Gripped by the greatness of God!

Ryan and I are currently taking a Bible Study class called, Gripped by the Greatness of God. During this adoption process, we have totally surrendered to God's will. We know that this process is very long and often difficult. We are filled with his peace because we KNOW that this is His will for our family.

There are many great stories of how God has worked through this adventure and today is no exception. Part of the adoption process involves getting permission from the United States government to adopt internationally. It entails getting fingerprints and another background check. Once the fingerprints are taken, it usually takes 6-8 weeks for approval.

Our fingerprints were taken on March 17th and we just received our I-171H approval today...12 days after submission. I know, with my whole heart, that God's hand has been on our family through this process...and I am GRIPPED BY HIS GREATNESS!!!

"She is a treasure"

Just heard from the gal who delivered our care package to Sehin. She said that she was sweet and had a great disposition. She said that Sehin helped translate for them so they could communicate with their daughter. Can't wait to meet her in person!

"I LOVE GOD!"

The other day Jenna, our three-year-old, climbed up on top of the couch and opened the window. I wondered, as I watched her, what in the heck she thought she was doing. She pushed the window open, stuck her head out and yelled, "I LOVE GOD!"

This process has been an absolute roller coaster! Twists and turns, ups and downs.

On Thursday, Ryan and I went in to get our Immigration fingerprints taken. Once again, the computer said that my fingerprints had been rejected due to poor quality. I was so discouraged to see the red letters flash on the screen "REJECT"

Since it takes about 2 month to get the results back, then another month to get an appointment set up, I was estimating that this was going to set us back a good 5 months.

I went down to Immigration this morning to see if there was any way that I could re-take them. I had my corn huskers lotion on hand and was ready to wait until they could fit me in....

The gentleman told me there was nothing that he could do...but I could check with the Immigration office next door and see if they could get me another appointment.

I waited for another 45 minutes and finally spoke to a woman behind a Plexiglas window. I told her my situation and asked if there was any way that she could get me another appointment. She said she thought I would have to wait to hear back, but that she would check.

She punched a few things into the computer and said, "Your fingerprints were accepted!"

If God is for us...who can be against us?

So I am sticking my head out the window and yelling,

"I LOVE GOD!!!!"

Care package has arrived!

Our agency director is in Ethiopia right now. Here are some pictures of Sehin opening up her care package that we sent.

I am overwhelmed: with praise for a God that is watching over our daughter, with emotion for seeing her beautiful smile, with awe at how meaningful it is to see her holding something that I have held and prayed over...

She is a gift that only God knew we needed!

What comes next...

Many people have asked what comes next in the process:

What comes next for us:

Our dossier will be mailed to Ethiopia for translation and authentication. DONE

We will sign documents accepting a referral for Sehin. DONE

Once Sehin's documents are ready, our case will be submitted for a court date. DONE

We will receive a court date.

Several months later Ryan and I will travel to Ethiopia for our court date.

If the court passes, Sehin will receive a birth certificate and passport.

Our case will them be submitted to the American Embassy, who will review the case.

My father and I will then travel to Ethiopia to pick up Sehin.

Due to the uncertainty of the Ethiopian government, this process may take another 6 months to a year.

What comes next for Sehin:

She will travel to the Orphan center (a new orphanage)

She will be examined by a doctor.

Her paperwork will be completed.

Her mother will come to the court date to release her parental rights.

We are celebrating!

Although the latest news of the changes in Ethiopia are discouraging, we are proceeding on with our adoption process. We finalized our dossier and sent in a copy to be authenticated in Washington DC, we also sent in a copy to our agency to be translated...

ONE STEP CLOSER TO GETTING SEHIN HOME!

I e-mailed the orphanage director to let him know this good news and he replied, "the sound is so good,very great news!! praise God!!!"

Changes in Ethiopia

We just got notice that, as of tomorrow, there are some changes in the adoption process in Ethiopia. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it is so difficult to obtain paperwork on children that have been abandoned or have no documentation of deceased parents, Ethiopia needs to spend more time evaluating each individual case. As a result, they are cutting down the number of adoptions that they do daily. They currently are processing up to 50 adoptions per day...and they are talking about processing more like 5 per day.

This change in the adoption system slows our process down dramatically. It is easy to get discouraged but then I have to remind myself how perfect God's timing is. If I trust Him with all things, than I have to trust that this is part of the big picture.