I'm sitting outside on my front porch watching the rain showers bless the earth; and it's a very literal picture of what God has done in my life over the past 9 months-blessed me. Today was the biometric fingerprinting appointment for Michael and I. The sweetest lady did our prints and we were so disappointed we didn't get her name! She said she loves getting to meet the families of adoptees and loves to watch the children as they grow in their forever families. She even got our blog address to follow our journey! These prints provided us the last piece of paperwork we needed to finish our "Dossier"! The approval letter (FDL-Favorable Determination Letter) will come in several weeks and will officially complete our dossier, but our agency is letting us turn in the paperwork and start waiting without the letter. :)
After we got printed, Michael and I went to Keifer's to get some lunch and celebrate quickly before we had to get back to "life" and Michael asked me how I felt now that our paperwork was done. "Well, excited, I guess, but it hasn't hit me yet" is basically what I told him!
I know you wont believe me, but I'll tell you anyways...I went to pick up Myles and on the way home I saw a big rain cloud and a scattered rain shower on the right side of the interstate. Well, I asked God if He would move that shower over to the left side of the road and let it rain at my house and be a sign of Him raining His blessings down on us. I'm not lying when I tell you, I looked at the traffic ahead of me for a sec, then looked down at my tea, got a drink, looked back at the sky, and the shower was on the left hand side of the road! I hadn't turned, or exited, and there was not a path of rain across the road or anything. I believe God just moved it...for me. It looked like it was positioned right over our neighborhood! I just started to thank God for all of His blessings in my life, and how He had done a work in me over these past 9 months. The tears started to flow as I recounted the two things I was most fearful over beginning an adoption-money and the paperwork-He had used me to accomplish. Y'all get it?? He did it! and He used me! Humbling, and amazing to me! As I looked down at that massive stack of papers I became so grateful for the calling He gave us to not only get Marlee; but to complete a Dossier-because it has increased my faith. oh, and I've also learned to throw all my timetables out the window! ha! Our 6 month deadline was tuesday...printed wednesday and mailed in...Our agency has been gracious and at least they received it in the deadline week, right?!
Thank you, Lord, for pouring your blessings out on me and my family in so many ways, but also for the very specific ways you have loved me through all the small details of compiling a dossier. I love that when I am weak, You are very strong. And thank you for showing me You will go to the ends of the earth for your children. Your love is amazing!
