Court Update

Unfortunately, we did not pass court on Tuesday. While the adoption process is so complex, this is what we have deciphered is the issue-more paperwork. The courts need more accurate information about the kids history. They want to make sure that they have been relinquished/abandoned and that any living family members are aware of their situation. We were always told that both of our children do not have any living parents, which we don't have any reason not to believe, but unfortunately, the kids were brought to Bethel with NO paperwork, which makes things tougher.

Right now, our cases have been left OPEN on the court dockets. This means that if our agency can find what the courts are asking for and it satisfies the judge- they will hear our case again and hopefully approve the adoption without having to re-assign us another court date. If within the next few days our agency can't get the information needed to the courts it is likely that we will be assigned a new court date and go from there.

Our agency director seems confident that the kids will come home to us. He has asked us to be patient and know that they are doing everything they can to make this happen. He leaves for Ethiopia next week and says dealing with our cases is a priority.

We asked if this would happen before the next court closures/rainy season (end of summer)and he said that he hopes so. He is hoping and praying that this will all be resolved soon.

We truly believe one is not given more than they can handle. For whatever reason, we have been given this challenging adoption journey. WHY? It's hard to tell right now, but we know eventually we will see the big picture. We have learned many lessons along the way, made new friends and have grown tremendously in our faith. Of course we are heartbroken we did not pass, but more important and bigger than us, we just want our kids to have a home full of love and not grow up in an orphanage. We are optimistic this will happen.

Thanks you for your support, prayers and encouragement and we will keep you posted!

Love,
Lisa & Dave