now what?

Our last post was obviously tied to a pretty monumental moment. The money came in, the referral acceptance fee has been paid, the official acceptance documents have made it to their destination. As people of faith, we stand in awe and gratitude for the provision that came at the moment when it was most needed.

The question we hear from all corners now is, “Now what?”

There are a few details that remain in this phase. We had to get one more document notarized and then certified in order to send in our adoption dossier (hopefully by tomorrow). We pay off a few other expenses. We start thinking about all the details that  will need to be in place when the time comes to travel to Ethiopia.

But mostly…now we wait. Now is the time when our dossier has to make its way across the desks of bureaucrats in both the United States and in Ethiopia. Boxes need to be checked, approvals secured at multiple levels, protocols carried out, this time by people other than us. So we wait and pray and try not to think about the days we are missing with this little boy who is growing and changing all the time. This is a particularly tenuous time in light of the state of adoptions in Ethiopia. Accepting this referral is pretty huge of a leap of faith, and for a while we’ll just have to be content hanging in mid air.

And what do we need now? More than anything, we need cheerleaders. Any of you who have been through this process know it is exciting and beautiful, but also long and exhausting and full of discouraging moments. And we know full well the added risk moving forward with a country in diplomatic turmoil, but we’ve chosen to believe the risk is worth it. So in this time, be partners with us in hope, focused on the beautiful possibilities, finding the joy in the waiting. (We’re Team Founds, so that might be as simple as being on call for board games, mini golf, or an evening trip to Tasty Freeze.)

And, if you’re the praying type, we’d love it if you would pray for us… and for our son-to-be… and for the process to keep moving in Ethiopia.

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you for being such an amazing community!