Court Date

I don't know if anybody ever checks my blog anymore because I update it so infrequently but, just in case, here's the latest news. Brad and I leave Friday, November 26th for Jonah's court date visit. The actual court appointment is Tuesday, November 30th. We are hoping to be able to visit with him a good deal during our five days in-country. We are very much looking forward to it, but a little anxious about leaving behind our other four children. If you feel inclined, please lift us all up in prayer during this time.

Paper Ready!

Jonah Nahom is paper ready! Best-case scenario has him home around November/December. Will keep you posted:)

Latest Update

The agency director said "things are progressing nicely" and the last information he had "was very encouraging." This is a step in the right direction.

Deja vu?

After emailing the agency yet again last week, I was told that "they" are hopeful that Jonah Nahom's paperwork will be ready in the next 2-3 weeks. Didn't I just post that same thing back in February? Here's hoping...

Hopeful News

I am happy to report that my last post appears to have been way off from reality. That wouldn't be the first time, would it? I just received the following news today from our agency's office staff:

"I spoke with S this morning and he said that Nahom should be paper ready within the next few weeks. I will let you know as soon as he is filed for court."

This is such great and hopeful news for us. I have no idea what the timeframe really looks like, but we are so very pleased to have forward movement.

Thank you, Jesus.

A Sick Feeling

I don't know if it's just the anticipation of all six of us leaving for a family trip in ten hours or what, but I can't sleep and really all I can think about is Jonah. I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that he won't be coming home. I pray with all my heart that this isn't true, but I can't help but think it is. I've sort of been mentally preparing myself for this for a while now, but I just started asking myself a few minutes ago, how are we going to tell the boys? How do you explain to a 7- and 5-year old that there's a child who has no family and that this child, whom we all love so much already, will never be a part of ours? He's already their brother in their hearts. God, help us.

Please Give

If you are like me, you want to help the people of Haiti but aren't sure how. God has told me and Brad that we need to give sacrificially, until it hurts and makes us nervous. If you are looking for a place to donate and feel confident that the money will be well-spent, please visit our church's website, http://www.slwchurch.org/. Our church is directly involved with a church and orphange in Haiti. 100% of your donation will be used directly for the people of Haiti.

My heart is broken for these people, especially the children. Let's do everything we can to help them. All day I've been thinking, but for the grace of God, there go I. There is no difference between me and the people of Haiti, save for the fact that God chose for me to be born in this country, not that one.

Distressing

So, some adoptive families from our agency have been told untruths by an agency representative about their impending adoptions. I shared with my Bible study friends this morning that I am no longer confident that this adoption is going to happen at all. I've emailed the agency and gotten no response, so far, and I am not surprised by this. This is very, very distressing.

For some reason, the doxology from one of our former churches is going through my head as I type this. Here it is: "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."

And I am holding tight to this: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11 I am standing on this scripture, both for us and for Jonah Nahom.

In the midst of my worry, I am choosing to praise God. I am praising Him because He created me, my husband, my current children, and my future children. "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

The truth is, the only real place for me to put my hope is in Christ, and Christ alone. This agency may fail me. The people around me will fail me. I will be disappointed over and over again during my lifetime. I will hurt the people I love. But there is hope in Christ.

Psalm 121:1-2

I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

There's a song based on these verses and I've been thinking about it off and on throughout the day. It goes something like this:

I lift my eyes up, up to the mountains
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from you,
Maker of Heaven,
Creator of the earth.
Oh, how I need you, Lord,
You are my only hope,
You are my only prayer.
So, I will wait for you
To come and rescue me
To come and give me life.


Thanks for reading. I'm sorry for rambling. I don't really know what to think or say, so I'm just getting my thoughts on paper, so to speak. God truly does know what is going to happen and I am trusting in Him.

Nothing

For those of you who might be checking, we've heard nothing about our impending adoption of Jonah Nahom. It's very disheartening. On the positive side, there are families whose children were considered not paper-ready who now have courtdates in the next few weeks. So, there is movement, just not for us, apparently.

