adopt from , Michael and I kept coming back to Thailand . Most of the children in the adoption program were healthy and under two years of age at the time of match . With it being our first child , we liked the idea of adopting a toddler . Thailand was also a little less costly than some other countries . By the time we sold the flip house , we had agreed Thailand was the perfect fit for us . On December 29 , 2017 , we signed our application through Holt International to adopt from Thailand ! We were ecstatic to be immediately accepted into the program . God had paved the way financially , and we could hardly believe it was happening !
They anticipated the process to take about two years ( being matched with a child and traveling to Thailand ). A social worker does a background check and comes to the home to ensure a safe environment for a child . However , this state home study had to be postponed due to the renovation of our new personal home . In May of 2018 , we finally finished our house , and the meetings with our social worker began . She worked on the paperwork and completed our home study in September of 2018 .
After that , we started the mountainous pile of paperwork for our dossier . A dossier is a collection of documents sent to the Thailand government adoption board ( birth certificates , marriage license , financial background , fingerprints , background checks , and home study ). Once the dossier was submitted in October of 2018 , we were officially placed on the waiting family list to be matched with a child .
We were so disappointed to hear we were the thirty-ninth family on the waitlist . We were not expecting that curveball . I remember feeling so discouraged , thinking , “ We are never going to be matched with a child !” Michael always encouraged me , saying that God would match us with the perfect son or daughter when the timing was right . After the initial disappointment , we settled in for the long wait . Every quarter , a group of children would come into our agency , and they would begin calling families to let them know they had been matched . I prayed that God would work a miracle for us to be matched early . This wait tested my patience the most . I did my best to rely on God for His perfect timing , but I was human in wanting to see my child ’ s face !
Eighteen months later , in March of 2020 , we were now number five on the waitlist . The last week of March , I heard that the files for the children available for adoption had arrived at our agency . I was ecstatic and quickly emailed our adoption agency . They had only received four children in this group , and they would begin calling families on April 3 . I felt devastated since we were the fifth family on the list .
Our agency doesn ’ t always go in perfect chronological order when matching a family . It depends on the child ’ s medical needs and what the family is open to , but I just remember thinking there was no way we would be matched . I sat at the breakfast table on April 3 with droopy Eeyore eyes and complained that if we didn ’ t get matched now , we would have to wait another three months ! Michael told me that he had been reading in Matthew about how the disciples asked Jesus why they couldn ’ t cast out the demon in the man who had come to them to be healed . Jesus told them , “ Because you have so little faith . Truly I tell you , if you have faith as small as a mustard seed , you can say to this mountain , ‘ Move from here to there ,’ and it will move . Nothing will be impossible for you .” He gave me a much-needed pep talk and encouraged me to have faith that God can move mountains for us ! I dried up my tears , and we prayed together , asking God for a miracle that day .
28 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW