Leap of Faith

When we jumped into this journey, we took a leap of faith, a BIG one.

We did not know anything about adoption, let alone international adoption.

We did not know how we were going to come up with the money needed.

We did not know how we were going to get all the paperwork done this time of year.With Kris working such insane hours (tax season) it left me to do most of the legwork and paperwork, which was scary to me because Kris is the one that is good at all of that, he is an accountant after all.I can barely keep my head afloat this time of year without the added tasks required for an international adoption.

But we lept with faith anyway...

We do not know much about Kareen.

We do not know what foods she likes, or what she likes to do.

We do not know what her smile looks like.

We do not know if she will be small for her age, or if she walks well, or how well she speaks.

We do not know if she will have health problems.

We do not know if she looks the same as this picture that we now have engrained in our heads.

We do not know the circumstances of her birth family.

We do not know if she is like Bree in her development or interests.

We know very little about her.

But we lept with faith anyway....

At this point in the process the leap of faith is not over. As we hear of all the unknowns and the unexpected things that could come up, it sometimes gets scary. But we will continue to have faith and hold on to the things we DO know!

We DO know she is 4 years old.

We DO know she has brown hair.

We know these few sentences from her bio on Reeces Rainbow

"This pretty muffin is waiting for her family! She is healthy, with no heart condition noted in her records. She has brown hair and hazel eyes, and is already up and learning to walk! Her records indicate "meiotic nondisjunction", but this is just a fancy word for what happens to create "Down syndrome" genetically. She is considered higher functioning and is really doing well. She is an orphanage favorite, and the dircetor has asked for a family to save her from the institution."

We DO know she was given up at birth because she was born with down syndrome.

We DO know she would be transferred to an institution soon if we don't save her.

We DO know she has much more to offer than her little bio and profile picture.

We DO know that she is worthy of love and that she will blossom and grow.

We DO know that she and Bree will have eachother....always.

Like these two sisters....

(one born into their family by birth, one by adoption to Lisa's family)

or these two sisters.......

( one born into the family through birth, one through adoption to Bethany's family)

We DO know that she is worth the risk and the unknowns of this journey, because Bree has shown us what a child with DS has to offer.

We DO know that she will be loved......by many.....when she comes home.

We DO know that her sisters adore her already and fervently pray for her.

We DO know that we love her and that she is meant to be part of our family.

Once again, I am pulling from the wise words of Lisa, "Having a child is always a leap of faith. We never really know what the future holds for any of our children, whether they are our biological children or adopted children. We can't plan for future diagnoses, illnesses, accidents, surgeries, and so on. We also can't plan for the untold joys and rewards of knowing, loving or raising any child.Granted, there are some things we can do to reduce our risk of heartache, but the reality is that we either live in constant fear and uncertainty of the unknown and unwanted, or we can choose to live in peace, understanding that there is good in every person and every circumstance--even when we might not first see it there."

When I was emailing back and forth with Lisa during our soul searching and trying to decide if this path was really what our family should be doing, Lisa often gave me strength and comfort. She said,"Not getting her might be easier, but she will be worth the effort :). Good things are in store for you! I am so glad you are both willing to take a leap of faith and can't wait to see how your story unfolds....You know what it is like when you see a new mother of a baby with Down syndrome...how you want to tell her it will all be okay...that her baby will be just as important and wonderful as everyone else in the family? That her life is really just beginning.....I would say the same things to you. There are never any guarantees....but I have a strong feeling that adopting Kareen would be one of the best decisions of your life. "

In the few short months we have been on this journey, we have grown and been touched and stretched in ways we could never have imagined and we KNOW this is what we are supposed to be doing, even with all the unknowns and the what ifs. We must go forward with faith, because a little girls life.....OUR little girls life....is at stake!