Update on our adoption

We are continuing to work hard on completing the adoption process so that we can bring our boys home! Things have been moving so quickly, and I keep thinking that it will probably slow down soon. I think I feel this way because we were prepared for a really long journey, and we only officially started the process this past August! Also, there are so many variables in the adoption process that can affect things so we want to be prepared for any unexpected bumps in the road. I'm trying to not have any expectations since this is completely out of our control. :)

We completed our homestudy before the holidays, and sent off our dossier (official paperwork) overseas. It's currently being translated and then will arrive in Ethiopia. This is usually the point in the process where families wait 3-6 months to be matched with a child. Since we found the boys on a waiting list and already accepted their referral we get to skip this part! We talked with our adoption coordinator from our agency, and she told us last week that they are working hard on getting us our travel dates already! We should know our exact dates in about 6 weeks, and actually travel 3-4 weeks later!

In the past, adoptive parents only had to take one trip to Ethiopia for their court date and to bring their child(ren) home, but the law now requires two trips. The first one is for your court date, and then you have to go home and wait about 3-4 weeks before being able to get your child(ren). We were told that what this will most likely look like for us is that we will find out our travel dates the beginning of March, travel to Ethiopia for our court date the beginning of April, and bring the boys home the beginning of May. It could go faster or slower but it will most likely be close to these times.

Stephen and I have decided that we both should travel for both trips. At first we were thinking that only he would go on the first trip for the court date because only one parent is required to be there, and plane tickets to Ethiopia are extremely expensive. We also didn't think that we'd be able to see the boys on the first trip. But we just found out that if we aren't both there for the court date, we have to officially re-adopt them once they are in the states which takes time and money.

We also found out that we can see the boys on the first trip! I was under the impression that the boys were in an orphanage still, but they are actually in one of our agency's private care centers. So we could just extend our trip for a couple of days and spend some time with them after our court date. I am, of course, worried about how they will handle spending time with us for a few days, and then us leaving for 3-4 weeks before returning to bring them home. But I also think it might be really good for them to become a little more familiar with us before we bring them home. I'm also very relieved that they are in our agency's care center because they are probably receiving much better care and attention there than they would be in one of the Ethiopian orphanages.

Our agency is doing a great job of trying to help us prepare emotionally for meeting them. It's easy to have preconceived ideas of what it will be like, and how they will react to us. They have been very up-front and honest about how toddlers in particular usually react to meeting their adoptive parents. Older children have been waiting for a family long enough that they are excited to meet their new parents, and babies don't know the difference. But to toddlers, you are just strangers. Many of them are very scared at first, and it takes time for them to even feel comfortable enough for you to hold them. Obviously each child is different, but we want to be prepared to handle whatever their reaction to us is. Just like with any person, it takes time to build trust and to bond.

Please continue to pray for us as we move forward. We so badly want to finish this process and have our boys home! It's hard to think of them being in a care center without a family and wondering if anyone is showing them love and kindness. I can't wait until they are home. Until I get to tuck them in at night and say prayers. Until we get to make blueberry pancakes together for breakfast. Until I get to see them playing with their sisters. Until I get to show them how much they are truly loved. I know it's going to take time to adjust, but no matter how much work it takes, they are worth it. They are my children.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

It's a new year!

Wow, it's been such a busy season! It feels like the past couple of months were just a blur filled with holiday activities and parties and lots of traveling. Although I loved every minute of it, I am relieved to be settling into a normal routine again. :)

I love this time of year because I feel that it's such a great time to reflect on all that God has done in the previous year and look forward to seeing his faithfulness displayed in our lives in the coming year. Looking back, I can't help but want to praise God for all that he has done this past year! We've gone through so many changes over the past 12 months, but we've continued to be encouraged because we see God at work all around us! Here are a few of the things from this past year that I'm thankful for...

- For new friends that we've found here in Saint Louis. Before moving, one of the things that Stephen and I identified as crucial for us is being able to build deep and authentic relationships with others. We realized before moving that we are responsible for seeking out these meaningful relationships, and so we've been trying to be very purposeful in that. I think that because we were truly looking for it, and allowing others to really be in our lives, we were able to make some of these relationships. And I can definitely see how this has been a huge part in us being able to transition to our new lives in Saint Louis well!

- Our community group. We started leading a Bible study in our home this fall that has been so incredible for us. This definitely goes right along with the meaningful relationships that I just mentioned. There is something so refreshing about being open with others about what you're going through. To have a community where you are able to be vulnerable, and they can speak truth into your life is priceless. We are so thankful for these people!

-For our church! We are so blessed to be serving in a church that is seeking to make a difference in this city and beyond. I am thankful for the leadership of the Journey as they do the hard work of leading their people to follow Christ's example of laying down our lives for the spiritual and physical benefit of others. This church is excellent at challenging us to examine our choices and our motives and choose to live out what we say we believe. I am so thankful for this church!

- For our new home. We are so thankful to finally be settled in a home! Over the past year and a half we moved three times! From Houston to Austin, then Austin to Saint Louis, and then finally from our temporary housing here to our new home. This house has already been such a blessing for us, particularly the girls. They love their rooms and especially the backyard! :) As much as our family enjoys this home, though, we always want our doors to be open so that we might use this house to benefit others. We are so thankful to be in a home again!

- For our little boys that we are adopting. It was about a year ago that Stephen and I had decided to adopt from Ethiopia. Looking back, it has been such an adventure! People had warned us about how much hard work it would take, and boy they weren't kidding! But we've had such a peace about it throughout this whole process because we have seen God guiding us and providing for us each step of the way. It has been one of those things where we would come to the end of each deadline, and we'd have to pray and ask God to provide. He has been so faithful! We still have a ways to go, but we are so encouraged because we know without a doubt that God will see this through to completion. He is so good!

This coming year is going to continue to be full of changes and adjustments. We can't look into the future and see what it's going to look like, but we move forward with confidence and joy, knowing that God works all things together for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose. We hold loosely to our own plans, and ask that whatever this next year may look like, we just want God to use us to make a difference in this broken and hurting world. I really feel like the amount that we are willing to sacrifice is directly related with the amount of impact we will make. I think about people like Katie Davis. At the age of 19 she left behind her comfortable life and moved to Uganda. Now, at the age of 23, she has adopted 14 children, and helps feed over 1,000 people a day. She is such an amazing example that God can use us in significant ways if we allow him to! I attached a link to one of her blogs below that I thought was amazing.

As we begin this new year I'm reminded of a particular verse. This continues to be encouragement for me to persevere. This life is so short, and I want to make it count.

1 Corinthians 9:24 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/