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What a disappointment to get the call from our rep at the agency finally by mid-morning to find out that we were delayed because the Ministry of Women's Affairs (the agency in Ethiopia which oversees each adoption case) neglected to write the required recommendation letter for our case because the supervisor was out of the office! This is a letter that usually appears the day before court or on the day of court, or, in our case... not at all! We weren't sure if the birth mother had even been able to give her testimony (which she has to do) or if they had heard the case at all. Since she lives over 4 hours away and has to get there by bus, this would be a huge problem for her to do again.
The good news is... today I found out that they did, in fact, hear our case as well as the mother's testimony. Our attorney in Ethiopia said, "they are very happy to approve our case" and would have done so if that darn letter had been there! But, the judges were in favor - YAY! Our attorney goes back tomorrow (tonight, our time) to see if the coveted paper has arrived. If it has, I'm unsure as to whether he'll be given a new court date or it they be able to approve it without it...
Please pray with us that the recommendation letter is complete and that they'll be able to somehow approve it without giving us a new court date!
In the meantime, our parking lot sale is this weekend - hopefully we can raise lots of funds for supplies for our orphanage - they desperately need it!
With hope regardless of the outcome,
TrueMom
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
2 Days 'Til Court!!!
Hard to believe, but true... in two days (Tuesday night here is Wednesday morning in Ethiopia) our case will go before a judge in Ethiopia and our fate and that of our children will be in his hands. Actually, this is only true from a visual perspective, because behind the scenes, an all-powerful and all-knowing God who loves us and cares about the details of our lives has ultimate say! Now that, I can live with! After all, who else loves our kids in Ethiopia more than He does?!
I'd love to say that it will be a slam dunk and I am definitely praying for a first-round knock-out punch making further rounds unnecessary... but there are some large hurdles before us. Last week, 5 cases were presented to court from our same orphanage and all 5 were delayed as the judge is asking for additional paperwork from that orphanage. It all sounds so simple, but getting one little paper can take weeks or months sometimes in Ethiopia. From a human perspective, I would say that the odds are not in our favor to pass court this Tuesday/Wednesday. I haven't been able to find out from my agency if they have the coveted paper, and Monday is a holiday, so I might not know at all before court... this is where faith comes into play :).
This morning our pastor spoke about the 12 spies in Numbers 13 & 14, scouting out the promised land and how 10 came back with "No way, the giants are waaaaay too big" and the 2 came back with "Yes, the giants are humongous, but of course we can, with God on our side." It was such a good reminder to have eyes of faith and to remember what God has promised. I fully believe that He wants us to pray for miracles. This is our way to participate in His glory that will be revealed through those miracles.
There are so very many challenges to be faced in the world of adoption and so many reasons why it doesn't usually make sense from a practical viewpoint. I'm continually reminded of this as we move through this process. As the 10 spies did, it's so easy to see all the reasons why you shouldn't move in to a place where you are dependent for God to do things that only He can do. In this process, as in so many things in life God asks us to do, we are constantly having to rely on God for things that only He can do as almost everything is outside of our influence. I am also reminded to continue to seek the mindset of the two spies as we are confronted with various obstacles.
That being said, I am overjoyed to see how God has been working and can't wait to experience more of this as we move closer to bringing the kids home. Watching God work reminds me of what it feels like to watch a dancer who was just meant to dance, performing on the stage pouring her heart into each move, or a singer who can bring you to tears through the beauty of his voice, emotion and interpretation of a song. The only thing better than watching God at work is getting to participate with Him as He works! To use an imperfect analogy, maybe it's a bit like being the caddy for Tiger Woods, who's finesse with a driver and on the green leaves both the wannabe and avid golfer in sheer awe.
If we are one of the 10 spies, we will miss entirely the beauty and perfection of God's finesse and victory in our lives. The timing of this message for me was very interesting and not coincidental IMO. God rejoices when we see our world and the problems through His perspective, remembering who He is... the God of the universe who created the world in 6 days - an all-powerful, omniscient God, yet who still knows how to meet us where we're at. These hurdles and set-backs we face are so small in light of who He is :o! May I not be guilty of placing God on the same level as me and the humanity I relate to...
