Good News, Bad News

Yesterday, while I was working at my new job at Britt's office, I received a phone call from someone at LDS Family Services in Farmington, New Mexico. My kids who were home either took the call and didn't take a message, or never answered it. But the number showed up on my Caller ID, so I called it. It was after 5:00 by then, but the lady who runs the office happened to still be there. She told me it wasn't her that called, but gave me the cell phone number for the LDS Service Missionaries who I had talked to before.

Do you want the good news first, or the bad?

The good news is he was able to get a hold of Sandy, the lady who runs the Logan agency. She was thrilled that I was interested in re-establishing contact. Absolutely send a letter, she said. Send pictures, too, they told me. Just don't include any identifying information. Like a poster behind our family that says, "My name is Nan Barton, and this is my address and phone number." That's not me talking. Brother Welker, the service missionary is the one who joked about that. Something like that would never have occured to me. I wasn't even allowed to send them pictures before, so that would be HUGE.

The bad news? Well, it is potentially pretty bad. The truth is whatever I send I am, more likely than not, going to get back. The family no longer resides at the address where they lived during and after placement. The Logan agency did not know if the family had stayed in contact with their agency or left a forwarding address. I think it is highly unlikely. The more I think back on it, I just don't think they were the type to participate in an FSA (Families Supporting Adoption) group, or to be active in any outreach programs where they would interact with the agency because of work promoting adoption. And back then, families were only allowed to adopt 2 children through the agency, and she was their second.

I guess all we can do now is pray that something (or someone) will touch that family so that they would know to contact the agency. Sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways. Maybe something will happen, and this letter really will go through. Wish me luck, and even better, pray for me. Thanks, you guys.