Unsettling News

Today in Addis Ababa Sofani’s extended family had to appear in court to meet with the Judge as part of the adoption process.   This is a standard court hearing that is typically uneventful – more procedural than anything.

Things didn’t go as planned and there has been a delay in the process.  Staci and I are distraught and are asking for your prayers.

First, this is a new Judge.  She began on May 1^st.  Alemu, our representative from the International Agency in Addis, said that it was his first encounter with her in court.  She requested additional information to be provided; thus reassigning a new court date for Sofani’s extended family.  They have to reappear in court on May 14^th.  Staci and I will not be traveling to Addis as planned next week.  God willing we’ll be rescheduled later this month.

The issue is that Sofani has a 7 year old sister that was adopted to a family in the U.S. about a year ago.  We’ve known this all along and have intended to track them down and reunite Sofani with his sister when he arrives in the U.S.  We want them to know each other and stay in contact.  The Judge feels that this family should be contacted first and given an opportunity to adopt Sofani.  That’s not at all what we wanted to hear.

Sally, our representative from the International Agency in Michigan, is now in contact with the agency that Sofani’s sister’s parents used to let them know what the Judge said today.  Sally gave their agent all of the background on how I met Sofani and how Sofani wound up in the transition home in Addis.  I have requested that they give my information to the family so that I can talk with them about our story with Sofani.  I am dying to speak with them.  I want them to know how God has led us to this point and plead with them to allow the process to make Sofani our son to continue.

Of course we want them to say that they don’t want to adopt him but it’s definitely a possibility that they could decide that they wanted to pursue him.  If the roles were reversed I could certainly understand their position and their desire to keep them together.  My prayer is that they’ll be touched by our story and understand how close we are to adopting Sofani having just gone through this emotional rollercoaster themselves a year ago.  I pray.

If the Sofani’s sister’s parents allow us to continue, we believe that they will have to produce a document to this effect to accompany Sofani’s extended family in court in Addis on the 14^th.  What exactly the Judge is looking for needs to be clarified.  This is in the works as I type this.

As you know this has been a smooth and tremendously joyful process to this point.  We have reached our first bump in the road.  When we entered into the process we knew that it wouldn’t go exactly as planned because of all the variables out of our control, but you never want to experience anything that could completely derail our course.

This afternoon’s events have ripped our guts out.  It has prompted us to ask the question, “What if God has been using us this entire time to reunite Sofani with his sister?”  “How could we get this far in the process and have something like this happen?”

I ask you to pray that God’s will be done.  If Sofani is meant to be our son then allow things to progress.  Pray for Sofani’s sister’s parents as they’re faced with this decision.  Pray for the Judge and her ruling.  Pray for my family.  And, most importantly, pray for Sofani. 

"I Need You to Sit Down"

I would say, “You’re not going to believe this” but at this point I think you will. 

Yesterday we received a phone call from Sally, our contact person with the international adoption agency.  Staci answered and Sally said, “I need you to sit down.”  Staci’s heart sunk.  Must be bad news.  Staci said, “What’s wrong?”  Sally said nothing was wrong.  She told us that we needed to be in Addis for our court date on May 11^th.  Three weeks away.  Sally received the notice from Ethiopia the day before but didn’t call us because she couldn’t believe it herself.  She had to call and confirm one more time before letting us know.  Many families wait up to 8 months from the point they send their dossier to Ethiopia to the time they get a court date.  It took us 3 weeks.  Staci told Sally that we have hundreds of people following this story and praying for speed and removal of obstacles.  This is an unbelievable, undeniable answer to prayer.   

This, like many other steps in this process, has been a blessing to us.  What we anticipated to take 2 months, took two weeks for Immigration approval from the U.S.   Our Doctor worked us in weeks ahead of schedule due to a cancellation to initiate our long physicals and blood work.   Even the response when we initially decided to pursue adopting Sofani came within 12 hours from Girmay and we weren’t even sure we would get a response.  From Day 1 of prayer for this decision, we have been inexplicably led on this journey.   We were both, of course, pleasantly surprised with the court date.   After daily tracking of airfare through Expedia, we almost knew prior to checking that the flight costs would be down considerably for the first time since January.   We booked two round trip tickets today for $1200 less than we thought we were going to spend a week ago.

Last summer I felt very stagnant with my faith.  I was going through the motions.  I remember exactly what I asked God to do in my life one night.  Lying in bed I asked God to use me however He wanted.  I promised to say “yes” to whatever God had planned for my life.  I was finished doing what I wanted to do.  Within a month I was agreeing to a trip to Ethiopia.  In December I met my soon-to-be son after a series of unplanned, unexplainable events (including 2 car accidents in 2 different cities in Ethiopia in the same day).  In January we began the international adoption process with expectations that it would take a year and the hope that we would have Sofani by Christmas.  God is capable of making anything happen if you have faith and are willing to keep saying “yes.” 

Thank you for your prayers.  They’re working!  We are so thankful.