The First Test

We need your prayers.

We received some news this morning that's pretty disturbing.  For some unknown reason, the foundation meeting that wasn't supposed to happen until September 20th happened yesterday.  Obviously, our commitment papers hadn't yet arrived, so Melina's file was still considered active in the adoption system.

The different foundations that meet choose files based on a number system.  Its pretty simple.  I mean, my kids do this all the time.  They draw numbers, and whomever draws first, picks first.  Toni, our liason in Bulgaria, didn't get to pick first.  Another foundation did, and they chose Melina's file.  What we don't know is WHY they chose her file.  That's the question that determines whether or not Melina is ours.  The foundation that chose her is a new foundation (as of June), so Janna (at Lifeline) believes that it would be early for them to already have many families that are signed and waiting to adopt through them.  Tomorrow begins a Bulgarian holiday, so we're forced to wait until Monday to find out the outcome.  Its very possible that Toni could request the file back from the other foundation, based on the fact that our commitment papers should be there by then.  They could simply give her the file and everything would be as it should.  Another possibility is that they wouldn't give her the file, but they would agree to hold Melina as ours.  We would have to swap foundations in Bulgaria, but it would still be a workable situtation.  We just wouldn't be able to go through Toni.  Worst case for us is that this foundation picked Melina's file because they did, indeed, have a family and also have commitment papers.  If that's the case, then this is over.  Melina would go to someone else to raise.

That's a heartbreaking statement for me to type.  It wasn't supposed to happen this way at all, and now we begin a tremendous waiting process that is going to be very, very hard.  We still believe 100% that God chose Melina for us.  We're hoping that this is yet another test of our faith, but we need prayers NOW.  PLEASE pray that Melina is still ours and that God will speak to these people that work with this other foundation.  Pray that we'll be able to bring Melina home as we've hoped to do from the very beginning.

This is one of those hard parts we knew we'd have to encounter somewhere along the way.  We just didn't know it would happen so early.  However, God has a plan, and more than anything, we want to follow him. 

Just pray. 

Thanks, everybody.