Three Weeks.

Today marks three weeks.

Three weeks since we first saw our beautiful daughter's face.

Three weeks since we were able to start praying specifically over her destiny, her heart, her transition.

Three weeks since our lives began revolving around a little girl halfway around the world who doesn't even know we exist yet.

It has been an intense three weeks.



I wanted to share the "what's next" of all of this because I know it can be so confusing when you are on the outside looking in.

It probably looks like the adoption process is nothing more than as series of hurry ups and waits.

That would be an accurate assumption.

But inside of all those hurry ups and waits, we are able to learn a few things about ourselves.

How much we can really handle and still live.

How to walk in patience and gratitude even when you don't feel like it.

And most of all, how blessed we really are that God would entrust this amazing child to us. 

People often say what a great thing we're doing or how blessed she is to have us as parents someday...but the truth is? They have it totally backwards...She is saving us. We are the ones being blessed by God. When I look at her face, I feel completely inadequate to raise someone this special to God. I feel totally undeserving to get to watch her grow into a a strong woman of God..I feel entirely incapable to guide her....

And then? I am once again filled with gratitude that He will be right there with us, all the way.  He will be teaching us, raising us, and watching us grow everyday...Because of her.

No...we've done nothing unusual except say Yes to God. The rest? He's done for us.

So what's next?

Next, we pray fervently for a court hearing. Both The Husband and I have to travel to Ethiopia for the court hearing, which will finalize the adoption of Cupcake as a member of our family IN Ethiopia.

But that's not the end of it...

Once we pass court, we must wait for the adoption decree to be issued by the MOWCYA (the governing body in Ethiopia). This is where the bulk of the slowdown is being seen and while we are in favor of due diligence, we will once again, be contending for supernatural favor that the necessary paperwork be signed as soon as possible.

Because?

That's not the end of it.

Once we get the adoption decree, we can be issued a U.S. Embassy appointment. Now, there have been some additional hold-ups at Embassy because of investigations and missing paperwork. We are confident that the the 8 months of no referrals within our agency (where they were going back and collecting any missing- illegible- or difficult to understand paperwork and creating more complete files) will expedite this process and we won't see any delays here. The average wait time between court and embassy is 8-12 weeks, currently.
Once we are issued an Embassy appt., we will have to travel back to Ethiopia a second time to appear before the Embassy and declare that it IS our intention to adopt this child. The words "This Adoption Is Final" will be precious music to our ears!

That is when we will be able to bring Cupcake to America =)

It can be difficult for people when they ask "when will you get to bring her home?" to hear "we don't know".

But we just. don't.

We are fervent in our prayers that we are given supernatural favor.
We are confident in our faith that God has gone before us and He will make a clear path ahead of us.

And we are peaceful in our hearts that God is protecting and comforting our sweet girl while we wait to finally be able to bring her into our family!

Thank you for your prayers and support in these final "Waits"