Moving along

We finally got some good news about our home study report. It was completed this weekend and we read over it and had her edit a couple things--for instance, Kyle is actually not Canadian. It's now in the hands of our adoption agency, who has said once they're done reading over it then it'll be back in our home study agency's hands to add/correct anything and then it will be completed. And then we will be registered in India's system!! What?! In a perfect world I would put a timeline of it being done by Friday, but we've all seen it doesn't work that way. So I'll just be happy that we're at this point and oh so close to being known in India as wanting to adopt one of their sweet kids!

One of the things our adoption agency told us yesterday that needed to be added to the home study was a Special Needs checklist. I had checked with them a few weeks ago to ask if they had something for me to fill out, but they said not to worry about it at the time (it's crazy the things that can get mixed up in this process). We finally received the checklist and Kyle and I sat down and did it last night. If you've never had to fill one out, be a little grateful because it's not the most lighthearted thing to do. If you take the standpoint that these are just terms and not think about the kids who have these special needs and are waiting for families, then it's a lot easier. But it was hard for me to do--I felt like those check marks were for the children themselves. One of those check marks are what has more than likely made my child available for adoption.
           

Medical issue                 yes                no             maybe                 Thoughts in my head


HIV+                                                                               Either way-Both parents have died and they're all alone
HIV-/with HIV+ mom            

Burns:                                                                              What abuse has this poor child suffered?
On face
Arms/Legs

Cleft lip                                                                            Abandoned because of social stigmas

Child requiring wheel chair                                             Parents want to take care of this child but know they                                                                                                                 could never afford their medical care

   

And on and on....
I know those are purely my ideas and not always the entire truth--but there is truth in that these children hurt both physically and emotionally and want a forever family to care for those hurts. We did have to say no to some--just as most adoptive parents do--for many different reasons. And it's not easy to say no to those things on that checklist, and I'm sure it was a whole lot harder for some of their parents to say no to their sweet child.
Yet we were able to say yes to many of the medical needs on that list, and I will forever be thankful the Lord allowed us to say yes to our special child--special need and all.