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Twists, Turns, and New Starts: Part 1 The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions, hard choices, and great rewards. As I said in my last video blog, we were faced with the opportunity to take in a sibling group of 4 little ones. We went to meet them and fell in love. The DHS worker wanted us to take the two babies that night, sight unseen, but we did not feel comfortable with that arrangement. For one, we had to talk to Rachel about it. This is her house too, after all. So we told the worker that we needed a couple of days to think and pray about it, then we would make our decision. It would be a major life change, taking on four, especially four so young (6 months, 2, 4, and 6), but we had one question nagging at our hearts that just wouldn’t go away: If not us, then who? So we prayed about it for two days, and then we took the leap of faith and said “Yes!” We made the decision as a family; Rachel, Hubby, and myself all had to be in agreement, and we were. There were definite concerns, things that freaked us out completely, but in the end we knew that we had to be obedient and say what our hearts were crying, and they were crying for these kids. So after we said yes, we waited. We waited to hear what the next step was going to be and when the kids would be coming home. We were determined to be their last foster placement, so we wanted to be as prepared as possible. We immediately started preparing our home and I put out an SOS to everyone who might care to start gathering supplies. Oddly, there was little communication from the DHS of the county the kids currently resided in. It was days before we heard anything, and then what we heard was that the DHS worker wasn’t sure about the placement any more. She thought that we were “standoffish” at the meeting, which we found incredibly ironic, as would anyone who knows us at all. We were incredibly confused, especially after she initially tried to get us to take the kids immediately, without ever even meeting us. Anywho, our agency’s amazing foster care director was a great mediator and tried to get things figured out, but the DHS worker was being incredibly confusing on all sides. But we kept preparing. That next Monday I had to travel up their way to bring Bitty Babe to a doctor’s appointment, and their DHS worker thought it would be a good idea for us to meet the children again, for them to get to see us, and for us to get any questions answered, since we were told at this point that the move-in date would be that Friday. Rachel was going to be with me, so that would be a great opportunity for her to meet them. The meeting was really, really odd. We had a great time playing with the kids, but the DHS worker disappeared! When she did show back up, she wouldn’t answer any of my questions. She was being incredibly elusive, even with simple things like the kids’ clothing sizes and food preferences. I thought that maybe she just didn’t want to talk in front of the children, so I asked her if we could talk later that evening, and she said she would give me a call after she dropped the kids off. She didn’t call. She didn’t call the next day either, after I left her a message asking her to PLEASE give me a call back. She never called. What in the world was up? Finally I got a call from our agency saying that the DHS worker had been working with a different family trying to get them to take all four, but they had 4 already and so they were working on getting them a variance, since 8 is above the state’s licensing limit. We (our agency worker included) were dumbfounded! Suddenly, the