I posted my last update at the end of June. We were frustrated beyond measure, feeling quite a bit of despair and like we were grasping at straws. There was nothing we could do to move the mountains that we saw in front of us. That was a hopeless feeling.
Oh, but then... Just as his referral came to us out of what felt like the clear, blue sky, so did the call to go to Africa.
We had been told that our redo prelim had not happened due to power outages. I received word that our case had to be "re-opened" with the federal courts because it had been so long since we had made any progress that they had closed our case. It was hard NOT to feel hopeless. Then Thursday July 2nd my phone rang. When I saw that it was our case worker, I actually heaved a big sigh of frustration. I expected more of the same "well here's the problem...." talk from her. I had been hearing it for months now. Instead, she said "are your bags packed?" I said "of course not, why?" She asked me, "How soon can you get packed? We need you in court on July 9th. Which means you need to be in Ethiopia by July 7th." Five days to pack, plan, and get half way around the world, over a holiday weekend? Sure. Why not?
From that point on it really did feel like a lot of things fell into place. My ER co-worker was actually right there and agreed to cover the ER for a few minutes so I could go deliver the news to Brett in person. We then went and found Madigan and told her too. Lots of jumping, hugging, and squealing ensued. :) The next few days were a blur as we made last minute travel arrangements, packed, and took off for Denver. A high school friend works for Hyatt and hooked us up with an amazing hotel room in Denver and a place to park our vehicle. We also found out that a fellow WaKeeney-ian was on the same flight from DC to Addis Ababa with us! How crazy. We flew from Denver to DC, stayed the night there and got up on July 5th to board the plane to Addis. July 5th is also Madigan's birthday- the 7th one to be exact- and she took the lack of birthday party like a champion. Not many 7 year olds spend 13 hours on a plane, without cake, gifts, party or friends, but she didn't complain once.
When we arrived in Addis, we got through customs and took a 90 minute car ride to Adama, Ethiopia where our son is staying. We arrived at the hotel and our in country guide was kind enough to offer to give us a few hours to nap, shower and rest- but the problem was.... we were in the same town as our son, and after 3.5 years of being in this process and 1 year of staring at his face every day we did NOT want to wait! After some begging and a phone call to make sure we were welcome to come to the orphanage at an "off visiting hour" time.... away we went.
When we pulled into the gates, we unloaded and before we could really anticipate anything- there he was. The moment you meet your child for the first time is surreal- whether it's in the delivery room after a 16 hour labor, or in an orphanage courtyard after 16 hours of traveling. (And before you wonder- labor with Madigan was 8 hours and nothing compared to a 16 hour trip halfway around the world. The next person who tells me that adoption is the "instant family option" is getting punched in the nose.)
Those first few moments you see your child for the first time are ones that get burned into your memory forever. There wasn't any anxiety or crazy butterflies- it was just that feeling in your soul of "oh, there you are! I've been looking for you!" He was as perfect as we had seen in pictures and imagined him to be. More so, maybe. Elias is very shy. He watches everything, and processes internally. Those first few hours of getting to know him, and him getting to know us were awesome. I'm so thankful we took Madigan. She was an amazing traveler, taking everything in stride and still having a great attitude when she was hot, exhausted and hungry. The three days we got to spend in Adama going to the orphanage to visit were amazing, a blog post all of it's own later. Court that Thursday July 9th was a breeze- about 10 questions making sure that we understood that the adoption was official and non-revocable, that we were prepared to care for him and that we intended to celebrate his Ethiopian heritage, and the judge spoke the most beautiful words, "The Ethiopian court approves of this adoption." With that he was ours, Elias was officially a Hille and Madigan shook the judge's hand saying "Amesegnalehu" (Thank you in Amharic) We celebrated that night with a traditional Ethiopian meal at an amazing restaurant in Addis. Madigan got called up on the stage and danced with the dancers and I had one of those surreal moments of thought....
