Court Update

Our little man did not pass court today. However, because he has already had 3 courts dates and has the medical issue, they say we should be able to have his case heard really soon. Soon enough that we should still plan to travel the end of August. We are sad that he didn't pass but happy that it shouldn't be too long. We will update you as soon as we have more news. In the meantime, keep the prayers coming. Little Fikiru needs them. He is in good care and we are grateful for that.

Him? Not Them?

People have asked why we have only been referred one boy when we want two. Well, we all know that adoption is not in our control AT ALL. Given Fikiru's situation, we think it is such a blessing that we will have him first by himself to take care of his medical needs. We know that we will adopt 2, it will just be a matter of picking them up one at a time.

EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT

My brother Jake is doing a "B DRIVE" for his Eagle scout project. He is collecting items such as blankets, balls (small or deflatable) books, bottles, booties (shoes). He is actually taking any donation of items or money to help get the items there. When we travel to Ethiopia, we will be taking these things to the orphanages. They need everything and will take just about anything. If you are interested in participating, send me a note or leave a comment and I can give you more information. THANKS!!

Hurry! and Wait!

After a crazy weekend of thinking out the referral now I just sit and wait. I have been getting things done to occupy my mind and pass the time. Fikiru had court on Tuesday which was a day and a half ago. Now it is already 6pm in Ethiopia on Wednesday so another full day of court gone by and no word. I guess the agency in MN was not been able to contact the staff in Ethiopia. We take so for granted our everyday communication. PHONE, CELL PHONE, EMAIL, FACEBOOK, BLOGS, SNAIL MAIL oh and power in general. I was told that they have power about 3 days out of each week. Can you even imagine? I am so grateful for the things I have and for the lessons being learned through this process. Patience, Greater Love, Gratitude, Agency, Prayer. I could go on and on. I will keep thinking about it. I am grateful that we have a loving Heavenly Father to guide our path. Choosing to bring Fikiru to our family was no small deal. I was super excited all weekend and then have had feelings like I am going to throw up. I am grateful for people who are in the process of adoption (especially Ethiopia) or who have gone through the process to help me. I have recieved so much strength from them. They help add peace to my heart as I process each step. I am so excited now and want so much to hear about court. Let's see what the day brings.

MAJOR UPDATE

On Thursday night I cam home from a few days in Boise. I checked my messages at home and one was from molly at BFAS. My heart began to pound and I knew it would not be until Friday that I could talk to her. I was wondering what she wanted. Did she just have a question or did she have a child for us? Friday morning I woke up early and couldn't sleep. It was 6:15. I knew that was 8:15 in MN and BFAS office was open. I got on the treadmill to run but couldn't. I stopped the treadmill and grabbed the phone. I called BFAS. Molly answered the phone. She started with,"I have a special case for you." Oh great. Here's the story. Little Fikiru is referred to us. He is 18 months old. He is cute as can be with an injury. He needs hip surgery. If we decide to bring him home to our family he will need surgery right away. Well, not much time to decide. The other thing is that he has a court date for Tuesday. This is unusual. It usually takes weeks and weeks for a court date. Fikiru was previously referred to another family who decided not to go through with their adoption. Dave and I talked and talked and prayed and prayed and on Sunday morning I called Molly to accept the referral. We are very excited and very nervous at the same time. This is just the beginning of a long process. We will pray to pass court on Tuesday and then we will have an Embassy date the end of Aug to travel and pick him up. We will let you know what happens on Tuesday and then send out more of his story. One sweet little boy coming our way!

Can It Really Be?

Today I called BFAS (our agency) to check in. They have a new adoption coordinator so I thought I would introduce myself and make sure we are both clear on what we are looking for and what to expect. She let me know that they are working through a few hiccups with the last referrals and that we could expect a call in the next few weeks. To me a few weeks is like 3 so is that really so? Somedays I feel like I can't wait and others I have to remind myself we really are adopting. I am so excited. To pass time we continue to figure out where to fit 2 more in the house and what kind of van we will end up getting to transport a ball team of boys. :-)