7 Tips for the Adoption Journey: Surviving the Wait

By: Delana H. Stewart, author of Nine Year Pregnancy

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nine-Year-Pregnancy/312101615473700

When the adoption journey is long how do you go about surviving the wait?

1. Refuse to lose sight of the dream.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish . . .”  (Proverbs 29:18a KJV).

“I might as well have been pregnant because in my mind I knew God had given me this vision, had implanted it in my heart and would bring it to full term.“–From Nine Year Pregnancy, Chapter 2, Expecting.

2. Remember there is always a bigger picture.

“Thankfully, God always sees a bigger picture, a tapestry that would hold many vibrant colors.” – From Nine Year Pregnancy, Chapter 2, Expecting.

3. Release your raw and very real emotions to a trusted friend, spouse, and/or counselor.

“At times, it had ceased to be waiting in anticipation, like a child waits for Christmas morning. It had become an ache, a groan, a raw emotion more similar to a starving person waiting for food . . . . the best friends and counselors . . . just listened and cried with me.” –From Nine Year Pregnancy, Chapter 3, Heartbeat.

4. Record your thoughts in a journal.

Writing in a journal can help you maintain sanity! It will also be a great reminder years later of the journey you traveled. Here is a journaling book recently published that will be a great asset to you on your journey: click here to order.

Or, click here to order together with Nine Year Pregnancy at $5 off retail!

“I weekly—sometimes daily—expressed my thoughts, prayers and poetry in my prayer journal.” –From Nine Year Pregnancy, Chapter 3, Heartbeat.

(click image to see look inside feature on Amazon.com)

5. Realize where your focus needs to remain.

Focus on the Creator and the Giver rather than the created or the gift.

“I realized more and more that my focus had gotten off track. I focused on a dream, instead of on the Giver of Dreams.” –From Nine Year Pregnancy, Chapter 4, False Contractions.

6. Rest.

“We saw God’s hand at work in our lives and found rest in knowing that His plans are good. I truly rested in my Father’s hands. A new peace that truly passed all understanding floated down from heaven and landed on me.” – From Nine Year Pregnancy, Chapter 5, Bed Rest.

7. Rejoice along the way.

Celebrate every baby step along the journey. Finished the homestudy? Celebrate! Got your fingerprints? Celebrate! Received a possible referral? Celebrate!

“Just like any expectant mother proudly shows sonogram pictures, I showed numerous people the few photos I had.” – From Nine Year Pregnancy, Chapter 7, Labor.

These are things that were most helpful to me on our nearly decade-long journey.

What are some ways you are surviving the wait?

And for those of you who have completed your adoptions, how did you survive the wait?

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Order Nine Year Pregnancy AND My Paper Pregnancy Journal together for $5 off retail (limited time only).

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Here is a great resource I found for practical things you can do during the wait:

http://www.amhc.org/11-adoption/article/10056-things-to-do-while-waiting-for-an-adopted-child (This list includes things like making a will, finding a pediatrician, finding a support group, and documenting the adoption journey.)

See also:

What do you do when you can’t hang on?

The quote on the photo is an excerpt from Nine Year Pregnancy, from the poem “Suspended” on p. 43. New International Version (©1984) Psalm 43:5 Why are you downcast, O … Continue reading →

Is the Adoption Journey Worth it?

The answer to this question varies not only by the person answering it, but also by at what place in life or in the journey the person finds himself or … Continue reading →

Under a Thousand Drops of Rain

OMINOUS CLOUDS BLOCKED  all light from the moon. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder boomed almost instantly—another Texas thunderstorm. The black night darkened when flickering street lights went out. … Continue reading →

A Season of Waiting

If you have been struggling with unanswered prayer or have been waiting a really long time for God to answer your prayer, then this is for you. If you have been waiting a long time for God to bring a spouse into your life or if you have been waiting on God to open your [...]

Adoption Videos on YouTube

Click here to view Delana’s YouTube Channel–http://www.youtube.com/user/9yrpregnancy Or, click the following for individual videos: Perseverance, Patience, Waiting, and Adoption http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtCRjxjocpI Reading the Preface to Nine Year Pregnancy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8MBjWC8Z_8 Singing “God Will make this trial a blessing” …

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nine-Year-Pregnancy/312101615473700

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Paper-Pregnancy-Journal/136352423197088

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