Next stop, Washington D.C.!

Today is an exciting day! Our file was received by our team in Michigan. Our dossier specialist Miss C. reviewed our dossier and said everything looked great! Especially considering we gathered it all in less than 2 weeks.

 

And guess what? They’re sending it to D.C. today!

 

*cue huge shout of joy!*

 

If you remember (if you follow me on FB), our agency is going to have our authentication expedited. Cool huh? 

Even better, they’re going to cover the fees that go with having it expedited! Another blessing! It takes about a week for the expedited authentication.

 

We’re praying that D.C. finishes up quickly and that Michigan gets our file no later than next Thursday. If that happens, our file will be on its way to merry ol’ Ethiopia {oh, maybe that’s supposed to be London.  ;-) } on Friday the 5^th! If not, it won’t be sent until Friday the 12^th. Either one is still great, but the 5^th would mean we would get our court date sooner and prayerfully within a day or two of the Clarks.

 

Imagine leaving the place you’ve called home for 1-3 years all by yourself. We’re really wanting to go at the same time as the Clarks so our girls can travel back to Addis Ababa together. We’ll all be staying in the same guest house while we’re there too.

 

Aubrey and I just know it’d be an easier transition on both of the girls if they were together at least a little longer.

 

So, this is where we’re at friends.

 

This is the last stop our dossier has to make. Amazingly, everything has been happening quickly at this step. Please help us pray it continues to go swiftly!

 

As we get closer to making the actual trip to get our sweet girl, I find myself constantly thinking of you guys. All of you who have helped us in our journey to bring her home. So many of you have helped out tremendously – many of our new friends, and old friends, and family members have battled right next to us.

 

Thank you. We cannot say it enough. I wish there was more that we could do, more that I could say. But there is so much tied up in those two words and we want you to know that we aren’t sure how to convey it…. It seems so little for so much.

 

But know, that we appreciate and love you all so much; you hold such a precious, precious space in our hearts.

  

 

Well, 99.9%....

Soooooo 99.9% of our dossier was state sealed. YAY!!!

 

Why not 100% you ask? Wellllll, we had one form that Little Rock wouldn’t state seal because it was notarized wrong. Our bank form.

 

BOOOOOOOOO.

 

Guess who spent their lunch break running to the bank? This chick.

 

Guess who should buy stock in FedEx since we overnight so much derned paperwork? This chick (well, KC too I guess…. Hehe)

 

We got a new form taken care of and it will be overnighted to Little Rock. They should get it on Monday and I’m *praying über  hard* that she can get it state sealed and FedExed back to us by Tuesday.

 

*Update: Beth will have it state sealed on Monday and will send the whole thing to us that afternoon. So we will have it by Tuesday!! So that means I can send it off on Wednesday and Michigan will have it by Thursday. Woot woot!

 

This may not seem like a big deal (and in comparison to everything else, it truly isn’t), but it puts us back almost a whole week. By the time I get it, get copies made and send it to Michigan, it’ll be the end of next week. If you remember, I was hoping to send it off to Michigan today.

 

Boooooo again.

 

BUT it happens. We’re human. Mistakes get made. I practically looked that packet over with a magnifying glass and didn’t catch it. Haha!

 

Not to say I didn’t read the email, stop, stare, and then bang my head on my desk a few times (kidding… sort of), but then I jumped in ‘ta high gear and got it taken care of as quickly as I could.

 

I called KC to let him know what happened and he reminded me that this may not have that big of an impact on us. We definitely feel that way now (a week is a big deal at this point in the game) but we’re pretty close to being finished. AND he reminded me that Mr. F in Ethiopia is going to push our case through as quickly as possible since we’ve already gone through this once before.

 

I find myself working hard right now because I want to get a court date within a day or two of the Clarks. It does seem a bit farfetched, but I’m still hoping for it.

 

So even though I had hoped to show you another picture of a FedEx packet on its way to Michigan, it seems like that will have to wait another few days.

 

The good news is, we paid our final $300 to have our dossier authenticated… again. Haha! NOW other than our travel fees we’re done with adoption expenses. Seriously, I’m not sure if it ever ends.

 

Well friends. That is where we’re at – still waiting on paperwork. But it’ll all work out soon. As hard as is to imagine at a moment like this, I know it will.

 

  

 

 

Progress!

Funny how 3 weeks ago today, we thought we’d get the news that we were cleared to travel that day or Wednesday. Instead, we received word that our case had been delayed again (3 weeks tomorrow) and we would have to re-do our entire Dossier before we were issued a court date. I’m amazed at how much can change in such a short amount of time – and how much your perspective changes once some time has passed.

 

Well, yesterday we mailed off our dossier!!! It should be at our agency’s office in Little Rock this morning. We’re hoping we can get it state sealed and mailed back to us by the end of the week. If that does happen, we’ll be sending it to Michigan first thing next week to be reviewed and then sent to DC *hopefully* by the end of that week (August 29th). It takes about 2 weeks to be authenticated in DC and then our coordinator will send it to Ethiopia with their Friday DHL shipment.