tables had totally turned. The DHS worker went from handing over the babies sight unseen, to totally changing her tune and trying to keep the kids in her county. The part that frustrated me was the unprofessionalism of leading us on, allowing us to continue to prepare for these kids, even having us come out and spend more time with them, when all the while she had another plan. Also, the lack of communication was very irritating. Why didn’t she just tell us that they were exploring other options? Why didn’t she call me back when she said she would? COMMUNICATION, PEOPLE! Anywho, even after we were told about the new plan, we still had to wait to see if the variance would be approved for the other family. If it wasn’t approved, than we would be the only choice to keep the 4 together. So we waited. In the mean time, we knew that even if this placement didn’t work out, that the Lord had been preparing us for a reason. Whether it were just an exercise in obedience, or whether He had another child in mind that He wanted to open our hearts for, we knew that He had a plan that was bigger than any DHS worker. Finally, this past Tuesday our agency gave us a call to tell us that the variance for other family had been approved, so we would not be getting the 4-pack, but before she even took a breath she had something else to ask us…. To be continued….. Blessings! Hannah
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Twists, Géara, agus Tosaigh Nua: Cuid 1 An dá anuas sheachtain a bheith ina sciobtha de mhothúcháin, roghanna crua, agus luach saothair mór. Mar a dúirt mé i mo bhlag físeán seo caite, bhí muid aghaidh leis an deis a ghlacadh i ngrúpa sibling de 4 cinn beag. Chuaigh muid chun freastal orthu agus thit i ngrá. An t-oibrí DHS ag iarraidh orainn a ghlacadh ar an dá leanaí an oíche, radharc unseen, ach ní raibh muid compordach leis an socrú sin. I gcás amháin, bhí againn chun labhairt le Rachel mar gheall air. Is é seo a teach freisin, tar éis gach. Mar sin, dúradh linn an t-oibrí go raibh gá againn le cúpla lá chun smaoineamh agus pray faoi, ansin ba mhaith linn a dhéanamh ar ár gcinneadh. Bheadh sé a bheith ina athrú ar an saol mór, ag cur ar cheithre, go háirithe ceithre sin óg (6 mhí, 2, 4, agus 6), ach bhí muid ar cheann nagging ceist ag ár gcroí nach mbeadh dul díreach amach: Más rud é nach linn, a? Mar sin, guí orainn faoi ar feadh dhá lá, agus ansin thóg muid an léim an chreidimh agus dúirt "Tá!" Rinne muid an cinneadh mar theaghlach; Rachel, Hubby, agus bhí mé féin go léir a bheith i gcomhaontú, agus bhí muid. Bhí imní cinnte, rudaí a freaked muid amach go hiomlán, ach sa deireadh bhí a fhios againn go raibh muid a bheith obedient agus a rá cad a bhí ár gcroí ag caoineadh, agus bhí siad ag caoineadh do na páistí. Mar sin, tar éis a dúirt muid yes, tar éis fanacht againn. Fhan muid a chloisteáil cad a bhí an chéad chéim eile ag dul a bheith agus nuair a bheadh na páistí ag teacht abhaile. A cinneadh i againn a bheith a socrúchán altrama seo caite, mar sin bhíomar ag iarraidh a bheith chomh hullmhaithe agus is féidir. Thosaigh muid láithreach a ullmhú ár n-bhaile agus chuir mé amach SOS le gach duine a d'fhéadfadh a thugann aire a thosú soláthairtí a bhailiú. Oddly, ní raibh cumarsáid beag ó DHS an chontae na páistí cónaí faoi láthair isteach Bhí sé lá roimh chuala muid rud ar bith, agus ansin cad a chuala muid go raibh nach raibh an t-oibrí DHS cinnte faoi na socrúchán ar bith níos mó. Shíl sí go raibh muid "standoffish" ag an gcruinniú, a fuair muid thar a bheith scéal é, bheadh duine ar bith a bhfuil aithne aige orainn ar chor ar bith. Bhí muid ar dhaoine eatarthu thar a bheith, go