Drama Continues

I am getting very exposed to a world that is so FOREIGN to me!  I can't begin to imagine what it is like to work with multiple people a day who are just like "S" and her boyfriend.   God bless Julie for her ministry to and with them! 

I was able to touch base with Julie today and we are once again back in the WAIT stage.  "S" was doing very well during her detox and was getting ready to be moved to treatment when she got sick.  So they took her to ER where she was prescribed some pain meds and an antibiotic.  She had done everything necessary to get her medical card updated, but the State had not yet verified her information. Therefore, when she went to get her prescriptions filled, they told her her she didn't have insurance.  The pain med was cheap enough that someone paid cash for her to get it, but the antibiotic was too expensive.  Because she does not have her antibiotic, she can't go back to the treatment center, and is now staying with her aunt.  Once the State verifies her medical card, she can get the antibiotic, and go back to treatment.  I am praying she will stay clean while she is staying with her aunt and that her medical card will be verified quickly.  The baby was checked during their ER visit and the baby seems to be doing fine - -heart rate of 165.

There are also some more glitches that are needing to be worked out.  Julie is working on getting the birth father to sign over his parental rights early.  She is encouraging both birth parents to step up to the plate and be more committed to their adoption plan and to follow through and do what they say they will do.  So the first step is to get him to sign, hopefully NEXT TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY.  So please be in prayer that he will do this as when she first talked with him about it, he kinda frowned on that a bit. 

Another key person, that Julie is needing to get straightened out is that aunt of "S", whom she is staying with right now.  This aunt, from my understanding,  has the other three children.  She is not for the adoption plan and has "threatened" to fight it.    So Julie is going to try to talk with her about the adoption plan and see where she stands.   The aunt does not want the baby going to a family who is heathen, so hopefully Julie can straighten out some of those questions.  We MAY end up having to meet with the aunt or talk with her on the phone.  My understanding is that the aunt has no legal rights to this baby, but should she pressure "S", "S" could change her mind and place her baby with the aunt instead, which right now, "S" is saying she does not want to do.  The birth father also keeps mentioning to Julie that the aunt will be getting the kids.

We would still like to meet with "S", but do not plan to arrange a time to do so until the above items are dealt with and we know that she is more committed to the adoption.  Neither Julie nor our attorney are pressuring us to make any decisions as we are all waiting to see what will happen.  They seem to be doing whatever they can to protect both sides, for which we are very grateful!

I hope to update you next week!

Pray for:
       "S" medical card situation
        "S" will heal from her sickness
        "S" will stay clean while she is out of treatment
        Birth father will sign over his parental rights next week
        The aunt will support the adoption plan
        The baby will continue to grow strong and healthy
        Skeeter and I as we continue to seek the Lord's guidance on this case

Snow Storm is a Blessing

I am now more thankful for this snow storm for more than one reason.  "S" was able to get her medical card updated and get checked in to a treatment facility yesterday, just in the "nick of time" before the brunt of this storm hit.  Now for the next 72 hours, she will be in detox and not too many people can get to her even if they wanted to with the bad weather and roads.  Please be in prayer for her and the baby as they go through this detox and that they will both have the stamina to endure.  After the 72 hours, she will then go in to treatment.  She will be limited as to who she will be able to have contact with (approved list) and will have to make calls from a public pay phone to people who have been approved -- keeping her access to her boyfriend, who they know to be a risk for her, at a distance. 

Her next ob appointment wasn't this week, I guess, but is scheduled for next week, the 27th. 

Please continue to pray for "S" -- some huge steps have been taken, so hopefully she will stay on the right path.  She has our profile, and when she gets settled, she is hoping to meet us.  We are also to contact the attorney next week, and touch base with her.  She will then put together a letter putting all the expected expenses for this case in there, and then if we are ready to move on, we sign and are officially/legally matched.  We are however, waiting to see if she will stay put with the treatment plan, but we know that no matter if we decide "yes" that there will be some risk involved with her backing out of treatment.  But prayers can keep her in!!

Next Couple of Days

Julie, the therapist for "S" called this evening and the next couple of days could play a crucial role in how we choose to proceed with this case.  "S" still has not gotten her medical card taken care of nor has she checked into treatment like she "promised".  She is continuing to stay in the rental, which from my understanding has no water or heat, and feels "safe" there.  Her next ob appointment is either tomorrow or Tuesday, Julie couldn't remember for sure which day.  So the goal will be for Julie to take "S" since she isn't going on her own, to get her medical card updated, take her to the doctor and then take her to treatment.  Hopefully "S" will her let her help her get to these places to get these important factors lined up.  Because she has been sick, her boyfriend is now sick, so we pray for both of them that they will soon be feeling better.

Thanks for continuing to join with us in prayer as we continue to seek out what Jesus would have us do in this situation.  Julie said she would call me if she is able to get her to the doctor to let me know how the appointment went.  Will keep you posted as I learn more!  :) 

Also, please keep Julie in your prayers as she works with "S" that she will have the wisdom to know how to best help her.

Tears of Joy

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and there is no greater love than what Jesus has for us.   I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to see another person come to receive that love that Jesus has for themselves.  Today was such a special day for our family! 

