Domestic Adoption - Another Closed Door

In January 2009, we attended our first 2 day training class on Open Adoption.  We had decided to adopt through the State of Montana. 

In the United States birthmothers are able to choose who will be the parents for their child from a pool of selected families.  We knew that God was calling us to adopt, and we knew that He could find us in a pool.  But after months of training, paperwork and a home visit, our social worker and her director sat down with us and told us that because of our age and because we already had 3 children, that they did not want to put us in the pool.  They said that the current trend was for birthmothers to choose young parents with no children.  They were afraid we would sit in the pool forever.  They suggested we adopt internationally.  They suggested Ethiopia. 

You are kidding me.  ANOTHER CLOSED DOOR!   It took a week of prayer to decide if we should even go on anymore.   But we still felt the Lord leading us forward.  I really felt as though He was saying, "Trust me in this.  Take a step forward.  I will meet you there.  One step at a time." 

"But the money!!!  What about the money?  Don't you know how expensive International Adoption is? "

He knows ...