"Like cool water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country."
It is no secret that we have had our share of disappointing news since we started the adoption process almost 2 years and three countries ago. We still have our ups and downs where that's concerned, but today we got some good news from Ethiopia. Our paperwork has been submitted to the courts. We should know what our court date is about a week from now. (We expect it to be sometime after the New Year.) If we pass court the first go-around, we should be able to bring the girls home five weeks after the court date. This is further than we have ever gotten before, so it is indeed good news.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Mark Richt shares his adoption story
I (Amy) decided this video was a little more important than the one Matt posted below. =)
Please be aware, we are not endorsing UGA, just love the Richt family. GO CATS!
Please be aware, we are not endorsing UGA, just love the Richt family. GO CATS!
Monday, October 27, 2008
I Could Watch This Over and Over...
Listen for the magic sound at the 10-second mark, then wait for it...wait for it...
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Gumuz
I (Amy) found this information on the SIM site-http://www.sim.org/index.php/content/gumuz. I thought it gave a great, brief look into the life of the Gumuz people. Our girls are Gumuz so this information is very helpful for us to understand the area where they are coming from. I found out about SIM when I was in college and little did I know then that I would one day adopt two girls from an SIM ministry area.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Realities of Life in Ethiopia
I (Amy) found the link to this story from the Sydney Morning Hearld on another blog of a family that is adopting from Ethiopia. It is a quick news story about the realities of life in rural Ethiopia. It fans the flames in my soul to get our girls home as soon as possible and to help other kids find their forever family. Please take a minute and watch.
http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2008/world/ethiopia/index.html
http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2008/world/ethiopia/index.html
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Amy's Doin' Yardwork
We finally got the lower front of the house painted, so Amy has been able to start relandscaping her garden.
And then she got in on some high-wire repairs as we replaced the two panels on our shed roof that had fallen in...
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
News and Prayer Requests
Well, we got the bill for the girls yesterday so I think that officially makes them ours. Amy also talked to Sue, the agency director who just got back from Ethiopia on Sunday. She said the girls are shy and that they didn't talk much when she saw them.
The twins are still in their village at this point, because there is not room for them yet in the orphanage in Kamashi (Western Ethiopia). There are several adopting families set to travel in the next few weeks, and once they get their kids, there will be room for the girls to come to the orphanage. Sue said they are first priority to get to the orphanage because they are in the care of a neighbor, not a family member, and the other kids in their village who are available for adoption are with extended family.
She also told me that the girls will be brought to the agency's home in Addis Ababa a minimum of 3 weeks before we travel so that they can get their paperwork finalized. This is good, because two of the nannies at the home in Addis speak some English, and they teach the kids some key phrases (like "I need to use the toilet"). Sue is hoping to have them brought to Addis for longer then 3 weeks so they can receive better treatment for their parasites and worms, but again it depends on when space becomes available.
Sue told us it looked like we wouldn't travel until early February, but it all depends on when we get our court date. Christmas is celebrated in Ethiopia the first week of January, so we lose time for both the US holidays and the Ethiopian holidays.
So, our big prayer requests are:
1) that space will open up for the girls to be brought from their village to the orphanage, and then on to the home in Addis so they can be treated for their "intestinal friends".
2) that we could get an early court date. We can travel about 4 weeks after the girls' court date. If we get a court date toward the end of November, we could possibly squeeze in at the end of December, before or between the two holiday celebrations. But if we don't get a court date until December, it will probably push us off until early February.
3.) finances. We have applied for several grants, and we are waiting to hear back. The girls' placing fee is $11,500, and then we'll have travel and hotels, etc. We have applied for enough grant money to cover all these expenses, but grants are very hard to get, because there are so many families applying for them. Please pray that the Lord will move mountains to provide the finances we need to bring the girls home.
The twins are still in their village at this point, because there is not room for them yet in the orphanage in Kamashi (Western Ethiopia). There are several adopting families set to travel in the next few weeks, and once they get their kids, there will be room for the girls to come to the orphanage. Sue said they are first priority to get to the orphanage because they are in the care of a neighbor, not a family member, and the other kids in their village who are available for adoption are with extended family.
She also told me that the girls will be brought to the agency's home in Addis Ababa a minimum of 3 weeks before we travel so that they can get their paperwork finalized. This is good, because two of the nannies at the home in Addis speak some English, and they teach the kids some key phrases (like "I need to use the toilet"). Sue is hoping to have them brought to Addis for longer then 3 weeks so they can receive better treatment for their parasites and worms, but again it depends on when space becomes available.
Sue told us it looked like we wouldn't travel until early February, but it all depends on when we get our court date. Christmas is celebrated in Ethiopia the first week of January, so we lose time for both the US holidays and the Ethiopian holidays.
So, our big prayer requests are:
1) that space will open up for the girls to be brought from their village to the orphanage, and then on to the home in Addis so they can be treated for their "intestinal friends".
2) that we could get an early court date. We can travel about 4 weeks after the girls' court date. If we get a court date toward the end of November, we could possibly squeeze in at the end of December, before or between the two holiday celebrations. But if we don't get a court date until December, it will probably push us off until early February.
3.) finances. We have applied for several grants, and we are waiting to hear back. The girls' placing fee is $11,500, and then we'll have travel and hotels, etc. We have applied for enough grant money to cover all these expenses, but grants are very hard to get, because there are so many families applying for them. Please pray that the Lord will move mountains to provide the finances we need to bring the girls home.
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