Ethiopia Day One - "Meetcha Day"

Today we arrived in Addis Ababa. It is a city of 5 million people with a density of over 14,ooo people per square mile. People everywhere! And some of those people are driving very distinctive blue and white taxis that drive in a very distinctive manner! This is something that takes a bit of getting used to, and after that becomes very humorous and fun.

After checking in at the guest house and getting settled we were off to lunch with 5 other families who were in Addis to adopt as well. Lunch in Addis Ababa is a 2 - 3 hour event - not for someone who is in a hurry...

...And hurry is what we were in. This was the day that we had looked forward to for 4 years. This was the day that we would meet a beautiful little angel who would soon be our daughter. A little girl we had dreamed about and prayed for. Yes, we are in a hurry. Back into the van and off to the transition home where we would meet our daughter. This day in adoption speak is called "meetcha day" and we were so excited. We arrived and stood on the front porch with so many thoughts and emotions racing through our heads. And then out of the front door came a sweet little girl. Those emotions racing through our heads finally boiled over and tears flowed freely.

We spent the next few hours with her getting to know her and playing with her. She was very quiet when we met her, but only 20 minutes later her smile appeared. Liz unpacked a few bags of toys we had brought for her and we quickly saw she is a girly girl. She loves jewelry and purses and knew just what to do with them. Seeing her picture on the back of the camera brought the first smile. She continued to let more and more of her personality out as the afternoon progress and it was amazing. She seems to be fairly soft spoken but is very engaging and has already started to repeat some english words.

WOW, what a day. We have prayed so long for this day and for this little girl, what a blessing to be able to meet her. Can't wait for tomorrow.

Here We Go!!

3:30 am...alarm clock goes off. This morning it was a little easier to get up at such a ridiculous hour. With over 200 pounds of luggage, we just arrived at the airport (thanks Jake for the ride). So excited and so blessed. Over the weekend our church family surrounded us and sent us off with love, prayers and unbelievable generous gifts. Thank you Mountain Life!

Packing!!

Madness...utter madness! The last two weeks have been crazy. We are getting all of our things together, anxiously awaiting our 17 hours of flights and multiple airline meals. Ashton is looking forward to having grandma to himself for 10 days. We are counting the days!

Travel Plans

The last couple of weeks have been chaotic to say the least. Since our last post we have looked at more flight options than I thought possible. We were able to book the most direct route from here to Addis. We will leave May 24 and fly to Washington DC where we will overnight and then board a flight that will take us from DC to Addis Ababa.

Packing for this kind of trip is different than any other trip. We have lists for everything all over the house; things to buy, things to pack, things to ask while we are there, things for Ashton to do while Grandma stays with him. We have growing piles of luggage, clothes, donations for the transition home and countless other things that we don't want to forget.

Today we had a conference call to give us more information about what will happen while we are in Ethiopia, when we will meet our little girl, when we will go to court and what to expect in between. We have decided to stay for 2 extra days so that we can see more of the country and take in some sights and culture while we are there.

In the midst of countless errands and planning, the reality is sinking in. The days of packing for a trip and planning to meet our daughter that we have dreamed of for so long are finally here. It brings such amazing excitement and such intense emotion. So many questions - how will the transition be, how will we communicate?

Our prayer is that this beautiful little girl who has been through so much and who is not able to communicate with us will have an overwhelming peace in her heart and feel an undeniable love and affection from us that will calm her spirit.

We appreciate all of the people who have been faithfully praying for us and our daughter. We have continually seen God answer prayers in his way and in his time!! Please continue to pray for us as we have a very intense couple of weeks ahead of us.

Love you all

Court Date!!

It finally came! The phone call that informed us we have been assigned a court date. Yesterday morning America World (our agency) gave us the exciting news that on May 30 we will be sitting in front of a judge in an Ethiopian court to answer questions regarding our adoption. Ecstatic doesn't even begin to come close to describing how we feel.

So what does this mean for us now?

Now we begin booking flights and planning our first trip to Ethiopia. We will be gone for a week, visiting different sites, an orphanage, court and best of all - spend a day meeting and getting to know our little girl! So many questions, so many thoughts going through our minds.
The reality that our beautiful daughter is going to actually be a part of our family is beginning to set in. Wow -

Urgent Prayer Needed

Well, as this whole journey has been, we felt as if we were on a roller coaster again this week. Less than 1 week after receiving our referral we received news of a directive issued by the Ministry of Womens Affairs. Follow this link to read the entire article http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia_alert.html

We are not sure of all of the implications, but it has the potential of extending the amount of time that we have to wait to bring our beautiful little girl home. Will you please join us in praying for a speedy court date and a quick homecoming.

Referral Day!!

One of the most pivotal day in the adoption journey is the day you receive a referral. This is the day that the adoption agency notifies you that they have selected a child for your family.

Well, this day has finally come for us!! A few days ago we received a phone call from our adoption agency informing us that they have matched us with a little girl in Ethiopia. We are so excited that we have finally been matched and know who our new daughter is and are one step closer to bringing "baby sister" home.

We are continually amazed at how God has orchestrated things to bring us to this point. God has taught us and continues to teach us such incredible lessons about who he is.

Please pray for us as we begin a new stage of waiting for our court date and travel times. Specifically pray for a speedy process in the courts and cheap airfare for both of our trips to Ethiopia.