This is a big week - UPDATE
You can't imagine how many people have said, "you're trying to adopt, how many? Three??" We just smile and nod and wait for the next line. It comes in two different flavors: (1) "Are you crazy? -or- (2) "I don't know how you're doing it." Well, we certainly have our times when we answer statement #1 in the affirmative and repeat question #2 to ourselves while in a stressed-out stupor! But even in all of the craziness, as we watch each of our kids growing and discovering what Life can really be like, we know that we wouldn't change a single thing!
This week is big in our process. We, along with so many of our friends and family, have been praying that God would intervene and allow the kids to remain with us even if the adoption is not yet completed. We want them to be able to stay at home...go to school here...really begin this school year with their family.
There are two things that could happen, showing that God has answered our prayers as we have asked:
(1) The kids' case worker will be speaking with the judge (finally back from almost 2 months of vacation this week) about our petition for temporary custody. Yesterday she told us that she is in favor of it! We can't see why the judge would do something to fight that. If the petition is granted, then we think that will mean that the kids will never have to go back to the children's home.
Update (August 25 7:13pm): We spoke with the case worker today. She said that she was able to speak with the judge who is handling our petition. She asked him if he would please be able to come to some decision within a week or so because the kids would need to get registered to go to school in Poznan. He promised that he would have his decision ready next week. She added that while there is no guarantee, it "looks very good". She just asked that we not share anything with the kids in case something went awry.
So, we will continue praying this weekend that the judge be convinced of what the kids' legal guardian (their case worker) is telling him, that they would be best off here with us. Thank you Lord for this encouragement...we ask that your hand continue to guide this situation!
(2) If for some reason our petition is not granted and the kids have to go back, we are trying to get them out of a dance class that the asst. director (of the children's home) signed them up for. They don't want to go to this class...both because they don't enjoy it and because it cuts into our weekends with them as it's on Friday nights. Again, the case worker agreed that if the kids don't want to do it then she supports that. But, she told us that we need to talk to the dance class director about everything and get her permission to opt out. Vicki will be with the two older kids today to go out there and talk to that lady.
Update (11:28am): Vicki took the kids out there this morning for a practice at 11am. At about 11:10am she called me and said she was on the way back home. She talked with the director of the dance class who said that she had heard about everything with us and the kids and saw no reason why the kids would continue to be involved in the class. She even apologized for not being able to get in touch with us earlier so that we wouldn't have had to drive out there. Thank you, Lord, for this significant victory!
We are hopeful. Of course we always try to remain hopeful because we can be and should be as Christ followers! Even when things seem to be completely screwed up...when there seems to be nothing positive, we have found that hope remains. But it just takes more energy to see it...a little more searching.
So, pray with us. Thank God with us for the blessings of these three kids and the steps that have been made toward their being able to remain with us, at home. Pray with us for these two aspects of this marathon journey!
Updates to come!
This week is big in our process. We, along with so many of our friends and family, have been praying that God would intervene and allow the kids to remain with us even if the adoption is not yet completed. We want them to be able to stay at home...go to school here...really begin this school year with their family.
There are two things that could happen, showing that God has answered our prayers as we have asked:
(1) The kids' case worker will be speaking with the judge (finally back from almost 2 months of vacation this week) about our petition for temporary custody. Yesterday she told us that she is in favor of it! We can't see why the judge would do something to fight that. If the petition is granted, then we think that will mean that the kids will never have to go back to the children's home.
Update (August 25 7:13pm): We spoke with the case worker today. She said that she was able to speak with the judge who is handling our petition. She asked him if he would please be able to come to some decision within a week or so because the kids would need to get registered to go to school in Poznan. He promised that he would have his decision ready next week. She added that while there is no guarantee, it "looks very good". She just asked that we not share anything with the kids in case something went awry.
So, we will continue praying this weekend that the judge be convinced of what the kids' legal guardian (their case worker) is telling him, that they would be best off here with us. Thank you Lord for this encouragement...we ask that your hand continue to guide this situation!
(2) If for some reason our petition is not granted and the kids have to go back, we are trying to get them out of a dance class that the asst. director (of the children's home) signed them up for. They don't want to go to this class...both because they don't enjoy it and because it cuts into our weekends with them as it's on Friday nights. Again, the case worker agreed that if the kids don't want to do it then she supports that. But, she told us that we need to talk to the dance class director about everything and get her permission to opt out. Vicki will be with the two older kids today to go out there and talk to that lady.
Update (11:28am): Vicki took the kids out there this morning for a practice at 11am. At about 11:10am she called me and said she was on the way back home. She talked with the director of the dance class who said that she had heard about everything with us and the kids and saw no reason why the kids would continue to be involved in the class. She even apologized for not being able to get in touch with us earlier so that we wouldn't have had to drive out there. Thank you, Lord, for this significant victory!
We are hopeful. Of course we always try to remain hopeful because we can be and should be as Christ followers! Even when things seem to be completely screwed up...when there seems to be nothing positive, we have found that hope remains. But it just takes more energy to see it...a little more searching.
So, pray with us. Thank God with us for the blessings of these three kids and the steps that have been made toward their being able to remain with us, at home. Pray with us for these two aspects of this marathon journey!
Updates to come!
posted by Michael Shattuck at
12:14 PM
2 Comments:
Wow. I most certainly hope that everything turns out alright for you and those 3 kids you seem to completely adore.
We are continuing to pray, brother and sister. My pulse shot up seeing the update from the case worker!
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