 

If everything happens in about the timeline that it did last year, our file could be on its way to Ethiopia on September 12th!

 

The coordinator in Ethiopia, Mr. F, is confident he can get it translated and reviewed by MOWCYA (or sometimes we refer to them as MOWA) within a few days. He thinks we’ll get a court date issued before courts open back up.

 

If we get a court date on the 16th or 17th, we’d have to travel by the 10th or 11th so we can take the long drive up North to see Bertie and bring her back to the capital to stay with us. That is only about 7 weeks away!! We are boldly praying and stepping out on the ledge again and trusting that He can do this for us.

 

I know it’s HUGE to hope and pray that God can work this through quickly and that we will get a date close to The Clarks. I know it seems crazy to hope this even after all our delays. But we are. It’s easy to get jaded by the amount of rejection and bad news we get.

 

But we’re making the decision to hope for a miracle. God has certainly done wilder things on our behalf.

 

If it doesn’t happen this way, okay. It will be unfortunate and I may cry… a lot. But I’ll still trust Him and have faith that He will come through for us in another way.

 

Please friends, please help us flood heaven with prayers. Not sure what all to pray for our family? Here’s a few things:

 

1.      Pray that our file hits all the stops quickly and without delays

2.      Pray that our file makes its way to Ethiopia by early September

3.      Pray that we get a court date issued ASAP for October 16th or 17th.

4.      Pray that our boys can handle being away from us for so long

5.      Pray that WE can handle being away from the boys for so long

6.      Pray that Bertie begins to bond with and trusts us before we make the long 20+ hour flight home

 

And please continue to pray for us once we come home. Our journey doesn’t end once we land at XNA. <3

 

Thank you guys all SO much for everything. We will continue to keep you updated. It’s getting close! {again}

 

 

  

 

And if not….

We’re tired. Things feel a bit muddled.

 

·         Trying to get that last piece needed for the dossier

·         Praying we get it in the mail to Little Rock by next Tuesday or Wednesday

·         Praying we get a mid-October court date

·         Trying to get everything ready for school starting on Monday

·         Trying to plan for being gone during the school year (and likely over Thanksgiving)

·         Trying to slowly start buying Christmas gifts so we don’t have to worry once we get back

·         Trying to ignore the rude and insensitive remarks made about our family and the decisions we make with God’s leading

·         Life

 

Right now, that’s kind of where we’re at and how we’re feeling.

 

We’re trying to keep ourselves occupied by doing some things around the house.

 

It’s hard to keep your mind distracted sometimes. But we’re trying.

 

We found out this week that we could get a court date given to us during the “closing”. Apparently, the judges are the only ones out during the rainy season. The clerks are still there working.

 

So there’s a chance we could be given our date before the courts officially open.

 

However… (are you expecting those from us now? Haha!)

 

Our sweet coordinator who, bless her, has had to deliver a lot of bad news to us recently, told us that right now they are scheduling couples with positive letters in mid-October into late October.

 

That’s for those who are “paper ready” right now.

 

Unfortunately, that’s not us.

 

Hence (always a fun word), the likelihood of us getting an October court date is looking slim. At this rate, it’s more likely to be early November.

Our friends received word that they are scheduled for October 16. So we may not travel together after all. 

 

………………………………………………………………………

 

I think sometimes you just get to a place that you hear more, for lack of a better word, crappy news and you just stare at those words, sigh, and then kind of purse your lips.

 

And you have to be careful because you don’t want to turn into this “hope for the best, but expect the worst” kind of person.

 

Trust me.

 

That was the beat I followed and it wasn’t pleasant.

 

So while you’re staring at those words glaring back at you, you summon everything you can and utter a small moan.

 

He knows. He understands all the pain, frustration, and weariness that is contained in that moan.

 

And you know what?

 

Despite all the crappiness and chaos, He is still good. He is for me.

 

And He is still worth it.

 

Did you catch that?

 

HE. IS. STILL. WORTH. IT.

 

I want to be open with you guys; I promised I would be through this blog.

 

I want to be real and honest and talk about the ups and downs of adoption, life, my walk with Him.

 

BUT I always, always want to make sure you understand that line.

 

Things may not ever go the way that I want them to. We’ll face battles and trials; and we’ll feel like fireballs are heading straight for us.

 

And in that particular moment, life might feel like it pretty much bites the big one; things might just suck.

 

But it’s only for a season, and HE IS STILL WORTH IT. All of it.

 

We are not naïve.

 

We are not weak.

 

We are not grasping at straws.

 

We are putting our trust and hope in something greater than ourselves.

 

While in this moment things may seem messy and chaotic to me, they aren’t to Him.

 

So yes, today might feel a bit crappy. But He is still worth anything that may get thrown my way.

 

And friends, looking back through time, I know we’re in good company.