Expect Delays (some emotional)

This week I got an email from our CWA case manager about where we are on the wait list and what the process looks like from this point forward...

Where are we on the wait list? Still #3...we've been #3 for 4 months. There's a family who submitted their dossier in August, and then I've "met" the other couple "ahead" of us. They actually submitted their dossier for 2 kiddos on the same day we did - they are adopting 2 boys!

After we accept our referral, how long until we travel before our first trip?

Once we have a referral, it will probably be about 3 months before you travel for your court hearing [maybe a long guesstimate here]. BUT the courts recess in August and September, so we definitely wouldn’t be traveling to Ethiopia for our first trip in August/September; therefore the court recess will back things up a bit – at least it has in the past.

How long between the first trip and the second trip when we bring our babies home? Once we’ve traveled for your first trip, it will be about 6 to 8 weeks before we travel for the US Embassy date to bring them home.

2 Realities plus a Bonus:

1. God is the God of all time, so he is not bound by these time lines and can bring home our kiddos whenever he wants!
2. God still works within the time confines of this world he created. Therefore, the time lines our agency has given for our adoption are realistic, too.
   
3. Since the 2 trip policy has just been instituted [beginning Mother's Day...go figure], they don't really know what it will look like.

Prayer Request: Again, I ask because my spirit can hardly pray this way without wrapping my will around the request, but I'm asking you to pray that we get our first court date BEFORE the courts close in August. It's against what would be typical, but God can do it. If we do not get the court date before August, it looks highly unlikely that we'd get our babies before the end of this year. [That's a hard reality for me to swallow].

In spite of the delays and God's tying our hearts to Ethiopia, and while we only see things in black and white, God's working in Technicolor! Thank you for praying and walking with us through the ups and downs of our adoption. Much Love!