"It will not be late by a single day."

Well, we didn't pass. Not totally unexpected, but still, we were hopeful. It is rare to pass through on the first time, but I think everyone probably hopes and prays that "we will be the one; for us it will happen." And it COULD; I mean, with God, all things are possible.

So we will try again. Our approximate next court date is May 10, and this one sounds really hopeful. The judge just needed one document which the orphanage director will get for us.

Her name is Tegist, and she is really amazing.

I met her and her husband last fall when they came here to visit. You can tell they really, really love those children. It is such a good feeling to know that my little girl is being taken care of and truly loved. This is her home right now. Not her forever home or her forever family; that is us, God willing, but still a vital part of her life and who she is and who she will be. So although we still wait, and hard as that is, I am comforted. She has been at this home since she was a month old. This is all she knows, and and she knows love.


I was encouraged today by a message my friend, Cyndi, sent me. She is also an adoptive mother and she is amazing:

"I love the Steven Curtis Chapman song, "When Love Takes You In." My favorite part is this:
'And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be'

"I have LIVED the moment when the "has been" became lost in the "will be." It WILL come for you!! All this time passing now WILL get lost in "what will be" when you are united with your precious little one... and all of this will be a drop in the bucket... like "rain that falls into the sea." It's so hard to believe on this side of it, but it is true.
One of my favorite scriptures during this phase of our adoption was this one:
Habukkuk 2:3 "But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day."

Thank you, Cyndi, for such and encoraging message, and to all my other friends and family who have been SUCH a blessing in your words of encouragment and prayers. A sweet family member of mine even fasted for us!! Wow. I am blessed to be so surrounded by family and friends who support us and love us.

1 1/2 Hours until April 20 in Ethiopia!!!

And why is that so important, you might ask?

Because it is our first (and hopefully ONLY) court date; the day our little EM could become OURS.

So please, please pray. Midnight in Ethiopia starts at 4 pm today our time. So court will likely be taking place sometime while we are sleeping.

Pray now! Pray if you wake up in the middle of the night! Pray, pray, pray (please, please, please!)

And then I can show you her beautiful little face.



And on top of really wanting to bring her home ASAP, we also really want to pass court now, because in a few weeks, the process changes in Ethiopia, meaning we would have to travel to ET for our court date, come home, wait, and then travel back to ET for a second trip to get her and bring her home. It would be nice to avoid this if possible. On the other hand, I am so excited to see her that I would jump on a plane this afternoon if they told me I had to.



We will let you know as soon as we hear!!

Disney World

Just some pictures of my cuties in Disney World. It was a blast. We actually went in February, but as you all know, I am a fair-weather blogger, so I am just now getting around to it.

Court Date

We have our court date! It is set for April 20 - only 2 1/2 weeks away!
"What is a court date?" - you may be asking. This is the day where our "case" goes before a judge in Ethiopia (we don't have to be there) and he decides if little "EM" becomes our daughter legally or not. It is very common in Ethiopia for the initial court date to be postponed or to not "pass" the first time, in which case we would be assigned another court date. But even though it is uncommon to pass the first time, we are praying and hoping for it anyway, and ask that you do too! We cannot wait to have "EM" hope with us! She is just beautiful and I cannot wait to meet her.
Once we pass court, there is some other paperwork that has to be filed to get an Embassy date - and that is the date we have to be in Ethiopia and get to bring her home. Usually one to two months after passing court date. Although, there are suddenly some changes in the processing of that particular paperwork (urgh), that could make the wait between court date and embassy date longer.
We are filling the time with decorating her room - pink and black ballet theme. Oh yes, I am going totally girly. And of course she will probably end up being a total tom-boy with two big brothers! But for now, pink, pink, pink ( and purple of course).