Having made the decision to adopt internationally the next step was to chose a country. We spent time evaluating which country was the best fit for us and we truly believed that country was Russia. At first we worried about not picking the right country but a family member provided perspective on that. He reminded us that the journey of adoption is a long process and if that isn't where our child is, God will open and close doors to guide us in the right direction. With a peace about selecting Russia we moved forward.
International adoptions have become more difficult and more costly over the past several years. Both of these criteria are true to Russian adoptions and we were aware of that from the beginning. The difficulty and large amount of paperwork didn't intimidate us much since we both deal with that in our careers. Initially we had trust that God would provide so we didn't concern ourselves much with the cost. However, when we had to write that first check the cost quickly became a reality and we started to have doubts.
At the first of every month we enter all the bills for the month into the computer and evaluate our budget for the rest of the month's expenses. As we arrived at the month when our first check to our adoption agency was to be paid I sat down at the computer and went through the monthly routine. After all the bills were entered for the month I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw our account balance. It was the exact amount that we had to pay for our agency, I quickly had Matt come and look but he being very technical and precise began to give me a hard time. I was forgetting about the $20 we needed to include for the cost of a required book so therefore it wasn't the right amount and I was over thinking it. Well, a few days later I think God got a good laugh.
We budget an amount for eating out and that expense is paid with cash that we withdraw weekly. Once the cash is gone for the week, we don't eat out. This particular week Matt had gotten our eating out money as always and then we went to Outback for dinner. We paid with the designated cash. A couple days later on the way to the gym Matt realized he still had our eating out money in an envelope in his coat pocket. He took it out and expected to see $20 left since we had already eaten out once that week. To his surprise there was $40 in there. A short while later as he sat in the sauna at the gym, the revelation hit him. THAT was the difference! That covers the $20 he had been giving me a hard time about earlier in the week. That plus the balance in the computer did equal the exact amount of the first check we had to write. He immediately new this was God's reassuring hand, letting us know that He will provide and we need to trust in Him.
While we had money in savings to cover that first check, to see the exact amount at that specific time was a real blessing and a sense of confirmation. There's a saying that if God leads you to it, He will lead you through it. Over and over again we have seen this to be true. We continue to be amazed at the many ways God has provided over the past 18 months since we made a decision to pursue adoption. Financially we have been truly and unexpectedly blessed. God not only met our needs but far exceed them.
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