Prayer please

So at some point in this process you would think I would have learned to stop assuming that we couldn't possibly hit another bump in the road.

BUT.....

We just heard word that the embassy is already booked for the week of the 4th so even if we get cleared this thursday (which everyone says we SHOULD), the best date we could hope for will be ANOTHER week away. Another family just got word that they are booked through the 7th so as it stands today the 11th is the earliest.

We are just beyond frusterated that we are again being held up. Our little girl is going to be stuck in the orphanage for ANOTHER week. She has been watching all of her little friends one by one go home with their families. She has now been there for almost 10 months! Along with maybe a handful of other families our case has been one of the longest...not something we were hoping for!

We just want to get her home and it seems everything in the world is standing in the way of letting that happen. I'm again feeling that creeping feeling like I felt when we started going through our court nightmare, that this will never ever end. Just when we feel like okay we're actually making progress and following the 'normal' timeline we get hit and then again and then again.

Please join us in praying that the Lord will open the doors for us to travel soon. To not get hit with more bad news. The He will comfort us the way ONLY He can do. That our sweet little girl will be protected and that He will be a mommy and daddy to her until we can get her home.

Okay maybe this is the last bump.....

So I forgot to post on here but last week we got news that the embassy had overbooked appointments, so they told our agency that they have to reschedule our case for the June 23th. A full week later.

I know a full week doesn't seem like much but when you've been working so hard to bring your little girl home (8 months and counting now), it feels like forever!

Our suitcases are packed. A's stuff is ready and waiting. We bought tickets that we had to change. Our friends that will be watching our kiddos had to change their plans. So we are praying hard that this will be the last bump in the road and that next Thursday we hear the words, "You've been cleared for travel!".

If things do go the way we hope they will (at least this is what our new tickets are for), we will be leaving Knoxville on June 29th EARLY morning. Returning on July 9th with our precious baby girl!

One last bump

Well we seem to have hit the last bump in the road. The embassy wrote us today, explaining that they need a few more documents before they will clear our case. So our agency said that it all should be taken care of on thursday. We're praying that we will hear news at the end of this week for travel next week! That would give us a little more time to prepare to leave.

Submitted to Embassy!!!

So Tuesday we waited and waited to hear that they had secured A's passport and submitted us to the embassy. See we we heard early that week that they needed a few more documents. Well we rushed like crazy to get the necessary paperwork to our social worker in enough time for her to send it to Grand Rapids and then onto Ethiopia. Well our papers did make it JUST in time! So the Ethiopian team has all they need to submit us to the embassy. They only submit cases once per week so if we missed this week we would have to wait till next Tuesday.
We got news early in the day that they did get her passport but no news about embassy. We were bummed! And a little confused since they had everything.
So we made asked our social worker to look into it. Well we got an email later that evening that there was a mistake made and that we WERE submitted to embassy!
We are so excited. This is the 'should be' the last big hurdle we have to cross before they clear us to go get A! There is a small possibility of having the embassy chose our case for further examination, but it's small.
If everything goes as planned we will be getting a call in the next week or two to pack our bags (as if they weren't already=) and go get our baby girl!
There is so much to do and I'm praying the Lord will help me to all that I NEED to do before we leave.
The kids are so excited to finally get to meet their sweet new baby sister! The car seat is in the van and her clothes are hanging in the closet.
Finally on our last step of waiting!!! We're coming sweet baby girl. We love you and can't wait to be with you again!

Passport!!!

We got news early this morning that the Ethiopian team has gotten A's passport! This is the last step before they can submit us to embassy!!!!
We are still holding out hope that we would get submitted today, but it might not happen. Our agency only submits cases to the embassy on tuesdays. So if we don't hear anything today we will have to wait till next tuesday.
Our fingerprints expire middle of July along with our homestudy so we are REALLY praying hard that we get submitted soon so we can avoid having to update all that stuff or cause possible paperwork hold-ups.
But praise the Lord we have her birth certificate and her passport now! We're getting so close!!!

Age adjustment

As far back as when we got our first update on our little girl, Stephen and I both have had serious doubts about the accuracy of her age. From all the pictures we saw and from families that had already traveled and met her in person, everyone said she isn't over 2. According to the official documents she is almost 28 months old.
When we got in country and met her for the first time we both said, "No way she is 28 months old". When we met with her nurse she brought up to us that she didn't think she was 28 months old either and was going to look into it.
Well we just got confirmation that a mistake was made on her paperwork (when adjusting to our calendar). So she is only 15 months old!!
We just knew she was much younger than was stated. It's an answer to prayer to find this out now.
As it was we were going to have to have bone tests done to figure out what her real age was. But now it's fixed and was just a paperwork error!

Bethany is happy to know she is the big sister (by 6 months)!
No doubt that will be brought up as they get older=)

Birth Certificate!!!

After only a week we already have a birth certificate!!! YEA!!! Now to get a passport and then submitted to embassy...then TRAVEL CALL!!!