Embassy Update :: Christmas in the OC

As many of you know and have already commented, we didn't get clearance from the US Embassy to travel tomorrow. We are heartbroken, crushed, whatever word you want to use... Yesterday I was drinking orange juice from a "Nightmare Before Christmas" cup, and winced to Brian that this was our reality.

There really isn't any good explanation from the Embassy as to "why", which makes it harder to understand and accept. In numerous emails from our case manager, we were told a number of things:

• The Embassy is not ready for you.
• Every family in our travel group has to have all their new documents submitted before any family will be granted another Embassy date.
• This is affecting every adoption agency in Ethiopia, not just ours. Therefore, countless families Christmas dreams have been affected.
• This is unprecedented in Ethiopia, so we're not sure what's to come.
• Our agency has been in contact with the Department of State and Children's Affairs in DC this week, and they aren't providing firm or specific answers for any of our cases.
  

WHAT'S NEXT? Our case manager is requesting that the US Embassy in Addis Ababa reviews our case on Monday morning independently from the other families and confirms for us a January 12th Embassy date [the next date possibility]. She's hoping that the "all families in the travel group need all their documents before any family is issued a court date" is some misunderstanding. The Embassy has NEVER worked like that in the past. For now we wait. Again. [NOTE: Our agency's office is closed until January 3rd, but we may still hear word before then.]

HOW ARE WE? Ugh... Awful? Ok? Devastated? Angry? Confused? Hopeful? Trusting? Missing Judah and Addise? Concerned about what's next? Longing? YES to all the above.

Honestly, we're a bit shell shocked and emotionally exhausted. I've cried rivers this week. We're gonna go dark for a little while and regain some strength and perspective. Thank you so much for your prayers. We've heard some of you have been fasting for us. We've read innumerable texts and messages. We've totally felt carried by our community. For that, we are grateful.

We'll keep you posted as we find something out.

12 Days of Christmas :: Maturation

DAY 11 :: I am grateful for the gift of maturity.

Adopting Judah and Addise has changed my prayer life. And it's changed how I ask people to pray on our behalf. This morning I was reading Exodus 14 and once again God's truth intersected exactly where I needed it.

¹³ But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. ¹⁴ The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

As I read this chapter and cried, I started praying. When I was younger I would pray for things and make decisions to surrender because I thought [at least subconsciously] that if I prayed for the right things, in the right way, and gave up my will to his, then God would give me what I wanted. A+B=C, right? Nope - God cannot be manipulated like that. I've come to believe that as I pray, I am giving up my will to his and he also shapes it to conform to his will. Then, it is well with my soul. Believe me, I would swim to Ethiopia right now if I could [and I might have to with the insane amounts of rain we've had in SoCal!!!!]. But clearly what God's doing is much bigger than I know, and I've seen that clearly in retrospect in other areas of my life. Remember, he gives me what I need more than what I simply want.

EMBASSY UPDATE :: We are still waiting, but humanly speaking it doesn't look good. Essentially, the US Embassy still hasn't given us a green light to travel, and we are running out of time. We have until about 9am tomorrow morning AT THE LATEST to cancel our airline tickets. Our case managers have said that the Embassy wants for all 6 families cases to be resolved before they give any of us an Embassy date and the green light to travel. It doesn't make sense. Our case should be ready to go now. Our agency is petitioning on our behalf with the Department of State in DC. We are waiting for an update.

Please keep praying. I'm a mess, but am choosing to trust in this confusion. Your texts, messages, and prayers have carried our burden with us. Every message, question, and hug has caused me to cry, but it's needed. Thank you.

When I started this "12 Days of Christmas" series, I wasn't expecting this turn of events. It's been quite hard to write these, but it's also forced me to celebrate and be grateful when my heart is heavy and troubled.

One more pic to make you smile...what would you put as a caption to this picture?!?!

12 Days of Christmas :: Rest

DAY 10 :: I am grateful for rest.

No news for our Embassy date today. We are waiting. Waiting for his word of hope. If we don't find out by 8am PST Thursday morning we have to cancel our airline tickets and reservations in Ethiopia. If we still can travel for the 28th Embassy date, we will find out first thing tomorrow or Thursday morning. I can't fully wrap my heart around not being on a plane Friday morning. I think I'll go into a depression...

Yet one thing I've come entirely aware of throughout this journey is that God does not sleep. He does not slumber. He is always working in our behalf. Thus, I can rest as he is active. Never before has this become so apparent as in our adoption.

Ethiopia is 11 hours ahead of our time. So when I lay my head down every night, our kids are awake in the next morning. As I fall asleep tonight, the U.S. Embassy is going about their business for the day, perhaps attending to our case. A case that means little to them and the world to us. It's not a "case". It's Judah and Addise Diaz, who need to be home with their parents. I can sleep soundly tonight because even as I renew my energy, God is working on the other side of the globe through officials and flawed processes and mistakes. And he can move mountains.

So, tonight I rest knowing that I am out of control. Utterly. Completely. Uncomfortably out of control to bring Judah and Addise home. But as I rest I trust that the God of the Universe is in control.

Here are a couple more pictures we got today. A visual reminder of why we LONG to bring them home...