To Adopt or Not to Adopt?

About 5 or so years ago, Jeffrey and I started praying about adoption. Because we'd heard how expensive adoption was, we decided to go to a Foster/Adopt meeting through CPS (Child Protective Services). There was a lot of fear in me because of all the horror stories I'd heard. Shortly after the meeting, Jeffrey's company filed bankruptcy so we did not pursue adoption. A couple years later we decided to approach adoption again. Then, my dad got very sick and we had to forgo the adoption classes again. Two summers ago, on our 10 year anniversary trip to Barbados, Jeffrey and I decided to approach the adoption subject again. We decided we would look into adoption when we returned home. The following day, Jeffrey's company called and said they had sold 38 of the 58 stores. So, again...the timing wasn't right. As we were talking about our goals for 2010, the subject of adoption came up again. Our boys are now 10 and almost 8. We decided to pursue it for 6 months and if it didn't happen, we'd shut the door and know that wasn't our path. We also decided to pursue private adoption and CPS.
So, about 3 weeks ago, I sent our information to New Life Adoption Center. It is an amazing agency that bathes each placement in prayer and fasting. We got a response a week ago that we did not fit the qualifications because you can't be over 40 years old and adopt with their agency. Another door closed. Yesterday, we went to the Foster/Adoption Information Meeting. We decided to go with Covenant Kids Agency and are excited to see what God has in store. Maybe it is a "no" and the door will be shut forever. But, we are moving in that direction.
Did you know in the state of Texas, there are over 3,000 kids who are waiting for adoption? I can't stop thinking about them! My prayer today is that families would rise up to adopt them.
Yesterday, we talked to the boys about the process we are going through. Will was quiet and Jake was excited. Then, we started looking at kids online who need homes. It was interesting to hear the boys and their questions. Last night, when Jeffrey put the boys down for bed, Jake said, "Dad, it makes me want to cry thinking about the 3,000 kids that don't have families. I think we need to adopt 2!" So sweet!
We don't know where this road will take us but we know that God has placed on our hearts to have compassion for others. We're excited to see what He has in store for us!