What if...

Our profile books have been ordered...

Our online profile has been submitted...

Our one page profile has been submitted...

Now we wait....


Dear God,
What if we don't get picked?  

Getting closer...

Our new home study was approved this week!!  Woo Hoo!  The profile book has been approved and we meet with our new social worker tomorrow.  Things are moving along in the new process and I feel like we are getting closer to holding that beautiful baby.  We have done just about everything we can up to this point.  Once our books are here, it will be up to God and the right birthmother to pick us and match us with our new little one.  We continue to wait on God and pray for his timing.  In the meantime I will continue to drive myself crazy with nursery ideas and lists of things to remember about infancy ;).  Thank you for your prayers!

Deja Vu...

So on Monday we went to the Domestic Infant Adoption Orientation Meeting at BCS.  It is required of anyone considering pursuing infant adoption.  While it was very informative and further confirmed our decision to make the switch from International, it was a little deja vu.  Almost a year and a half ago we went to a very similar meeting for International Adoption.  Looking back on both experiences, there was much more trepidation and wonder about International than there was Monday at the domestic meeting.  As I sat there and listened to birth parents speak of their experiences, I couldn't help but feel excited at the possibility of giving love and providing a home for a baby in a similar circumstance.  I have been pregnant twice in the past, but this still felt as exciting as those two experiences.  

And tonight, we just finished submitting the Formal online application for domestic infant adoption.  I'm very happy that things are moving along.  We're just praying that there are some birthparents out there that God has prepared just for us and trusts us with their baby!  

Bittersweet...

Yesterday was Halloween. It was also the day I wrote the letter to the Intra Country Adoption Board notifying them that we are pulling out of the Philippines adoption process.  It was bittersweet.  We put a lot of emotional and sweat energy into the paperwork/process and so to move on and change is a little hard.  But it is sweet, because I still feel such a sense of peace.  I got to hold our neighbor baby last night who is 3 months old and it felt right! ;)  God has a reason and a purpose and His timing is perfect!
********************************************************************************

To:  Inter Country Adoption Board of the Philippines

From:  David and Kim Hoekstra

Grand Rapids, MI  

October 31, 2012

To Whom It May Concern,

After prayerful consideration we have decided to withdraw from the Philippines adoption program.  We are very thankful of the opportunity to be considered for adoption from your country.  We will continue to keep the children of the Philippines in our prayers and hope for loving homes for all of the children in need.

Thank You and God Bless!

Sincerely,

David and Kimberly Hoekstra

Peace In Change..

It has been almost 5 months since we were officially put on the waiting list for the Philippines (15  months since beginning the process).  Those 5 months have been busy and yet long ones.  They have allowed us to take a step back from the paperwork and process and do alot of thinking about the future and our little one that God has out there for us.  There has been some concern, frustration, and uncertainty with the wait.  We were recently told that it would be AT LEAST another 3 years before we would get our referral.  In that three years we would have to redo our paperwork at least once, most likely twice and the excitement was waning.  We've had many questions and felt weighed down.  I don't want to complain about the process of international adoption.  We came into this knowing full well that the only guarantee with this venture is that there would be a long wait.  We thought we were prepared for it but once we took a deep breath and thought about it, we were feeling like we weren't comfortable with the wait afterall and with certain aspects of the international process in general.  We have such a love for international orphans but started thinking maybe adopting internationally isn't the right direction for us.

During lunch last week, David brought up the idea of meeting with the social worker and exploring other options for adopting.  Yes, it was David's idea ;)  But I was definitely willing to explore other options just to see if we felt affirmed in our decision still.  On Monday we met with our BCS social worker and she was well prepared with information on the China Waiting Child program and Domestic Infant Program.  I always thought we were meant to go international, but after talking with her and praying about it we woke up the next morning feeling at peace with a new twist in our journey.  We had decided to switch from International adoption from the Philippines to Domestic Infant Adoption!

We did it!  We are adopting a baby  and we couldn't be happier.  We've described it as a weight has been lifted or we've come out from a cloud of uncertainty.  We know there are no guarantees with Domestic Infant.  It brings a whole new set of challenges, but we feel better equipped for what lies ahead this way.  Even as I write this I am just all kinds of happy inside.  We have talked about it with the boys and they support the decision (although not excited about changing diapers ;)  Luke is looking forward to babysitting.

It is crazy, the comfort and peace that overcomes when you follow God's will and with the amount of peace we've had this week and support/excitement from family and friends we just know that this is God's will for us as we seek to grow our family.  We have so much love to give and can't wait until we can share it with this baby.  This verse came to mind this week after we made the official switch and had been praying for discernement.  Love it!

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)

I will keep you all updated via this blog as we move along through the process.  It sounds as if things will be moving a bit more quickly from here on out.  Stay tuned.....

Waiting For You....

It has been a really crazy first couple of weeks of summer this year, but was able to sneak away to the beach yesterday with Luke.  The lake always helps my head to clear and listening to the waves, feeling the sand and staring at the water always makes me feel better.  It may be a little silly to say but I feel like I'm closer to God when at the lake.  While soaking up the sand and watching Luke dig I said a prayer that God would allow ICAB to make a decision sooner than later if possible and just give us word.  That was it, nothing big, but it's been on my heart lately and I have been feeling a little discouraged with the process so I felt the need to just pray.  When I woke up this morning feeling overwhelmed by the day I checked my email and found this...


David & Kim:

It's official! You are waiting in the Philippines program. ICAB sent the following today:
"ICAB is pleased to inform you that Mr. and Mrs. David and Kimberly Hoekstra was approved on June 1, 2012 for placement of a single child of either gender between 25 to 72 months old or a sibling group of two (2) children of either gender between 25 to 60 months old. Their names are now included in the roster of approved applicants.


Yay, Yay, and double Yay!  As a friend said "This makes me all kinds of happy!"  So it is official!  Ten months into the process, we are on the waiting list for HC3 (or 4).  There is still lots to do to prepare at home, but it's awesome knowing that we are on the list!  


Luke made this sign and we took this picture this morning!  So excited!!

"Waiting For You!"

A step back in the process...

Process:  "A series of actions or steps taken to achieve an end."

We've been told that adoption is a process.  We have also declared time and time again that this adoption has been a process.  Apparently we just didn't understand fully, the process.  We have done everything in our power to fulfill the required steps of the process hoping to get us closer to the end which is a referral for a new little one to love.  We thought we had come to the point of the process where all we had to do was "wait".  We understand that the "waiting" is a long, difficult part of the process but felt good that we had made it to that point.  Apparently we misunderstood this part of the process.

Our paperwork had made it to the Philippines and so we were under the understanding that this meant ICAB would begin reviewing and matching within the next 18-36 months.  Today I received a message from our social worker that stated we have not yet gained official ICAB approval and so we are not yet on the waiting list.  WE ARE NOT EVEN IN THE WAITING PART OF THE PROCESS!

It definitely feels like 2 steps back for us.  I feel as if the end is never to come.  I'm trying to remember that God is in control of this process and to just trust but it's difficult today.

We're praying for "official ICAB approval" so that we can move this along.

My apologies to those of you who have so kindly asked us how things with the adoption are going.  We appreciate the love but I've told many of you that we are "waiting" for referral.  I must retract that..we are waiting for approval...still.