What's it all mean?

I've had a lot people asking, "What now?". Well, now that we're on the waiting list, we wait. As I said in the last post, we could receive a referral as early as September, but there's also potential we could have to wait 'til next March (I'm praying HARD that's not the case). We are #12 on the list, but that really doesn't mean a whole lot. When Holt receives a referral group, they have to take many things into consideration, such as age, gender, and severity (if any) of special needs, then compare them with the specifications of each family on the list. They may only receive 1 referral in some groups, although all of us waiting are hopeful that they'll receive more than that, WAY MORE, because the more that come in, the quicker we'll get to our babies! So, just because someone's #5 on the list, doesn't mean they'll receive a match if there's 5 referrals, there are lots of factors that determine that. Holt receives referrals 4 times a year, March-June-September-December. We know there's no chance of us receiving a referral in June, although yes, "with God all things are possible". However, even though we know God could make it happen, we are not at all holding our breath to receive a match in June. Now, you bet your bottom dollar my phone won't leave my side for a second in September! ;-) So, if we are blessed enough to receive a referral in September, and accept it, then we will have to be approved (I'll be honest, I'm not even sure how all these steps work, so I won't attempt to explain them). Once we're approved, we will then get travel dates and a court date. Our travel dates will be at least 6 months after referral, and could be as much as 10 months after referral. I understand to many of you, this sounds like forever, it seems like worlds away, and there are times when it feels that way to me. But honestly, I feel very peaceful, I feel confident that God called us to this journey, and I know he's guiding us every step of the way, and we know that He's always right on time. We are trying to use this time of waiting to focus on the 3 year old blessing we already have ;-), and just cherish these moments that we have to devote only to him. We talk about "Baby Sister" all the time, and we pray for her every night. He asks lots of questions, and he's certain that her name will be "Baby Sister", and we're sure that he's going to fit into the role of Big Brother just perfectly. As I'm waiting, I'm finding joy and encouragement in following along with friends' journeys, as they prepare to receive matches and some prepare to bring their children home. Rather than worry about when we'll receive our referral, I'm going to choose to rejoice with them, because I know one day, they'll be jumping for joy with me too!