update!

*if you look really close... the girls are holding a piece of paper with a picture of them on it... and my name on it too! a small connection... so far away.

We received some encouraging news this week.... the girls paperwork is moving along and "almost complete"! Getting news of "progress" is something we have received before and ended it up being nothing so we are taking it all with a grain of salt. Chris and I were actually getting ready to make plans to travel to Ethiopia within the next couple of months and this has helped us decide to put our travel plans on hold. We aren't sure how fast or slow things could progress but knowing how this roller coaster tends to ride we are keeping our seat belts on for now!

Please continue to pray. Pray for all the kids at Bethel Orphanage, for their safety, health and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just a quick update...we haven't lost hope and still believe that the girls will join our family some day!

my life. changed.

Warner Bros. new horror movie Orphan proclaims that it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own. Let me tell you about how an orphan changed my life...

Twenty months ago Chris and I knelt on the floor of our bedroom and wept. We cried out and prayed, asking God if this is what He wanted from us. Adopt? Two!? From Ethiopia?! We wondered what our family would think, our friends, and our church. Two little girls’ faces had stolen our hearts. We prayed and prayed some more, and came to the realization that our family was not complete without them. Money flooded in, miraculously, piles of paperwork though not understandable got filled out, and things just fell into place. We knew this is what was right for our family. God had truly called us to it. Then the clock started to tick. Loudly. And almost two years later here we are. Still waiting, still wishing, hoping and praying. That being said, even though we haven’t met our adopted children our lives have already been forever changed. We haven’t hugged our girls, wiped their tears or heard their laughter. But not a day goes by that we don’t think about what that will be like. Our world has been rocked by the knowledge of the fact that there are over 4 million orphans in Ethiopia, Africa. How can we sit by and not do something? We have no excuse. Not one.



Our journey though, has now turned into something so much deeper than just adoption. In the dark moments of questioning and asking why and why not, our hope remains. When the emails of non-information come and the conversations with our agency that seem to be like a scene from “Groundhog Day”, our faith is strengthened. When we watch and hear of other families bringing home their adoptive children in what seems to be record time, our love grows. What started as a journey to adopt has become a journey to adopt M and G. Their pictures are in frames in the bedroom. Their beds wait empty. The closet is full of dresses, shoes and backpacks picked especially for them. Even two beautiful, handmade wood jewelry boxes wait on the dresser for them. This is about THEM. Our life has been changed for THEM. We won’t give up and we won’t stop praying. No amount of time waiting will force us to forget little M and G. Our lives will never be the same.


...from Tom Davis' blog

...it became apparent to me that this is exactly the opportunity to defend the cause of the orphan. But instead of cursing the darkness, let's put the truth on display.

I want to challenge my readers and friends to write 500 positive blog posts about how an orphan has impacted and changed your life. Post this on your own blog so that when people search for the movie, they are flooded with positive messages about adoption and orphan care.

Just finish this sentence: "Warner Bros. new horror movie Orphan proclaims that it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own. Let me tell you about how an orphan changed my life..."

This is the heart of defending orphans. Help push back the darkness and deceit here by holding up as an example the powerful love that adoption and orphan care can unleash.

Here's how you can defend the orphan:

1. Write a "positive protest post" on your blog that references the movie, Orphan.
2. Focus on your orphan care or adoption story that is positive, redeeming, and full of love.
3. Link your post here via a trackback or comment.
4. Send out an e-mail, Facebook message, or tweet to get others to do the same on their blogs.

If you don't have a blog, post your story on the Christian Alliance for Orphans Site.

prepared...or not.

God prepared our hearts and we took the leap of faith...

We prepared our family, by sharing the news and assuring them that this is something we have to do.

We prepared our church and they came along side us, financially and prayerfully.

We prepared our house; painting rooms, setting up bunk beds, rearranging space to make 4 kids fit in our humble abode.

I prepared my mind by reading all the books and made myself aware of some of the negatives of adoption causing me to stand firm in what God has called us to do.

What I wasn't prepared for was still not having two more children in our home...TWO YEARS LATER.

What I wasn't prepared for was being smacked in the face with sadness when I realize that M and G are missing out on another holiday, summer, birthday, etc. with our family.

What I wasn't prepared for was the longing that comes with the knowledge of knowing our family is not complete and two children are missing.

What I wasn't prepared for was wondering if we were really cut out for this.

I pray, I ask why and why not. I wonder constantly WHEN! The one thing I am sure of is that I haven't lost HOPE. Someone asked me today if I was still sure we were supposed to adopt. I know- without a shadow of a doubt that we are. I know that there are two little girls in Ethiopia, Africa waiting for Chris and I to come and get them and become their daddy and mommy. I will wait forever for them. I will pray for them, hope for them and long for them until the Ethiopian government tells me we can't adopt them. Even then, if that day ever comes to pass, M and G will forever be a part of our lives.

We might never know why our adoption story has played out this way. All I can be sure of is how I react and respond. The waiting is hard and frustrating at times but God's Word gives me comfort. "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

We have no update, we have no news. We are at the mercy of the Ethiopian courts and what they decide, whenever they feel like it I guess. We do get tidbits of information, but at this point, until we get "the call"-- we don't know what to believe.

Praying, hoping, trusting, never giving up!

"Tell my mommy to come soon..."

…M’s words to our friend Lisa who returned from Ethiopia last week. When hope seems to be waning and faith dying, the words of a little girl keep us going.

