Today was a great day with our church family. We had the opportunity to share about our adoption journey and how God has lead us and taught us through this process. It was a great experience for Gary and I to work through. To remember and document many of the times that we had been guided and prepared as well as the times that God confirmed that He is with us on this journey.
Our Heavenly Father is the creator of adoption. I am adopted. So is Gary. When we accepted Jesus as our savior we became children of God!
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)
Who better to lead us through this journey than the one who created adoption?
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
I CAN'T SLEEP!
I am suffering from excitement overload. It's affecting my sleep. I can't settle at night. I'm starting to think this is when blog entries will be made. Don't get me wrong...I love it! We are going to Ethiopia to meet our daughter and I cannot wait! There is a ton to do but I don't care. I actually find it fun. Making lists and organizing our gear gives me something productive to do. I've even starting packing some of the piles that have accumulated in our room. I'm very thankful for our friends that have gone/going through this process as well. They are a wealth of information and a reminder that adoptions are completed!
I look at Sitina's picture and try to imagine what it will be like to see her face to face. To hold her and cuddle. To know she is ours. What does her laugh sound like? Her cry? How heavy will she feel. How long will it take her to smile at us? To reach for us? To love us...
Wesley and Chloe understand. They remember when we told them we were going to adopt. For them this wait of over three years is HUGE. It is almost a lifestyle to them (for Caleb it is). Paperwork, home study updates, and waiting. Finally they see the the light at the end of the tunnel. As Wesley says in a comic book he personally made for me concerning the adoption, it was "epic" when we got the e-mail with a court date. It's really going to happen. We are not stopping here for good. We are moving on to the end of the track people. We are bringing this sweet baby HOME! Praise the Lord!
I look at Sitina's picture and try to imagine what it will be like to see her face to face. To hold her and cuddle. To know she is ours. What does her laugh sound like? Her cry? How heavy will she feel. How long will it take her to smile at us? To reach for us? To love us...
Wesley and Chloe understand. They remember when we told them we were going to adopt. For them this wait of over three years is HUGE. It is almost a lifestyle to them (for Caleb it is). Paperwork, home study updates, and waiting. Finally they see the the light at the end of the tunnel. As Wesley says in a comic book he personally made for me concerning the adoption, it was "epic" when we got the e-mail with a court date. It's really going to happen. We are not stopping here for good. We are moving on to the end of the track people. We are bringing this sweet baby HOME! Praise the Lord!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
We have a date!
Well, I would be lying if I didn't confess that the last 4 months didn't seem long to me. Referral day was amazing. A dream come true really. To get the call and finally open the e-mail that holds a photo and information about the sweet baby that has been matched to our family was a mind blowing experience. At 8:20 in the morning on September 2nd the phone rang. I checked the caller ID which gave a massive clue that today would be "the day". "Are you ready for the most happiest news?" OF COURSE WE WERE! We had only waited 28 months, 5 days since our papers landed on Ethiopian soil for our referral. It was so worth it. She was 3 1/2 months old, 11 lbs, and stunningly beautiful. We knew right away that we were going to accept the referral. I'm so thankful to God for that. I had prayed many times in the months leading up to our referral that we would "just know". I prayed that I would see her as God sees her. Now, I know that this is not entirely possible because God loves her more than humanly possible but I do believe that God allowed me taste a fraction of His love for her for which I am thankful.
So...that was September 2nd. It is now January 1, 2011, 12:01 am. Six weeks from now we will be on a plane headed for Addis Ababa. We have a court date scheduled for February 16th. At that point Gary and I stand before the judge and answer a series of questions. Yes, this will be nerve racking to say the least. Providing everyone is there that needs to be there, with paperwork in order and we pass court the first time, we will take our little sweetie into our care after the hearing. This will be the first time we will be permitted to meet her, our daughter, face to face. We will live in Ethiopia until her Visa is issued so we can travel back to Canada. This could take months... really we are hoping no more than three or four. We invite you to journey with us. We will do our best to keep everyone up to speed and in the loop.
So...that was September 2nd. It is now January 1, 2011, 12:01 am. Six weeks from now we will be on a plane headed for Addis Ababa. We have a court date scheduled for February 16th. At that point Gary and I stand before the judge and answer a series of questions. Yes, this will be nerve racking to say the least. Providing everyone is there that needs to be there, with paperwork in order and we pass court the first time, we will take our little sweetie into our care after the hearing. This will be the first time we will be permitted to meet her, our daughter, face to face. We will live in Ethiopia until her Visa is issued so we can travel back to Canada. This could take months... really we are hoping no more than three or four. We invite you to journey with us. We will do our best to keep everyone up to speed and in the loop.
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