Postponed...

April 24, 2008

Currently, Addis is experiencing power outages every four days for 12-13 hrs. per day. This is causing no small problem with communication, as you can imagine! As we last updated, we had a court date yesterday and, because of the power outage, we were forced to wait until this morning to hear about the outcome. Unfortunately, we were postponed until May 8. As soon as we learned of the postponement, we got on the phone to change our plane reservations. That, my friends, is not an easy task and the later we fly in the season, the more difficult it will become. We are about to enter the rainy season and travel is more difficult during that time for many reasons.

For some reason, unknown to us, MOWA ( the government office which overseas Ethiopian adoptions) has requested additional documentation from the region in which Joshua and Josiah are from. While we’re disappointed, we know that this is not a surprise to the Lord and trust that He knows exactly what is needed. Thank you so much for your prayers over the last few days and weeks. We’ve had tremendous peace, which can only come from Him. We refuse to allow this to steal our joy in what God is doing through this process. As I picked Jessica and Christopher up from school today, I anticipated many tears. Our daughter completely blew me away in her response. Jessica said, and I quote, “Well, that just means that God wants us to wait a little bit longer and that He has it all in control.” She even told one of her friends the exact same thing when they expressed their disappointment that we hadn’t passed on the first try. Go Jessica!

We did get some clarification on the twins’ orphan status when we talked to Sue today. We were under the impression that the twins’ parents or close family member would be required to attend the court hearing. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that will not be the case with our adoption, due to the circumstances in which the twins’ were relinquished. So, that is a praise that we are thankful for, simply to eliminate more grief for their family. Someday, we’ll explain the circumstances, but for now, we want to honor the twins’ story by allowing them to be the first ones to hear it. Until then, trust us when we say that they have a remarkable story to tell.

Please keep us in your prayers on the evening of May 7th and thru May 8th. Because Addis Ababa is 7 hours ahead, we know that court will be opening up around 2am our time (in Texas). While we don’t know the exact time that our case will be heard, we know that your prayers will be heard by our Heavenly Father. We are praying that there will be no more delays and that we will receive good news (QUICKLY!).