Over a month has passed since our case was deemed ‘open’. We are still waiting on information in regards to our actual case. Rumor has it that we might be receiving a new court date soon. History has shown us not to get our hopes up about these things. As frustrating as it is to not get any information on WHEN we did receive new pictures and general information about the girls and their lives at Bethel. Many precious images of the girls, jumping rope, hugging, reading letters, singing, climbing the small water tower at the orphanage, and silly smiling faces. They look happy and healthy. We pray for that and to see them so lively in the photos is an answer to prayer. Bethel really is a wonderful place for the children. We look forward to meeting their caregivers and the doctor who runs the orphanage. I often wonder how we can help Bethel once M and G are home with us. I would love to see my church become a life long sponsor or something of that nature. Praying about that one.

Summer has begun, our home school is winding down and I can hear the beach calling our names. Hopefully it won’t be long before M and G can join us down by the waters edge.

Trying to live Romans 12, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation and constantly in prayer.

my life right now

sleepy morning hugs, soft sweet smelling breath and chubby hands wrapped around my arm. cleaning up after bowls of cheerios, peanut butter sandwiches and sticky juice seems to never end.

wash your hands! brush your teeth! wipe your mouth! I seem to say over and over. curious questions of why? and how? and is it time yet?

patience is a virtue I say, , almost always not having it myself. be kind and love one another seems to be our daily mantra, trying to plant seeds from our Father.

we pray, we read, we create and we learn together. watching your faces as you discover something new is the reward.

picnics in the backyard and caterpillars are the highlights of our day. dirty feet and sticky hands come in to a nice cool bath.

the sun is still up but eyes are heavy and we all share yawns on the couch. wet hair and soft clean skin snuggle up for prayers and bedtime stories.

two brown faces in a distant land are missing from our perfect messy life, but we don't forget them. empty beds waiting to be filled... we all sleep.

wondering if the next day our family will grow.

Update and details

Well, the wait continues.
We did not pass court on Tuesday. After a few phone conversations with our agency director this is the information we have so far:

This isn't the end of the road for us and the girls.

The courts need more accurate information about the girls history. They want to make sure that they have been relinquished/abandoned and that any living family members are aware of their situation. (If they do have living immediate family members i.e. mother, father, older brother, older sister, that can properly care for them, the court sees this as the best living situation for the child- we agree.)

We know that, unfortunately, the girls were brought to Bethel with NO paperwork. There is absolutely no paper trail on their lives.

Finding any living family members could be a long, difficult process.

Our cases have been left OPEN on the court dockets. This means that if our agency can find what the courts are asking for and it satisfies the judge- they will hear our case again and hopefully approve the adoption without have to re-assign us another court date.

If within the next few days our agency can't get the information needed to the courts it is likely that we will be assigned a new court date.

Our agency director seems confident that the girls will come home to us. He has asked us to be patient and know that they are doing everything they can to make this happen. He leaves for Ethiopia next week and says dealing with our cases is a priority.

We asked if this would happen before the next court closures/rainy season (end of summer)and he said that he hopes so. He is hoping and praying that this will all be resolved soon.

A side note to all this is that the kids at Bethel Orphanage, including ours should have never been referred (chosen by families to adopt), in the first place. This is not the fault of our agency - but a third party that was involved in the beginning and is no longer working with us or our agency. It is unfortunate that these children, us and other families are having to endure this long, drawn out waiting time. This is a rare circumstance and we are definitely discouraged that our situation has to unfold like this. BUT... we are believing that there is a reason behind it all. I am holding on the the fact that this is an opportunity for us to focus on God- our obedience to Him - and whatever the outcome, He deserves all the praise, honor and glory.

Although the girls lives seem to be at stake in all this, maybe they're not. All this time could be passing because M has a mother, who is healthy now and is crying out and wondering where her daughter is. And G, has a brother who has made a life for himself and wants to find his baby sister and care for her.
We would obviously be heartbroken if this were the case, but it would be the best case for the girls. They need a family, a home and unconditional love. Not a life in an orphanage.

No matter what- Chris and I know that without a doubt we are supposed to adopt from Ethiopia. Right now we are not giving up on the girls. We are going to continue to pray and believe that they belong in our family.
God has a plan in all this and we are open to whatever it is.

Trusting, waiting, hoping-
Becky

shoes

I have held off on buying much clothing wise for the girls, after learning my lesson when our first court date was postponed. I thought for sure they would be here when it was still chilly out and purchased a few long sleeve/winter type items. Well here we are, end of April with an 80 degree weekend coming up! So much for sweaters!

A while back we received tracings of the girls feet from a family that was able to make it out to the girls orphanage. I have carried the tracings around in my purse just in case the right deal came along to get them some shoes. Today it did!
I found some cute mary jane style Crocs and decided to take a leap of faith. Grace helped me guesstimate the size-- we probably looked like goofs holding up all kinds of shoes to our two pieces of paper. It was fun picking out special shoes for her new sisters, and we actually bought three pairs hoping to get the size right! The thought that the girls have never had a new, pretty pair of shoes really puts the pressure on! Even though Crocs aren't he most glamorous of shoes- they seem to have lots of wiggle room in the sizing- so they will have to do until we get the girls home. I look forward to watching them pick out their very own new pair of shoes, and hopefully it will be soon and we won't be taking UGGS! :)

Don't forget 4/28 @ 4:28!! Keep on praying!