One Year on the Waitlist

Today, March 19, 2013, marks exactly ONE year that our family has been on the waitlist for our 2nd daughter. When we got on the waitlist, we started at #139. Admittedly it was high, but not as high as we thought. Some months there was rapid movement. And more recently, in the last 2 to 3 months, movement has been very slow.

I'm not one to post our waitlist number every month. I just don't feel a need to. Honestly, half the time I can't remember it anyway....you'll find that out if we're face to face and you ask :-) But the other reason is that life in the Mancini household has just been very busy for the past year - maybe THAT'S why I can't remember :-) And we're expecting this next year of waiting to be equally busy. We've got a lot of positive changes getting ready to happen for our family and we're very excited about it.

Right now we are #87 on the waitlist. We won't get our new number until the end of the month. If you're curious about how we've progressed or want to keep current on our new numbers, check out our timeline.

We are thanking God for movement every month because we know that He is divinely ordering the meeting of our 2nd baby girl :-)

C4C 2013

Earlier this month I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an adoptive mamas' only 3-day retreat in beautiful Buford, GA called Created for Care. I cannot tell you how excited I was to go to this. Back in August 2012 when I registered, I was like a giddy school girl. When I first heard about it a couple of years ago, I didn't think I would benefit from anything there.....plus the fact that we had JUST brought Eva home from Ethiopia. Then last year I heard SO MANY positive stories and read such wonderful testimonies that it totally piqued my interest and I decided if at all possible, I HAD to be there this year. Thanks to God and my wonderful hubby, I was able to attend. 

One of the mamas who helped create and organize this whole retreat is an AGCI mama. Even though we talked very briefly, I feel a special connection to her because of that. And to the other AGCI mamas that I met. There's an unspoken bond between us. We get each other because of our experience to bring home our precious little ones from Ethiopia. 

I had such a BLESSED experience at the retreat that I'm not sure if I can put it all into words. And some of it I don't want to....that's between me and God. I went there with a totally open heart and open mind, ready to change whatever the Holy Spirit prompted me to change.

The first evening, after we checked in, was a worship session. Have you ever heard 450 adoptive mamas in one room singing, praising, and worshiping the Lord? It was a sight to see....truly magnificent! And it was like that for the next 2 days. We ended our days with a worship session.

In between though, there were several mini sessions that went on that had to be chosen prior to attending. Everything that was applicable to the life and experience of an adoptive mama, from sensory issues to marriage issues, from hair issues and family issues to family support and everything in between, there was something for all of us to experience  and learn from.  We all ate lunch and dinner together and got to meet all kinds of wonderful people, hear tearful testimonies and laugh at funny home life stories.

The weekend can be summed up in just a few words -- DIVINE APPOINTMENT and AWESOME. This retreat has changed me for the better and I'm so glad that I was able to attend and feel such a special bond with so many women.

I am still pondering the thought of writing more posts to talk about some specific experiences, but right now I just don't know. At this very moment I'm feeling very protective of my specific experience and don't want to share too much of it. Maybe as I become more rooted in what God wants me to do and I learn how to do it with ease I'll feel more open to sharing in the months ahead. 

I only pray that in a few months when registration rolls around again that I'll be able to sign up Created for Care 2014!!