For the past couple of days, Adia has been asking a lot more questions about Jesus and about how to ask Him to make her be His child.  Her heart just seemed so much more sensitive than what it had been, so I was hoping that we were getting closer to her trusting Him.  Today during math class, just out of the blue when she was supposed to be writing her numbers, she just starting asking questions again about Jesus.  So I took her into my lap and we talked for a little bit (I'm getting tears as I'm writing this) and she decided that she was ready and wanted to talk to Jesus.  Of course after she had prayed she was so excited to be a part of Jesus' family and I was crying because I was so happy that she had finally connected what she had had in her head with her heart.  This was especially special for me, because I hadn't been able to have as much of a vital role in Anne's special day (but Skeeter and I were there to hear her pray to Jesus all by herself on her own).  Granted I had nothing to do with it, it was all the Holy Spirit, but exciting for me nonetheless.  I will attach a video below of her and her simple childlike prayer.  If you can't understand or hear what she says,

"Thank you dear Jesus, thank you for our bodies, I'm sorry for doing wrong things and I believe that you died on the cross for me and I want to be your kid. Amen."

I purposely did not tape her face, this was behind her just to capture what she said so that Skeeter could enjoy it with us.  I didn't want the camera in her face to make her nervous. :)  After she was done praying I showed her on her hand how she could use each of her fingers to remind her that 'Jesus will never leave Adia'.  We then called grandma, papa and Aunt Marla and cousin Mackenna to share with them our happy news.  We were able to share with Skeeter when he called from work.

She has been excited all day - -especially that we are now sisters! :)  

We had a party after Skeeter got home with cookies and a candle and everything. :)

Thank you Jesus for all the love that you have shown us.  Help us to be faithful to share that love with others!

Waiting.....

We were able to touch base with Julie today, the therapist.  One of my fears after one of my conversations with the attorney and Julie was that "S" might have been disappearing as her contact level with Julie had been decreasing.  She has been in contact with Julie it just hasn't been as often as it was when she first started.  "S" was sick over the weekend so had to be taken to the doctor and be prescribed some antibiotics.  We pray she is feeling better and that she will take care of herself as well as the baby.  While at the doctor they ran more tests, so will be interested to see what the results are of those tests as the first appointment didn't have any lab work done. 

"S" has been given money to rent a rental from her boyfriend's dad for this week and then she has "promised" that she will get back into treatment.   Her medical card is still not updated which is making everything that much more difficult.  She has been set up to have an appointment with an ob, next week, so hopefully her card will be set up soon?!  This dear girl supposedly does not have any shoes and has shown up before, in this cold and dreary weather, with shorts on and no shoes.  How my heart grieves for this searching woman!

Where do Skeeter and I fall in this case?  Have we made any decisions yet?  Julie has told "S" that if she does not get help in the form of treatment that she will lose her adoptive couple.  "S" will also lose her help with her therapist if she doesn't get her medical card squared away.   Now for someone like me, who isn't on drugs, that would scare me into doing something about it.  However, when someone is on drugs, they don't think like we do.  I told someone today that we are dealing with a little girl inside a grown up's body.  She wants to do what is right, but the addiction often talks louder than  what is right.  So we continue to pray for her that she will see what she needs to do and follow through with it.  Skeeter and I are waiting to see if she "will get her act together" before we make any decisions.  We do not feel pressure from the attorney or the therapist to make any kinds of decisions, at least right now.  We are ALL waiting...to see what "S" will do. 

We are not legally matched, so we have not notified Angel Adoption yet to say that they need to hold off on advertising for us.  So we have nothing to lose there.  Our first social worker called me yesterday and said that I had been on her mind...she will keep us in mind for prospective birth mothers as well.  

Not making a definitive decision is something that I am not used to.  I am used to being presented with a case and then saying yes or no.  The decision to "wait and see", is something that Jesus is challenging us (at least me) with, but neither Skeeter or I feel led to "give up" on "S"....just yet.  We continue to pray for wisdom.  I want so badly to pray for "S" but lately have been struggling with that as I fear in my heart I will become all the more attached to her and the baby and then find out in the end that I will again have to say good-bye.  That is not correct reasoning, but my heart has been so broken that I am trying to protect it from being hurt again.  But we know that the choice to love, comes with the risk of being hurt.  So I will try to do better at daily praying for her as she is not only fighting drugs, but the enemy of Satan.

On a more positive note...I recently had an amazing call from Adia's birth mom.  She and the birth father have gotten married since placing Adia, and have both trusted Jesus as their Savior.  Their fire for the Lord and trying to witness to others has been such an inspiration for me!  We who have been saved for so long seem to lose that fire! :(  Not only are they getting their life on track, they are now expecting a little boy, due in June.  However, she is having complications with the pregnancy, and is mostly on bed rest.  I pray that that this precious little boy....Adia's brother!....will survive and that the rest of the pregnancy will go smoother!  

Pray for Wisdom

Due to one thing after the other, God has prevented us from being able to share with anyone that we would like to pursue Mommy S and her baby.  Perhaps this is a good thing???  There are times, like now, that I wish God would just tell us what we are supposed to do.  Mommy S has checked out of treatment and is now living with the birth father in his car.  She is now back on drugs, but to what extent we don't know.  They have met with the attorney to start getting the paperwork together for the birth father to sign over his rights.  There is hope that a birth plan can be established before long as well so that hospitals can be notified of the plan should contact be lost with Mommy S.   They have not kept up on their medical cards and don't keep their id cards with them so they can't check into other treatment centers now either.  

I am so confused right now.  Please pray that "S" will see her need to get her act together not only for her but also for the baby.  Pray that she will get her papers together and be willing to get some help and check into another treatment center.  Now that she is back with the birth father, I fear that she will not be as strong to make wise decisions.

Pray for us that we will have wisdom as to whether or not we should continue to proceed with this case.  We are waiting to hear back from the attorney and hear medical reports as well as notes from her meeting with them.