Adoption Fever

I have a bad case of "Adoption Fever" Ok, so I made up that term, but it basically describes how I feel ; ) I had the "baby fever" thing before Emmitt, and it's pretty much the same, only I'm not longing to be pregnant and have a baby, but to have our family grow through adoption. I'm aching for it. I am so thrilled for friends and bloggers I follow who are bringing their sweet babies home, but I have to admit, I'm also really jealous. I'm just longing for the day when I can hold my baby in my arms.
About 18mo ago God laid adoption on my heart in a really big way. It wasn't anything I'd thought a ton about in the past. I was always open to adoption, but it wasn't something I'd really researched. So I started doing my homework: learning about the process, requirements, costs, time involved, agencies and all of that good stuff (talk about overwhelming).
What I've come to is that international adoption feels right to me, it's what I feel a lot of peace about, and more specifically using a program somewhere in Africa.
Thankfully, there are a lot of countries opening up in Africa just since I started the research leg of this process. I know of Liberia (adoptions currently on hold though) Ghana, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Uganda, and of course Ethiopia. I've heard visa's are being issued from Nigeria, but that you need a 'connection' in country. Interestingly, one of my last manager's was Nigerian, but he wasn't able to track down any information from his family still living there. I've also heard rumors swirling that South Africa may soon open it's doors as well! If you know anything about the recent history of S.A. this is truly amazing news!!!
So anyway, what I feel led to is international adoption, somewhere in Africa, and "special needs" adoption more specifically. Interestingly, what classifies a child as special needs is often pretty minor stuff. Basically, if you're a boy over the age of two, your odds of finding a forever family are quite slim. Doesn't that just make your heart break? I know it breaks mine. Also, if you have a treatable illness or repairable condition you're deemed "special needs" as well. When you add to that the children who do have a permanent physical or mental disability, that leaves a whole lot of little ones classified as "special needs" who just simply won't be considered by adopting families. Of course, everyone has to decide for themselves what they can handle, but I also think that lots of people are scared off by the term "special needs" when in reality there is nothing so scary about it.
What has been an amazing blessing to me in the past year is the housechurch I've been involved with! Last Fall I decided to join one of the small groups in my church just to get to know people better. My only preferences were for Tues. night and that it be in my town. So I picked Josh and Amy's housechurch "randomly" and it turns out the heart and passion of the group for the needs in Africa is just like mine! Not only that, Josh and Amy had recently adopted their adorable Silas, and another family, Eric and Tara were waiting for precious Malak to come home. Twice a month we meet at a local Ethiopian restaurant for good food and also for fellowship. Thanks to Josh and Amy, lots of adoptive families and families in the process of adopting have starting coming so all of the sudden I find myself really surrounded by the adoptive community. I just find that so amazing, and such a confirmation in my heart about this decision, because 18mo ago when I first felt God's leading, I literally had no one in my life who'd adopted, and now I have this great resource of people to turn to with my questions and who share the same heart with me on this issue. God is just amazing in the way He works!
So right now I'm in a sit and wait phase. And it stinks. I just want to feel like I'm moving forward, but there's just not a whole lot I can do right now. I pray, and daydream (I've even got the perfect two kid car picked out), continue to read and research, follow my ever growing list of adoption blogs, but beyond that I just wait for the greenlight to get started! It is comforting to know that so often God gave people in the bible a dream and a vision, and then they had to wait on it. I'm not the first one to have a passionate dream, that I want so badly, only to have to wait for it to come to pass. I think of Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Joseph, and so many others. Even Jesus waited 30yrs to start His ministry, and I'm sure there we many times that He was just aching to get started. At least I know in good company ; )