Next Step..... more waiting!

So this is just a little note to give you an update of what is next in our adoption process. Since this is the question I've been answering the most the last few days, I thought you blog stalkers might like to know also!!! :)

First, we will receive the medical and family history information on these two siblings. (We are praying this happens in the next few days.) Then, if everything looks ok with their information, we will officially accept the referral by signing and notarizing some official forms from our agency. Then, we'll WAIT.

Our "dossier" (the packet that we compiled with tons of required documents for the adoption) is in Ethiopia and is being translated into AMHARIC, the national language of Ethiopia. I think I understood that our translated dossier will be picked up tomorrow by our agency staff. Our translated dossier and the paperwork for the children will then be submitted to the court system in Ethiopia (our agency director made it sound like this would happen this next week in her referral email to us but we understand that we are dealing with the bureacracy of a third world country and there are lots of complicated, unexplainable things in all beaurocratic systems!!! So, you can guarantee we'll be praying for that one too!!) Then, we'll WAIT.

While we are waiting, the Ethiopian courts will verify all of the documents and then give us a court date. They will notify us of the court date. It is probably safe to say our court date won't happen BEFORE March 31 but it will probably be in April sometime. Then, we'll WAIT.

After the court date, IF we pass first try( ok-- we will be praying about this date too!!) we will be the legal parents of these two precious babies and we will WAIT to travel to pick them up between 2-4 weeks after the court date. Hopefully, they will be home with us by late spring. We are optimistic and we believe in the power of prayer!!

So--- that's what is in store for us along this journey. We will WAIT while our paperwork is being juggled around in Ethiopia. The hardest part of this is that we are on the other side of the world and we can't see or know what is going on in Ethiopia every day to help move the process along for our adoption, and WAITing is so hard when you don't know what's being done to bring these babies home. I am going to really pray for peace and I'm going to keep reminding myself that just because we don't HEAR any news or updates, this does not mean that the process is not taking place--- it's just that we can't see the progress and we lose faith.

This reminds me of the story in the Bible when Jesus was walking across the water and Peter asked if he could walk across the water towards Jesus? Jesus said, go ahead. So, Peter, gets out of the boat and starts walking across the water. But the
minute the water gets a little rocky and Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus, he starts to sink. Jesus catches him and says, "oh, ye of little faith."

I don't want to sink. I know Jesus also told me to "GET OUT OF THE BOAT AND COME TO HIM" in pursuing this adoption. He told me to get out of my comfort zone, have faith, be obedient in caring for orphans. He spoke to me and told me to WALK with HIM and LOVE as Jesus loved. He told me to GET OUT OF THE BOAT AND COME TO HIM!! This is His plan, His will-- I don't want to take my eyes off of Jesus because I don't want to sink and I know that HE will carry me through this and safely carry me to the other side!!

Please continue to pray for us, pray for Emma and Joshua (these are most likely, going to be the American first names for our Ethiopian children) and please also pray for the other families in various stages of adopting with BFAS. There are 5 court dates among our friends this week--- I will be lifting each one up in prayer so these little Ethiopian babies can come home to loving families and homes, soon-- please join me in lifting them up!!

Many Blessings---
Amy