Adoption update - please pray

Many keep asking if our adoption is on hold or what is happening. No it is not on hold and yes we are still adopting 2 boys from Ethiopia. We have learned that waiting is just part of life with adoption.

Friday I spoke with our agency's director. I asked him why we did not have a referral yet since he told me a couple of months ago that the orphanage was overflowing with babies and children. I asked him if that was still the case. He told me that yes, in fact, just the other day the orphanage urged him to send in more files because they have so many babies. I was very confused that if there were plenty of babies/children and we were ready and waiting for an easy referral (most people want baby girls), then what was the hold up. He explained that this large orphanage works with several agencies and the French were complaining that the Americans were getting referrals quickly and they were having to wait 6 months (because of French rules). In an attempt to keep all of the agencies happy and essentially keep all of their "clients", they would make the American Agencies wait about 3 months. My director even said it does not make sense to make these kids wait in orphanages when there are families ready, but this is what the orphanage has decided and if they want to work with them this is just what we have to accept.

Sooo . . . . . our 3 month wait starts from when the papers were registered in Ethiopia which is around the end of April. Our director said to expect our referral around the middle to end of July. The bad news is that the courts close around the end of July and unfortunately it takes at least 1 month to get a court date after you accept the referral. This puts our case in court after they shut down for rainy season. They don't reopen until the end of September or the beginning of October. At that rate, we wouldn't be able to get our boys until November.

**Please pray with us that the Lord's mighty hand would move the orphanage to have mercy on us and give us a referral soon. The Lord is able to do far more than we can ask or imagine and we do not have because we do not ask, so we are asking the Lord to do something that only He can do. The last time we asked for prayer for our paperwork, our God used some amazing circumstances to bring them to us in lightening speed. We covet your prayers once again. By the way, the end of this month will mark one year that we started this adoption process. We are weary, but look forward with anticipation, knowing that He will carry us through.