The DSS face!

Last night I ran into a couple at our church who have been foster parents and have adopted a little boy through DSS. She asked me how it was going and then said, "Oh I know that face! It's the DSS face! I know it all too well!" I guess my frustration was difficult to hide. I immediately let her know about our last phone call to the DSS office and how our file hadn't been read only to get a follow up letter in the mail saying they needed me to sign a consent to release info from the state of Kentucky. Um.....Helloooooo! We turned in our paperwork like back in November! Couldn't someone have gone through it and said we needed that? Ugh! In any case I have the signed form and will be taking it down the DSS office personally today. It is just up the street from my office. I guess I would not be so frustrated if I hadn't heard another couple in our class has already been approved and are waiting for their match with a child. Our friends told us to keep on the pressure and not be too willing to sit back and wait! Remember the squeeky wheel gets the grease. So I'm gonna squeek! There are children waiting and so are we, so now it's up to DSS to bring us together.

At some point I had to stop myself and say, Okay...it is all in God's timing and His timing is perfect! There is a much larger master plan involved here and I am simply going to have to wait. I can't say I'll wait patiently, but I will wait and most importantly be faithful and believe that one day we will have an addition to our family. But I've always been told God help's those who help themselves. So maybe our determination mixed with God's plan will yeild results. I know God does not need any of my help, but He made me the person I am in making me strong willed so I will use His gifts to help our cause.

One thing that is always in the back of my mind is to remember we are not dealing with a private adoption costing thousands of dollars. We don't have a team of people representing us searching for us a child. We are working with a government agency that is trying to look out for the best interest of a child. They are more than likely drowning in paperwork, understaffed, underpaid and know all the horrible things that happen to kids. So....I will cut some slack in this regards. They are after all going to give me a child, forever! I can be nice and sweet and kind, but persistant. God never promises the journey will be easy...just worth it!