Life is a Bucking Bronco

My boys love to play this game.  It starts with one of them getting on all fours.  The other brother climbs on the first's back.  You get where I'm going, right?  The first one starts bucking all over the place, with the intent of getting his brother off his back.  Bucking bronco.

 

 

They love, LOVE to play this game.  They giggle and buck all over the place until one of them gets tired or suffers a bump on the noggin.  Even though they know that playing bucking bronco can get them hurt, they continue to seek the adventure together.

 

This week life has felt a little like a bucking bronco.  We have been praying that God would show us what to do with regards to waiting for the Congo.  On Thursday this week, we received an answer.  Unfortunately it wasn't a yes.  Bucking bronco.

 

A little back story...we have been waiting since April for the government of Canada to make a decision regarding allowing new adoptions to begin from the DRC.  A good friend of mine called me earlier this week asking how she could advocate on our behalf.  So, I decided to call the Ministry of Children and Families in BC and find out what we should do.  Well, I ended up speaking to a lovely lady who (I had imagined was a busy paper pushing bureaucrat that didn't care at all--this was not the case!) explained the situation with the Congo quite clearly.  In short, the ethics of adoption from the DRC had been called in to such question that a hold was put on exit visas from that country.  Now, the Congo itself decided to put a 1 year hold on visas to make sure things were operating in a better manner.  This is, in many ways, good news. 

 

One year isn't that long, but then what?  What if things still aren't any better?  Or Canada decides to put a moratorium on at the end of that year?  We just don't know what comes next.  I lamented hearing that information from her, but felt so released and at peace about it at the same time.  It really felt like we were being given permission to move on. 

 

So friends, here we are.  We decide, even though it may hurt, to move forward--to get back on that bucking bronco, if you will. 

 

I started at the beginning again...wrote a big list of all the countries to chose from (about 20).  Then I crossed off those that we don't qualify for.  Next, we crossed off those that didn't really meet what we are looking for.  Now we have 7.  We're praying over those 7 countries now...asking which way to turn. 

 

I am so thankful for the multitudes of you who have prayed us through this.  I really believe that without all your love and support that "buck" we felt on Thursday would have felt a lot more painful than it did.  Thank you friends. 

 

We look forward to continuing to share our adventure with you; smooth ride or bucking bronco, whatever may come.