Surreal!

Guys. It’s been almost 8 hours since we found out that we finally cleared MOWA and received our positive recommendation letter.

 

It doesn’t feel real! I mean, we’re CRAZY excited, but after waiting for so long, I don’t think it’s fully set in that we’ll be leaving soon to meet our daughter and bring her home.

 

BRING. HER. HOME.

 

I don’t think it will hit until KC and I are sitting on that airplane about to fly out.

 

We’ve had a lot of you ask us what’s next. Well, we got our letter and the team immediately took it over to the courts so that we could be issued a court date.

 

It generally takes 1-3 days for the court to issue a court date.

 

And that’s it guys. 

 

Once we have our court date (probably by Monday or Tuesday), KC and I will be heading out. The last family that cleared MOWA had a court date of only 1 week out! They left almost immediately. So there’s a good chance we could be leaving by mid-week next week or at the latest the following week. Either way, we’ll be heading to Ethiopia in about a week and a half!

 

YAY!!!! I can’t believe it!

 

Now, once we clear court, that’s when we’ll be able to share her beautiful face with you guys!

 

KC will be coming home after court, while I stay in-country to get her passport, visa, and to finalize everything with the US embassy so that she’s a citizen as soon as we step foot on US soil. I could be there an additional 2-4 weeks. 

 

And then, we come home!!! ❤️

 

And I know everyone’s curious – we will be hunkering down at home for a few weeks before we go anywhere. This will give her time to adjust to us here at home and to get in a routine.

 

We’ll give everyone the opportunity to meet her at the airport before we begin our “cocooning”.

 

We want to be absolutely sure that it’s as smooth of a transition as possible for our girl. There will be some hard times over the next few weeks and months, but we’ll be here with her and for her. So please bear with us as we all adjust. 

 

We’re hers forever. 

  

 

PS: Here’s a link to “cocooning” if you’re interested in reading up on it. The main idea is that we are her providers – we will be giving her food, drink, hugs, kisses, taking care of boo-boo’s etc. for the foreseeable future. That way, she knows we’re going to take care of her. 

 

http://yestoadoption.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-is-cocooning-and-why-are-you-doing.html?m=1 

 

  

    

But He’s good

Friends,

 

Our agency just sent us a message stating that they were "expecting an update of some sort" on our case tomorrow. We don’t know what that means exactly…. My heart is about to beat outside of my chest. I’m getting excited.

 

A LARGE part of me doesn’t want to get excited because it’s likely that we really won’t hear anything. KC and I are at this place of “Do we allow ourselves to get a little excited? Or do we guard our heart just in case it turns out to be nothing”? Because seriously guys, this day to day is torture. 

 

It stinks finding yourself at that place. It really does.

 

But I know my God. And I know He is bigger than any update we may or may not get. He has the power to hold us when we’re scared and confused and heartbroken. He has the power to hold Bertie – to comfort her and let her know we ARE coming for her. Because we ARE coming for her.

 

Throughout this process, I find myself wanting to err on the side of caution; to be safe. Isn’t that what I’ve been doing? Trying to control the outcome? Guarding my heart? 

 

But that’s not what this is about. Following Christ isn’t about being safe. Saying yes in a BIG way is the furthest thing from safe. But it's so good guys. 

 

I think of the line in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (one of my favorite books) – “Safe?... Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good”.

 

Why am I just now realizing this?! I have no clue. Haha!

 

So even though my brain is telling me no, I’m going to keep hoping. Because my hope isn’t in a piece of paper or a court date. My hope is in a God who adores me and wants only the best for his little girl, and for my little girl.

 

So please friends, keep praying for our little family as we continue this uphill climb. We know the peak has to be close. And if not, He’s still good.

 

 

“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything…” James 1:4

  

  

 

Hard pressed

We do not have any good news for you guys. Just that it's not yet over. We’re going to have to keep fighting.

