Right Here Waiting....

Hello dear friends and family. It's Leslie. I haven't written since I wrote the story of how we started this journey. I'm not sure why. I usually love to write. Well, the last several months have been really hard, for a lot of reasons. I guess tonight I am just needing an outlet for the emotions that I have been dealing with. I felt like God was asking me to give up control and be still while we went through the whole surgery situation. And I guess I feel that I am again having to deal with that same "out of control" feeling. I can't even tell you how badly we wanted to have Jack home for Christmas. It wasn't to be. We reconciled in our minds that his birthday was just unrealistic, that Thanksgiving was pushing it, but we really THOUGHT we would have him home for Christmas. So, his presents were bought and wrapped, his stocking hung and filled, and there they sat. To look at his bed made up so sweetly with the brand new bedding that Gracie bought him is heartbreaking. Also sitting in our room is his new stroller, backpack, dresser, clothes, toys, and books. Not knowing when he will be home is so hard. To see his framed picture on the fireplace is bittersweet. I open the fridge so many times a day and there hangs his picture. We have this ever-present feeling that we are missing something, that we forgot something, and then that moment will come when it dawns on us that until we get him home we will continue to feel this way. In many ways this part of the process is very surreal. It feels like we are in a dream and that we will never get him home. It's hard enough to think of yourself traveling to a far-away land to adopt a three year old child, but when you are busy doing all that it requires, it feels somewhat realistic. But to sit here day after day and have no travel date in sight, no child to talk to or caregiver to correspond with, it all feels so far-fetched. So, we continue to pray. To believe that God will finish what He has started. To ask Him to sing and dance over Jack. To ask Him to give peace to our aching hearts. And for the most part, we feel it. We love him so much already. Dear friends, if you will, please pray with us for a few specific requests as we enter the home stretch of our adoption: 1) Please pray that God will expidite ALL of the paperwork checking process. 2) Please pray that God will continue to provide the rest of the travel money. 3) Please pray that we will be in the air to bring Jack home way sooner than the projected 5-9 months that Holt said was average. We can't thank you enough for the prayers and support that all of you have provided us. It will be so exciting to introduce each of you to Jack someday soon. I hope this didn't sound like I am complaining, it's just a very hard process. But, I know this is what we are called to do. Have a wonderful weekend,
Leslie