IN THE AIR

As I write, this very minute, Tom is flying over the Atlantic Ocean..or possibly over Western Africa by now, on his way to officially become Hope's daddy. My heart may burst!

So much has happened over the last 10 days as we have been making final preparations for this trip...

We went shopping for donations for the care center,

To buying thank you gifts and writing letters for some special Ethiopian friends, 

To pausing to celebrate Sydney's 6th birthday with family and fun at the pool with friends, 

A surprise daddy daughter date to a Princess Ball on her birthday 

And celebrating this amazing man on Father's Day..

(And these awesome Dads too!!)

To packing (which literally took us days),

To final goodbyes

And then dropping Tom at the airport this morning..

It wasn't until I got back in the van to pull away from the airport that it all finally hit me...

Tom is on his way to adopt our daughter. Once we pass court, she's ours. All these moments we spend together as a family, she will soon be here to experience with us. The 4 years of labor pains will finally be gone and she will be in our arms...FOREVER! 

My cup runneth over.

He should land around midnight EST..please continue to be in prayer for his travels and for the details of the adoption to go smoothly. If you would like to join with us in a tangible way to donate toward a gift for hope when she comes home that will help us offset the cost of travel and in-country fees, see the previous post, "Covered in Love" to find out how. 

COVERED IN LOVE

With the amazing news of our court date being scheduled on June 28, we have decided to launch a very meaningful adoption fundraiser. Over the years many of you have prayed with us, hoped with us, have been excited about good news with us, have cried through the bad news with us, and have learned to trust God in all circumstances alongside us. With this fundraiser, you can be a part of welcoming Hope home, bringing her comfort, love, and joy in a tangible way that she will have for years to come.

Our very talented, generous, dear friend and fellow adoptive mama, named Angie, has offered to make a quilt for Hope. (She actually has a business called Sew Simply Me and has made us numerous quilts and other creative gifts over the years!) We have envisioned the front of the quilt to say LOVE, but we are hoping you can help us design the back. We would like for the back of the quilt to be filled with the names and/or notes from those who have loved, prayed for, and supported Hope’s journey home. There are two ways to sponsor the quilt:

1) Name only sponsorships: $25 per name
2)  Quilt square sponsorship: $100 (you may also leave a note for Hope with this type of sponsorship)

Once you make your donation, you will leave us a note, a Bible verse, a prayer, a quote, or your name depending on the type of sponsorship you choose and I will write it on the fabric. Once all the squares have been completed, Angie will sew them together to create the back of the quilt.

How to Sponsor:

1) Select the type of sponsorship you would like to make and click "DONATE VIA PAYPAL" to make your donation (you may donate additional funds if you desire apart from your sponsorship here as well). ***If you are viewing this on a mobile device, click "view web version" at the bottom of the page to see the side bar where you can click to donate*** You may also mail us your donation. Contact us for address.
(2) Write name and/or your note in the “Add special instructions for the Recipient” section on the donation review page.  We will write your name and/or note onto a square of the back of the quilt.

Our goal for this fundraiser is to help offset the final adoption travel and in-country fees of approximately $5,000. We have exactly one week until Tom gets on the plane and would like to have the quilt fully sponsored by the day he leaves so Angie can start making it! Will you join with us in this final phase of our adoption journey and help bring our sweet girl home? Feel free to share this with your family, friends, churches, small groups or anyone else who might like to join with us in this tangible way to show love to our daughter when she finally comes home! Hope will literally be covered in your love and will be able to see the names, read your words of support and encouragement, and know how very loved she is when she comes home and begins life with her forever family.

The Court Trip Details

FLIGHT IS BOOKED PEOPLE!!!

On Saturday, June 25th, Tom will be flying out of DC!!! He will arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sunday, June 26th. He has a return flight scheduled on July 8 and our prayer is that we have to add another ticket to that flight to bring Hope home!!!

Many of you have asked if she will come home right away after court and the short answer is "no." Although she will legally be our daughter on that day, there is still work to be done before we can bring her home. Here is the breakdown:

1) Pass court (June 28)

2) Receive court decree (could be same day as court appointment, could take a couple days)

3) Get a new birth certificate (these are ONLY issued on Thursdays..so if we don't have this by Thursday, June 30...everything gets pushed back a week)

4) Medical appointment (required for Visa..includes TB test which is read after 2 days)

5) New passport

6) VISA appointment at US Embassy

7) COME HOME

As you can see, there are quite a few appointments and things that still need to happen/documents that need to be issued in a timely manner in order for Hope to come home with her Daddy on July 8th...but that is our prayer!!! If that doesn't happen, Tom will still come home that day and one of us would have to go back for the Visa appointment and to bring her home. As always, thanks for your love, support and prayers as we continue on in this journey...IT. IS. HAPPENING!!!!!

THE COURT DATE IS...

TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016!!!!!!!!!!

On this day, Hope will OFFICIALLY become our daughter!!!!

Words can’t express our feelings right now. My heart is filled with peace..finally, she will be our daughter. What God spoke into our hearts over four years ago is finally coming to fruition.

I looked back at a journal entry from the end of June 2012 (when we were first starting this process) and I wanted to share my words with you from that entry, as they were and still are true today:

“The decision to adopt is taking my husband and I on yet another journey with many unknowns, ups and downs, and situations where we have to put our complete faith in God. The one thing that is certain is that he is calling us to adopt and to love this child with the relentless love he shows to us and we know that he will give us the strength we need along the way as long as we trust in Him! I cannot wait to be able to share yet another story of how God has proven once again to provide for us and show his faithfulness that is never ceasing. He is so good!!”

He IS so good. ALL the time. And where we are today is ALL because of Him! Praise God!

"Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

James 1:4

THE CALL

Let me set the tone here by explaining what has transpired since Friday, June 11. On Friday (3 days ago) we found out that the head officer, who we have been waiting on to sign our approval, had asked for our agency to provide them with medicals for all the children who were still waiting. Our agency planned to give them that information on Monday. We ALSO found out that on Wednesday (tomorrow), the head officer, who we have been waiting on to sign our approval, would be leaving for the United States with 10 other high ranking government officials on a delegation trip and would be gone for TWO weeks. We were informed that our agency, which is based in Denver, Colorado, would be hosting this group of Ethiopian government officials on the 22nd and would need families who have adopted or who had been matched and were waiting, to come for an open house and meet with these officials. We realized that with this new request for medicals and this trip coming up, they would only have one day to sign our approval and the chances of that happening were slim to none. Tom and I began making plans to fly to Denver next week. We looked at plane tickets, spoke to Tom’s boss about needing time off, figured out child care, and were looking forward to meeting with these head officials to advocate face to face for our daughter. We were thankful for this opportunity, yet, frustrated that there would be another lengthy delay.

THE CALL

Today at 12:14pm my phone rang. I looked at it and it showed a number I didn’t know and said Denver, CO. Ya’ll…my heart skipped a beat..well, maybe stopped beating all together. When I answered a sweet voice asked for Whitney and said the following words to me, “Well I was planning to call you today to talk to you about making arrangements for you guys to come to Denver…but it looks like you won’t be coming here next week. Hopefully you’ll be in Ethiopia at your court appointment!!!”  I can’t even tell you what it felt like to hear those words…so I guess I’ll show you a photo since “a picture is worth a thousand words”

Let me be sure to thank my friend Laura who captured this moment here! About 5 minutes prior to her snapping this photo, she had been sitting with me asking about the adoption and where we were in the process. I showed her my phone and said “I am LITERALLY waiting on a call ANY day.” When she saw me jumping around shortly thereafter (as did the entire pool…by the way, this was our first day there so I’m sure most of the people thought I had completely lost it!) she picked up her phone and took these photos!

The joy and elation I experienced in that moment reminded me of the feeling I had when I gave birth to my children and also the way I felt on my wedding day. Nothing else in the world has made me feel that way other than those moments..but today, knowing that the final approval has FINALLY been made, brought pure joy to my heart and it called for JUMPING, DANCING, SQUEALING, LAUGHING, CRYING, and PRAISING GOD all at the same time! 

Calling Tom to tell him that THE CALL had finally come was filled with emotion too! I’m surprised he was able to understand my words through the combination of laughter and tears..but he did!

My dear friend April was also there and captured the moment immediately following when I told Sydney the good news. It was so wonderful to have friends (Christine was there too!) who have walked with us through this for so long, there to celebrate the moment with me! Oh my heart is so full!

The rest of the timeline at this point is unknown. Our agency had to check with us first before officially scheduling the court date but the hope is that it will be NEXT TUESDAY. YES…as in ONE week from today!! We will find out if they were able to get that date tomorrow and I will update with further details at that point. 

THANK YOU for CELEBRATING with us and for continuing to keep our family and our sweet Hope in your prayers!!

 "Let us hold fast the confession of our HOPE without wavering, for He who promised is FAITHFUL." 

Hebrews 10:23

Ripple Effect

Softly stroking her head, gently running my fingers through her shiny golden hair today as my sweet Sydney lay against me while running a fever of 103 degrees made my heart swell with love and gratitude. In 6 days she will be 6 years old. It feels like yesterday that I was holding her in my arms for the first time, crying tears of joy that my first baby, this precious perfect little human being was here and was mine. The best gift God had ever given me, this miracle of life, now in my arms. God chose ME to be her mommy, he chose ME to nurture her, to love her, to watch her grow, to kiss her boo boos, to hold her when she cries, to stroke her head when she is sick, to tuck her in at night, to tickle her and hear her laugh hysterically, to sing and dance with her, to show her how to love, to point her back to Him. All of these things…I have the PRIVLEGE of doing..because I’m her mommy. 

