Attempt to ford the river or wait for conditions to improve?

I was a kid when Apple computers invaded schools and my class was one of many that diligently went to computer class every week to play games that today's kids would laugh at if they saw them.

The best game was the Oregon Trail.

Why am I telling you this? Because I had the epiphany on Sunday that adoption is a lot like the Oregon Trail.

In the game you start of by selecting your players, buying supplies and choosing when to leave. You're well rested, well stocked, and you think you're prepared for the road ahead.

You travel for awhile in spring and everything is great and you think you'll soon be in the promise land of Oregon before the end of summer. And then an axel breaks.

And while you're fixing the axel two oxen run away.

And Suzy gets a snakebite.

And thiefs steal half your food.

And Tommy catches dysentery.

But you keep travelling because everyone has told you how wonderful Oregon is and there is no sense in turning back now. You come to a fort and you buy some more supplies and everything seems okay.

And then you get to a river. A big river. And you're given four choices. The first two are dangerous but quick. The last two require patience but are safer.

As a kid we always forded the river or caulked the wagon. Computer class was only so long and your wagon was still only in Kansas.

Why is this like adoption?

God has given us a path, and we've heard hundreds of stories about the wonders that wait at the end of it. But right now the trail is hard. It feels like I have dysentery, Tim has a snakebite, there's only one oxen left and we're out of bullets. Winter is coming. And we're at a river.

And right now all we want to do is camp on the side of that river, sleep under a shady tree, maybe build a little cabin and just stop. Sure, Oregon is great. Heck, we even went there on vacation and know about the rich soil, the cool ocean breezes. But it's hard to remember that feeling when you're this tired.

That was a very extended metaphor to tell all of you that nothing has happened. Absolutely nothing. The FBI has nothing and we are about to ford that river with our one oxen because we can't wait any longer.

Immigration won't email us back and until we get the FBI and the immigration everything else is on hold.

And both of us are having a hard time getting the motivation to do anything else. I think we left part of our spirit in Russia and that makes everything else harder. We hold on to bright spots. A big hug from one of my four year olds. A great find at a garage sale. A good book.

So I have no news to share. The trail is hard, and most of it is just boring and long and all looks the same.

P.S. Fording the FBI river will cost you $125 and an entire lunch break. Just so you know.