Korea Says No

Adopting a baby is not as easy as it looks.  It sure seems easy.  You fill out some paperwork...okay, a LOT of paperwork, then you have someone check out your house, then you have another person visit frequently and talk to you about your life story, then you are matched with a sweet soul who was meant to be yours...right?  Ideally, yes.  But like many times in life, this journey did not go as planned.  This journey came to a screeching halt about a month ago.

The Korean Government has made the decision to stop issuing VISAs to children in all orphanages.  This means that very few children are allowed to leave the country.  The few that are already placed with a waiting family have to wait until January of next year to travel.  Why?  Their hopes are to eliminate foreign adoption altogether within the next few years.  Korea is focusing on placing those children with forever families in their native land, instead of across the world.  I understand.   It makes sense.  But are all of those waiting children going to have forever families? 

The adoption agency we are working with in Ohio is professional, helpful and kind.  They seem just as surprised as we are.  They have been working with Korea for 25 years (with the same orphanage), placing hundreds of waiting children with forever families.  Their mutual respect for one another came from years of experience.  I truly believe they didn't know this was coming.   We are all at a loss for words.     

So once again, we were guided away from our original path...for good reason, I'm sure.  But it's so difficult to refocus again and again.  With my whole heart, I know this IS the right way.  I'm still hanging on to the slightest chance we could become parents to one of the souls who is waiting.   

I know things are happening just as they are planned to happen, but I still feel defeated.  I feel like I have let someone down.    I have prayed for peace.  I have prayed for a distraction.  I have prayed for God to allow me to accept the things I cannot change.  Oh, I have received many distractions...but my heart is still heavy.  

Thank you for following us.

Tina 

안녕 하세요

(Hello in Korean)

How Perfectly Perfect

 

I stumbled upon this sweet quote and LOVE it!   

Happy Birthday, Ellie!

Happy Birthday, Ellie!  

Gymnastics/Sleepover for 20 girls...check

2nd Visit with Social Worker...check

All Day Adoption Training...check

3rd Visit with Social Worker...check

Abuse and Neglect Clearance...check

Time flies when you're having fun! :)

Skunk Happens

Today we met another social worker.   She will be guiding us through the specific guidelines required for Korean adoption.  Lucky for us, she is just as friendly and sweet as our first social worker.  For several days I have been cleaning and organizing trying to prepare for her visit.  The day before her arrival, our phone conversation went something like this:

      S.W.:  "Hi, Tina!  I am looking forward to meeting you and    
                  your family tomorrow morning."


      Tina:  "Hi!  Yes, we are anxious to meet you, too.  But there's 
                  something I need to tell you."


     S.W.:  "Yes, what is it?"


     Tina:  "Our house smells like SKUNK!  Sandie, our Golden
                Retriever, was sprayed three days ago.   The skunk
                smell is very strong when first entering our house.
                Not a good way to begin a home study, I know..."


      S.W.: "That's okay!  I have a head cold and have a hard time       
                smelling anything!"


Lucky for us, our new friend LOVES dogs.  We had nothing to worry about and our visit was delightful!   ~Tina~

               
 

SNOW DAY!

Ohio weather can be a lot of fun...

especially when it is severe enough to

cancel school!  Today we went to the "BIG" 

hill and enjoyed what Mother Nature 

recently left us.  We played until our noses

were cold, then sipped hot chocolate on

our drive home :)

Seoul Searching

It has been several weeks since we have changed our adoption plans.   Just when we thought we had everything in place and ready to proceed, life throws us a curve.  We concluded that the curve was meant to be at just the right time in our lives.  Late November, the Ethiopian Government changed their adoption guidelines.  The new guidelines would require both Eric and me to travel twice to Ethiopia, up to two weeks each trip.  To us, it was the deciding factor to choose another country.    Several weeks of more soul searching gave us time to reconsider our path.  We chose the place where it all started...Korea!  Our journey continues...in Seoul!