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