*One week ago we had gotten a call to travel to Ethiopia, and now my daughter is doing a traditional Ethiopian dance in the Capitol city on the day her brother became a Hille. *
It's crazy awesome how quickly things can go from feeling like there are insurmountable odds stacked against you, to suddenly being right where you've always dreamed of being. And of course knowing that although we felt like we couldn't move those mountains we realized that we never did. Seeing all the things along the way that just felt like God was showing us how HE can and did move them, putting people in our path along the way to remind us- that was awesome too.
Coming home was hard. Leaving the orphanage was hard. Lots of hard things still lie ahead of us. I don't doubt any of that for a minute, just like I don't doubt that He will show us where He is along the way then too.
The question everyone asks is, "What now?"
We had to leave Elias there until his case clears Embassy. We use the adoption decree given to us by the Ethiopian court to get our son a passport; and we can apply for an exit Visa once that's obtained. We will be given an Embassy appointment and when that appointment is made, we know when we can go back and travel with him HOME forever. Our agency estimates that to be about 4-6 weeks, so we are praying to be back in Ethiopia by mid to late August.
Also several people are asking us what we need. We don't have a lot of "needs" for Elias, really. His room is mostly ready. Clothing, shoes, and diapers are about the only things that we can always use more of. We are also planning to do one more fundraiser very soon. The cost of getting last minute tickets out of the country on a holiday weekend was astronomical, so we are hoping to offset the cost of the second trip by doing a raffle. :)
The support we have from everyone in our immediate community and from near and far has been amazing. We feel blessed to know as many people as we do who have reached out with kind words and messages.
It's never felt so good to post a blog update with GOOD news for once!!
Friday, July 17, 2015
Monday, June 29, 2015
Long Summer
The past month has been a rough one.
We told our agency to challenge the court, that we wanted to proceed with the challenge to work towards bringing our son home. After about 2 weeks had gone by I began the process ofharassing e-mailing the agency to find out where we were on the process. We were told that it had been so long since our original Preliminary hearing (Feb 11, if you're keeping track), that the prelim had to be REDONE. A second preliminary hearing. Originally we were told the date was set for last Friday, then received a call that it had been postponed to Monday (May 29th) because of power outages. I received a call stating that due to power outages it's postponed until power is restored, but "Hopefully this week". Frustrating is an understatement at this point. Our agency case worker also mentioned that once this court date happens, if MOWA were to issue the letter in favor of the adoption that we should expect it to be "several months" before we would make our first trip. It's heart breaking to me that we are quickly approaching the one year mark of seeing his face. That he was 2 years and 10 months old when I first saw him, and now we will be lucky to meet him by his FOURTH birthday in September. We are struggling to deal with the feeling that our agency is not advocating for us in the way that we are asking them to- we've heard nothing of a challenge since our redo prelim was brought up. I also have no idea why the outcome to a redo prelim would be any different than the first one- ending with more waiting and no answers. It's just been a rough month, when we had hoped & dreamed that he would be home by now. It just feels like there's more questions than answers, and it's questions we don't feel like we are getting answered from the people that we have hired to advocate for us. Here's to hoping for better news in July.
We told our agency to challenge the court, that we wanted to proceed with the challenge to work towards bringing our son home. After about 2 weeks had gone by I began the process of
Monday, May 25, 2015
More waiting- with a plan.
This update isn't really an easy one to write. If you haven't read the March update below, now is a good time.
The letter from the regional government never came. There was always an excuse- but when push came to shove, there was a real lack of desire on their part to do it. The "short" story is, given the circumstances of our son's relinquishment and medical care immediately following his placement in the orphanage, they are questioning his placement for adoption as a child with "medical needs". Therefor, it appears that the letter we NEED in order to be given our court date is not coming.
Our question immediately was "what can we do?" It appears the answer is to challenge the court.
When speaking with our agency case worker, it sounds like this has been done ONE other time in the history of the agency. This is not a typical part of the process, and is definitely an addition of time & resources onto our case.
The process we are looking at involves asking the Ethiopian courts to review our case and make a ruling on our adoption- WITHOUT the letter from the Ministry that is 'required' to proceed. The best our case worker could predict- and that's vague because this is not a process that happens very often at all- is that we can begin the challenge process in June and it would take the better part of a month to reach the point where the judge would make a ruling. In the end the decision would have to be made in favor of the adoption proceeding without the letter, or against it.
