WE PASSED!!!

Without further ado, I'd like to introduce our son, Malachi Eyob:

We're hoping to go pick him up mid-August at the very latest...end of July would be even better!!

Congrats to all those of you who passed court today. I am so sorry for those of you who didn't, and we will keep you and your beautiful children in our prayers.

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow's the big day! Please pray that MOWA will have the staff and electricity they need to complete our file and send it to court all ready to go. And please pray that we pass!! Thank you so much to those who called or stopped me at church to wish us luck tomorrow. I had no idea some of you were even following us on our journey. It means a lot to know we have such tremendous support.

Also, good luck to all of the other PAP's who have court scheduled for tomorrow. We're hoping for good news all around. I just think it would be SO amazing if we got to travel with the same families we've been in contact with throughout the past few months.

So... we'll keep you posted...

Drought

To state that Ethiopia is a struggling country would be an understatement. It's an obviously well known piece of info. Right now they are in the middle of a terrible drought. Not only does this affect crops and drinking water, but water is the main source of power for the entire country. They rely on dams to power the cities. When there is no rain there is no water in the lakes. When there is no water in the lakes there is no pressure on the dams. When there is no pressure on the dams there is no electricity. When there is no electricity businesses are forced to close their doors, necessary offices cannot conduct their business, factories cannot produce, and common "luxuries" are foregone - IE: refrigeration, hot water, lighting, etc.



Here are a few recent news articles that explain the damage better than I can:



Ethiopia blocks food supply as millions go hungry

Ethiopia Power Scarcity Approaching Complete Blackout

UN "Runs Out of Aid for Ethiopia"



Port Problems Hurt Aid in Ethiopia



And our adoption agency has written a blog about how this affects them:



The Electricity Situation in Ethiopia



A fellow adoptive parent wrote a beautiful post on our adoption group website:

As I have been reading about the food and electricity shortages in Ethiopia, I have come to realize more and more that we as a community must be about more than just adoption. We MUST be about HOPE for a nation that struggles in ways we will likely never understand. There are so many people in the U.S. who never learn about crises elsewhere. They have nothing with which to compare our standard of living in the U.S. because they have never left the "developed" world.

We, as a community, have already begun a response through adoption, but it simply is not enough. Susan PD said in a post on the AAI site that if you are inclined to pray, now would be a good time for prayer. I publicly agree but add...if you are inclined to help a nation, not simply to add a child to your
household, please find a way to support AAI's humanitarian work, even if it is through advocacy among your own group of friends. During the long wait all of us will have, others are waiting, not for a child, but for HOPE, sometimes for FOOD, many times for a CHANCE at FULL LIFE.

May those who give sacrificially be blessed.

There are so many ways to help. Donating(money or time) is always a great answer and there are so many places to do so. Here are just a few, but the options are practically endless.

World Food Program

AAI - Our agency's Humanitarian page where you can donate funds, items, or volunteer.

Melissa Fay Greene's How to Help has many wonderful organizations listed.

Another way to help is by spreading the word. Thanks to the Internet, there are so many ways to convey information. Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, Twitter, and even just email are great places to start. Please get the word out. The more people know, the more people help.

And, lastly - if you are religious is any way - please pray. This is the easiest way but possibly the most effective. Right now we are praying hard for rain. The country is in need of so many things, but right now rain seems to be the strongest need. Please join with us in praying for this country that is so close to our hearts.

New Court Date

We just got assigned a new court date: June 29th. Still no word on why there were no cover letters on Monday. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and kind words. I've needed them. :)

Clarification

Sorry I was so vague earlier... I wasn't very happy and didn't really feel like taking the time to post an explanation. So here's a little clarification:

If the Ministry of Women's Affairs(MOWA) doesn't send your case in with a cover letter, you do not pass court. The cover letter basically says they approve everything. There are lots of different reasons they don't send cover letters. Many times they don't because they are understaffed and run out of time. This is obviously not the case since on Friday they sent some of today's in, so they were a little ahead of the game. Plus, NONE of the cases had cover letters. Apparently something happened. I know that just in the past year the director of MOWA has been imprisoned twice while the gov checked on some cases. Maybe that's the case again? We may never know. So now we just wait. It could be a week, it could be months... Once again, I'll be sure to let you all know the minute I know more.

