New Year, New News!!

As we welcome 2016 tomorrow, we eagerly anticipate the day when we will get to bring home our little girl from Ethiopia. Today as we shipped a Christmas care package to our sweet girl, we praised God when we realized that this would be the last package we send her before she comes home!!

A note from Sydney

Showing off the cards they made for their sister

All packaged and ready to send!

She's too much!

That’s right...she’s SO close to coming home!! On December 12^th we received our official PAIR letter of APPROVAL in the mail. This was the approval that we had been fighting to get for eight months (usually takes 2-3 months) and mid-way even received an “Intent to Deny” because we did not have all of the requested documents. In fact, most of those documents were not obtained because they did not exist! But finally, we received the approval. It was truly amazing.

Holding our PAIR approval letter right after we opened it! What a GREAT feeling!!

We were officially submitted to court on December 15^th and told it normally takes 2 weeks to hear back with a court date. But the next day there was another email. It spoke of political unrest in Ethiopia and cautioned that now because of this, the processing of adoptions in the Ethiopian government was not a priority…so to expect more delays. I hit the floor, and on my face..prayed. We have been through SO many obstacles, but “political unrest” is one that we have not yet faced and the idea of having to overcome a potential war was once again, too much for me to handle on my own.

Then, on Monday December 28^th we received another email. The first (out of two) court dates had been scheduled for January 13^th. We will not have to travel until the second court date, but the fact that this one is scheduled was a complete blessing and answer to prayer!!

After this court date, there will be a few weeks until our second court date is scheduled. That will be the date for us to travel to get parental custody (actually, Tom will be traveling to court by himself and I will stay home with our other children). The political situation is still unsettled and more delays could be a possibility…but we are close. SO very close.

Please continue to keep our adoption in your prayers as we enter into 2016. Our prayer is that each of your lives have been/will be changed by seeing the miraculous things God is doing in and through our adoption and that you will personally experience his faithfulness, power, and relentless love as well, as you step out in faith in your own lives and trust him.