Referrals like crazy....

I keep up with a Yahoo chat group for families who are adopting from Ethiopia and using the same adoption agency we are using. It has been an incredible resource for me. I have learned so much and have enjoyed hearing about other's experiences with the adoption paperwork process including homestudy and dossier processes and getting immigration approvals. I have also followed several families who have been waiting for referrals just like us. I have been able to share in other families' joy when they finally received referrals to their children. I have then followed families who then began the next wait for a court date, and then the wait to hear if they passed court and are legally parents of another child or children. I've also been able to hear about their journeys as they have prepared to travel, the actual travel experiences and then what it's like once they come home with their precious child or children. It has been a fabulous place for me to visit and feel like a part of a bigger picture. Remember this is God's plan -for these children to have forever families. It has helped me to not feel so anxious and to know that we're not out here alone in this place waiting for God to reveal the addition to our family to us.

So I logged on today expecting to read a few postings about this and that. But it was like a rush of water. I started reading and read about a family who received a referral, and then another, and then another, and then another -all this week. It just kept on going. I heard about 9 referrals of 12 children total. Now remember that not every family who is utilizing our adoption agency is a part of this chat group, so this is only SOME of the referrals that have come through. I heard there were others also.

I think there have been more children referred to families this week than in the entire time we have been on the waiting list (since July), so this is amazing news. I am trying not to get too excited because I know there are still other families ahead of us, but it just means we're getting closer to meeting our daughter who is waiting for us in Ethiopia. More news to come in the coming months.... I hope!