 

Over the last 4 years, I have often felt my heart breaking for Hope in moments like these. Today it cut a bit deeper, yet I was able to feel gratitude at the same time. A strange combination. It cut deeply because Hope was 6 when I first met her. She was much smaller than Sydney is at this same age due to malnourishment and who knows what else. There is a certain comfort that a mommy can bring to a sick child, just by their presence or their tender touch. I remember when I was a little girl I always felt better when I would get to snuggle next to my mommy or could feel her comfort even by just being in the same room with her. My heart aches for Hope because I know she does not know what that is like. When we first met and she was this very same age, she didn’t have her mommy there like Sydney does. And I realize how much my almost 6-year-old Sydney still needs her mommy. I wonder what it is like for Hope when she is sick. Who snuggles her and rubs her head to make her feel better? Who brings her ice chips to eat and puts a cold cloth on her head to help bring her fever down? Who softly sings to her and kisses her on the forehead? Who tells her they are sorry she’s sick and that they love her? Does anyone even know she is sick? 

 

I have always known that God was taking care of her long before I even knew her. I have always known that God loves her more than I can even fathom and I know he is answering my prayers for this sweet child. But today, I had some concrete answers when I asked those questions because someone was there. Someone has been there. It might not have been the same person every time, but she was not alone. God sent multiple people over the last four years to stand in the gap for me while she waited. I have connected with two people in the past few weeks in particular that I now know were there when I wasn’t. These were people visiting on multiple occasions and there were others who lived there. They were there when she got sick. They took her to clinics. They got her medicine. They got people to pray for her. They watched out for her in the village she was living in. They fed her. They were her guardian angels. God was taking care of her through them and I am forever grateful.

 

I always knew God was using this wait for some purpose. Most of the time I reflect on how He has changed me, my husband, our family…the lessons he has taught us (which are exponential) or the ways that sharing our story has impacted people around us (which has also been incredibly humbling and amazing to see). But what I’ve been learning lately is that he also had plans for our sweet Hope to impact countless people during this time! I have been told that entire congregations that I’ve never even met have fallen in love with her and have been praying for her. One family from that church has been praying for her faithfully every night that she “would have enough fruits and vegetables and a mommy and daddy.” One person even MOVED to Ethiopia to serve because of the impact Hope made on her heart. I am in awe of the impact God has made through the life of this little child..and I know this is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure ripple effect is greater than I will ever know. 

 

One thing I DO know is that it makes me feel even more honored, even more privileged, even more humbled, to get to be her mommy. When I first held her in my arms 4 years ago, I knew that God had brought me across the ocean to meet my daughter. When I first held Sydney in my arms, the circumstances were different, but everything else was the same... “God chose ME to be her mommy, he chose ME to nurture her, to love her, to watch her grow, to kiss her boo boos, to hold her when she cries, to stroke her head when she is sick, to tuck her in at night, to tickle her and hear her laugh hysterically, to sing and dance with her, to show her how to love, to point her back to Him. All of these things…I have the PRIVLEGE of doing..because I’m her mommy.”

Sealed With a Kiss

One of the most frequent questions I get when I tell people about our adoption (aside from the #1 question, "When will she be coming home?") is "Are you able to communicate with her?" Sadly, the answer is that communicating across the ocean to an orphan child in third world country is not an easy task and unfortunately doesn't happen very often.

Over the years we have been fortunate to have some friends who have travelled back and forth offer to take care packages from us to our sweet Hope. We also have been able to have some pictures sent to us through these friends and once a month through our current agency. We also have a dear friend who lives in Ethiopia and has helped us tremendously over the years. He has sent us many photos and even a video of Hope as well which has been such a blessing!

As our heart yearns to hold our little girl, the idea of her receiving a gift of love from us brings us so much joy in this waiting "season". We were so thankful to get a text from our friend, Stacy, who just happens to be traveling back to Ethiopia next week and has offered to visit our sweet Hope. Not only does this warm my heart knowing that she will be able to love on her in my absence and give her the hugs and kisses I long to give her each day, but she also will be delivering one last (hopefully!) care package to her. We thought the last one we sent in January was the final care package, but as the wait continues, we were overjoyed to have the opportunity to send our love through our friend once again.

Stacy and Hope: January 2015

Making this care package was a full day event! We made cards, wrote notes, printed photos of what we've been doing lately, shopped for some fun things to send like stickers, colored pencils, notebooks, a couple outfits, and a few other items.



We took a break and had a tea party...of course!



Sydney helped me mail the package to Stacy.



And finally...at the end of the day, we all made a video for Stacy to show to Hope when she visits.

See you soon, sweet girl, very soon.