Sadly, we were told the wait for a baby girl is about 18 months.. so it looks like it may be 2011 before we have baby "E" home. The biggest hang up is the courts in Ethiopia. Our Agency gets to take 10 cases to court, two times a month. That's only 20 cases per month, and not every case gets approved on the first go-round. Somtimes the court needs more information, wants to check with any living relatives of the child, etc. Once the court approves the adoption, the child is then moved to the Agency "foster care" home until their forever family arrives. We were also told it could take up to 6 months (after court approval) until we can travel. You see, we need to get an appointment with the Embassy... so that again, is a hang up.
There are also many, many power outages in Ethiopia. This makes communication between the Embassy and the US difficult. They don't have high speed internet either! If they have access, it's dial up, so it could take literally many hours to scan and email one document.
I received this today from a family that had waited a LONG TIME to adopt a sibling group from Ethiopia. It's finally approved and final:
"Waiting on God isn't to be viewed as an obstruction in the way of the plan. Waiting is an essential part of the plan. For the child of God, waiting isn't simply about what I'll receive at the end of my wait. No, waiting is much more purposeful, efficient, and practical than that. Waiting is fundamentally about what I'll become as I wait. God is using the wait to do in and through me exactly what He's promised. Through the wait He's changing me. By means of the wait He's altering the fabric of my thoughts and desires. Through the wait He's causing me to see and experience new things about Him and His kingdom. And all of this sharpens me, enabling me to be a more useful tool in His redemptive hands."
I'll have to print that and put it everywhere! How true. . .
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