Prayer Request

As some of you know, we are in the process of adopting here in Costa Rica. It is a difficult process due to many past problems Costa Rica has had with adopting children out of the country. The current law is that only citizens and residents of Costa Rica can adopt here. When we applied for residency a year and a half ago we knew we were in for a loooong process due to every one we talked with about their own experiences. After praying, we felt that as soon as we got residency we would begin the process of adoption. Well, we got our residency in 5 months--record time--and felt like this was definitely of the Lord. We have done all of the paper work (which took time getting everything from The States) and we have been waiting on appointments with a psychologist and social worker. We were finally called 4 weeks ago or so for an appointment at the PANI office (the gov't agency that regulates adoptions). When we arrived for our first of 3-4 interviews, they decided that because English is our first language and they have never had to deal with a situation like ours before, that we should look for our own bilingual psychologist and social worker to do our interviews in English and in Spanish. They wanted us to have a fair chance in our heart language. Well, we left wondering what this all meant and knew we had to get everything done in the 60 days they had given us. By talking and networking with different friends here both in San Jose and in Jacó, the Lord has provided us with the most amazing CHRISTIAN social worker and a wonderful psychologist!!! It has been such a blessing to meet with the psychologist and we look forward to meeting our social worker this weekend as she comes to Jacó to do our home visit. We have felt and seen the hand of God all over this--directing us and hand picking the 2 special ladies with whom we would work! What a blessing it was to have to find our own ladies to work with when initially we left the PANI office quite puzzled yet knowing confidently that the Lord had purpose in all of it. And now we are seeing it played out before our very eyes!

Anyway, I say all that to say please pray for us the rest of this week and this weekend. All four of us have individual interviews on Friday with our psychologist, Mariela, and we have our home visit and more interviews on Saturday with our social worker, Susanna. (I am really curious to see how Jacob is going to sit through an individual interview--should be interesting :)) Pray for God's favor upon our family and that we would be able to minister to these ladies as we spend time with them. Also, a minor detail--it is against the law to spank here in Costa Rica. Today we were asked by our psychologist how we discipline our children and we were honest and told her that at times we spank. I know God is soooo much bigger than that but I also know the enemy would love to use such a minor detail to stumble us....not gonna happen!!!!

Love to all of you and we will keep you posted!! Thanks for all your support and prayers!