BIG NEWS, BIG NEWS!!!

We are excited to announce that we are finally:

 

 

HOME STUDY COMPLETE!!!

 

 

We have been waiting to announce this part of our adoption journey for so long!!!  We sent in our USCIS form today!!!  This is a big form (which means big money attached to it, of course!) but God has already provided those funds!!  We are over the moon excited about this big step! 

 

What's next?  Yep, I'm kinda wondering that one too!  We are currently in the process of doing many things.  We have sent off many, many documents to 5 different states (thank you Navy!) to get documents certified.  We have received all but one of those back.  Then we wait for our USCIS form to be returned and do more fingerprinting.  After this gets done, we do a lot of waiting. 

Waiting for news on our referral of kiddos,

Waiting for our documents to be translated,

Waiting for God's perfect timing in meeting our kiddos! 

 

All we know right now is that we have butterflies about getting closer to our children.  From a mama's heart, I simply can't wait and I tear up every time I think about them and what they might be doing today.  I am so incredibly thankful for a God that knows all those things and is taking care of my children today and will forever be in His hands! 

 

We have started applying for grants.  In fact, we got so excited about being done with the home study (most grants make you wait to be done with that step!) that we applied for one last night.  We are still standing firm in the fact that God will take care of the necessary funds! 

 

I think that's about it for now.  This last month has been a trial for us emotionally - we know there are many more waits coming our way, but we are rejoicing this week in making this big step - REJOICE WITH US!!!  

Just airing some frustrations....

So today's post isn't all jolly and upbeat as the previous ones have been.  This post is mainly to get things off my chest.  My frustrations, my envies, my agenda.  See, all these things I KNOW God has under control, but sometimes I start to go to the other side and start to take them back into my own hands.  Sometimes I struggle with this daily!  Today I am struggling with our Social Worker.  She is an extremely nice woman and we are glad she has done all that she has.... up until this point.  Without going into the depressing details, we have been at this stage for over a month!  We were hoping to be Homestudy Complete by the end of February!  Well, today is that day and no report has been completed. 

We got an email update from our agency (whom we LOVE by the way!) and they send out timelines on other families.  My first mistake was reading this email, but the excitement got the better of me.  One family (ONLY ONE!) started and ended their process in 11 months.  That's right, 11 months!  Most are taking up to 2 years.  Well, little Miss Competitive here, wanted that same time frame and that is not the time frame God has for our family.  I let my agenda get in the way and my emotions came to an explosion today when I found out not even all our interviews have been conducted!  Sigh! 

I was quickly reminded of Ecclesiastes 3 where God states there is a time for everything.  God knows the exact date that my kids in Haiti will indeed become mine.  Yes, I am anxious.  Yes, we are doing everything we can to speed up this process.  Yes, I am worried about their well-being until I can get them into my own arms.  But all this does nothing to help my kids get home faster.  In Ecc. 3, I am reminded that God already knows all this timing-business.  Even if the Social Worker takes longer than what we think she should.  I am thankful for a God that is Omniscient.  I am thankful for a God that knows my worries and anxieties and puts people into contact with me that reminds me of that.  I am thankful for His Word that I can have at my fingertips to know all these things about Him. 

So instead of being all mopey, depressed, and anxious - I am going to try to salvage my day and look at the fact that I serve a God who is Omniscient! 

Update

So to keep everyone updated on the latest happenings. 
We had our first Homestudy visit on Sunday morning - early!  But our social worker was really nice and we felt comfortable with her from the beginning!  God is good! 
We sat down and talked for a little less than an hour.  Questions like,
   "What do you children think about adopting?"
   "Is your extended family and church family supportive in your decision to adopt?"
   "How will the room arrangements be done?"
   "What are your fears and concerns?"
   "What books are you reading to prepare?" 
Some of the questions we were able to answer together as a couple, and some we answered individually.  The children did fabulously well playing upstairs as we answered the questions.  In fact, one question she asked was if they always get along so well?  Uh, well, do we have to answer that one?! 

Then she walked through the house.  This was my most anticipated and anxious time.  As a co-director and co-manager of our house, I was nervous to see if all our hard work was going to measure up.  I felt like I was going to puke, just to be honest!  But, no puke was spewed, so all was spared from that embarrassing moment!  It was about 5 minutes and I was hoping for her to get on her hands and knees to look under beds (usually a scary place in our house!) and open some cabinets to see how organized we were trying to be!  Nope, none of that - so I guess she felt confident that our house was ready for more kiddos! 

The next step is to wait and schedule our individual interviews and then have Grady possibly answer some questions.  We are hoping to schedule that meeting sometime this week.  It will be at a mutual location instead of our house, so the pressure is all off to keep living in a glass house!  Phew - we couldn't pull that off for too long, that's for sure!! 