háirithe tar éis a rinne sí ar dtús chun a fháil ar ár gcumas a chur ar an páistí láithreach, gan riamh freastal ar fiú dúinn. Anywho, bhí ár gníomhaireachta stiúrthóir cúram altrama iontach idirghabhálaí mór agus iarracht a fháil ar rudaí figured amach, ach an t-oibrí DHS a bhí á thar a bheith mearbhall ar gach taobh. Ach choinnigh muid ag ullmhú. Sin Dé Luain seo chugainn bhí orm taisteal suas ar a mbealach chun Bitty Babe a thabhairt chuig an dochtúir le ceapachán, agus a n-DHS oibrí shíl mé go mbeadh sé ag smaoineamh maith dúinn chun freastal ar na páistí arís, chun iad a fháil chun sinn a fheiceáil, agus le linn a a fháil fhreagairt ceist ar bith, ós rud é dúradh linn ag an bpointe seo go mbeadh an t-aistriú i an dáta a bheith go Dé hAoine. Rachel a bhí ag dul a bheith liom, mar sin bheadh a bheith go deis iontach do di a freagairt dóibh. An cruinniú a bhí i ndáiríre, i ndáiríre corr. Bhí am iontach ag imirt leis na páistí, ach an t-oibrí DHS imithe! Nuair nár léirigh sí ar ais ar bun, ní bheadh sí freagra ar aon cheann de mo chuid ceisteanna. Bhí sí á incredibly elusive, fiú le rudaí simplí mar mhéideanna éadaí na páistí 'agus roghanna bia. Shíl mé go b'fhéidir sí nach raibh ach ag iarraidh a labhairt os comhair na leanaí, mar sin d'iarr mé uirthi más rud é go raibh muid ábalta labhairt níos déanaí an tráthnóna sin, agus dúirt sí go mbeadh sí a thabhairt dom glao tar éis thit sí na páistí amach. Ní raibh sí ag glaoch. Ní raibh sí ag glaoch ar an lá dár gcionn ach an oiread, tar éis d'fhág mé léi teachtaireacht ag iarraidh í a THOIL a thabhairt dom glao ar ais. Sí riamh ar a dtugtar. Cad ar fud an domhain a bhí suas? Ar deireadh, fuair mé glao ó ár gníomhaireachta rá go raibh an t-oibrí DHS ag obair le teaghlaigh éagsúla ag iarraidh a fháil dóibh gach ceithre, ach bhí siad 4 cheana féin, agus mar sin go raibh siad ag obair ar fáil dóibh Athraitheas, ó 8 os cionn an teorainn ceadúnaithe stáit. Táimid (ár oibrí gníomhaireachta san áireamh) a bhí dumbfounded! Go tobann, bhí na táblaí iompú go hiomlán. An t-oibrí DHS chuaigh ó handing thar an radharc leanaí unseen, go hiomlán ag athrú a tune agus ag iarraidh a choinneáil ar na páistí ina chontae. Ba é an chuid a frustrated dom an unprofessionalism le rá linn ar, a ligeann dúinn leanúint ar aghaidh ag ullmhú do na páistí, fiú tar éis dúinn teacht amach agus níos mó ama a chaitheamh leo, nuair a go léir agus go raibh sí plean eile. Chomh maith leis sin, bhí an easpa cumarsáide an-irritating. Cén fáth nach raibh sí ach a insint dúinn go raibh iniúchadh siad roghanna eile? Cén fáth nach raibh sí ag glaoch orm ar ais nuair a dúirt sí go mbeadh sí? CUMARSÁID, DAOINE! Anywho, fiú tar éis dúradh linn mar gheall ar an phlean nua, bhí muid fós ag fanacht a fheiceáil má bheadh an athraitheas a bheith ceadaithe le haghaidh an teaghlaigh eile. Más rud é nach raibh sé ceadaithe, ná mar ba mhaith linn a bheith ar an rogha amháin a choinneáil ar an 4 le chéile. Mar sin, tar éis fanacht againn. Idir an dá linn, bhí a fhios againn go fiú más rud é nach raibh an socrúchán ag obair amach, go raibh an Tiarna a ullmhú linn le haghaidh ar chúis. Cibé an raibh sé ach a fheidhmiú i obedience, nó cibé an raibh sé leanbh eile i gcuimhne go bhfuil Theastaigh sé a oscailt ár gcroí ar, bhí a fhios againn go raibh sé plean a bhí níos mó ná aon oibrí DHS. Ar deireadh, thug an am atá caite Dé Máirt ár gníomhaireachta dúinn glaoch a insint dúinn go raibh an athraitheas don teaghlach eile ceadaithe, mar sin ní ba mhaith linn a bheith ag fáil an 4-phacáiste, ach roimh thóg sí fiú anáil raibh sí rud éigin eile a iarraidh orainn ... . Chun leanúint ar aghaidh ..... Beannachtaí! Hannah