Let's try this again - - Play the "Guess My Referral Date" Game!

This past August, I invited you to play the referral-date guessing game for a chance to win a donation to your favorite orphan/adoption cause. Alas, there was no referral by the end of the year. Now I am upping the ante! I will make it worth your time to play along, so keep reading to find out how you can win a chance at $250for your favorite adoption cause, orphan charity, or fundraising adoptive family.

As I explained previously, I failed miserably at waiting gracefully while I was waiting for travel approval for Amelia. This time around, I told the Lord early on that I was *determined* to wait patiently...calmly....serenely. Quit laughing!!! It's rude!!!

I know, I know...just saying that should have clued me in that the Lord was going teach me a thing or two about waiting. Yes, as you might have guessed, what was supposed to be a short wait has turned into a longer wait. I know 9 months isn't so long compared to how long some families are waiting, but it's forever to me, and forever to The Chunster, who is on a mission to become the World's Best Big Sister. Also keep in mind that I have never waited for a referral before. The last time I adopted, I was matched right away with a waiting child.

My agency's program in Taiwan is rather new, and there is not a list of waiting children. Also, this time, I really feel impressed of the Lord not to leap with my heart first, but to TRUST and WAIT. That is really hard for me! I have always thought myself to be the kind of person to just say yes to the first opportunity, but this time the Father is teaching me that sometimes obedience is NOT walking forward, but standing still. Ouch! Double ouch because I am having to eat some words and attitudes I held before...judgment in my heart about others who have chosent to wait instead of to say yes to other opportunities.

I confess to judging harshly people who were being "picky" about what children they would or would not adopt (that's what I thought...maybe they were just being obedient to God - like I said, I am eating my judgmental thoughts!) Sometimes, for reasons we don't fully understand, God asks us to say no to things we would ordinarily think are from Him. Why? I am not sure. Sometimes, I think it might be an exercise in hearing His voice and obeying. Sometimes, I think it might just be He wants us to know that He has something different in store - maybe not any better or worse, but just different.

Which brings me to this post. I am in the waiting room. I don't know when I will be let out of the waiting room. I don't know when the "wait" will lift and it will be a resounding "GO!". But I do know this: I have decided to have FUN while I wait! What's more fun than a bloggy game?! (Don't answer that!)

Here’s how it will work: You select any date from today’s date to December 31 to choose when you think I will receive my referral. Whoever is closest to the right date, without going past that date, is the winner. So, for example, if you pick February 1, and someone else picks February 3, and the referral comes on February 2 (picked by nobody), then the winner would be the person who picked February 1.

The prize: I will make a $250 donation to the adoption/orphan charity of your choice or to a family of your choice who is in the process of adopting a child (any country). If there is more than one winner (i.e., more than one person picks the same date, and that date is the winning date), I will split the prize among the winners.

How to play: Leave a comment with the date you think the referral will come. Leave the name or website of the charity or family of your choice (yes, it can be your own family if you are adopting!)

To help you narrow down your date selection, here are some “helpful” hints: I am currently sitting at #1 on the waitlist. My dossier was approved on April 29, 2010, so as of right now, I am 9 months into the waiting phase. My agency told me in June that it might take 9-12 months for a referral (and they usually estimate conservatively). In December, they told me they expected to match me "in the next couple of months." As of today, no match...but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Happy date-picking! Date-picking closes at midnight on Saturday, January 22.

Amy