Another step closer

Today we received an e-mail from Holt telling us that our adoption case has been submitted to the Ethiopian courts.  Our stack of paperwork is finally in the building!  Yay!  I am still in awe of how all of the paperwork gets from here to there and submitted to court in an orderly fashion.  Unbelievable!  Now we are just waiting to be assigned a court date.  Then we can buy our plane tickets!!!!  So excited to meet Jordan.  I just can't explain how my whole body aches to hold her.  Just aches. 

The adoption process in Ethiopia has changed since we adopted Elias in 2008.  At that time, we made one trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  The court hearing had already taken place before we went, so we were able to take custody of our son, get his Visa, and bring him home.  Now we are required to be present at the court hearing.  Because it can take 6 to 8 weeks from your court hearing to get your child's Visa, we will be coming home until we get word that the Visa is ready.  Only then can we go get Jordan and bring her home.  So, you can understand how I have been trying not to think on this too much.  We will only be allowed to meet Jordan briefly on the first trip.  It is going to kill me to have to walk away from her, fly back here and wait for that Visa.  Ugh! 

I'm trying to concentrate on the positives.  For example, it will be so great to get to hold Jordan, look her over, and really know that she is okay.  And, because she is so tiny for her age it has been hard for me to really picture how big she is and what size of clothes she will need.  I will be able to briefly assess her development and know what kinds of toys might be good for her.  And, I may have mentioned just getting to finally hold her in my arms!  What a gift!

In the meantime, I know that God is cradling her firmly in his arms.  I am more than okay with that.  I am completely humbled that He would choose me to be Jordan's mom.  This is a privilege I will not take for granted. 

After the referral...

Referral.  Matched with your child.  The day you and your family have been waiting for since November 2010.  O happy day!  Or, kind of not so happy day?? 

Adoption is a beautiful thing.  A clear image of Christ's love for us.  But, just as there is brokenness and sorrow in the story of Christ, there is also brokenness and sorrow in adoption. 

For instance, the glaring reality that a child has lost or been abandoned by their parents.  Every child's story is different.  Their parents may have died.  They may have been abandoned in an alley.  They may have been relinquished by a single parent who was unable to care for them.  They may have been conceived in a manner that is culturally unacceptable.  Or, any combination of these situations.  Bad things happen.  Children are alone.  They need a family. 

Upon receiving that beautiful, longed for picture of your son or daughter, you will also learn the intimate details of how he/she became an orphan - if this information is available.  It will bring you to your knees in sorrow.  Sorrow for your child, sorrow for your child's birth family, sorrow for the people of your child's birth country, sorrow for all of humanity.  This is some heavy, emotional information to process - all while you are expected to be jubilantly showing off pictures and making big plans.  Because, yes, this IS a happy day! 

I have to look at it like this:  Just as there is redemption in the story of Christ, there is also redemption in adoption.  We, as Christians, were saved by our faith and adopted into the family of God.  His word equips us with the strength, love and compassion we need to adopt our children into our families.  Make no mistake, I am not suggesting that we, as adoptive parents, are "saving" any children.  That is not our job.  Our job is to demonstrate Christ's unconditional love to our children every day so that they may know Him - the one who will not leave us as orphans.  John 14:18

So, yes, this is a happy time.  Celebrate!  Our Lord is placing a child into a family.  Psalms 68:6

She resurfaces.......one year later!

Hello all 2 of you who still may wander to this blog occasionally to see if I've made any effort to update.  Because, really, who starts a blog and then neglects to update it for an entire year?!  ME, that's who!  Why have I not updated?  Well, mostly because I've been busy raising two delightful, high-spirited boys.  Trent is now 6 years old and just began 1st Grade.  Elias is now 5 years old and just began Kindergarten.  They both attend Clemons Lutheran School, which we all love. 


Elias - First day of Kindergarten

Trent - First day of 1st Grade




Trent lost his first tooth!

recent family photo

We have also been busy plugging away at another BIG project.  Let me take you back to November 2010 when we formally applied to Holt International Children's Services to adopt a girl from Ethiopia.  Yes, that's November 2010 - nearly 2 years ago!  A lot has happened since then.  Mostly paperwork.  But, alas, on August 24th we formally accepted referral of a beautiful 7-month-old baby girl!  Jordan Elizabeth.  This was a total surprise to us.  We were thinking that it could possibly be another year before we were matched - or, even worse, that this adoption might not happen.  However, when we applied to adopt from Ethiopia, we also applied to Ethiopia's Waiting Child Program.  (basically, that means that we were open to a child with mild to moderate special needs)  Jordan has a partial, unilateral cleft lip that will need to be surgically repaired when she gets home.  Cleft lip is something that we had specifically been open to when filling out our original paperwork.  So, basically, our profile matched perfectly with this baby girl.  God is good!
In light of this new development, I am going to make an ardent effort to keep up with my blog.  Stay tuned to see what the next step in this process will be...