the new beginning

The new adventure here has begun. It seems as though our lives are always busy and moving. We have begun a quest for more kids! A journey I never dreamed possible! Dan and I had planned to do a domestic foster/adoption. My heart's desire was to get an older girl, and give her a family before she "ages" out of the system. Depending on the age of the child, certain fees would be waived, college paid for. . .etc. A very affordable adoption indeed. Well, it seems as though God had a different plan! I have been subscribing to the Rainbow kids waiting children newsletters. I would get so many with pictures and heartbreaking stories of motherless children in every race imaginable from all over the world. Yet I felt God was asking me to pray for each one. So I prayed(and cried) and then deleted the emails. After a few months of this, I got another. It was a sibling pair of girls. No names, pictures or stories! Just a case number,country(El Salvador) and birth year. I emailed Maria for more information. She sent me new letters about the new program in Liberia with twenty or so pictures of girls and boys. The Phillipines fact sheets. . . etc I said, no thank you, just need more on the two girls in El Salvador.
Well, she sent me their "release for adoption information" It was dated 2003! They have been in an orphanage in San Salvador(the capital city) for this long! They were abandoned by their birth mom. My heart ached for them. AND I had names! Guadelupe(2001) and Joana(1996).I asked for an application. The whole time though I kept thinking-- THIS WAS NOT MY plan! lol I said, Lord, 20,000 dollars!? He said, freely you have given, freely it will be given to you. I said, Lord I planned to not leave the country. How hard the kids in foster care have it. He said, how much harder these two? I said, yes, I know, Lord, but I can't make it better for every orphan in Elsalvador. He said, you can change the whole world for these two. I was humbled and awed. I am so excited God would see fit to make me amother of 7!! It sounds overwhelming and I have told very few people, because I feel it is such a special pearl, I do not want to throw it before people who won't appreciate it with me. We are filling out our application this weekend! OH, and my mother in law-- we told her and she said, that is so odd, I felt led to bring you your family's Christmas present early. Maybe this is what it is for. it was 200.00! The exact amount of our application fee!!!Praise God! I lay awake at night and wonder if these girls know their Heavenly Father is working on their behalf. If they know I am praying for them? We are rearranging our bedrooms. We have three boys in the biggest room right now and we need to change that to the 4 girls! I can't wait to decorate a new girly room. But lots to be done and I wantto get that all going before the homestudy begins. Ahhh. . . busy weekend ahead!