STILL waiting :(

I know I have not updated in a while lately. I guess I've had a lot to "process" in the area of this adoption. I have had to accept the fact that we will not make it through the rainy season. As far as we know the courts will close during August and September and we will not have a court date and go pick up our baby girl. I guess I have been feeling like Joseph looks in this picture:

We don't have a referral yet...we just keep waiting, waiting, waiting. On top of waiting for a referral, everything in Ethiopia is so uncertain right now. The blog is a very public place to talk about it and that's why I can't make all of the details clear here, especially when it comes to our case. Though we don't have much of a case right now. We're just waiting, waiting, waiting.

Part of me feels like Cookie Monster did when he lost his cookie:

The other part of me feels a little like Oscar, who wants to be negative all the time:

Haha!! Can you tell that Joseph is getting into Sesame Street these days? Well, we're just doing our best to keep ourselves entertained while we wait!

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It’s all about Faith إيمان

God has been working on my heart lately. Just a couple days ago I heard a touching sermon about eemaan يمان, the Arabic word for faith. (the sermon was in Arabic) I have been thinking a lot about the verse Hebrews 11:6 which says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” "بدون يمان لا يمكن إرضاء الله، لانّ من يتقرب إليه،لا بدّ ان يومن بانّه موجود و انّه يكافىء الذين يطلبونه" العبرانيين ١١:٦

So here’s what it all comes down to…Faith!!! I must believe that He is exists (is in control of this adoption) and rewards those who earnestly seek him (is taking care of all the details of this adoption). I can honestly say that I do believe these things only because God is helping me, not because I can produce this kind of faith on my own.

So, here’s some of the details as best I understand it: we got an email about a month ago from the adoption agency that said there is a delay in the court system in Ethiopia because they want a follow up on some police reports on abandonment cases for children abandoned in Addis Ababa, which is the capital city in Ethiopia. I’m not sure that anyone really knows what this means exactly. How do you get more information on an abandoned child? (that’s our question) Our biggest question is: is our baby girl one of these cases? Another unanswered question. Right now, it’s just a delay.

We’ve been told that some representatives from the agency are on their way to Ethiopia in the next week or so and we should have some answers before too long.

Another big delay is the rainy season. The courts close in Ethiopia for the rainy season for August and September. It has been my fear that we would get a referral in July and have to wait through the rainy season for a court date until we could go pick up our baby girl. Again…this is only a delay….that’s it. I just have to go back to Hebrews 11:6 and remember to have faith. I know that God is in control. He always has been and always will be. He’s in control of so much more than this adoption.

It feels so good to write these things down to remind myself what I believe. I hope it’s encouraging to you.

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familyblog

Are you a little bored of this blog and want to know more about our life? Go check out our family blog

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we've been busy

We don't have any referral news for you. Oh how we wish we do. We've been told that we should know something in a few weeks. (that was a few weeks ago)

Thankfully, we have been very, very busy. We moved. Well, we're actually not fully moved yet. We've shipped our belongings, we found a house, we got a new car, we have internet, water, and electricity! We are still waiting to receive our belongings. Our shipment should come this week and we will be fully moved in at that time! :)

This move has been a blessing at this time because it has kept our minds off of "The Referral!" We're still so anxious and ready to see our little girl's face, but we're not thinking about her and her only. God is so good and his timing is so perfect!

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thinking about girl things

Today I was in the toy store and I saw the cutest little doll. I can't wait to buy little girl toys. I know that I have to wait until my baby girl is old enough to play with them. Anyway, this was an Arab doll. She has an Abaaya and Sheilah that she wears just like the local Gulf Arabs! She's beautiful.

I am sooooo ready for a little girl. I almost didn't let Little Raylee go home the other night. I loved how she just slept in my arms. Okay...yullah! bring on the referral!!!!!!

Joseph loves babies too. He always wants to give any baby a big kiss! The other night we went to visit some friends who have triplet baby girls who are about 8 months old. He was in heaven. So was I! :)

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Waiting for "The Call"

Well, we are a little jumpy these days. We're on pins and needles. Every time the phone rings we think, "maybe this is The Call!" It's sort of wearing on us. Please pray that we will get our referral soon. We're waiting for a picture of a baby girl along with any other information they may have like medical tests etc...

Don't worry about Joseph. He's totally relaxed. He's just enjoying the ride! :)

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Happy Ethiopian Easter!!

Ethiopia celebrates Easter on a different day than America does. I believe it's because they follow the Orthodox calendar. They do a lot of things differently! Anyway, we hope that you are having a very nice Ethiopian Easter today!!!

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Celebrating Joseph's Adoption!

Today we had a small party to celebrate Joseph's adoption!! It's hard to believe that it's been a year since we went to pick our little boy up. What a wonderful year it has been!!!!!!

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