Thanks so much for all of your kind words, it really means a lot.

Bad News

Here's my email from Merrily this morning:

Megan, I am so very sorry, we got news that no MOWA letters were written for today’s cases. Gail says that over 30 cases were scheduled to be heard, from various agencies, but there were no MOWA letters. When we know of the new court date we will let you know. This is very disappointing, I know. Merrily

Countdown to Court - 1 more day!!!

1 Thing I ask of YOU:

1. PLEASE PRAY THAT WE PASS COURT TOMORROW!!!

Countdown to Court - 2 days

2 things I have begun to rely heavily on:

__________

2. Faith. There have been so many moments during this process(like when my husband lost his job) that have made me question our decision to adopt. But every time it always comes back to the undeniable confirmation a year ago that this was something we were told to do. And I know that the Lord wouldn't tell us to do this if he didn't have a plan. So, sure enough, each time I've had doubts and then replaced those doubts with faith - the Lord has shown his power.

Example: When we found out Ian would be losing his job one of the first things we discussed was whether or not we would continue with the adoption. We both prayed and realized what I said above about how the Lord wouldn't ask us to do this without providing a way to do it. So we decided to continue. We got our referral 3 days later. And he got a job a month after he lost it. And he was still being paid severance from the previous job. And the new job will reimburse adoption expenses...up to just about the exact amount we have left to pay(including travel costs). And the job pays a bit more than the previous one. So...there's my example of taking that first step in faith.

"I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

______________

1. Cinnamon Pop Tarts.

Countdown to Court - 3 Days

3 Ethiopian foods I love(Not that I've had much more than 3... but we're going to Cafe Lalibela tonight!! *drool*):

3. Injera. I say this with a bit of hesitation because the first time I had it I spit it out immediately. I did this mainly because the fermented flavor was SO strong, and because I didn't eat it with any other food. The second time I had it I LOVED it and couldn't get enough...yet my Ethiopian bro-in-law couldn't stand it and chose to have bread instead. Go figure...

2. Dabo Kolo. Little tiny snacky crunchy things basically made from flour, water, butter, and spice. It's like Ethiopian popcorn. Yum.

1. Doro Wat - It's a deliciously flavorful soup with onions(lots), chicken, and boiled eggs. OK my mouth is seriously watering right now...

Countdown to Court - 4 Days

4 Things I'm nervous about:

4. PASSING COURT!!!!

3. The flight... 30 hours?! I've never been able to sleep well while traveling - whether it be boat, car, and especially airplane! But what makes me more nervous than the flight there is the flight back - with a most surely tired, confused, and active little guy.

2. The questions - from him and from others...

1. Transitioning from 3 kids to four...and the chaos that is sure to come. Is there enough mommy to go around?

Countdown to Court - 5 days!

5 people who can't wait to meet you, E!

5. Your energetic, helpful, smart, creative sister, Emma.

4. Your sweet, loving, thoughtful, funny sister, Mckenna.

3. Your fun, silly, happy buddy of a brother, David.

2. Your hard working, silly, also thoughful and fun Daddy.

1. Your impatient, crazy, impatient, nervous, impatient mommy! (Who is also very impatient right now.)

Countdown to Court - 6 days

6 things I'm thinking about this morning:

6. I'm wondering why there haven't been any new pictures of E. posted? I know there've been traveling families...

5. I'm hoping our new power of attorney form is in the right hands, along with any other paperwork MOWA needs...and especially the MOWA cover letter.

4. I'm wondering if the other PAP was right in assuming that the new court group assigned to the same day as ours will hinder the amount of families passing court on June 8.

3. I'm hoping the above will not happen.

2. I'm wishing my girls upstairs would stop screaming at each other and finish their shower.

1. I'm wanting the next 6 days to hurry up and fly by so we can pass court, while also being nervous that the next 6 days will fly by and we won't pass court.

Countdown to Court - 7 days

7 Things I can't wait to do with Baby E.

7. Hold him.

6. Kiss him.

5. Sing to him.

4. Make him smile.

3. Hear him laugh.

2. Have him fall asleep on me.

1. Be his momma.