We are ready for the fight for our son. We saw his face for the first time ten months ago. We will do whatever it takes to bring him home to us. This may be the 'long way' but when I think back to all of it, so was our initial trip into parenthood.
To all of our friends and family who have called & texted- thank you. The support of everyone is amazing and what really keeps us going day in & out. If you're praying, we are specifically praying that the heart of the Ministry official changes and he writes the letter so we don't have to challenge the court. Secondly we are praying for the heart of the High Court Judge who will hear our case, that his concern is for the best interest of our son, and that he feels that our son should be placed into our family. Lastly- and always- we pray for our son and those caring for him daily while we wait.
There is a bible verse that keeps popping up these last few weeks that seems to become something I have held on to.
Romans 8:28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
The letter from the regional government never came. There was always an excuse- but when push came to shove, there was a real lack of desire on their part to do it. The "short" story is, given the circumstances of our son's relinquishment and medical care immediately following his placement in the orphanage, they are questioning his placement for adoption as a child with "medical needs". Therefor, it appears that the letter we NEED in order to be given our court date is not coming.
Our question immediately was "what can we do?" It appears the answer is to challenge the court.
When speaking with our agency case worker, it sounds like this has been done ONE other time in the history of the agency. This is not a typical part of the process, and is definitely an addition of time & resources onto our case.
The process we are looking at involves asking the Ethiopian courts to review our case and make a ruling on our adoption- WITHOUT the letter from the Ministry that is 'required' to proceed. The best our case worker could predict- and that's vague because this is not a process that happens very often at all- is that we can begin the challenge process in June and it would take the better part of a month to reach the point where the judge would make a ruling. In the end the decision would have to be made in favor of the adoption proceeding without the letter, or against it.
We are ready for the fight for our son. We saw his face for the first time ten months ago. We will do whatever it takes to bring him home to us. This may be the 'long way' but when I think back to all of it, so was our initial trip into parenthood.
To all of our friends and family who have called & texted- thank you. The support of everyone is amazing and what really keeps us going day in & out. If you're praying, we are specifically praying that the heart of the Ministry official changes and he writes the letter so we don't have to challenge the court. Secondly we are praying for the heart of the High Court Judge who will hear our case, that his concern is for the best interest of our son, and that he feels that our son should be placed into our family. Lastly- and always- we pray for our son and those caring for him daily while we wait.
There is a bible verse that keeps popping up these last few weeks that seems to become something I have held on to.
Romans 8:28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Still Waiting....
It has been so long since my last post because reading about someone waiting is about as interesting as watching paint dry.
To bring everyone up to speed, we spent the winter waiting on paperwork finalization, letters, court dates and the sort of legal things that are not exciting but necessary. We were told in February that our "preliminary hearing" was scheduled and that from that date, OUR court date could be set and we would make our first trip. That date came and went, we were told with favorable outcome from the preliminary court hearing. We waited more. All that was left was a letter from the Ministry that handles children's affairs that gave a favorable statement to the adoption so that our travel date could be set. We are now going on week six without this letter being issued. There is quite a bit of frustration that can mount up when you have spent three years waiting on one thing after the other.
Today we got a phone call that at least the reason for the delay has been figured out... There is a letter from a regional government that needs to be issued before the Ministry can issue theirs. Apparently the Ministry requested this regional letter directly from the regional government a few weeks ago, but my in-country agency representative only learned of this today. Our agency's hope is that the letter can be procured early next week and that we can be given our travel date in the next couple weeks.
I know we've heard that a few times before so we're staying guardedly optimistic about it. This weekend I know that we will be saying extra prayers for the Regional Government officials to be ready and willing to write the letter on Monday. The rest is (and always has been) out of our hands.
Have a great weekend everyone!
