The update today… perhaps tomorrow???

In the book of Esther, when it was clear it was her "calling" to go before the king on behalf of the Jewish people, so they could be saved from annihilation, she sought a meeting with him. Then when she met with him she simply requested that he attend a banquet that she had prepared for him. Then at the banquet she requested that the king attend the next banquet she had planned; at that banquet was when she made her formal request.

When I first read that I was perplexed by the timeline. At her first meeting she had found favor with the king, at her second meeting she had found favor with the king, and at the third meeting she found favor with the king and then is when she finally sought her real request.  I didn't understand the value of waiting, how God would use the progression of time to help fulfill His greater plan. From my view in the bleachers here in Illinois it looks like something similar is happening in Ethiopia with Sara’s case.  The WACAP staff member there in Ethiopia (who is an Ethiopian attorney who has been faithfully advocating for children for years) is well respected and liked in the Ethiopian adoption community. He has a very good working relationship with the officials there and when he brings requests they are open to hear from him.

I spoke with Megan today, the WACAP staff member whom I have been talking with this week, and she reported their staff member in Ethiopia went before the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA – more information on what they do: http://www.childrenofallnations.com/ethiopia-ministry ) yesterday.  There was discussion if it is prudent or wise to continue to pursue Sara for adoption (I cannot share the details as to why – nothing unethical, just very unusual).  The WACAP representative communicated that his impression of the response from the MOWA was that it may be very difficult to process Sara's adoption. Basically where it stands is that if we choose to continue to pursue adopting her it may be a very long time before we are able to do so.

Her issue needs to first be approved by MOWA and then by the US Embassy. Since all three parties involved (WACAP then MOWA then the US Embassy) do a separate and thorough investigation, of all of orphaned children’s paperwork, it can take quite some time to accomplish.  In Ethiopia it can be very difficult to get and process information. Relatives of the children need to be located, visited and interviewed. Often times these family members are in rural areas, spread out over distances in remote areas that are difficult to reach.  It is quite an extensive process and it can take quite a bit of time. The age of a child may play an additional role as well depending upon how many people may have cared for them, the older the child the more complicated the situation can be.

This journey may take a long time and we have no guarantees how it will end. This is very similar to other walks we have been on with the Lord.  Jesus is our King and sometimes we have received “orders" or "our assignments”, being part of His army, that we neither like nor do we understand.  Chris has been deployed to Iraq twice and Bosnia once. We have lived through me having cancer. All journeys that God allowed us to be on so that we could learn to trust Him more and to share with others of the great things He has done, from the little triumphs to the big. He carried us through those times and we know that Sara’s situation isn’t too difficult for God to handle either. We know that we need to continue to follow His leading for each of our steps, all the while watching for the many ways He is showing His love, care and protection and then praise Him and share with others what He has done so He can get the credit for it.

WACAP wanted to know how we wanted to proceed. Did we wish to seek another child for adoption or continue to pursue to adopt Sara? I shared that just as if we needed to crawl 70 miles on our knees to get help for Daniel, Molly or Zayden we feel as though we need to do everything we possibly can to be there for Sara as well. We told them that we wish to continue to pursue adopting Sara no matter how long it may take.

So here is where things stand…

Yesterday the WACAP representative went before MOWA and researched their thoughts about Sara’s situation.

Tomorrow he will go in (if he is able to) to request that MOWA would formally look into her case and in order to give their approval so she is able to be adopted.

Our job is to continually pray and bring our petitions before the Lord for Sara and to faithfully wait for God to work in small and big ways.  We know God answers all our prayers and we are seeking for Him to say “yes” to us being able to bring Sara home and, no matter what, we pray for Jesus to be her very best friend, her family and her Savior.

We may not have felt Sara kicking inside my womb but we sure can feel her tugging at our hearts.  We long to hold her, tell her how much we love her and share with her how very special she is to the King.

Thank you so much for partnering with us on this journey.
We praise the Lord for you; for each and every prayer.

In Jesus love,
Donna and Chris

“...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34

"Seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness – Singly aim at this, that God, reigning in your heart, may fill it with the righteousness above described. And indeed whosoever seeks this first, will soon seek this only" - John Wesley