I just realized it’s been almost a year since I posted anything on our blog! What a year it has been!
January 28th, 2015, we received a referral for a beautiful, baby boy who we are naming Israel. We have watched him grow from 5 months old to nearly 16 months old through pictures and videos. To say we love this boy is an understatement. The wait to get to him has felt like nothing else, but we know it will be absolutely worth it.
As many of you know, we had our preliminary court hearing with MOWA (Ministry of Women and Children Affairs in Ethiopia) scheduled for November 23rd. We were SO excited because this meant as soon as they signed off, we would be given a court date within a couple weeks and finally be in Ethiopia meeting our son! There was so much anticipation leading up to that date. Unfortunately, we have heard nothing since then. Everyday, our agency rep checks in with MOWA to get an update on our case and is given no information. It is assumed they are backed up and haven’t been able to process our case yet. Of course, this is disappointing because we thought we’d have approval to travel by now, but we’re hopeful it’s coming soon. I’ve connected with many other adoptive families recently and the waiting time with MOWA after the preliminary court hearing varies greatly. Some people hear that day while others hear 4 weeks later. I can’t thank all our family and friends who have been praying regularly for our case to be approved! This means so much to us!
Many people have asked what the process looks like from here, so I’ll explain. Once MOWA gives their approval, they will request a court date for us (the day we legally become Israel’s parents!). Usually the court date is within a couple weeks of MOWA approval. We will arrive in Ethiopia a few days before our court hearing to spend a few days at Israel’s orphanage getting to know him. After court, we will either stay a couple more days or head home, depending on when it’s scheduled. Unfortunately, they are requiring us to take two separate trips to Ethiopia. The second trip will take place 4-6 weeks later after his Visa paperwork is in order. On that trip, we will take custody of him and he will be with us FOREVER!
As soon as we have good news, we will be sure to share with you! Let’s pray that’s very, very soon! Meeting him before Christmas would be a dream come true!
We are fighting for you, sweet Israel!
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