Out of Africa

I feel like I should preface this post with the fact I have never blogged in my life. You should be prepared... It is a work in progress... (just sayin')
It was May, and what seemed like nearly overnight we were met with an awesome challenge-adoption- but from where?  Yikes!
We only had interest in international adoption-we both agreed wholeheartedly on this one (yeah!).  We just weren't led to domestic adoption, which unless you've been in this position seems strange I'm sure. 
Let the search begin. 
We also agreed (score again!) that it would be either an Asian country or Africa--more specifically India, Korea or any country in Africa.  We began our research on agencies simultaneously.  Not sure if you should pick an agency or a country first.  So many choices to make in this new world of decisions and no set order for going about anything.  All this adoption lingo (dossier, I600a, home study), I felt like I was in school again!  We began talking with 2 families from our church who helped to provide us with counsel, books and some understanding of the general process but left us with lots of decisions to make.

We decided to look at country first.  We began looking at India and quickly discovered India was not the right path for us.  I have always had such a heart for India but there is a lot of change occurring right now in their adoption process and most agencies are not even accepting applications.  One country ruled out-- we are moving closer.  Korea was automatically out because they would only let us adopt a boy and we definitely wanted another girl.  I know, I know,  you mama's of boys think we're nuts but we don't know boys.  We know girls and man do we love em'.

So we began looking at Africa.  I love Africa!  I have only fallen more in love with it in the past several months.  We looked at several African countries but quickly knew our daughter was in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).   From the moment I began reading about DRC, everything they have been through over the years, how they live now and still how joyful they remain despite their sobering reality--I was left changed.  My eyes had been opened in a way I don't have words to express.  I have felt very broken and ready to do something to love on these people.
I think it is amazing how God lines things up so you feel things more intensely--at the time I began learning about DRC I was reading Radical by David Platt.
I get it God, you want me to change more and you have a plan--I need to trust you.
What a journey it has been so far!