It's Been a Long Time

We have been waiting for many many months since we received our referral in October 2015.  We have run into many problems with our case and it has taken a while to get those things sorted out. As many of you know there has been a suspension on Ethiopian adoptions as of April 21, 2017.  We have advocated to the Department of State and Congress to assist in completing all pending adoptions.  As of right now the country of Ethiopia has said they will complete all of the pending adoptions as of April 21, 2017.  We are hoping and praying that our adoption is able to be completed in a timely manner.  We have also received news that our adoption service provider has had to downsize their staff due to low resources.  I may be planning a trip in the fall to go and try to wrap our adoption up and speed things along in our process to bring Willow home.  Throughout this time we have had to pay orphanage fees that provide care for Willow in her orphanage and we also need to raise money for travel expenses.  We are paying $250 dollars a month for Willows care which is hindering our ability to use our resources for travel costs.  We need to raise around $10000 for travel.  If you feel led to give we greatly appreciate the help. The link to give is on the right side of my blog. We also need prayer that the state of things will continue and everyone in process will be able to get their kids home.

This adoption has been so so difficult for our family.  This process has taken 5 years so far and we still aren't to the end.  Someone shared this with me today and it was able to quiet my heart during this storm. To know that Willow is loved by the Lord far more than we love her and that HE is watching over her every step of this process gives me peace.

I never could've envisioned in my wildest dreams how hard our adoption journey would be! And, the Lord sweetly reminded me of how HARD and UGLY and PAINFUL our adoption was by Him. THIS is the favor of God. That we might share in the suffering of Jesus and get a teeny tiny glimpse of the magnitude of our adoption by God. And, now we get to share in an inheritance with Jesus Christ! Because of all that pain and ugly, we get the BEST beautiful of all time! So, we look to God and ask that He have mercy on our adoption process and continue to make something really beautiful.