hand that showed we had the government’s support in bringing our new children to Canada. (I should note here that at this point we were expecting to adopt 2 children, ages 3-5 or so, since there were by far more of those in the orphanages than any other ages. We understood that these children would have developmental issues because of the lack of love and affection in their early years, but were prepared to deal with those when the time came.)

There were many other requirements, more than I can remember now, including passports and Visas and other papers, but somehow we were able to acquire them all in a short time. Miraculously short.

The other issue at hand, of course, was money. Always money. We were a young couple, not at all prepared to tackle a project of this size. We did a lot of praying and through those prayers and the prayers of others, were able to refinance our mortgage and borrow money along with it. Many people from our church and families contributed as well, and though there were many moments of struggling to trust God to provide what we needed, we came to the point where we felt we had enough money to go.

So, time frame for all of this so far? Remember the prediction that all of this would take 6-8 months? We decided to pursue adoption on December 24 and were on a flight for Romania on March 3-just over two months of preparation. Nothing short of a miracle.

God was working and God had a plan.

There were many times of discouragement in those 2 months. Many moments of fear and doubt. Many well meaning people asking us if we were crazy or just naïve. But through it all was the assurance that we were within God’s will. So much was happening in this process that we could not possibly have done on our own. His Hand was working and His Spirit was guiding and encouraging. So we kept on.

Drop by tomorrow to read about another incredible answer to prayer and about our first days in Bucharest.