 

We found out today, after the team in Ethiopia met with some officials:

 

“what we took away from it is that while there is no intention to close ICA and no specific goal toward denying any particular children, there does seem to be a very politicized effort to delay and discourage cases from being released/approved for ICA”

 

ICA means inter-country adoption. Meaning the delays are merely a political strategy; my daughter is in an orphanage because the powers that be aren’t sure they want to continue with inter-country adoptions.

 

All we know is as of right now, we should eventually get travel clearance. We aren’t sure how long until we get it and we aren’t even sure if they’ll change their minds and deny us travel at all. We’re still waiting on more answers from our agency.

 

Right now, I’m not feeling much in the way of emotions. Mostly because I think I’m refusing to believe that the delay could go on for a few more weeks or months.

 

I’m in denial.

 

We likely won’t hear any more news in regards to our case this week. Next week is Christmas, so if we don’t hear anything by Wednesday, we won’t hear anything until the following week. 

The team in Ethiopia has another meeting next week, one they’re hoping will help to pressure the Ministry to sign off on all waiting cases. We’ll have to wait and see at this point.

 

I can’t quite describe to you the feelings that come with knowing that there is no reason for these delays; other than to simply delay and discourage adoption. I can’t quite describe to you the feeling that comes with knowing that my daughter is 8,000 miles away, waiting for me to come and get her.

 

This hurts. Beyond belief.

 

I’m dreading the look on my boys’ face when I tell them it will still be a while before we get to bring their sister home.

 

DREADING IT.

 

They’re understanding now how much this wait hurts. They have a good enough grasp on time, that they know this has taken forever and will take even more time.

 

KC and I have decided to spend some time the next few days praying and fasting. Not only for us, but the other families who are waiting. Our agency has 8 families waiting for their signature. I can’t imagine the number of parents waiting with other agencies.

 

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

 

Friends, please continue to pray on behalf of these families and these children. We can all use as many prayers as we can get. ❤️

 

 

{“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” –Hebrews 10:39}

  

  

 

Winding down

As another week is winding down with no news, we have to face the harsh reality that we may not be together this year.

 

We may not be together for Christmas.

 

Things may drag on through January.

 

This isn’t just us assuming so – this is coming from our coordinator.

 

Travel before Christmas is highly unlikely.

 

As much as we hate the news, we are so grateful for the transparency with our agency. I know it’s hard for our coordinator to continually deliver bad news, but I’d prefer to know.

 

We’ll have the end of year US holiday on the 25^th (Christmas), the first US holiday of the year on the 1^st (New Year’s), and the Ethiopian holiday on January 7^th (Ethiopian Christmas). So unfortunately, things could most certainly be delayed well into the second week of January.

 

We also haven’t heard from the orphanage yet in regards to our note we sent our dear girl.

 

We don’t know what to say other than this. really. really. sucks.

 

Everything is at a standstill, and there is nothing that anyone can do about it.

 

(This is taking so much longer than it ever should have. Saturday marks 10 months since we got “the call”.)

 

We’re stuck in limbo, and it bites.

 

Remember in Star Wars Episode 1 when Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan are fighting Darth Maul? And those barrier things come up and they have to wait a few minutes before they can resume fighting?

 

I wish I could be like Qui-Gon Jinn and rest. Meditate. Prepare myself for the remainder of the fight. But I feel more like Darth Maul. Pacing back and forth, hitting the barrier in the hopes that it’ll come down faster. 

 

Every night it’s hard to go to bed. Because every night I get panicked that it could be another day of no news. 

KC and I were talking last night, and I told him it’s like Ground Hogs Day. The same thing. Over. And over. And over. The boys are so sad every day that “we don’t get the letter for Bertie”. They continue asking everyday. 

 

We’re still waiting, and it’s seems like there’s no end in sight.

 

I’m a mom. A mom who is 8,000 miles away from her child. A mom who has missed 5 birthdays, the chicken pox, and her first lost tooth.

 

We’re a family who is trying hard to wait patiently, but cannot. But HE is my refuge. All I can do is keep crying out to Him. To hold us, and to comfort us.

 

To hold her, and to comfort her.  ❤️

 

 

{Then you shall call and The Lord will answer; you shall cry and He will say, 'Here I am.'   ~Isaiah 58:9}