I'm Back

Seven weeks ago I started coaching track, and well, recently I found this in my fridge. 

And, actually, I found a lot worse than this in the fridge- think leftover chili in tupperware for multiple weeks. Gross. 

No cooking, no cleaning, just teaching, coaching, and sleeping. I think that pretty much sums up the past seven weeks. 

Track season is over, there are nine days left of school, and I feel like I have my life back. Looking forward to a summer full of gardening, reading, days at the pool, and lots of time with family and friends! And, of course, decorating a nursery (more on that later)!

8 Months

Yesterday was 8 months since our dossier was sent to Ethiopia. No change- we're still waiting. 

My Competition

I know that Don loves me, but his love for fishing is starting to become a dangerously close second. 


I may have to invest in some waders and a fishing pole... and get over my fear of all things slimy. 


Here are some pics from his recent steelhead fishing trip with his dad and brother:

They are kind of nice looking fish... when someone else is holding them!

Waiting

I think it's no accident that the week before I found out that our wait time was going to be extended again, I was reading a book on waiting. 


On Friday we found out that the wait time for an infant boy has moved from 6-8 months to 7-10 months. Each time we get to the end of the window, the window gets bigger and longer. It's hard. That's it... enough said. 


So, I went back to something that I read earlier in the week and read it again (and again and again):

There are no accidents, no glitches with God. He does all things well. Everything that comes to us comes by his hand and through his heart. He provides for our needs and fulfills our deepest desires in the fullness of time, not a moment too late, nor a second too soon. Hope assures us that in all things, even in the delays of life, God is working for our good. To know that is to be patient. 

One of the surprise "goods" that God is working for us as we wait is the forging of our character. What we become as we wait is at least as important as the thing we wait for. To wait in hope is not just to pass the time until the wait is over. It is to see the time passing as part of the process God is using to make us into the people he created us to be. 

Patterson, Ben. Waiting. Downer's Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1989.

A Wonderful Exchange

Martin Luther gazed at Christ’s cross with steady joy and gloried in the fact that whoever trusts Christ can be assured of his love. He once wrote to a troubled friend, “Learn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, ‘Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You have become what you were not so that I might become what I was not.’” There has been an exchange, a great and wonderful exchange, whereby the Son of God has taken all our guilt in order to set upon us all his righteousness.

Deep, rich and full peace of conscience comes only when you know that your sins have been not simply disregarded but judged, judged to the full and paid for in full by the Son of God in your place.

J.I. Packer, Knowing Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995), 79-81 

Seven

Today marks 7 months since our papers arrived in Ethiopia and 17 months since we started this process.

Lots of times I feel like there is nothing going on, no movement, no changes, just continual waiting. But, even as I was feeling this way recently, I was reminded that even when I feel like "nothing" is going on, God is doing a million things behind the scenes to bring the child that he has planned for us into our family.

I let this thought linger for awhile and considered how God's sovereignty is playing out in this situation:

On our side of the adoption:

• God ordained that we would apply for our adoption Thanksgiving weekend of 2009
• God set it in our hearts that we would adopt from Ethiopia through AWAA
• God determined that we would wait 2 months for the state to approve our home study and an additional 3 months to receive our immigration approval
• There were "delays" upon delays so that our final paperwork would not arrive until September 17, 2010 
• Today we are number 9 on the list

In Ethiopia:

• In some village a baby boy (or possibly a set of twins) was conceived
• From the point of conception (and even before) God predetermined that this child would one day be our son
• Somewhere, at some point, this baby was born (at least we think they have probably been born by this time- we won't know for sure until we receive our referral)
• Through I'm sure a very difficult set of circumstances, he was brought to a specific orphanage to become available for adoption through AWAA- not just any orphanage or any agency
• And today, he is number 9 on the list too (meaning he'll be the ninth baby available)

And all along, God has known exactly when and how this little child would come to join our family. None of this has been accidental. God has been at work moving us along through these past 17 months and 7500 miles away in Africa, God has been at work moving our child along so that he will be available when we get to the top of the list.

Have I said this before? It is a PRECIOUS thing to live under the sovereignty of God.

Spring Break Part #2

Sorry for the long delay between posts... it's track season- need I say more?!

So, back to spring break (feels so far away already!)...

Another highlight of the break was getting to meet Don for lunch one day. We went to one of my favorite spots near our house (only about a mile from our house and a mile from Don's work). The food is great and the restaurant is so cute!

Later that night, Don set up the crib that we got from one of his cousins (thank you!). It's fun to imagine what this room will look like as a nursery, though I'm determined not to do much with it until we get our referral.

As far as the time frame goes, things seem to be moving along. While there haven't been more referrals in the past couple of weeks, many families are getting court dates and are getting cleared for embassy. We are thankful to see progress at all levels!

Spring Break Part #1

Last week was my spring break and I LOVED it! The first few days were spent cleaning out closets and getting the house more organized (is it strange that I really love cleaning and organizing?!). I didn't take any pictures of that since I'm probably the only one that would find the before and after pictures exciting!


On Wednesday, I went down to the city to go shopping and have lunch with some friends (you have to go out to eat when you're in the city!).


First, we started at Roy's- one of my favorite furniture spots in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Then, we headed to Peet's coffee in honor of Dan and Jen's honeymoon (they went there every day on their honeymoon in California).

We did a little shopping in that area and then headed to lunch at The Pasta Bowl... delicious!

After getting sufficiently stuffed, we walked around Lincoln Park and found a GREAT resale shop... so fun! I bought a fun little dress and a pair of designer jeans (Sevens, if you care to know).

Is it just me or do these jeans look short and wide? Or is it just the way I'm holding them? It must be that, right?! 

Then it was off to Molly's Cupcakes for a sweet little treat. The cupcakes were so delicious and we got to sit on swings while we were eating them... so fun!

Such a fun day!

A Few of My Favorite Things

My sister-in-law sent these to me the other day. We love these little girls (our nieces) so much I can hardly stand it... they are just about the sweetest things in the whole world!

Top Ten

Guess what I found out today? We're "unofficially" number 9 on the list for an infant boy! I almost cried when I saw that number. I've been on spring break this past week and haven't checked my email or my yahoo group information in about a week. When I looked at it today, we had moved 4 spaces last week alone. You'll probably remember that when I looked at this list back in October we were 17th. A week ago we were 13th, so the math is pretty easy on this one... almost 6 months to move 4 spaces and then 4 spaces within a week (actually it all happened within one day)- can you believe it?! I'm so thankful and starting to feel like there may be an end in sight!

I also have been meaning to update on the MOWA situation that I posted about earlier. Thankfully, there have been some really good things happening within Ethiopia and within MOWA (now MOWCYA) and within our agency in the past month. Many families are passing through court, getting referrals, and bringing their children home. We still anticipate some kind of delay, but most likely it won't be as bad as originally thought.  

We got this update a couple of weeks ago from our agency:

Within MOWA, there have been significant and positive personnel changes which have resulted in overall staff turnover and changes in the adoption unit. This unit is now called the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA). We are hopeful and expectant that the new leadership will not only support processing an adequate number of favorable recommendation letters, but also implement policies that will best serve the children. Due to the staffing changes, we anticipate much transition over the next few weeks. However, we expect that once everyone is settled into their new positions, MOWCYA will work to process a higher number of recommendation letters than they currently are able to process. We have continued to receive optimistic feedback and have seen how the Ethiopian government is very committed to adoption.

Feeling thankful today and cautiously optimistic that it may not be too much longer until we can go get our little boy... the one I wonder about and pray for almost daily.