Friday, May 16, 2008

233 days and counting...

Wow. I didn't realize how long Sam has been waiting for us. Yesterday on our Dillon forum there was a discussion on length of time from referral to travel. I hadn't sat down and counted--at the time of our referral, the estimated waiting time was 3-6 months...we anticipated January travel, then we found out February didn't "count", then we found out our paperwork had sat on the USCIS's desk for several months due to a "communication problem" with unclaimed responsibility. Last week I got an auto-reply to another pleading email I sent to the head of the US consulate in HoChiMinh City (who grants the holy grail we're awaiting, the I600 preapproval telling us we can GO). The auto-reply informed me that she would be out of the office from May 5-27...and well...here we are.

Certainly not what we anticipated when we felt the calling to pursue adoption. I guess that can be said about many of life's adventures...not what was "anticipated". There can be blessings that can be difficult to see in those unanticipated events. It is difficult to see God's intent in these long delays, but we can only hang on for the ride. Why? Because he's our Sam. From the day of our referral in September, he became our son, and when your son is a long way away, you keep trying to get him home.

Perhaps day 233 is near the end of our wait. We hope it is. But when it comes down to it, what number do you reach that you give up? Sam is counting on us not to reach that number, so we won't.