Hurdle #1: The Homestudy

Do you know who this is? It's Lolo Jones. Lolo was the favorite for the hurdles at her distance in the Beijing Olympics. She had won everything before that event...for years. At the final hurdle, she faltered, clipped the hurdle, and lost all hopes of any medal.

If you missed that, look here for a recap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XySvRYIh9Tg

Yet...her statements after the race speak to her dogged determination to not let that split second in history define her. She is already a legend. She is a hero to many young girls, and she is human. She cried about it and then picked herself up. She said this month about what happened, "I can't be sour about what has happened,'' she said. "I can only look at the positive sides of it.''

Looking to the positive...of the very large job of the homestudy application:

1. I love to fill in forms, so this is a dream come true for anyone who likes paperwork;

2. The questions that are not demographic and objective in nature really make you think about yourself and put your hopes, dreams, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and everything else about yourself, into concise paragraphs. The process I believe, will grow me in ways I had not thought about before;

3. The 150 pages of questions and responses, documentation, and the like, will be awesome to have on hand for years to come. I can see myself in ten years looking back at what I wrote, and seeing the changes in myself and my family;

4. The almost $3000.00 to complete the homestudy is my first financial hurdle to bringing "hope" home. (BTW: Hope now has a REAL name and is a REAL little boy!) Once I clear it, it will be a true testament to how far I have come in the battle to defeat debt and give most of what I earn to the goodness that God directs me to do;

5. Journaling this process might help others as they answer the calling to adopt.

I remember watching the summer games in China. I remember seeing Lolo Jones fall and then weep alone on her knees on the track. My heart actually hurt for her. She is bi-racial, like "hope" and I, and think I felt a connection with her just because of that. I look at her now, with her dogged determination and inner fire, she is ready for the London games and ya know, anything can happen. More than that however, her just stepping onto the track will be a giant message to all who watch that adversity is what you make of it. Power through, rock on, and be the change.


That is my attitude going into the homestudy - just be me, fill those forms in with a vengeance, and keep on running - towards bringing hope home.