A Light in the Darkness - 3.15.2012

 

The month of March so far:


-Mounted a 5lb fire extinguisher on the kitchen wall on the 1st
-Confirmed registration for the two remaining required class in March on the 2nd
-Repotted my tomato and pepper seedlings on the 3rd
-Framed and hung the Emergency Exit map on the 4th
-Cleared out the second bedroom on the 5th
-Set up two twin beds on the 6th
-Walked past the second bedroom and stared in confusion at the two twin beds on the 7th
-Rearranged the kitchen drawers and installed safety locks on the 8th
-Got frustrated every time I tried to open a cabinet on the 9th
-Took a Psychotropic Medication (required) class on the 10th
-Recovered from all the depressing truths learned in the Psych med class on the 11th
-Started our squash, cucumber, and melon seeds in the garden on the 12th
-Completed our FBI fingerprinting on the 13th
-Started to give up hope that we would ever hear from our caseworker again on the 14th
......Recieved a light in the darkness on the 15th!!!!!


We recieved a letter from our caseworker today that lists all the paperwork/class requirements still needed before we can continue in the lisencing process.  We were able to complete and scan 6 of the 8 items right away and get those back to her.  We have one remaining class (March 29th), but were able to give her our registration confirmation. There is one more packet/form that we need to fill out and give to her by the 23rd (not a big deal) and that's it!!!  From there I think she will be contacting our references and scheduling our home visit!  Whoo hoo!!  A little light in the darkness!!  Just as the Lord had so simply spoken, "Let there be light" and there was...He has provided a lamp unto our feet.

Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

 to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

-Luke 1:78-79

 

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A Giant Question Mark Ahead - 3.3.2012

Well, we finished the last licensing class on February 25th....or so we thought. After keeping up with the accelerated class schedule every Saturday in February (usually an 8 -12 week class) we were exhausted by the pace, overwhelmed by the expectations, and a little annoyed to find out there were two more required classes in March that we needed to complete...but so goes the process.
We are still quite bewildered about what to expect.  We received a lot of conflicting information regarding the whens and hows of the process and there is a big blurry line between what is considered "adoption licensing" and "foster licensing" that nobody could seem to define.  Over the last 3 weeks we have turned in mountains of paperwork, read through a 3 inch binder full of legal jargon, endured a vibrantly liberal government course, asked a million questions, purchased and installed fire extinguishers, safety locks, and outlet covers, drawn up an emergency exit map in case of a disaster, created a lifebook of our family, purchased bed frames from complete strangers on Craiglist, cleaned out closets, rearranged furniture, and prayed prayed prayed. 
As far as we (vaguely) understand the next step in the process is receiving a letter from our social worker listing any possible missing paperwork (like the fingerprinting we haven't had time to do yet because Charlie is working 50-60 hour weeks), make sure everything is turned in, and attend the two remaining classes. From there we are supposed to schedule the home visit ( a 3-5 hour visit where the social worker comes to your home and does a fire inspection as well as group and individual interviews with everyone in the family).  From the information gathered at the homevisit, the social worker will compile our case file and send it to her supervisor who will determine whether we are approved or denied....After that it is a big giant question mark.
The government, as expected has been unorganized, unsupportive, and uninformative.  Our family and friends, on the other hand, have been a wonderful blessing. We have had no shortage of encouragement, prayers, and offers to watch Tess during classes, be a sounding board and prayer partner, or even lend their car for the morning so I can make a grocery run.  We are so grateful that the Lord has surrounded us with this support system. You are all a blessing. THANK YOU!!!!

  We hope to have more updates soon. We ask for your prayers as we tie up the loose ends, experience our home visit/inspection/interrogation, and approach the big question mark.

In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. ~Proverbs 3:6

 

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