God's perfect timing - IV

After taking a break from the adoption process for Dillon's birth, we started up again in the summer of 2005. Again, we started praying for the child or children that God had planned for us. (Eddie was born in the summer of 2005 - right about the same time we started praying for him and again for Lilibeth.)

Shortly after Christmas that year God clearly directed our attention to a little girl with special needs in Guatemala. We prayed and prayed and prayed about pursuing adopting her, and God worked out seemingly impossible situations to move us towards bringing her home. She was about 3 years old and was developmentally delayed. Both my husband and I have had a lot of experience and education working with developmentally challenged kids, and we really felt the Lord's guiding in throughout the whole process. I could give you many, many examples of doors that He opened that seemed like impossible hurtles at the time.

But, long story short - the agency representing this little girl matches kids with families instead of families with kids. So there isn't a waiting list - it comes down to who is the best family for the child. After about a month of pursuing this little girl it was down to us and one other family. The next step was going to be phone interviews with a team of social workers. Of course, this was a unique process for us and I felt a little uncomfortable with it (it almost felt like I was 'competing' for this child), but we just kept giving it to the Lord and asking Him to bless this child with the family that is best for her and to prepare our hearts for whatever the outcome. So, after we said that we still wanted to pursue the adoption and continue the process with the phone interviews we got a phone call (the next day in fact) saying "This has never happened before and it is unheard of, but this little girl (who by the way, was in a government run orphanage) was also assigned to another agency and she has already been matched with a European family!" So after all the doors the Lord opened for us, he definitely slammed the last one closed! It was difficult, but also bitter sweet to rest in knowing and seeing that the Lord will take care of the outcome!

And He certainly did have a bigger plan than we ever imagined. The Lord ended this process for us in the middle of February, and at the same time he brought Lilibeth and Eddie to Eagle's Nest Children's home. It is so amazing to look back at how the Lord moves through even painful situations to bring about His perfect plan.