All that to say - I'm facing this giant of a court date with confidence and fervent, heartfelt prayers that God will defeat these giants. If He chooses not to, that is His right... He is God after all... but it won't be because I didn't pray and believe with all that I am with eyes of faith! May I be one of the 2!
TrueMom
P.S. BTW - In case you didn't know or just forgot... all 10 spies who "played it safe" and told the Israelites not to go where God called them cause the giants were too big, died of a plague... only Caleb & Joshua - the 2 spies with eyes of faith - were allowed to enter the Promised Land...
I'd love to say that it will be a slam dunk and I am definitely praying for a first-round knock-out punch making further rounds unnecessary... but there are some large hurdles before us. Last week, 5 cases were presented to court from our same orphanage and all 5 were delayed as the judge is asking for additional paperwork from that orphanage. It all sounds so simple, but getting one little paper can take weeks or months sometimes in Ethiopia. From a human perspective, I would say that the odds are not in our favor to pass court this Tuesday/Wednesday. I haven't been able to find out from my agency if they have the coveted paper, and Monday is a holiday, so I might not know at all before court... this is where faith comes into play :).
This morning our pastor spoke about the 12 spies in Numbers 13 & 14, scouting out the promised land and how 10 came back with "No way, the giants are waaaaay too big" and the 2 came back with "Yes, the giants are humongous, but of course we can, with God on our side." It was such a good reminder to have eyes of faith and to remember what God has promised. I fully believe that He wants us to pray for miracles. This is our way to participate in His glory that will be revealed through those miracles.
There are so very many challenges to be faced in the world of adoption and so many reasons why it doesn't usually make sense from a practical viewpoint. I'm continually reminded of this as we move through this process. As the 10 spies did, it's so easy to see all the reasons why you shouldn't move in to a place where you are dependent for God to do things that only He can do. In this process, as in so many things in life God asks us to do, we are constantly having to rely on God for things that only He can do as almost everything is outside of our influence. I am also reminded to continue to seek the mindset of the two spies as we are confronted with various obstacles.
That being said, I am overjoyed to see how God has been working and can't wait to experience more of this as we move closer to bringing the kids home. Watching God work reminds me of what it feels like to watch a dancer who was just meant to dance, performing on the stage pouring her heart into each move, or a singer who can bring you to tears through the beauty of his voice, emotion and interpretation of a song. The only thing better than watching God at work is getting to participate with Him as He works! To use an imperfect analogy, maybe it's a bit like being the caddy for Tiger Woods, who's finesse with a driver and on the green leaves both the wannabe and avid golfer in sheer awe.
If we are one of the 10 spies, we will miss entirely the beauty and perfection of God's finesse and victory in our lives. The timing of this message for me was very interesting and not coincidental IMO. God rejoices when we see our world and the problems through His perspective, remembering who He is... the God of the universe who created the world in 6 days - an all-powerful, omniscient God, yet who still knows how to meet us where we're at. These hurdles and set-backs we face are so small in light of who He is :o! May I not be guilty of placing God on the same level as me and the humanity I relate to...
All that to say - I'm facing this giant of a court date with confidence and fervent, heartfelt prayers that God will defeat these giants. If He chooses not to, that is His right... He is God after all... but it won't be because I didn't pray and believe with all that I am with eyes of faith! May I be one of the 2!
TrueMom
P.S. BTW - In case you didn't know or just forgot... all 10 spies who "played it safe" and told the Israelites not to go where God called them cause the giants were too big, died of a plague... only Caleb & Joshua - the 2 spies with eyes of faith - were allowed to enter the Promised Land...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
And on to the next...
And so the new stage is... COURT DATE!!!
How very fun to say that today, we got the call that we officially have a court date and its... drum roll please... May 27! For those of you who don't live and breathe by the calendar like those of us in adoption-land, that's less than 3 weeks out. This is pretty amazing considering that when we began this journey several months ago, court dates were being assigned 12-13 weeks out. Last week, our agency received dates that were 6 weeks out, so for us to receive this early of a date is surprising to say the least. (Don't get me wrong, we're certainly not complaining!)