To bring everyone up to speed, we spent the winter waiting on paperwork finalization, letters, court dates and the sort of legal things that are not exciting but necessary. We were told in February that our "preliminary hearing" was scheduled and that from that date, OUR court date could be set and we would make our first trip. That date came and went, we were told with favorable outcome from the preliminary court hearing. We waited more. All that was left was a letter from the Ministry that handles children's affairs that gave a favorable statement to the adoption so that our travel date could be set. We are now going on week six without this letter being issued. There is quite a bit of frustration that can mount up when you have spent three years waiting on one thing after the other.
Today we got a phone call that at least the reason for the delay has been figured out... There is a letter from a regional government that needs to be issued before the Ministry can issue theirs. Apparently the Ministry requested this regional letter directly from the regional government a few weeks ago, but my in-country agency representative only learned of this today. Our agency's hope is that the letter can be procured early next week and that we can be given our travel date in the next couple weeks.
I know we've heard that a few times before so we're staying guardedly optimistic about it. This weekend I know that we will be saying extra prayers for the Regional Government officials to be ready and willing to write the letter on Monday. The rest is (and always has been) out of our hands.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Happy Birthday, little Hille!
Before the month is over, our little man will have his 3rd birthday.
Half a world away, I can't help but wonder if it will be acknowledged, if he will feel special, if he even knows or could comprehend how year number three on this Earth will lead both him and our family down a hard, life changing path that will turn both our worlds upside down in the most awesome way.
I feel excited about his future birthdays- knowing that every year we will celebrate his existence in our lives in a way that I think every child deserves.
The excitement is closely bound to sadness in my heart; his birthday. His birth. I pray that the woman who gave my son life- his biological mother- can feel peace and will know that her son is safe and will be loved & cared for. I can't pretend to know what she went through. I can't imagine the choices she had to make, and I know I will never, ever pass judgment for any of that. Because of her, we have him; and for that I love her too.
Often, people want to know- what now? Our paperwork (& his) is sent through many avenues to make sure that absolutely everything is in line and done correctly. One thing that always causes a bit of a drop in the stomach is called a "Request for Evidence"- or RFE- where any agency involved can ask for more info to substantiate a document's validity. Although they are actually very common at about every level of the process- they are time consuming. They're the little bumps that take more time. We were informed this week that our paperwork went straight through USCIS without any RFE's and is now at the Embassy level. This is awesome! We expect the US Embassy will have some RFE's- but we are indeed one step closer to being given a court date and being allowed to travel.
Also we have had a few inquiries about financial donations that need to be 501(c) for tax purposes. In a previous post I had mentioned we had an account with an organization, however our church has graciously offered to do this for us, and will provide tax receipts for any monetary donations. I will place the address to the right.
We also can't thank everyone enough for the t-shirt support. We sold well over 100 and will go to print again if we can "tip" the count again- so if you DIDN'T get a shirt and want one- teespring.com/hille is the place to go!
Half a world away, I can't help but wonder if it will be acknowledged, if he will feel special, if he even knows or could comprehend how year number three on this Earth will lead both him and our family down a hard, life changing path that will turn both our worlds upside down in the most awesome way.
I feel excited about his future birthdays- knowing that every year we will celebrate his existence in our lives in a way that I think every child deserves.
The excitement is closely bound to sadness in my heart; his birthday. His birth. I pray that the woman who gave my son life- his biological mother- can feel peace and will know that her son is safe and will be loved & cared for. I can't pretend to know what she went through. I can't imagine the choices she had to make, and I know I will never, ever pass judgment for any of that. Because of her, we have him; and for that I love her too.
Often, people want to know- what now? Our paperwork (& his) is sent through many avenues to make sure that absolutely everything is in line and done correctly. One thing that always causes a bit of a drop in the stomach is called a "Request for Evidence"- or RFE- where any agency involved can ask for more info to substantiate a document's validity. Although they are actually very common at about every level of the process- they are time consuming. They're the little bumps that take more time. We were informed this week that our paperwork went straight through USCIS without any RFE's and is now at the Embassy level. This is awesome! We expect the US Embassy will have some RFE's- but we are indeed one step closer to being given a court date and being allowed to travel.
