The Wall Bloggers

We did not pass court today.  And it feels even more devastating than last Monday (our first court date).  This time, court was held, our case came up, and two papers (not from us) were not there.  And so we could not pass.  And they assigned us the next available court date for our third try: May 17.  Another 18 days. As you may have guessed, our hearts are breaking.  They break for us, but more for our boy -- who waits and waits, not knowing what he is waiting for.  He hasn't even been allowed to see what we sent to him three months ago: the stuffed dog and photo book of us holding his picture.  You see, they will not give those to him until after we pass court. Last week, after we didn't pass, our small group leader reminded us that we can and need to praise God even for not passing court.  I finally mustered the strength to thank God (and mean it!) for not passing court the first time.  I am still working on being able to thank G...

So tonight's the night of our second court date (because it will be Thursday already in Ethiopia).  The last nine days have been filled with waiting and hoping and counting down the days.  I cannot express how much I want us to "pass court" tonight.  I do not want our court date to be postponed again.   If you read this before tomorrow, you can join with us again in asking God to allowed our boy to be declared ours at this court date.  Thank you.  We have been so encouraged by those who are joining us in prayer. On a different note, I wanted to add some recent pictures... Scott caught a picture of Adrianna and me looking at adoptable dogs on the internet. We found a paintable birdhouse for Adrianna. If you look closely at the box, you can see how she painted it just like the picture on the box.

Over the weekend, my dad and Debbie came for a visit.  We kept busy Saturday, skipping around Santa Fe (Santa Fe Green House, Flying Star restaurant, Trader Joe's), before heading to Madrid.  On our way there, we stopped by the petting zoo.  It wasn't much to write home about, but Adrianna enjoyed feeding the goats, chickens, and llama.   This goat was so pushy, she even ate the bag out of Adrianna's hand and stole food from her own kid.   The visit went by quickly with lots of fun times.

The day to finalize our child as ours...  Delayed.  Praying, praying, praying for this day since we first heard about it ten days ago (and long before that).  In anticipation, I woke several times during the night and just kept praying -- knowing that was the time in Ethiopia when the process would happen. When I finally awoke, it was with such anticipation.  And then I waited.  Each hour led to extra longing.  Each email that came -- would it be the one saying that our son was ours now?   7:00 am -- Check email.  No news from the agency. 8:00 am -- Still no news.   Decide to email our contact at the agency: "Any news on our verdict?" 9:00 am -- Still no news.  "Mommy, are we going anywhere this morning?"  "Umm... No."  (Don't want to leave the computer.) 10:00 am --  Saw an email from our agency.  With shaking hands, I pushed the button to open the email -- wanting to know, but not wanting disappointing news...

As you read this, will you pray for our court case coming to Ethiopia's courts April 19?  We have even more need than ever to pass court the first time.  We received the news that Ethiopia has finalized their "two trip" rule.  Any family who does not "pass court" by May 9 will be required to travel to Ethiopia for the court date and then return to pick up their child. We trust God's sovereignty and timing.  (Boy, has that been a lesson to learn lately!)  So we know that no matter what happens, God is in it all.  But we also know that God hears our prayers and knows our longing to bring our son home. If you will, join us in praying that all the necessary parts and people (paperwork, orphanage rep., agency rep., Ethiopian Women's Affairs rep., relinquishing family, judge, etc!) come together on Monday for our son's court case.   (By the way, this will be happening in Ethiopia on Monday, so it will be Sunday night in the U.S.) Thank you!

I am so grateful for the glimpses of perspective our Father gives.  As I think again about our April 19 court date, and accept that God's timing is perfect, I get a glimpse of God's working.  I have been praying that all of our pieces would come together so that we can pass court the first time... Well, while I do not know for certain, it sounds to me like this is the date needed for all pieces to come together. Thank You, Father.  Your timing is perfect.

I don't know how I could be so down about good news.  Well, actually, I do.  We got more news about our court date today.  Good, right?  It should have been.  But I was anticipating that the news was that we passed court and our son was officially declared ours. Instead, we got news that we know a court date.  And it's April 19.  I know, in the scheme of time and eternity, another week-and-a-half longer does not sound long.  It sounds very brief.  But to me, the mother longing for my son, it sounds like an eternity already tacked on to an eternity of waiting. I've  been letting our Father know that I am sad, but grateful.  He's been letting me know that He is faithful, and all these wonderful promises He has taught me in the last months still hold true.  He is still Father to our fatherless boy.  He is still working all things together for good.  He is still in control (and He has been working!). And the good ...

One of Scott's favorite hobbies is trip planning.  Because of that, before Valentine's day, he saw that Southwest Airlines had another of their flights-so-cheap-they're-giving-them-away deals.  Last year, we took advantage of one of those to Phoenix.  This year, the deal was to Salt Lake City.  Scott's plan was to set up the trip, ask his parents to watch Adrianna for three days and two nights, and surprise me with the upcoming trip as a Valentine present.  Unfortunately, I stole some of the thunder when I found the trip information in his email box before Valentine's day.  But, Scott still had a few cards up his sleeve, which I did not discover until a few days ago. Last Thursday, we left for Salt Lake, only to arrive and drive to Ikea.  :)    Here were are going in...   And here we are coming out... 3 hours later.   This was the most picturesque Ikea location I have been to so far.   From there, we drove on to o...

Last week, Adrianna and I continued our annual tradition of Easter egg dying.  At her request, we also continued the "egg tier" tradition.  She wanted to ask me if we could make one again this year, but she couldn't quite remember the name...  "Could we make another egg tower again?" And so we did!