Update on our Adoption

We received our call from our caseworker yesterday. I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was not calling with good news of great joy....but honestly, my heart was prepared. She said that "Justus'" case had been reviewed and that the court was seeking additional information on the case. This is very common now. In fact, only one family out of eight was issued "clearance" the first time. I am soooooo happy for that family. I asked our caseworker about the info. and she assured me that the staff at Hannah's Hope had access to all the info and would be submitting it today. They are 9 hours ahead of us in Ethiopia, so it has already been submitted. Each piece requested looks different for each family. The embassy is doing this purposefully in order to safegaurd against child trafficking......So, it really is for the protection of the children. I am not alarmed....Disappointed...yes...I am thankful though for the constant communication our agency has with us and that they are a Hague accredited agency so they are always looking out for the best interest of the adoptive child.

So, what might the timeline look like now? Well, our caseworker informed us that the embassy will be closed tomorrow and Friday b/c the Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7th. She said she would probably not have any info until mid-week next week....but oh how wonderful it would be if they issued "clearance" on Monday. Please pray for a January 17th embassy date. That's what we are hoping for. With God all things are possible...

Looking on the bright side of things, Mom's birthday is today and Spencer has his cross country banquet on the 10th so we'll be able to be there now for that. The kids are also getting back to school so we'll be getting back into a routine...As much as I love sleeping in, I like routine.

Thank you for all your prayers for us during this time.

Much Love,