Good News, Again

We heard from Sharon this morning.

We received a referral for a beautiful six week old baby girl. The name she was given is "Yordanes" which means "Jordan River".

She, too, was abandoned to the same orphanage as Tigist. The GREAT NEWS is that she is already at the Transition House run by our orphanage. Yeah!

So, we are reservedly excited.

Oh Happy DAY!

Oh my GOODNESS!

It is absolutely surreal that I am writing this.

This morning, we got the call..."Are you guys sitting down?"

And then it happened.

We are now the proud parents of a 3-week-old baby girl. I am not allowed to give too many details, but I think she is absolutely beautiful. Her name is
Abeni Joy Kuba. Abeni is an African name which means "prayed for and received". Perfect, huh? :)

It looks like we will go to Ethiopia sometime in May.

What more can I say?

Thank you, Jesus!

It finally happened.

Referral...

So, this morning we woke up to a call from CHI. Sharon told me to sit down. Man, my heart was RACING and I felt dizzy. She proceeded to tell us they had a 7 week old baby boy for us.

Wait. What? Oh no.

It turns out our social worker never indicated gender on our home study, thus, they called us with the first baby that met our criterion.

Now, some of you are probably thrilled to hear this and may be shocked to hear that we turned down this referral.

Wait. What? Why?

I am not sure I can explain it in a way that will make sense. All I can say is that both Martin and I were in agreement this morning that we have felt God's absolute confirmation over and over again that Abeni Joy will be our daughter. I am not sure how else to explain it. It's a God thing.

But let me tell you why this phone call brings us great joy. It means we are CLOSE. We are very, very close. Also, Martin said when the call came in this morning, his hear was leaping for joy, as was mine.

I have to say, as of last week after receiving some news that there are huge delays in Ethiopian adoptions and court dates, Martin and I were about 75% sure we were going to give up this whole adoption thing. If for no other reason, this phone call was God's way of saying to us: "Oh no you don't!!". We know that we are not done with this adoption journey - even though the waiting is nearly killing us.

As we head into Christmas, I am really clinging to Mary and how she must have felt as a mother. Her motherhood must have looked NOTHING like she anticipated for her life -pregnant and not yet married, having a baby in a stable, giving birth to God's son, being hunted down by Herod, knowing that this son was hers and yet not, having to give him up and watch him die on the cross.

And yet, never once do you hear of Mary complaining or being anything other than overjoyed knowing that her son is the world's Savior.

Pretty amazing.

Merry Christmas!

#20

We found out we are #20 on the list. And since finding that out, six baby boys and four baby girls have been referred to families. Seems to me we are in a great place and very likely will get a referral by Christmas. It is wierd..this whole adoption process. I have heard people say it is like being pregnant and waiting. Huh. I do not think it is similar one bit. When one is pregnant, there is a due date. So, you mark it with big hearts and circles on your calendar, get those check ups, ultrasounds, etc. You put that first ultrasound pictue up on your fridge. You watch your belly grow, wait for that first kick. There is visual and physical progress. With adoption, there is only patience and the unknown. I cannot buy or borrow baby clothes since I do not know the age this baby will be exactly. I refuse to get the room ready - knowing that there is always a chance Ethiopia could shut their doors to international adoption, or be involved in civil war, etc.

But that is life, isn't it? I think especially lately we are all feeling a bit ansy with the unknown. Will I need to foreclose on my home? Will my job be here tomorrow? How will I afford the holidays?

So as I head into Thanksgiving week, I am choosing to notice and be thankful.