adoption update {so many hold-ups}

A few weeks ago, we sent a package to Aberhem via some folks who were visiting their kids in our sweet kids' same orphanage.

In it, I included a little photo album full of family photos and pictures of our home. Today we received an email with these photos enclosed.

Apparently Aberhem is quite the artist!!

A BIG thank you to everyone who has prayed with us about bringing home both Aberhem and our baby girl.

Though sometimes awkward because of the needed translation, it's been such a blessing to be able to Skype with them most Saturday mornings.

It's already been 6 months and we still don't have them home {we had Imani home in 4 months, Ezekiel home in about 4, too}.

We've definitely gone through some struggles in getting them here...first one issue, then another, then another.

{please Lord, just let them come home!}

At the very beginning we REALLY felt that Aberhem was our son and had begun the process to adopt him. But unknown to us, another family who was ahead of us in "line" had decided they were going to adopt him.

After a few weeks of praying and hoping like crazy, we found out the other family decided to go forward with a sibling group instead.

A few months later, there was a major hold-up because Aberhem's parents had both passed away and they were having trouble finding a blood-relative to attest for his orphan status.

Thankfully, after our in-country lawyer combed the countryside, we were finally able to breathe again when they found a distant relative.

Recently our children went through their portion of the court process in Ethiopia, so we have been anxiously waiting for our court date to be assigned.

This is when we first go over there and finally get to meet out children {!!!}. As luck would have it, there was a paperwork mix up that once again, has held things up.

Because of this, something that should have taken a day or two has ended up taking two weeks. Thankfully, the paperwork is back on track so we can go back to anxiously {and not so patiently} waiting...

Would you please join with us as we pray that there be NO more hold-ups?

We CANNOT wait to get our sweet children home...every day without them makes our hearts ache, as we feel less than whole. I can only imagine how much harder it is from where they stand.

We feel so blessed to have you thinking, praying, and even donating to helping bring them home where they belong. To each and every one of you...thank you.