Having this news brings the word "real" to a whole 'notha level! To think that two little ones are entering our home in possibly, a few short weeks is humbling and... wow............ I think that's the limit of my vocabulary at the moment. This also means that if all goes well, and we pass on the first try - we're really praying for that one :)! - we could be traveling as early as June 20th! That's 6 weeks out... I realize just how much my life will change and it's... wow.......... I guess I still haven't gotten more creative than that.
If you go back and look at my earlier posts, you'll see that I've been praying specifically for an embassy date of June 23rd. As time has gone on, this has been less and less likely, yet I haven't felt inclined to pray differently. So to realize how God is in process of working it all out... wow..........this one I can add to... our God is good and mighty and able (and I would add, pleased) to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine!
Just this morning I was thinking, "Do I have to walk on water every day?" Is that what God requires of us in putting our faith in Him? The kind of faith that never wavers, that expects the miraculous and always keeps its focus forward on our master's face, never giving in to temptation to look down and realize the tempestuous waters raging at our feet. I count it a privilege to look for what only God can do and participate in some small way, but honestly, I've felt a little tired the last couple of days.
God in His infinite goodness and care, picked me up off of the water and gently placed me in the boat for a little while. I'm more than happy to be here for however long I can stay and will remember to cherish these days and use the time to prepare for the next stint on the water on my bare feet! In my heart I know it won't last too long cuz my Father knows that He's made me to live on the edge experiencing Him and His work in ways I can only when I'm out of the boat!
In the meantime, gotta get the room finished, get some kind of baby and toddler gear (yikes, I really don't have any of that stuff :)) and get some events planned so we can bring donations to the kids' orphanage! I'm confident that this next stage will definitely not be boring!!!
Thanks for your prayers!
TrueMom
How very fun to say that today, we got the call that we officially have a court date and its... drum roll please... May 27! For those of you who don't live and breathe by the calendar like those of us in adoption-land, that's less than 3 weeks out. This is pretty amazing considering that when we began this journey several months ago, court dates were being assigned 12-13 weeks out. Last week, our agency received dates that were 6 weeks out, so for us to receive this early of a date is surprising to say the least. (Don't get me wrong, we're certainly not complaining!)
Having this news brings the word "real" to a whole 'notha level! To think that two little ones are entering our home in possibly, a few short weeks is humbling and... wow............ I think that's the limit of my vocabulary at the moment. This also means that if all goes well, and we pass on the first try - we're really praying for that one :)! - we could be traveling as early as June 20th! That's 6 weeks out... I realize just how much my life will change and it's... wow.......... I guess I still haven't gotten more creative than that.
If you go back and look at my earlier posts, you'll see that I've been praying specifically for an embassy date of June 23rd. As time has gone on, this has been less and less likely, yet I haven't felt inclined to pray differently. So to realize how God is in process of working it all out... wow..........this one I can add to... our God is good and mighty and able (and I would add, pleased) to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine!
Just this morning I was thinking, "Do I have to walk on water every day?" Is that what God requires of us in putting our faith in Him? The kind of faith that never wavers, that expects the miraculous and always keeps its focus forward on our master's face, never giving in to temptation to look down and realize the tempestuous waters raging at our feet. I count it a privilege to look for what only God can do and participate in some small way, but honestly, I've felt a little tired the last couple of days.
God in His infinite goodness and care, picked me up off of the water and gently placed me in the boat for a little while. I'm more than happy to be here for however long I can stay and will remember to cherish these days and use the time to prepare for the next stint on the water on my bare feet! In my heart I know it won't last too long cuz my Father knows that He's made me to live on the edge experiencing Him and His work in ways I can only when I'm out of the boat!
In the meantime, gotta get the room finished, get some kind of baby and toddler gear (yikes, I really don't have any of that stuff :)) and get some events planned so we can bring donations to the kids' orphanage! I'm confident that this next stage will definitely not be boring!!!
Thanks for your prayers!
TrueMom
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