The first step



LSSS



Wonderful.... this is simply how I feel. I know Hrishi shares the feeling too. This is how we feel about this journey we've embarked on, the journey of becoming foster-to-adopt parents. Today we took our very first step: attended orientation and submitted our application along with some other paperwork. This will be followed by a lot more paperwork, a lot more documentation, and many many training hours than you could imagine. The packet is a few of inches thick. But just like they said in orientation today, I will imagine how it will feel when we've gone through all of it and we are finally certified and ready to welcome a child or children into our home. Our home will be their safe haven. The one place where they'll feel protected and loved. The one place they've  been longing for. 

 

FIT

I'll need to remember, imagine, and visulize this because I know they'll be roadblocks along the way. I'll also need to remember the tears that streamed down my cheeks (yes, I am a very emotional person!) today when they showed a couple of videos narrated by children in the foster system. How blessed we are for the families we have, the families in which we grew up! There's no greater blessing!

(Lutheran Social Services of the South is our agency and Foster in Texas, FIT is their partner.)
And although this post was going to end here, it's worth mentioning to say the least, the struggle I've been through in finding an agency that would accept us into their program. You see, not all adoption agencies do work with non-US citizens which we both are. We are legal residents (green card holders) but not citizens, at least not yet. We looked into infant adoption a while back and had some agency contacts. After putting a more comprehensive contacts list together a few days ago I started calling around. I called a ton of people and left voicemail after voicemail,  explaining our situation. Some had called back and said no, others never did. Luckily, (and it's really not luck but the huge hand of Providence/God's love for us) after a whole day of calling and almost losing hope, Lutheran Social Services of the South responded to our call and took us in. This was a testimony to me that He wants us to do this and that no matter how hard or disheartening it may get at times, this is right and things will work out!