Tonight after reading our Bible story and saying prayers, Micah sat in my lap and was playing with my hair (if only he could really "picks it" ((fix it)) like he says he is). I pointed to the playpen I have set up in his room and asked, "Micah, what is that in here for?" He pondered for a minute, then said, "mmm....poster tid?" (foster kids). I am so humbled by my sons love for others. Over the past several weeks we have truly seen him blossom in his love and care for others. That kind of spirit can be taught - but I believe it is mostly a gift from the Almighty Himself. Only God can love others unconditionally - and my sweet son is a picture of that love. Love without discrepancy - love without prejudice. I love how my son loves.
Just had to brag on my boy for a minute. Now to the juicy details of our home study that so many are wondering about. :)
Our home study was scheduled for 5:00 last Thursday. At 5:00, I get a call from our "home study person" (I don't know what her title is, honestly) saying that she was coming from the Denton area and was running late.
I went to school in Denton for five years....I knew she wouldn't be there until close to 6:00. Sure enough, I was right. She said she wanted to make up for lost time, so she would try to get through the interview questions before walking through the house. The interviews went fine (it was separated into a couple interview and individual interviews). After the interviews, she did the walk through our house.
Let me pause here to say that Ray and I were truly expecting (and planned for) a thorough walk through - with the "person" opening every door, every drawer, checking every single detail on every one of the checklists that we were given as a guide (there are about five checklists that go into what is required for fostering). Expecting her to go through our house with these checklists, I nearly memorized all of them to ensure every detail was complete. So - I was more than a little shocked when she handed ME the checklists and told me to fill them out and sign at the bottom. Shocked. This wasn't the intrusive home study we were imagining at all. So much of it was based on the honor system - which I guess makes sense considering we are dealing with a Christian agency.
We were told ahead of time that the home study would take 4-6 hours to complete. Ours lasted about three hours. I think this was partially due to the fact that it didn't actually begin until 6:00 and our "person" was probably tired. Not only did she drive from the Denton area, but she also worked a full day prior to that. I would be exhausted too! I did truly appreciate her coming out though. She was very kind, considerate, and didn't judge. I felt like we could be open and honest with her, and we were.
I knew going through the home study that SO many people were praying for us. I know that the home study wouldn't have gone as smoothly as it did if the prayers weren't there. We serve an awesome God folks! He has met our every need through this process and I know He will continue to do so.
So, what's next? Well - at this point we are about 1-2 weeks from being licensed. We have our last training on Thursday evening. After that, it's just a waiting game. Waiting on "the call." Waiting on God to bring us the right children He wants us to care for.
I do have one more prayer request, however. The last thing we have to turn in is a couple book reports. Really, these aren't even long enough to be considered "reports." They are just paragraphs. The painstaking part of this is (since its based on the honor system), we have to read a couple books. These reports are the last piece of our foster-adoption-license-process. And I *strongly dislike* reading! It's horrible!!! I made A's and B's in college - and that is due largely to the fact that I READ. I read text books like there was no tomorrow. But reading these books is SO difficult for me! Please pray for me that I'll find the time and have the endurance to read these books so we can get licensed. Its such a pitiful thing to lack for starting our ministry.
Thanks to all for the prayers and support - I can hardly wait to have another little blessing in our house. :)
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