Ella

There was much excitement in our house yesterday when we got the official "yes" from our agency saying that we would be allowed to adopt two children - specifically Abigail and Ella, as the agency had hashed out their special needs, ages, etc. and agreed to their match.  Our caseworker requested that we contact the agency that Ella is assigned to, to inquire about a possible early release of her file to them.

Unable to reach Ella's assigned caseworker, I left a message.  Here we are about a day and a half later, and I've at last received my call back.  It was not at all the message we expected to hear.

There is another family who is actively pursuing Ella.  They are serious enough to have had her medical records reviewed by a specialist.  The agency is expecting their contract and other paperwork in soon.  It must be received by the end of the month to meet pre-approval deadlines with China. 

The other family has another daughter who has the same special needs as Ella.  Thus they have dealt with her issues, and already have medical specialists lined up.  This sounds pretty good to us!

We have always maintained that the most important thing to us concerning Ella was for her to have a family.  We are open to the idea that it may indeed not be us.  The other agency has promised to contact us at the end of the month if the other family doesn't follow through.  We are ready to lock the file if they back out.

Why did we have to jump through the extra hoops to be approved for two children, when one is likely no longer in need of us?  I confess I don't have a clue.  I do totally believe that things happen for a purpose and that God ALWAYS has a plan.  That plan may become obvious as time moves on, or we may never know.

We would appreciate your continued prayers for Ella and for her new family.  This paperwork is a BEAR and we would like to think that they will move through it quickly.  We would also appreciate your prayers for our Abigail that we can get this thing back on track now and moving forward.  Our home study has been sidetracked for a couple of weeks while the agency debated the issue. Thank you for all of your kind words, prayers and support as we've trudged through this thing.  Your support has meant a lot to us.