Falling Into Place

Everything is falling into place beautifully. While we don't yet have a court date to travel to Ethiopia for our Daughters, decisions are being made and finalized in preparation for this life-changing event.

We have decided for this first trip to court we are going to bring everyone. Everyone being Jimmy, Myself, Kennedy, Ryan, Oz, and Ahbie. It was important to me that KK and Ry see their Brothers and Sisters country of birth. They need to breathe the same air, smell the same smells, hear the same sounds, and experience the beauty and tragedy of it all. My hope is that this will be a life-changing experience for them both and they will choose a path in their life of grace, servitude and humility.
It is equally important to me that Oz and Ahbie go back to their homeland, for better or for worse this is theirs to claim. Amidst the poverty and sorrow there is a richness of spirit and love unlike anything I have experienced before, anywhere. My Sons have much to be proud of, and as with KK and Ry I want to guide them down a path of living in grace, servitude and humility. I want them to cultivate compassionate hearts for their Country.

We are also blessed that while Jimmy, KK, Ry, and Oz will fly home after court, Ahbie and I will remain in Ethiopia with the girls until we can all fly home as a family. Upon passing court our daughters will leave the Care Center and stay at the guest house with us. This was not something I thought would be possible, but God made sure everything would fall into place just so, thereby making it possible for us to do this.

I felt so strongly about doing this and struggled for the longest time at the thought of having to leave the girls. I am convinced one of the reasons the boys have adjusted so well is because we were able to live there, in familiar surroundings, foods, smells, language, etc for almost six weeks. The three of us together 24 hours a day 7 days a week enabled us to build the foundation of our relationship on what could be called "their turf" and I thank God often for that opportunity.

I pray and hope that we will net the same result with our Daughters.

The Boys US Passports arrived in the mail yesterday. What a beautiful thing to see. It is almost unimaginable to think that our Sons were "orphans" and without family this time last year. And now they are US Citizens, with a family that loves them endlessly, and they will soon have Sisters who share their same experience. God is so good.

Amazing the difference one year makes.