More Delays

We found out a few weeks ago that there is paperwork missing for Jonah Nahom's case. It's in-country paperwork, not anything we can take care of ourselves. This means that we have no idea when our case will move forward. It could be tomorrow, or we could be in this same spot one year from now.

As you can imagine, this was devastating news when we first heard it. We have grown accustomed to it now and are more committed than ever to bringing home our little guy. He is our son in our hearts, already. We will wait as long as it takes or until we are told that it is impossible to continue.

Father God, we are trusting you. We know you love Jonah Nahom and we know that you desire for him to have the love of a family. Keep him happy, safe, and secure until we can bring him home. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.

Something to Think About

Sunday, November 8th, is Orphan Sunday. November is National Adoption Month, with the 21st being National Adoption Day. What might your role be?

Still No News

I confess, I actually thought we would be assigned a courtdate last week. So much for that. We're still waiting to hear. I hate waiting.

Word Has It...

...that the Ethiopian courts are open and are planning to assign future court dates this week for those of us who were filed before court closure...yippee!!!!! How am I going to sleep any night this week?!

October 13th...

...that's the date Ethiopian courts are supposed to reopen. We haven't received a date for our case yet. This morning at church one of the pastors talked about the things that people have weighing on their hearts and minds, even though they may not talk about those things. I had a hard time holding back the tears. I don't talk about it much and I try to look at the positives in this situation, but I long for my little boy, whom I've never met. He's been at the orphanage for almost a year now. Does he think that's his permanent home? Does he get to look through the photo album we sent him months ago with pictures of us? Is he getting enough love and attention?

Dear God, please protect Jonah Nahom's little heart, mind, body, and spirit as he waits to come home. Please help him to feel loved and protected by You. Comfort him when he is hurt, lonely, and afraid. Prepare us as we wait. Help us to trust You. We know You love him more than we do. In the strong name of Jesus, amen.

Are They Open?

Rumor has it that the Ethiopian courts re-opened today, or it might not be until next Monday. Either way, it's good news for us. We still haven't received a new courtdate yet, but I am holding out hope that we will hear something very soon. I hope so. I'm getting weary and I'm starting to think Jonah Nahom will never come home.

Waiting...

Well, courts officially closed a few weeks ago, but will be re-opening on September 27, which is early! I had been hoping we would already have a courtdate scheduled for the beginning of October, but nothing yet. I'll keep you posted.

On Hold

Well, it's not official yet, but it sounds like we won't be getting a courtdate until after the Ethiopian courts close and re-open for the rainy season. I believe closure dates are August 21 - October 1. There is still an outside chance we'll get a date before courts close, but it's very, very unlikely. Assuming we don't, the best we can hope for is an early October courtdate. If Jonah Nahom's case passes the first time, which isn't impossible, but not typical, either, then the earliest we could go get him would be early- to mid-November. I haven't given up hope on an August courtdate just yet, but I'm trying to be realistic. Even though this isn't really "news," I wanted to update those of you who have been wondering, and sometimes asking, whether or not we've heard anything. The only upside to this, that I can see, is that it gives us longer to come up with the money we are going to need once we pass court. While time seems to be moving so slowly until we meet Jonah and welcome him into our family, I am reminded that God's timing is not ours and what seems so very long to us is really just a blink to Him.

Update

We just heard today that the Ethiopian courts have again started assigning and hearing abandonment cases. This is great news! We are hoping to hear by Thursday when our new courtdate will be. However, we are also moving Thursday, so it may not be until the end of the weekend before we find out our date and can share that information with all of you.

Case Not Heard

As was expected, though we were praying and hoping differently, Jonah Nahom's case was not heard on Thursday due to the fact that he was abandoned and abandonment hearings have not yet resumed. We are prayerful that his case will be heard before courts close at the beginning of August for the rainy season. If it is not heard and approved before court closure, the earliest his case would be heard would be October. Please continue to pray with us for a speedy resolution and for Jonah's peace of mind and comfort in the meantime. Thank you for your faithfulness to us and and to this beautiful little boy who is already our son in our hearts.

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.