After we do those interviews, we will wait for her report.  One step closer to completing this long adoption journey, one step closer to knowing them by name like my Lord does, and one step closer to bringing them home to our family! 

These last few weeks I have been rather impatient, to tell the truth!  Our paperwork has been done for 3 weeks and still no call for the Homestudy.  Waiting, and more waiting.  Feeling like we were wasting time that my children could be coming home.  However, in all of this waiting, God has been teaching me that there is a reason for all of this waiting.  God is growing me in so many ways it's impossible to share all of it.  As I look back at what I considered "time wasted" I saw that I wasn't relying on His timing.  I was wanting to take control of it again.  I am constantly reminded that, "He's got this!" 

In my Sunday School class we are studying James.  As we were reading through some verses, a particular couple of verses caught my eye and made me stop right in my tracks.  Now, I've read these verses before, in fact they are even underlined in my Bible, however, they took a new meaning when I read them yesterday. 

James 4:7-8 - Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

Come near to God and he will come near to you. 

 

I HAVE to give this whole adoption journey over to God.  I was letting the devil start to get a foothold and make me impatient and rather anxious.  I cannot run this show and be in control.  Control is one of my biggest issues that I know God is pruning.  It is not easy, but I know that as He prunes, I will become closer to Him and more like what He wants Jenny Batchelor to be! 

He did it again!!!!

For those that have been following our blog (I know, that means about 3 of you - one being my own mother!) let me announce more ways that God is showing His hand in this!  Amazing, just amazing!! 
First, we had the fund raiser of the Pizza Cards - which by the way, thanks to all who participated! We had a fabulous turnout and have very few left!!!  We made a great deal of money which we told the kids would be their donation since they were doing the majority of the sales.  During the SAME month in which we had great sales from Pizza Cards, we were also given 2 sizeable donations that MATCHED what our kids made in pizza sales!  God price-matched us for a second time!  He did it again!  Amazing! 

So this month was another what we are calling "Super Saver" month in which we all commit as a family to save and cut-back a bit on our regular budget.  So we are saving $xxx this month and GUESS WHAT?!!  God did it AGAIN!  He priced-matched us with another donation relatively close to what our "Super Saver" comes out to be! 

Friends, my eyes tear up at what God is doing in this process!  We have stepped out in faith, and God is holding our hands!  It's an amazing feeling to know that you are right where God asked you to be. 

We have exciting news that we can't quite share yet - but God is at work in a whole other area of our adoption.  We are doing back flips waiting to hear the end result!  Sorry for the teaser, but I specifically ask you to pray for this mama's heart.  Pray for calmness, pray for peace until decisions are made, and pray that I will rest in His hand that He is extending to me! 
God is good - all the time! 

After Christmas blaaaahhhh....

So Christmas is done, the New Year has been rung in, and thus begins the year of waiting! 
We are really close to being paperwork-complete for our homestudy and will begin our interviews with a Social Worker.  Then we can finally say we are complete with that large section of the adoption process. 
In the process of it all, God has been displaying to us that He is in control of all of this and that this is the right direction for our family.  We anxiously are awaiting to see whom will join our family and to finally give them names and call them our brothers/sisters!  Many exciting times ahead, however, lots of waiting! 

Many of you have asked how you can help assist in our adoption.  First - please pray!!!
Prayers for:
-Peace
-Our future children (their health and safety)
-Pruning and molding of everyone to get us ready to come together as one family
-Finances
-Travel and childcare for our kiddos here

Second, I would appreciate encouraging words - we thought we "stuck out" with a large family, but now with more kiddos coming, we are going to "stick out" even more.  We want God to be glorified in all of this - so we try to reflect our blessings back to Him.  However, I will admit, my mouth sometimes gets in the way and that doesn't happen!! 

Third, we would appreciate any donations you feel led to give.  This is one area we are excited to see how God is going to work out.  We have already been surprised by others generosity!  We are humbled!  We have set up an account with GoFundMe - http://www.gofundme.com/5rwync - or you can go to the site and put in our name to find us. 

May God get all the glory from our journey.

Announcing: FREE PIZZA!!!

We are in deep with our first fundraiser for the adoption.  We are selling Papa John's pizza cards:
     -Buy one large pizza at regular menu price, get one pizza equal or lesser value FREE!
     -Valid for one year at any Papa John's.
     -One use per card per day. 

We are charging $20 for this great deal.  Contact me (movingbatches@yahoo.com) if you wish to purchase a card.  All proceeds go towards our adoption fees. 
Thanks for all who participate!!