Also we have had a few inquiries about financial donations that need to be 501(c) for tax purposes. In a previous post I had mentioned we had an account with an organization, however our church has graciously offered to do this for us, and will provide tax receipts for any monetary donations. I will place the address to the right.
We also can't thank everyone enough for the t-shirt support. We sold well over 100 and will go to print again if we can "tip" the count again- so if you DIDN'T get a shirt and want one- teespring.com/hille is the place to go!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Hip, Hip, HOORAY!!! (Referral Day)
Looking back, I realize it's been almost a year since I blogged last. There was a drastic slow down over the winter and spring of 2013-14. The very depressing standstill made it difficult to keep our chins up sometimes, and honestly, we didn't want to discuss it too much. Sometimes when people meant well and would ask, I would literally reply with, "I don't want to talk about it." Since nobody likes a depressing blogger, I just stayed silent here.
Then....
Oh, but then.....
Monday July 28th, I got "the call".
I had just finished shooting a session of an amazingly squeezy little 8 month old boy at my photography studio. I saw I had a missed call and as I buckled in to drive home I listened to my voice mail.
"We are excited to show you a file of a little boy...." was about all the message I had to hear before I flew back into the parking spot at my studio and called them back. As my case worker gave me information- his age, name, birthday, my hands were shaking so hard that I couldn't even write on the scrap of paper I had tried to make notes on. She kindly promised to e-mail me all the information. I cried, and laughed and I think probably scared our case worker.
I took several deep breaths and drove home. I walked to the babysitter and picked up our daughter. By the time we made it home, Brett was there. As Madigan sat down with the iPad, I pulled up a picture from our referral e-mail and called Brett downstairs. I calmly handed him my phone when he reached the bottom and said "Would you like to see this face? We have the rest of his file to review...." More tears and laughing, prayers and combing over the info with a fine tooth comb. We reviewed all the information with our pediatrician and by Wednesday, July 30th, we knew it was right. We accepted the referral.
As is most of the adoption process, a lot of the information we have is confidential. But I want everyone to know he is so handsome, so loved and so amazing. :) We had recently spoken with our case worker and discussed the upper end our 'age limit'- although we had originally requested that our son be less than 18 months, as the years passed we felt comfortable with an age closer to 3. This little man is not quite three, but will be before we can get him home. I want to share his face with the world. I want to kiss his cheeks, and tell him I love him, and introduce him to the most excited big sister in the world. I want to watch his daddy give him piggy back rides. I want to snuggle him to sleep. I know those things will come in time, but I'm so happy that it seems that it will be sooner rather than later.
The support that's been shown is overwhelming. So many texts, facebook messages, emails and in-person hugs. So much support. I think every person is asking two things. "What now?" and "How can we help?"
What now?
We wait more. Although this part is hard, it's the validating of all the documents and approval from government offices that must happen. It's waiting with a purpose. We will wait to 'clear embassy', and be given a date to travel for our first court date. There will be two trips to Ethiopia. One for our first court date, and then we have to return home to wait for final approval. We are hopeful that we will be allowed to travel before the end of the year- however- with the 'rainy season' upon us we won't hold our breaths. I know that our agency is working on his behalf to get him home to us as soon as possible. That gives me a deep sense of security.
How can we help?
Pray. Pray for us, pray for the process, pray for him, the orphanage workers, everyone involved.
Share. Share this blog on your page- because you never know how deeply adoption has reached into the lives of your family & friends. Ask them to pray and to share and to help. However they can.
Buy. Financially, two international trips isn't easy. Although we have been working and saving, (and we will continue to do so), finances will be tight. You can help by buying something:
www.justlovecoffee.com/bringhomehille is our coffee sales site. If you want to buy coffee for a cause, this is the place to do it!
www.teespring.com/hille Is a site for a t-shirt sale we are doing. I designed the shirt, and we need to sell a minimum of 100 before they are printed. The proceeds go directly to offset our travel costs- the "end" date is August 18th. (I'm looking into child sizes if we can go to print!)
