Started the day off @ the mayor’s prayer breakfast this morning, hearing a 12 year old girl loudly proclaim through song that God IS our life…our hope, our peace, our JOY. We know this to be true.
Throughout this adoption journey we’ve been on, we always seem to jump with joy at any phone call with news from Children’s House International (CHI), but today the call only brought tears and some real physical aching to my heart. If you’ve known us long, you know that Clint and I are extreme optimists…. so when CHI told us that it would take 4-8weeks to get our Embassy date… we had great expectation that our kids would surely be home by Christmas!!
We already knew of the two embassy date slots CHI had been assigned for December (Dec. 7th and 21st), but on the phone today was when we learned some additional news that changed our expectations. We were informed that CHI is only allowed 10 families per Embassy date. The Dec. 21st embassy date we were so hoping to get assigned is ALREADY full because of their limit. There are now already 10 families (12 children) booked for it… leaving no open slot for us. I quickly began to ask questions until she said, “Mary I’m sorry to tell you that realistically there isn’t even a 1% chance that you will get to bring them home in December”. So even if all of our paper work (birth certificates, passports, and visas) were complete today, we would NOT be able to travel to pick the kids up until a January embassy date because of this 10 family limit that is placed on CHI.
Although the news from the phone call was sad and not what we wanted to hear…. the blanket of PEACE that surrounds us is very real. Even as our hearts feel real longing to hold our kids in our arms again… we know that our ever-present God is holding them until we are given permission to return to Ethiopia. Our God is amazing… His presence is tangible… He comforts me by reminding me that He is holding Justus and baby Mercy right now…. @ the very same time He is holding me… There is truly none so capable and so faithful like our Abba, Father God… so thankful to be His.
He is our hope, our peace, our strength, our joy… today. None can compare to the King of Kings. So I’m thanking the Lord for our precious kids today and looking forward to the day we will hold them again!
“I will bless the Lord at ALL times; HIS PRAISE shall continually be in my mouth.”
3 comments:
O Mary, My heart hurts for you...when things move so slowly and you just want to shout,"NOW"!
When we were adopting M the scripture that lifted me was Ps 86 esp verse 4.
Hold fast,
Jodi H.
Our prayers are with your family. God is Good and he will provide well for those kiddos, and Mary I pray for His love to fully encompass your heart this Christmas if they are not home with you, but God I ask for the less than 1% chance for the court date for be provided for them. Father do your thing, make a way. May Your will be done. May it be carried out.
So many emotions! We haven't even officially passed court yet (praying tomorrow is our day) but sad with you that our children won't be home for Christmas. We have ton trust Him and His plan, even when it doesn't make sense to us! Praying for you!
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