A little information

Friday, July 7, 2007

Our case manager is back from vacation and sent us an email letting us know about some exciting things taking place in Addis.

First, we learned that CWA has 20 court cases scheduled for the month of July. This is a record number and the staff in Ethiopia has made it their goal to keep the numbers at this level, if possible. The most exciting news…Until recently there was only one judge on the bench approving adoptions, now there are two. Please pray that this number of judges remains or increases to help the children get home quicker.

We also learned a few details about the court system in Addis. Embassy dates are always the same for CWA families; on Tuesdays at 3:00 pm. And…CWA also has a traditional dinner night on Wednesday where the staff takes the adoptive families to a local restaurant for a fun night out for dinner.

Lastly, we learned that we won’t be put on the list for a referral until our dossier is received in Addis. That’s disappointing, but we continue to rest in the knowledge that God is in control and not surprised by any of this. We have peace that everything is in His hands.

That being said, we just had a bit of a surprise. We were planning on using frequent flyer miles to purchase our airfare to Addis. However, after talking to a travel agency and American express rewards, we just realized that we won’t be able to use the miles after all, mostly due to the fact that we have to purchase “refundable” tickets and the fact that the cheapest airline into Addis (Ethiopian Airlines) doesn’t take frequent flyer miles. So…we now have to raise the full $10,000-$12,000 in travel money.

Remember our Ethiopian children in your prayers.

Matthew & Heather