Give. If you have room in your heart and your budget to give a financial donation, it would be deeply and sincerely appreciated. A few ways are to click the "donate" button on the right side of the page and donate directly there via paypal. If you or your organization needs to donate to a 501(c)(3) account for tax purposes, we are have our account set up with AdoptTogether, the link to the right should be working to donate there.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to let us know they are supporting us. The excitement we have is just hugely increased when we know how much love & support we are getting from those we have known forever and those we have yet to meet!
Then....
Oh, but then.....
Monday July 28th, I got "the call".
I had just finished shooting a session of an amazingly squeezy little 8 month old boy at my photography studio. I saw I had a missed call and as I buckled in to drive home I listened to my voice mail.
"We are excited to show you a file of a little boy...." was about all the message I had to hear before I flew back into the parking spot at my studio and called them back. As my case worker gave me information- his age, name, birthday, my hands were shaking so hard that I couldn't even write on the scrap of paper I had tried to make notes on. She kindly promised to e-mail me all the information. I cried, and laughed and I think probably scared our case worker.
I took several deep breaths and drove home. I walked to the babysitter and picked up our daughter. By the time we made it home, Brett was there. As Madigan sat down with the iPad, I pulled up a picture from our referral e-mail and called Brett downstairs. I calmly handed him my phone when he reached the bottom and said "Would you like to see this face? We have the rest of his file to review...." More tears and laughing, prayers and combing over the info with a fine tooth comb. We reviewed all the information with our pediatrician and by Wednesday, July 30th, we knew it was right. We accepted the referral.
As is most of the adoption process, a lot of the information we have is confidential. But I want everyone to know he is so handsome, so loved and so amazing. :) We had recently spoken with our case worker and discussed the upper end our 'age limit'- although we had originally requested that our son be less than 18 months, as the years passed we felt comfortable with an age closer to 3. This little man is not quite three, but will be before we can get him home. I want to share his face with the world. I want to kiss his cheeks, and tell him I love him, and introduce him to the most excited big sister in the world. I want to watch his daddy give him piggy back rides. I want to snuggle him to sleep. I know those things will come in time, but I'm so happy that it seems that it will be sooner rather than later.
The support that's been shown is overwhelming. So many texts, facebook messages, emails and in-person hugs. So much support. I think every person is asking two things. "What now?" and "How can we help?"
What now?
We wait more. Although this part is hard, it's the validating of all the documents and approval from government offices that must happen. It's waiting with a purpose. We will wait to 'clear embassy', and be given a date to travel for our first court date. There will be two trips to Ethiopia. One for our first court date, and then we have to return home to wait for final approval. We are hopeful that we will be allowed to travel before the end of the year- however- with the 'rainy season' upon us we won't hold our breaths. I know that our agency is working on his behalf to get him home to us as soon as possible. That gives me a deep sense of security.
How can we help?
Pray. Pray for us, pray for the process, pray for him, the orphanage workers, everyone involved.
Share. Share this blog on your page- because you never know how deeply adoption has reached into the lives of your family & friends. Ask them to pray and to share and to help. However they can.
Buy. Financially, two international trips isn't easy. Although we have been working and saving, (and we will continue to do so), finances will be tight. You can help by buying something:
www.justlovecoffee.com/bringhomehille is our coffee sales site. If you want to buy coffee for a cause, this is the place to do it!
www.teespring.com/hille Is a site for a t-shirt sale we are doing. I designed the shirt, and we need to sell a minimum of 100 before they are printed. The proceeds go directly to offset our travel costs- the "end" date is August 18th. (I'm looking into child sizes if we can go to print!)
Give. If you have room in your heart and your budget to give a financial donation, it would be deeply and sincerely appreciated. A few ways are to click the "donate" button on the right side of the page and donate directly there via paypal. If you or your organization needs to donate to a 501(c)(3) account for tax purposes, we are have our account set up with AdoptTogether, the link to the right should be working to donate there.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to let us know they are supporting us. The excitement we have is just hugely increased when we know how much love & support we are getting from those we have known forever and those we have yet to meet!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Time Flies....
Suffice it to say the summer flew by very quickly while we are in "hurry up and wait" mode.
