She's back....

Lisa is back from her trip in Uganda and we have a semi update. A family that I have met on a ning group that is a part of my agency just received a court date for Dec. 8th. They were also missing paper work, so there is hope.

I have been thinking about getting a necklace that says HOPE. I feel like that is one thing that I must cling to. My agency was called Carolina HOPE adoption and we are partnering with HOPE adoption in St. Louis. So...maybe I should invest and start praying for this word.

I think about those of us who do not have HOPE. What a sad predicament to be in. As I enter this holiday season I think of family and friends who struggle with having an ever lasting HOPE in Christ. May God continue to remind me of His love and purpose in my life. I am so thankful for life, health, family and friends....and HOPE.

God is so good!

Paper work missing?

Yes...that is the question. The latest news is that Yoseph does not have all of his paper work from the orphange that found him. He was abandoned and I will learn his whole story once I pass court. Meanwhile, we are waiting on the orphange to get his paper work sent to the transition house so that I can get a court date.

Seems like it is just another obstacle in the path to my son. Why this now? Oh the questions that run through my mind. The one thing I know is that God is a God of order and this is a part of His plan for Yoseph and I. Being able to rest in that thought is the job at hand.

Being a Christian educator allows me to be constantly thinking about God and how I can integrate Him into my daily work. Sometimes I can leave that thought pattern at work and not carry it on into my own life. It is so good to be reminded how much I need Him in my life.

The way I see it is this...There is something that I need to be working on over here before Yoseph comes my way and there is something over there in Ethiopia that he needs to receive in order to be the sweet young man that he will grow up to be. In the mean time God give me the patience to walk in this knowledge and accept it.

God is good!

Lazy Sunday

My brother, Larry, and my future traveling buddy to Ethiopia.

Good morning blog friends. It is a cool wet morning here in Charlotte and I am taking time to do a little update. Last week, the guy in charge of the adoption agency in St. Louis left to go to Addis Ababa to see what is going on. The word is that the 10 court dates that were given did not pass. Not sure about all of the details.

I did get a few more pics of Yoseph on the Snapfish account that our group goes to. Does anyone know why they take photos of them naked? I feel a little weird printing these off at Walgreens, but I want to get all the photos of him that I can get. He is now 6 months old and I want to be able to document his growth. Not looking forward to making eye contact at the photo counter this morning.

I am so thankful for all of the blessings that God has poured out on me. I have parent/teacher conferences in the next few days and I am taking time to write comments on my kids today. God has blessed me with a great class this year. Being a teacher is one of the best jobs out there. I love my class!

I had dinner with my classroom moms last Monday night and it was great visiting and getting to know each mom. The subject came up about what started me on this process of adoption. When I think about it, I guess it all started 7 years ago when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. God had a plan all along for Yoseph to come into my life. I just needed to be open and willing to the idea. It is neat to look back and see how God works in our life. His plans are so much better for us then ours.

God is good!

Courts are open

Here is the latest news:
-My agency has 43 cases that need court dates.
-We have received 8 court dates already.
-The court dates are random and not in order.
-The judges and court employees have been replaced after this rain season break. This could be good or bad. Only time will tell.
-There are 400 cases that need dates.
-Open cases are being heard inbetween court dates. (That is not me.)

So, I am still waiting. I will say that my agency has been in touch with me via email at least three times this week. It has been nice to receive information. I keep feeling like it could be any time when I receive that phone call. Who knows?

Mom has been out here with me for the last week. It has been nice to spend some time with her before Yoseph gets over here. I feel so thankful for my family. I will update again once I hear more news. God is good!

Greeeeat News!

What a busy week this has been! Mom got her results back from the PET test on Monday morning this past week and they could not find cancer anywhere in her body. She called in tears to let me know that God had healed her. It was one of the best phone calls I have had in a long time. She turns 87 tomorrow and this was a wonderful way to start out her week. As I usually say, God is good!

I heard news today that Ethiopia is not opening until Oct. 13th now. I also heard that we have 30 people waiting for court dates. They said those of us who are waiting longest will get dates sooner. I just wonder what that means. I mean, I have been waiting since June 2 to get a date, but is that really long? It is all relative in this process.

It reminds me of when I moved out to NC and the traffic was so crazy. In MO, there never was traffic in my town and you could travel 5 miles in 5 minutes or less. In NC it takes 30 minutes to travel 5 miles. It all depends on where you are and what the word "Long Wait" means. Life is different in Ethiopia and I am sure I have no idea just how different. I am ready to find out.

Thank you all for praying for my mom and for Samuel. Glad the weekend is here.

Updates

I have some news on my mom and it is not the best. She has some areas in her body where the papilary thyroid cancer has returned. The good news is that she can get treatment and the dr. feels confident that she will be cured. She had another test run on her body on Thursday and we are now waiting on the more detailed results.

Some good news is that my sister, Tammy is traveling up to see mom for her birthday. Mom is looking forward to having company. Mom has also decided to commit to coming out here for two weeks in Oct. I am very excited about this trip. I was wanting to spend more time with her before I traveled to Ethiopia. God is good!

I did talk with my agency this week and they are waiting to hear about court dates. I am one of three that are waiting on their court date. Praying to be patient and to depend on God and not myself.

Waiting for Oct. 6th

I am waiting...along with everyone else I know who is adopting. To wait is not one of my strengths, but I think I have been doing a pretty good job of it. Oct. 6th is when the courts are suppossed to open back up in Addis Ababa. I am waiting to hear from my agency about an assigned court date. I am waiting to hear about my mom's test results on Monday. I am waiting to know any information from people who are traveling over to Hope House. Waiting.

This week I did log onto Snapfish and found 3 pictures of Yosef. I was able to print them out and send a few to my mom. She is so excited about him. It makes me so happy to hear her talk about him coming over here and how she can hardly wait. There it is again, that word "Wait".

I am reminded about all of God's promises and how we should be eager to know more of him just as I am eager to know my son. I believe God has created us to love one another and encourage each other to be more like him. He looks on the heart. Thank you God for being personal to me and my friends this week.

My family celebrated dad's 86th birthday on Monday, the 14th. I still miss him. Linda and mom went to Maid rite and had an ice cream in his honor. :) He always loved his vanilla ice cream. I am so thankful for a Godly set of parents. Thank you mom and dad for loving and encouraging me to be the woman that I am today. God is good.