Still trying to digest the info I received from Holt after we didn't get the little boy. I'm okay with the outcome of things but not sure how to grasp their follow up comments that I requested. Here's what she said:
The main concern is no fault of your own - the lack of diversity in your town. Because of that, it's going to be extra important for your family to seek out African or African-American role models, and black communities in nearby areas.
Okay, so my issue with this is that it is no fault of our own and its also not something we can change. Hearing this has been difficult to grasp because I can't increase the diversity here. I can seek out role models but again we live in rural NE Iowa and finding those people nearby is the hard part. So if you would, pray for us as we continue to seek to learn. I'm confident that we can do this but was hoping that we would be considered good enough even though I realize we have a lot to learn.
Tonight we're heading to a nearby town where they recently brought home a little boy from Ethiopia. I'm excited to meet them and listen to their story. Hopefully I'll also have some questions prepared to ask them.
Hi! I'm new to your blog. I saw the article about your family and starting your adoption journey online in the Elgin Echo, and found your blogs from there. I'm a native of Elgin. My family's farm is probably visited regularly by Ryan - Shaker Farms - Amy is my sister. :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I live in Ankeny. We adopted through foster care three years ago, and are now 2+ years into adopting 2 children from Haiti - just waiting on passports and visas now but could take several more months. Loved reading your story - always fun to hear about other families adopting internationally. We considered Ethiopia, but the Lord led us to our children in Haiti.
Regarding the lack of diversity in your area, it's awesome that you've found another family in your area that has adopted from Ethiopia. We live in Ankeny, which is not the most diverse area either, but there is some diversity, and Des Moines is nearby with many cultural events to attend throughout the year. You could probably say the same of Waterloo/Cedar Rapids. We also found several families adopting from Haiti in our area, and those friendships we've developed are priceless as we go through the process, and will continue to be when we all have our children home!
Would love to chat with you sometime, but don't get back up there too often - and when we do, we're usually running... Maybe just via our blogs. Ours is: jockandlisa.blogspot.com.
Praying for your journey!
Blessings,
Lisa