September brought and end to the summer rush and a new number in our waiting family line:
we are in the "teens"!
Wow!
That hit home with the realization this could all be happening sooner rather than later. The internal struggle hasn't changed at all as we wait for our monthly update- patience and excitement and wondering and waiting.
We are still waiting for our referral- to receive a picture and a biography and news that our son is waiting for us. Crazy! We are affiliated with Children of All Nations (CAN) adoption agency out of Texas. Their 'sister' agency that has in-country contact in Ethiopia is West Sands. Recently the staff from West Sands took a trip to Ethiopia and informed the families in the program that they are in need of medical supplies. Right now it's the rainy season in Ethiopia- and the constant moisture and temperature fluctuations can get the babies in the orphanage sick with respiratory issues (much like we do in the fall here in the USA). The e-mail from the West Sands staff spoke of the great care given by the nurses, but also of some "needs"- simple things like diaper rash cream, scrubs for the staff, mosquito nets for the beds- that would lessen the burden on the children and staff. As a nurse I know what it means to have every supply you need at your finger tips. I can't imagine working day to day needing simple supplies, which is why I have started gathering some of the 'needs' to be delivered by a traveling family. If anyone who is reading this would like to donate scrubs, diaper rash cream, mosquito nets or other medical supplies, just e-mail me at sillyhille @ gmail and I will be happy to point you in the direction of making a donation too.
One thing that really touches me is the possibility that my son's heart beats on this very same planet as mine right now. Waiting family number eighteen- and as we wait for our monthly update filling our days with school and work, God's hand is moving across the globe in ways we won't ever fully comprehend. It is highly likely that my son has been conceived- I often wonder: has he been born? Is he one of the babies being rocked by the nurses who are asking for supplies to be donated? It can sometimes be frustrating to be here waiting and wondering, hoping for a monthly update that has us closer and closer to seeing his face, but when I really let myself think about the process of adoption that has led us here- and the path that will lead us home, I don't have anxiety at all about it- I feel nothing but peace and happiness.
And I think that's the way it should be.
September brought and end to the summer rush and a new number in our waiting family line:
we are in the "teens"!
Wow!
That hit home with the realization this could all be happening sooner rather than later. The internal struggle hasn't changed at all as we wait for our monthly update- patience and excitement and wondering and waiting.
We are still waiting for our referral- to receive a picture and a biography and news that our son is waiting for us. Crazy! We are affiliated with Children of All Nations (CAN) adoption agency out of Texas. Their 'sister' agency that has in-country contact in Ethiopia is West Sands. Recently the staff from West Sands took a trip to Ethiopia and informed the families in the program that they are in need of medical supplies. Right now it's the rainy season in Ethiopia- and the constant moisture and temperature fluctuations can get the babies in the orphanage sick with respiratory issues (much like we do in the fall here in the USA). The e-mail from the West Sands staff spoke of the great care given by the nurses, but also of some "needs"- simple things like diaper rash cream, scrubs for the staff, mosquito nets for the beds- that would lessen the burden on the children and staff. As a nurse I know what it means to have every supply you need at your finger tips. I can't imagine working day to day needing simple supplies, which is why I have started gathering some of the 'needs' to be delivered by a traveling family. If anyone who is reading this would like to donate scrubs, diaper rash cream, mosquito nets or other medical supplies, just e-mail me at sillyhille @ gmail and I will be happy to point you in the direction of making a donation too.
One thing that really touches me is the possibility that my son's heart beats on this very same planet as mine right now. Waiting family number eighteen- and as we wait for our monthly update filling our days with school and work, God's hand is moving across the globe in ways we won't ever fully comprehend. It is highly likely that my son has been conceived- I often wonder: has he been born? Is he one of the babies being rocked by the nurses who are asking for supplies to be donated? It can sometimes be frustrating to be here waiting and wondering, hoping for a monthly update that has us closer and closer to seeing his face, but when I really let myself think about the process of adoption that has led us here- and the path that will lead us home, I don't have anxiety at all about it- I feel nothing but peace and happiness.
And I think that's the way it should be.
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