We're going to AFRICA!!

{Deep Breath} We leave for Africa in eleven days!! This will most likely be my last, or one of my last, posts published before we leave. I need to use every free moment to get things ready! I will be journaling our entire trip to Ethiopia, and I do plan on blogging a lot of it. So many people have literally walked side by side with us through this journey, and I want for them to experience it with us. I know that in the days waiting it has been an encouragement for me to read other adopting parents' journeys to their children as well, so maybe that will be true for someone reading here. Internet is sketchy in Ethiopia. From what I have heard it can be impossible to log into blogger, facebook is usually accessible, though, so most of my updates will happen there. So if we are friends on facebook - check for status updates from Africa (and if we pass court PHOTOS of Jamesy)!! If I can log into email, I will send my sister my journal entries, and she will publish them here for me. If that does not work, then I will publish them all when we return home.

We have had a lot of questions regarding what this trip entails, when we will bring Jamesy home, etc, so I will attempt to answer those here.

We need to take two trips to Ethiopia in order to complete Jamesy's adoption. This is our first trip. We leave January 17th, and we will be home January 26th. The main purpose of this trip is to go to our court appointment. We will appear before an Ethiopian judge on January 24th. We are praying that this will be the day that the judge declares Jamesy to be our son! However, there is a huge chance that this will not be the case. In order for this to happen - for us to pass court - we need several things to fall into place. Most of it is "red tape", and seemingly an easy thing to have happen. However, in a third world country, who operates on their own time-table; a time-table very different then we are used to in the Western world (ie little to no sense of urgency or obligation), there is a very real possibility that this will not be accomplished prior to us appearing in court. We need the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs (MOWA), to write a favorable letter of recommendation for our family in order for the judge to pass us. As of late, this MOWA letter has been missing for most families who attend court. There is absolutely no way for a family to pass court and be granted legal custody of their child without this letter in the hands of the judge. This is a huge prayer request for us right now. The blessing and positive side of this is we only have to physically appear in court one time. If we do not pass the first time, a representative from our agency will stand in our place as many times as needed until we finally do pass. Obviously this would delay us getting Jamesy home.

While we are mainly in Ethiopia for our court date, we will also be able to begin bonding with our Jamesy! We will be able to spend several hours every day with him in the Transition Home. We will not be able to take him out with us this trip, though. I am very excited to see the Transition Home, to hold, hug, kiss, cuddle Jamesy for hours every day, and to meet the nannies who have cared for our son. This will definitely be the highlight of our trip. Please pray that God would begin to prepare Jamesy's heart for us. Our Meetcha Day will most likely be January 19th. I am trying not to build up too many expectations for this day, but honestly my heart feels as if it could burst just thinking about that first moment that he is placed into my arms. Our Meetcha Day will be video taped and documented with photographs. Please pray that these days with Jamesy go well and begin to acclimate him to us. While in Ethiopia we will also be traveling to the city Jamesy was born in and visiting the orphanage that he came from. While I am eager to see with my eyes where Jamesy has come from, my heart is apprehensive at all I will experience. This will take place near the beginning of our trip and most likely be an all day event. We will also do some site seeing and shopping in Addis when we are not spending time with Jamesy. There are so many things that I am excited to do - like tour a coffee factory and stock up on beans!! We are talking about a few other places we want to visit - perhaps The Fistula Hospital. We have heard that is a must-see.

As soon as we pass court, we can be submitted to the US Embassy in Ethiopia. This is the final step to overcome before we can bring Jamesy home! If things go well, and we pass court quickly - the first or second time, we will most likely (although I have come to learn not to expect anything in international adoption!) be scheduled for our embassy appointment on Wednesday, March 2nd (which we have to physically appear for), and would be home later that week with Jamesy. We are fervently praying to that end.

My mommy heart needs prayers as I prepare to leave behind my two children here for longer than we ever have before, and also as I meet, love on, and then leave Jamesy behind in Ethiopia for an indefinite period of time. I am not sure how I will survive the latter, and I guess except for God's grace I will not. I am not thinking much on it right now, and just praying that at the time of departure for home God's grace pours out on me. Somehow I know that will be the case.

We also covet prayer for safety traveling. Neither of us has ever traveled internationally. This is all new to us. I am nervous about the loooooooong plane ride more than anything else. Please pray that we stay healthy as well. People all around us are sick, and I am terrified of being sick for our trip. I just do not want anything to ruin this once in a lifetime experience. I am praying for health in Ethiopia as well. We are packing and preparing as best as we can in order to stay healthy.

I can not believe that we are to this point in our journey! That two weeks from now I will have held my second son for the first time, that I will know what he feels like, that I will have had my feet land in Africa! Oh, somebody pinch me!! Pretty soon I am going to officially and legally be the mommy of a 5 year old, a 2 year old, and a 1 year old - oh, praise God!!

Thank you for caring about us, our son, our journey. Your love and support has been overwhelming. This would not have been possible without the financial and prayer support of so many of you. Thank you. We have seen Jesus in you.

(I am going to open comments on this post, because I am thinking there will be questions. That will be easier than getting a ton of emails. I will respond to comments in the comment section.)

Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

Unsettled. I woke up unsettled, and I just could not calm myself. I prayed and read God's Word and tried to engage with my children. However, I was constantly drawn back to my computer by some strange invisible magnetic force. I obsessively checked our Ethiopia yahoo group and facebook to see if any friends received court dates.

Nothing.

My phone rang three times this morning, causing my heart to race & my palms to sweat as I raced toward the phone only to discover the caller id was not American World.

Then at exactly 10:30 my phone rang for the fourth time. Again my heart raced, my palms were instantly sweaty, and I looked at the id. American World.

Be still my heart.

We were granted a court date for January 24, 2011! We will miss Jamesy's first birthday, and while that is painful, we are overjoyed that we have a date. We are praying that the court would grant us favor to be the legal parents of Jamesy. We are also praying that God will provide (and I KNOW He will) the remainder of the money we need to travel. Plane tickets have unfortunately gone up in price from when we looked at them for October/early November. I am at peace with the finances, and just give the situation over to God. He has gotten us this far - almost $25,000 in 7 months. It feels like a miracle for me to even type that. There is no doubting God's love for His orphan and His ability to do beyond what I could ever imagine!

We will look at plane tickets tonight and plot out our time away.....

Mommy's coming Jamesy!! God willing, you will only be an orphan for 62 more days! Then you will legally, officially, and for eternity be my son. Although truthfully, my precious boy, in my heart, you have been my son for almost 3 months now. I don't need any court to tell me that.

I love you, my sweet, sweet Jameson.