PREPARING

Preparations are being made. It’s hard to believe we are finally talking about these kinds of things – plane tickets, where we’ll stay, seeing Koko for the first time, meeting Koko’s birthmom, what she’s eating/drinking, and the list goes on!

We’ve got house projects to finish and jobs to prepare to be away from. Wow. Just wow.

After a minor glitch with CIS fingerprints not yet received in Addis, we’ve learned all is well with that now (whew). We’ve got air booked – we leave Denver Sept 10 to stay in Dubai for a couple days before arriving in Addis on Sept 13 . We are staying at a guest house called the Ayat House with some pretty cool people we know. We hope we get to meet Koko Mimi for the first time on the 13th. And the in-country staff is working on arranging a meeting with her birthmom while we are there.

Slightly surreal to be at this point. But it's also...

Absolutely. Totally. Perfect.

smj

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!

Today, Friday, August 14th, 2009 is THE day. The day we are privileged to be given a daughter.

How very grateful we are to be at the end of this part of the journey. Our lives are forever changed – and, finally, a new journey awaits!

But, for now, we will bask in the glory of this day – today. A beautiful day, with beautiful news, and a beautiful new reality that we are indeed parents to a beautiful little girl.

And now, all thanks be to God for this precious gift!

PEACEFULNESS PLEASE

I would like to officially submit my request to be granted a wee bit of peacefulness in this anxious moment. (moment being the next 24 hours)

We hope that the report we received this afternoon of "no bad news received today" means "total super duper fabulous good news received tomorrow". However, we certainly know the tension of 'possibly-but-possibly-not', and will just try to stay in our quietness until we know tomorrow's outcome.

That's all.

Peacefulness to all.

smj

NEXT MIRACLE PLEASE

One miracle down. The document is in hand. Absolute. Total. Miracle.

We're now looking ahead to the next miracle - tomorrow.

Tomorrow the miracle needs to be that MOWA will get to our file, find the document adequate, and issue a positive opinion. Oh, PLEASE. (then on to friday...)

But we'll take the miracles one day at a time at this point.

Rocky is fighting, and we're holding fast.

smj

YET ANOTHER CHANCE

We are thankful the courts are giving us another chance so soon - - no go today - - but we will try again in court this Friday the 14th. Despite multiple attempts to secure the needed document - no luck yet. We need a miracle to happen to get this document from the necessary officials and into our file for MOWA to review by Thursday, to be ready for court on Friday. This ongoing anxious suspense is pretty amazing. (Honestly I could think of other words!)

Oh when will we finally see you Koko?!? We HOPE it is soon - what do we have if we do not have HOPE?

smj out

HOLD FAST

“To everyone who's hurting, To those who've had enough
Hold fast, Help is on the way
Hold fast, He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life, One thing greater than my strife
Is His grasp, So hold fast.
You may think you're all alone, And there's no way that anyone could know
What you're going through
But if you only hear one thing, Just understand that we are all the same
Searching for the truth
So, hold fast, Help is on the way…”

So, of course I know our small journey is not the center of the universe. There are so many others out there struggling with all kinds of things. I heard Mercy Me’s, “Hold Fast” on the radio the other day – I hear it a lot, but this time I really heard the words in the context of our journey and was also reminded of how we are not alone.

Hey everyone, we are with you on the journey, wherever different paths may lead. AND, Rocky is still fighting, so even though there is still no document ready for court on Tuesday, and even though we’ve been hurt, and, dang it, even though at times we feel we’ve had enough, we will Hold Fast!

- - Stay strong everyone!

Have a super duper weekend!
smj out

KEEP ON LIVIN'

Been away from internet for a few days...but just wanted to pass on that Gladney did go to court for us on Friday. Birthmom has officially relinquished, and a new court date of August 11 was issued. We are now racing against the clock to get the additional document. We have obtained a document from this same government agency in Ethiopia in recent months - it took several weeks. Thus, we are guarded in our hopes to have the document within the next few short days. It needs to be in our file for MOWA to be able to review prior to our August 11 court date.

And so, in the words of my dear husband, we will live hopeful and joyful because we are faithful that this fight will be won at some point, in spite of this journey taking a different path than we had imagined. Someday this part of the journey will all be over...

...someday when it's time.

smj out