Friday, August 19, 2011

Our Journey So Far!!

Update

No news is good news.. right?  Well, not necessarily.  Spoke with our Case Manager yesterday and referrals are at a complete standstill.  There are plenty of children waiting, and plenty of adoptive parents waiting...it's the paperwork that's holding things up.  A representative from our Agency is heading over to Ethiopia next week to see if she can figure out what's going on.  Please pray for her safe travels and that she can get to the bottom of why the paperwork is moving so slow.  Please also pray for the precious babies that are growing up in an orphanage because of 'paperwork problems.'  At this point, we know our "E" is in an orphanage waiting ... God has a plan for all of these children.  I just hope it includes some of them coming to forever families in the U.S.  

Also, they have recently closed 14 orphanages in Ethiopia (none of them were affiliated with our Agency).  It does, however, effect some of the orphanages our Agency works with because the displaced children have been moved to other orphanages.  So, now the nannies and staff are overwhelmed with children . . .all while the paperwork has stopped.  These little babies (some of whom have already been matched with families) continue to wait. 

On a happy note, we did received word that all of our paperwork is ready and waiting at the Embassy in Ethiopia.  Now all we need is a referral! 

Regarding our referral, our Case Manager seems to think Baby E may be an infant vs. a toddler.  She said there have been many infants admitted to the orphanages lately.  She said if we get our referral soon we may go to court at the end of October/November.  If the referral comes later, it would be November/December for our first trip. 

In Angie's perfect world :)   I would LOVE to get a referral soon, travel in October and then in December to have E home for Christmas.  I know, silly me, but a girl can dream, right? 

Seriously though, please join us in praying for the waiting families and waiting children -- that we all can get matched up and get things moving, get submitted to court, etc.   We, (I mean HE) can do this!! 

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Trip to DC

We hit DC this weekend to check out the Smithsonian -- specifically the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum.  We also hit the Air and Space Museum at Dulles International Airport.  Despite the heat and the down metro system (yay), we had an awesome time.   Here are a few  pics.  Faith did so well.  We took her from bus to metro in the heat and then the stormy rain, and she did nothing but smile.  What a trooper.  The boys dedcided on Monday that we could do whatever, as long as it didn't involve a bus or the Metro!  Can't blame them there! 




The Butterfly Pavilion at Natural History  Museum

Faith loved all the butterflies!
And some of the Butterflies liked us too!
Space Shuttle Enterprise

Friday, August 5, 2011

We have been re-activated!

Yay!  We have been reactivated... meaning we are now up for a referral!  We saw the phone come up with an area code that began with "8" yesterday, and Brad said it must have been a sales call... THEN I remembered that CWA area code begins with 8!  I said "It's a North Carolina number... Answer it!!!!"  We both dove for the phone!  HA! 

Oh how my heart is happy.  We have a phone call today with our case manager to find out more and what to expect.  I think there are a few familes still ahead of us, but we are close to the top for a referral, since our paperwork was submitted in January of 2010.  We did get an email yesterday saying that referrals are S-L-O-W... so I'm not sure that means time-wise.  But honestly, after being in this process for almost 2 years, I think I will be able to wait a few more weeks for a referral.  Praying that it's not a few MONTHS. 

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40:31