Hope

Okay, okay, I know I said I wasn’t going to give any more updates.

But, ummmm….I changed my mind.

Because today was pretty amazing.

I decided that this morning I would visit both the district social worker and the regional social worker. I really didn’t expect to get anywhere. Pretty much, this was one of those, “I’m-still- here-and-you’re-not-getting-rid-of-me visits.”

First I went to the district social worker’s office. I didn’t know if I would even see anyone I know. The social worker who did our home study (she was awesome) has been transferred. And our lawyer had warned us that her assistant (the one who wrote the letter that was rejected) is at a conference. She was right. Both ladies were gone.

But there was another lady there, named Nelly. I’d only met her once and I don’t even know what her official position is. But I explained the situation, for lack of anyone else to talk to.

She said, “Oh, I can rewrite that letter. Do you have a few minutes? Do you want to wait? I could do it right now.”

Do I want to wait? Do I want to wait?

Back up a minute. In all my dealings and visits with social workers, for both Grace and Josiah’s adoptions, I have never, ever (did I mention never?) had a social worker be willing to write a letter on the spot. It’s always, “Come back tomorrow,” or “Come back on Monday,” or “Call me tomorrow and I’ll let you know.” It usually takes, on average, five visits to a social worker to acquire whichever letter we are currently working on.

So, duh, yeah, OF COURSE I WANT TO WAIT!!! I wanted to sing and dance and give her a million dollars.

So she found the first letter. Copied it. Rewrote it by hand with the correction.

Then she folded it up, addressed it, and said, “Do you have a car?”

Yep.

“Okay…my assistant here will go with you right now to deliver it to the regional office. Just please give her bus money so she can come back.”

Bus money? Don’t you want a million dollars?

So we delivered it. And the regional social worker read it. And said it was fine. And she said we should call back tomorrow. Because now, once again, we wait for the final-final-final letter. Maybe. You never know.

But it still was amazing.

The last few days have been good for me. Meditating on God’s sovereignty. Trusting His good timing. And the truth is, I still don’t know when my boy will come home. But today was a wonderful reminder that God can do whatever He pleases, whenever He pleases. He can harden hearts and soften them according to His good pleasure. This really, truly is all in His control.

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” (Prov. 21:1)