Ethiopia Court Update

Yesterday, our agency rep posted this:

"What we were told today, from reputable sources in Ethiopia, was that the investigation will be complete and they will begin hearing cases again ofabandoned kids by the end of June. That is really all I know. I guess that is at least a timeline. I am not saying that by the end of June doesn't mean it couldn't be earlier than end of June, but I really don't know that is just what we were told. They will get these cases on the docket through before courts close, I am sure."

I'm sure I should be happy about this, but I am disappointed. Jonah Nahom's courtdate is scheduled for this coming Thursday, June 4th. I am still praying for a miracle, that somehow, some way, everything would get resolved this week and our courtdate would happen, as planned, and that his case would be approved at the first hearing. I know that is asking a lot, but I serve a VERY large God, who is in no way intimidated, worried, or confused by these circumstances.

Thank you to all of you who have sent emails, or talked to me in person, to ask how things are going. It means so much to me that Jonah Nahom is not forgotten and that he has people all over this country praying for his speedy and safe trip home to his forever family.

Thank you for lifting us up during this time.

Micah's Gotcha Day

Yesterday, May 17th, was the one-year anniversary of the first time we held Micah Kirubel. It truly feels like he's always been a part of our family. We love him so much, as you can see in the picture at left. Thank you, God, for giving us this little boy to love and be a part of our family

A Setback

Below is an alert regarding Ethiopian adoptions. Please read it and join us in prayer. Nahom was abandoned, so this does, indeed, affect us. This is very worrisome, but I am confident that my God is bigger than this and that it will all be resolved, hopefully in a very timely manner.

May 13, 2009
Adoptions of Abandoned Children Halted by Ethiopian Court:The Ethiopian First Instance Court has temporarily stopped accepting cases involving abandoned children from orphanages in Addis Ababa, citing concern over a recent increase in the number of abandoned children being brought for adoption. The number of abandoned children from orphanages in Addis Ababa has grown dramatically in recent months and Ethiopian authorities have become aware of possible cases of unethical practices associated with some of them.

At Last, A Court Date

I got an email last week from our agency saying that we have been assigned a courtdate of June 4th. Yaaayyy! This is great news! If we pass the first time, Brad will travel 4-8 weeks later. If we don't pass the first time, we will be assigned a new courtdate. That will continue to happen until we pass. We did pass the first time with Micah, but things are changing with Ethiopian adoptions, so I'm not holding my breath this time around. We are praying for God's perfect timing in all this, as we'd prefer to wait to bring home Jonah Nahom until after we've moved so that he doesn't have to make two major transitions in such a short period of time. We can't wait to meet him!