A Little Stressed

There is so much to do right now.  My head stays in so many places.  I can't stop thinking about our little boy in Texas and wondering when he will get home.  His foster mother isn't responding to any of the emails with pictures that she asked me to send.  We mailed him a picture collage, so I guess we'll see what happens.

The kids in Eastern Europe keep me praying most certainly.  They are definitely in God's hands.  I have to try to leave that request at His feet instead of picking it up and worrying about it.  It is so hard to go through days knowing that some are living in mental institutions and none are in a family receiving love.  It is hard to imagine children not receiving love, not ever living in a family, or not even knowing what "family" is really. 

Here we are trying to rush through everything we can here.  We had two kids with doctors appts today for paperwork for our homestudy.  Two go tomorrow.  Two more go on Monday.  That will have all of the appointments done.  Our fingerprints for the agency who is doing our homestudy are all back. 

One problem seems to be references.  I handed out a few extra forms.  We still need 3 more turned back in though.  I always hate to ask people about references when they don't turn them in.  I always wonder if maybe they don't want to do them.  I know that most people think we are CRAZY at this point.  I do realize that most people do not have 12 kids.  I also realize that most people wouldn't take on 5 kids in one year.  I even more realize that the number "17" as the number of children that someone willing has makes people's heads spin.  Most people seem to understand once they get to know us.  People who have known me for years seem to have expected this type of undertaking for me.  They knew that I always wanted a large family.  They also knew that I always wanted to adopt.  I really need references though.  I guess I am going to hand out more and ask people whose haven't been received yet. 

We are waiting for the paperwork to come from the country right now.  At that point we will fill out the formal commitments for their country.  We will send in a check for $3500 to the international agency that we are using.  We will then have to wait for our homestudy to be completed.  At that point we will be needed another good sized sum of money to go the next steps.  I'm not exactly sure where that amount is coming from yet.  I am trying to remember that God has it figured out already.  He does, I'm sure of it!  I have asked for emails from Him during other adoptions, so I know He probably still won't send me one to let me know how this all works out.  I am sure though that He is going to work it out. 

We'd appreciate your prayers for all of these things.  You might even pray that God takes it easy on me and lets me know before I really stress.  Then again, I guess I should try to remain calm in all these things since I do KNOW He has it under control.  Paper pregnancy hormones times 5 are doing me in!