MAPP Class: Session 7

Wow!  It's hard to believe that we only have three classes left!!  This has gone by so very quickly, but I am being level-headed enough to know that while the rest of the process may go by just as quickly, I am preparing myself that it could always go the opposite.  But we're just believing in God's timing through all of this.  We've been praying for the potential birth mom as the baby she is/will be carrying that will one day be ours.  We know God has a perfect plan and we'll just be waiting to watch it all unfold. 

MAPP CLASS
Our MAPP class last Thursday was really good.  Our caseworker, Lindsey, who usually does the classes, was at the hospital with a birth mom and adoptive family so we got a caseworker from the Orlando office who came and taught and it was really a wonderful class.  (Even though we missed Lindsey, it was neat to get another perspective.)  While most classes we've attended focused on both adoption and foster care or some classes mostly about foster care, this class mainly focused on adoption and what to expect, what kind of contact do you want to keep with the mother (if any at all) after the baby is born, even on how to deal with others opinions that we don't necessarily agree with concerning adoption.  It was truly an eye-opening class and as we were coming home Justin and I were able to really discuss how we want to deal with several issues that we will have to face somewhere along the way.  Something else we talked about was writing our birth mother letter which will be included in our scrapbook.  We will turn in our rough draft tonight and revise it as needed along the way until it's exactly the way we want it (and follows all guidelines through the Florida Baptist Children's Home).  It was a letter that I thought might be fairly easy to write (or maybe I was just in denial) but it turned out to be one of the hardest letters to do.  What do you tell this lady who wants to know all about your family?  She wants the best possible home for her child to grow-up in. She wants to know that the family she is giving this baby to will have security (both financially and physically), that her baby will grow-up in a home that will love and adore him/her just like their own, a family who sits down to have dinner together despite their busy schedules, parents who would go to the moon and back to provide the best home for this sweet baby.  Talk about a lot of pressure.  And what do you say to someone who so strong and courageous and is making one of the most difficult decisions of her life so that her child can have a better life than she could give?  Between Justin and myself we composed a letter, and it may have to be changed up a little after our caseworker reads it, but everything that was said came straight from our hearts to hers.  Once we get our final draft done, I plan on sharing it in a blog. 

SCRAPBOOKWe're almost done!!  I literally have 2 (maybe 3) pages left to do!  It feels good to have it almost done, especially with the holidays right around the corner.  One thing I've done while making is I've prayed over each page while putting it together.  I know that our future little ones mom will be looking at this book and I just want her to see that a lot of love and time went into making it special.  I pray that God will use this scrapbook in a great way as her eyes pour over the pages of our life together as a family.  Can't wait to share it with you all! 

I think that about covers it for last Thursday!  I'm looking forward to our class tonight as we start wrapping it all up!  Thank you for taking the time to read our blog and thank you even more for your prayers.  We know that God totally has His hands on this whole process!