Our new agency called us and assured us that everything will run smoothly to getting our referral in a few weeks. Pat and I breathed a big sigh of relief and sent in our transfer fee pronto.
We're still expecting to be in the next batch of referrals and they should begin to arrive within the next 3 weeks.
In the meantime, we're going to spend some time with my folks at the beautiful Jersey Shore. I'm not sure how relaxed we'll be as we count down the days, but the sound of the waves, smell of saltwater in the air, and the feeling of sand between our toes, sounds like the best possible way to finish out this long long LONG wait!
Sharon
Just when you thought you it would be smooth sailing to the end, we got notice that our Adoption Agency in Texas is closing at the end of the week! What does this all mean for the Fitzpatricks? We THINK it will mean that we have an additional $1500 transfer fee to pay but that the adoption will continue on course. We have a call in to the new adoption agency but they are apparently inundated with calls.
These past few months have been like the puzzle of our lives has been turned upside down and the pieces strewn. Last week it was with great relief that we could feel like we put the adoption piece into the middle and begin to surround it with other little ones to bring some order into our lives. But here again, the puzzle was upended and we are left wondering what in the world God has up his sleeves.
I say this, however, with confidence. We trust in our God for every aspect of our lives -- the ones that look good, and the ones that look bad. We KNOW that He is faithful and that HE will fit all of the pieces of our lives back together and we will be able to stand back at that time and say, "It is good."
Hopefully this is just a slight blip in the road. If not, we'll let you know!
Don't worry Grace, we won't give up on you! We'll scale every mountain to bring you home!
Sharon
Referrals/matches came out yesterday and would you believe, we missed the cutoff by ONE day! That means we are at the front of the line now but we'll have to wait about 4 weeks for someone to come and remove the rope and let us through so we can see our sweetie's face!
When the time gets closer to travel, we will also re-direct you to a different blog site which will allow us to post more pictures and videos as we travel to bring Grace home. Some of you may be wondering why we are using a website that seems only for those who are dealing with terminal illness. When we started this process, a friend who had gone to China for an adoption had been using CaringBridge and back in those days (4 years ago come October) blogs were just beginning to become popular and there weren't many free ones out there. CaringBridge was available to anyone who wanted to stay in touch via the internet with friends and family for significant life events.
We're holding onto this blog for a few more weeks because it allows you the opportunity to stay in touch with the email alert -- something our new blog does not provide. We figure that once we tell you we're on our way, those of you who want to stick with us to the SWEET end will be willing to check in on your own.
We do post these same entries onto our new site so that in the end, we have a complete record to give to Grace when she is older. Our new blogspot, for those of you who would like to take this opportunity to bookmark it is:
graceforadoption.blogspot.com
Thanks for visiting our blog(s), for signing our guestbook to encourage us, for helping us financially through Kingdom Kids, and for ultimately welcoming a little girl whose future would not be bright if it weren't for God placing her needs on our hearts.
4 weeks to go!! (and then 6-8 more! HA) What a summer!
Sharon
Some of you are visiting our site for the first time in response to the letter you received from us. If you want to respond to the needs expressed in the letter, please make sure you do respond through Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministry and not through our website.
We could be matched with our baby any day now. Thank you for all of your prayers and support!
Pat
There seems to be a delay (possibly due to the Swine Flu Pandemic) in China releasing the next set of matches/referrals. But the delay is also making it look more likely that they may be covering more days which means we really really really have a shot at getting our referral soon!! It could be this week, or the next or the next!
Can you even imagine our excitement! We are checking an online site for info every day and hoping and praying that we will see our Grace's face soon! After waiting for so very long it's hard to throw our whole hearts into the pot of expectation but if it's not in the next few weeks, it will SURELY be in the following month.
Praying. . . hoping. . . holding our breaths . . . and praising God for allowing us to have GRACE for adoption!!
Sharon
