Quick Decision

September 21, 2006
I received a call from Angela today, saying that they had a crazy surprise at the office this morning. They had received a call from another agency, saying they needed Bethany to send over some family profiles for a birthmom... who needed to place her baby tomorrow! So, Angela filled us in on the details surrounding this 8-month-old baby boy. She needed to know our decision ASAP, so they could send the profile books over today.

I called Calvin at work to discuss it with him, and we both decided to pray about it for the next couple hours before calling Angela back. We ended up feeling like we wouldn't be the best parents for this situation, and let Angela know that God was not leading us to move forward. We were relieved to know, however, that other families were willing to be shown, so we know this baby boy be in his home soon! Angela was encouraging, and agreed that she felt that we probably wouldn't take this situation. Please pray for this little boy during his time of transition, for his birthmom, and for the adoptive family.

She also let us know that the 5-months-pregnant birthmom we had heard about has been working on choosing an adoptive family. She has narrowed it down to a couple families, and we're not one of them. If you could, please remember her in your prayers as she makes this difficult decision, and goes through the next few months of pregnancy.

Angela said she hasn't heard anything further yet about the pregnant mom that is due next week, so please keep praying for her as well.

That Sneaky Caller ID Again...

September 20, 2006
Well, it's that sneaky Caller ID again! Angela called me at the office, and my boss wanted to know who I was talking to, so she went and searched the Caller ID box to see who was on the phone! (We were supposed to be heading out the door to meet a client.)

Angela called to let me know that another birthmom is looking at our book... and she's due a week from today! She wanted to make sure we were prepared, and were ok with the situation. I told her we're definitely ready!

As my boss & I left the office, and were driving to our client's house, she started asking me questions about the adoption. (ie "Can they change their mind?" "Will they know where you live?", etc.) She's in our Bible Study, and has been praying for our adoption for months. It was neat to be able to answer her questions. She was really excited that we're planning on an open adoption, and agreed that it would be good for a child to have some knowledge of their family history. (My boss doesn't know anything about her birthdad, and has always wished she did.)

I called Calvin, and we prayed together for this pregnant mom, and for whichever family she chooses.

Caller ID

September 11, 2006
While sitting at my desk at work this morning, the phone rang (of course), but guess who showed up on my Caller ID? Bethany Christian Services- our adoption agency! We don't have caller ID at home, so it's still an exciting novelty for me at work.

It was Angela, our caseworker, calling with information about a potential birthmother, who is 5-months pregnant. She gave me the details, and wanted to confirm that it is ok to show her our books. Since Calvin's cell phone is out-of-range today, I wasn't able to discuss it with him. But thankfully, we've had this "what if" discussion before. So, I was able to tell her to go ahead and show our books. This pregnant mom will be meeting with her caseworker tomorrow. So, please be praying for her.

Also, Angela said she had been able to look through our profile book while preparing our file, and thought it was great. She said we're "a cute couple." It was good to hear that positive feedback, since we were starting to "second guess" our books.

A Piece of Paper

September 7, 2006
Last night before I headed to bed, I went around the house in my pajamas, gathering up the forms we had completed for the adoption agency. As I was putting them in the envelope, I noticed the small print on the bottom of the financial form, requesting that we include a copy of the last page of our 1040 tax form! So, I dug through the files, and found the taxes (hooray!).

Thankfully, our printer can also do copies. So, I thought I was all set... until I could only find odd colors of paper... hmm... I wonder if they would mind hot pink? blue? red? No, this isn't going to work. I really need to find a piece of white paper. I had intended to buy a ream when I was at the store this afternoon, and completely forgot. My first thought was to look on my scrapbooking/craft table, thinking it would be a likely spot for paper. However, I didn't think all the cardstock I found would be appropriate, either. So, I scoured every notebook and file in the office I could find in search of a blank piece of paper. Still nothing. So, I went back to my craft table, wondering what to do next. I really didn't want to run to Wal-Mart at 10:00 pm, since I only needed ONE page! I started looking through one of my folders on the desk again, when a blank piece of paper showed up!

Isn't it exciting to see God in the small details? I celebrated, thanking God, as I slipped the piece of paper in the printer, and copied the necessary page. It reminded me of the many Bibilical accounts of people searching for what was lost (lost coins, lost sheep...). God is certainly in the business of finding things! It encourages me that God knows the greater details of where our child is, and will bring him/her home to us.

More Insurance Frustrations

September 5, 2006
I received a call today from one of the insurance reps; they're still fussing over details. I've also been talking with my boss's (not-so-helpful) accountant. On Thursday, I had faxed information to her about the insurance deduction, so that she could properly complete my pay statement for my paycheck. She didn't understand what it meant, so she just ignored it, instead of calling me. Thus, she completed my pay statement as usual, and then left early for vacation. My boss didn't know how to handle an insurance deduction on her own, which means I didn't receive my paycheck!

Please pray that everything will be taken care of in this "Bermuda Triangle" of Insurance, Accounting, and Us! We need to make sure we have insurance in place for our adoption, and to take care of our family.

Details and Mix-Ups

September 1, 2006
Well, the insurance company had some mix-ups again. Michele spent a large part of the afternoon on the phone with the various insurance reps, in order to iron out all the wrinkles with insurance details. We are disappointed that her boss's frustration and confusion is now falling upon us. We had hoped to make this as easy as possible, and to not impose on her in any way. To make it more difficult, the insurance company closed early today, so they weren't readily available all day.

They finally faxed over a statement of coverage, which Michele scanned into the computer, and e-mailed to Calvin. Then he was able to print it off to for proof to cancel our existing insurance this afternoon. Thankfully, everyone he needed to see at his work was still in the office.

Then, late this evening, we completed our financial statement for the adoption agency. It was exciting to see that we have paid off some school loan debts over the past year, so our liabilities are lower.

Insurance Marathon

August 31, 2006
We've been working on getting new health insurance for our family through Michele's work. It's been a series of "speed bumps" in the process, due to too many "middlemen" involved. Each person has added more confusion. It is especially difficult, because it is adding extra frustration for Michele's boss. Unfortunately, we've had to be persistent about it, since we need to turn in our new financial form to the adoption agency.

We found out yesterday that payment is due today, and they are requiring that it be paid by the employer. So, Michele's boss wrote out a check. Then, a few hours before we planned to leave, the car got a flat tire! Thankfully, good ole' Les Schwab was right across the street, so they rushed right over and cheerfully took care of it. We left town right on time to race it up to Portland, in order to get it to the insurance office before 5:00 pm today. We had a few slow spots in traffice, but we made it there in time! (Thanks, God!)