DTE

It is such a freeing feeling to have completed everything on our end and pass the baton on to the next person. Our dossier spent two weeks in D.C. getting final approval from our caseworker at AWAA, and then being authenticated and certified in the Ethiopian Embassy. It left the US in the hands of a courier on Friday, March 25. This is our DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia). So, now we wait. March 25, 2011 is day one. We trust the Lord knows how many days, months, years (?) we have to go.

The Roller Coaster

Please keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times. This past week we have gone back and forth on what to do about our dossier. If it is going to be years before we get a referral, then perhaps we should put this on hold, have another bio child and pick things back up in a few years. This was sounding pretty good to me because I have the baby bug! However, I am grateful for the women in my life who have more faith than I and who were fearless to speak truth into my life this week. They reminded me that Lord has clearly walked us down this path to this point, and He is FAITHFUL! We don't know what the future holds... but we know who holds the future! Silly, I know. But true.

Well folks, we have submitted the dossier! The situation in Ethiopia is still somewhat dire and could potentially add many months or even years to our wait. However, we have decided to put our family's future into the capable hands of our God. We mailed the package on Monday and it will be Ethiopia bound by Friday, March 25! If we weren't committed before, we are now!

Thank you for all your prayers as we have labored with this decision. Our biggest desire is that we glorify the Lord through this process, and you have helped us to keep our eyes focused on Him as we wrestled with uncertainty... you know who you are (wink).

A Screeching Halt

Yesterday, March 7th, we received our long awaited I171h form! This is the last document required for our dossier, so you would think we would be elated... But we, along with thousands of other hopeful adoptive families received some devastating news from the Ministry of Women's and Children's affairs in Ethiopia. They are planning to reduce the number of international adoptions by 90%!!! If this is true it that will mean that our adoption will not happen for years.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/-Ethiopia-to-Cut-Foreign-Adoptions-by-Up-to-90-Percent-117411843.html

I cannot express my heart break. Please join us in praying for God's direction and clarity. Obviously, this will greatly affect our decision to submit our dossier... or to wait.

I am including a link to a petition to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Please take a moment to sign it as well as to pray for the adoptive families, and more importantly, the more than five million Ethiopian orphans who will be affected by the outcome.

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43714.html