Did you say next adopton?

Yes, we are already preparing for our next adoption. Brad and I knew before going to Russia that we intended to adopt again. We had agreed to wait at least 6 months after bringing Jay home before beginning any kind of paperwork. And we agreed to not begin the adoption process again until our debts were paid. We are whittling away at out debts and awaiting direction from our Father in Heaven on when to actually begin paperwork. But we are also preparing ourselves in every way possible while we wait.

We have chosen to pursue an adoption from China. So Brad and I are learning Mandarin! It is so fun to practice language together. Brad learned to speak a significant amount of Russian when we went to Russia. He has several Russian speaking employees and has deeply enjoyed learning to communicate with them. I did not learn more than a handful of Russian words. I completed one lesson with Brad on the computer and decided it was not for me. But this time is different. I love studying. And I cannot wait to put the language to use.

We will be adopting a child from the China 'special needs' program and have been studying what types of special needs are common and deciding which ones are a good match for our family. In the China Special Needs program families specify what special needs they are willing or not willing to accept before referral.

We have put together a financial plan to pay off our debts and are working toward our goal. Once the debt is paid we will focus our personal finances toward a savings goal for the adoption. In the mean time we are beginning some preliminary fund raisers to get the ball rolling. God cannot bless what we do not begin. Choosing to put our adoption on hold for the purpose of paying off debt would seem to make sense. Until we consider our child who is waiting. If there is a chance we can accomplish both, why not begin today?

And so it is. We are doing everything in our power to both pay off our pesonal debts with our current income and raise the necessary funds to complete an adoption from China. One little step at a time.