We know, all too well, from Noeline's adoption to expect setbacks and delays. We also knew working with our previous home study agency could be an issue. Things didn't go smoothly with them the first time. But, we LOVE or social worker and most importantly, Noeline is comfortable with her. She's been able to make exceptions and help to streamline parts of the process. She's relaxed and kind and gets the job done. It's the other people in the agency we were worried about.
When we initially began our home study, our placing agency (the agency who will match us with our child) asked our home study agency to send an interagency agreement with all kinds of information. One being a declaration of complaints against them for 2018. Well, it was never signed and never sent back until we asked our social worker to step in. She worked incredibly hard and bent over backwards to get this done so we could move forward. We had our home visit and all our paperwork submitted. We are literally just waiting for the home study to be finished.
Our placing agency got the completed interagency agreement which states the complaints and are now required to have their legal team look over the complaints in order to determine if we can even use our home study agency to complete the home study...aka...we may have to completely redo our home study if our placing agency doesn't feel comfortable with the complaints. This could be just a formality or it could completely derail us. We could also be out thousands of dollars. We'd saved enough to pay for our home study but have very little left to start fresh if we aren't able to get a refund. Would you pray they clear the grievances and we are able to finish with the agency we are working with now. This would save us over $5000 and save time on us finding a new agency and starting fresh.
We were also notified our home study cannot be complete until we attend an in person training, across the country, in New York. The next training isn't until January. So, we cannot complete our home study for at least 2 more months. If we are able to continue working with our home study agency, we will be just sitting waiting for this piece.
Are you still tracking with me? There's a lot of people, a lot of agencies and that's where things like this happen. When one party struggles with effective communication everyone suffers.
The pointless wait is frustrating, feeling like the ball was dropped on the interagency agreement and yet we're the ones who pay is infuriating.
But, we know God is intricately working in the details and in the waiting. While we're frustrated, the whole thing feels different than when we experienced setbacks with Noeline's adoption. Maybe it's because we're on the other side and know the wait is well worth it, maybe it's because we're so busy and distracted with our sweet kids that it doesn't consume us. Who knows what it is, we are just more content to wait and wait and wait. Because one day this waiting will be worth it.
We should know more tomorrow if we can continue working with our home study agency. If we can we still have to wait till January to finalize our home study. If we can't work with them, we are back at square 1 looking for the right agency to write our home study. Pray for the logistics, pray this is all just a formality and all we have to do is wait rather than completely start new.
Very differently from Noeline's adoption, but also because of Noeline's adoption, this song has been playing constantly, in my heart, on my phone, blasting in our living room. Instead of wallowing, hiding in a hole, being consumed by anxiety I am doing my best to have a posture of patience and of rememberance of who God is. Though our circumstances change, God remains who he is ALWAYS.
"Your love is enduring through the winter rain.
And beyond the horizon with mercy for today.
Faithful you have been and faithful you will be.
You father the orphan. Your kindness makes us whole.
And You shoulder our weakness
And your strength becomes our own
Now You're making me like you"
When we initially began our home study, our placing agency (the agency who will match us with our child) asked our home study agency to send an interagency agreement with all kinds of information. One being a declaration of complaints against them for 2018. Well, it was never signed and never sent back until we asked our social worker to step in. She worked incredibly hard and bent over backwards to get this done so we could move forward. We had our home visit and all our paperwork submitted. We are literally just waiting for the home study to be finished.
Our placing agency got the completed interagency agreement which states the complaints and are now required to have their legal team look over the complaints in order to determine if we can even use our home study agency to complete the home study...aka...we may have to completely redo our home study if our placing agency doesn't feel comfortable with the complaints. This could be just a formality or it could completely derail us. We could also be out thousands of dollars. We'd saved enough to pay for our home study but have very little left to start fresh if we aren't able to get a refund. Would you pray they clear the grievances and we are able to finish with the agency we are working with now. This would save us over $5000 and save time on us finding a new agency and starting fresh.
We were also notified our home study cannot be complete until we attend an in person training, across the country, in New York. The next training isn't until January. So, we cannot complete our home study for at least 2 more months. If we are able to continue working with our home study agency, we will be just sitting waiting for this piece.
Are you still tracking with me? There's a lot of people, a lot of agencies and that's where things like this happen. When one party struggles with effective communication everyone suffers.
The pointless wait is frustrating, feeling like the ball was dropped on the interagency agreement and yet we're the ones who pay is infuriating.
But, we know God is intricately working in the details and in the waiting. While we're frustrated, the whole thing feels different than when we experienced setbacks with Noeline's adoption. Maybe it's because we're on the other side and know the wait is well worth it, maybe it's because we're so busy and distracted with our sweet kids that it doesn't consume us. Who knows what it is, we are just more content to wait and wait and wait. Because one day this waiting will be worth it.
We should know more tomorrow if we can continue working with our home study agency. If we can we still have to wait till January to finalize our home study. If we can't work with them, we are back at square 1 looking for the right agency to write our home study. Pray for the logistics, pray this is all just a formality and all we have to do is wait rather than completely start new.
Very differently from Noeline's adoption, but also because of Noeline's adoption, this song has been playing constantly, in my heart, on my phone, blasting in our living room. Instead of wallowing, hiding in a hole, being consumed by anxiety I am doing my best to have a posture of patience and of rememberance of who God is. Though our circumstances change, God remains who he is ALWAYS.
"Your love is enduring through the winter rain.
And beyond the horizon with mercy for today.
Faithful you have been and faithful you will be.
Your praise will ever be on my lips, ever be on my lips
You father the orphan. Your kindness makes us whole.
And You shoulder our weakness
And your strength becomes our own
Now You're making me like you"
Comments
Post a Comment