Update

Internet has been snail slow over here. It is very difficult to get into any website, but even worse on this blogger website. Unfortunately, the best times are at 3 and 4 in the mornings. Those of you who know me well, know I am possibly the least morning person in the universe. But I've had to learn to be one while in Ethiopia in order to communicate with my husband.

Anyways, as you know we passed court on March 10th! Yay! And now we are waiting to have our paperwork submitted to the US Embassy here in Ethiopia which should take place on Wednesday. Please, please, please pray that we get a quick appointment so we can get Ethan's visa and go HOME!!!  The trend right now looks very promising with families getting cleared to travel as short as one day from having their paperwork submitted. SO we are optimistic but honestly in Ethiopia you never know. But God is more powerful than any government or trend or problem and we trust in Him and His perfect timing.

It's been a little challenging to be a single mom to Ethan during this adjustment period. Did I mention, I miss my husband very much??? He is such a wonderful help to me. But I pray for wisdom and patience during this time alone with Ethan (so we can both survive it! hehe)  Ethan has been having an ear infection and it looks like really bad teething. But God always meets our needs no matter where we are. I have met some amazing women here at the guest house where I am staying at and they have given me such fantastic advice and are even willing to take Ethan when mommy needs a quick break! God is good, ya'll!! :-)  Right now I am listening to the soft breathing of my baby sleeping - Ahh...nap time, God's gift to mommies!!!

Hope everyone's having a great Sabbath day!
Love you all!
Keyla

Photos and Videos of Ethan!

Hello Everyone,

Keyla is still in Ethiopia and I am back in the USA now. Had quite a long flight back this weekend, and so glad to be home. But I sure am missing her and Ethan very much!

Just in case you haven't seen photos or videos on our Facebook pages, here are the links.

Keyla has uploaded some videos of Ethan on her YouTube page.
http://www.youtube.com/user/keylavazquez

And in case you haven’t seen Ethan's photos yet, you can check them out at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=283624&id=716808563&l=dc6952c839

Thanks for your continued prayers for a soon Embassy date, which means Keyla and Ethan can then come home!

Love to all - Jeremy

Basically...a miracle!

Wow…where to begin. How about with the words, “God is good. So, So, Good!”

I know it sounds cliché, but I can’t help my ‘giddiness.’ Not after what I’ve seen and experienced these past few weeks. Actually, I could go back as early as September 2008 when we first decided to enter the journey to adopt from Ethiopia. But, why don’t I just focus on the past few weeks for now. :)

So let me back up for a second and give you all a little background.

The weeks before we arrived in Ethiopia, there were many rumors that MOWA (Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Ethiopia) were at odds with the court system and were threatening to write 90% LESS letters of recommendations each DAY for the adoption cases they see each week.

Without that letter no family can ever pass court and in essence that would mean many years before you can take your kids home. In one word, disaster. Orphanages would fill up and the adoption cases would be backed up for years.

The group of families having court on the same day as us would be the very first group to experience the new changes in court. To say that we were all “freaked-out” is the biggest understatement of the year. I belong to an amazing Yahoo Group part of the agency we are utilizing for our adoption (AWAA.org) and these amazing individuals began to take turn to pray every hour for weeks. I haven’t met or talked to any other adoption group more devoted than these people. They were on their knees CONSTANTLY!

The day of our court appointment, the in-country director for our agency basically sat us down and told us, “don’t expect to pass court today. Maybe one or two families at the very most will pass today.” There were six of us, from our agency, and at least 30 other families from other agencies around the world having their court appointment on the same day as us, and waiting anxiously to pass. As we waited to be called in to see the judge, the anxiety was almost too much to handle.

The first family from our group that went in to see the judge came out with a lot of excitement so we knew they had passed. Although we were thrilled for them, we immediately thought, “there goes our letter!” hehe We knew the odds of any of us getting another letter and passing court that day were as probable as me waking up one day and speaking Amharic fluently. Basically…impossible. We all sort of resigned to the fact that we were going to hear negative news on that day and we would just deal with it and trust in God for His perfect timing.

Long story short…not just one family but 5 families from our group eventually passed that same day and the other family received great news that it won’t take long for their son to be legally theirs forever. Did we experience a miracle on that day? You bet we did. The hand of God was SO evident, and I wish I could give you a great explanation as to why I think that happened but all I can think of is, He is “a Father to the fatherless,” and “sets the lonely in families.”

I could write so much more about the many ways we have seen God move in the tiniest details of this whole process, but the bottom line is God will ALWAYS make a way when we open up our hearts to those in need. When we follow after God’s own heart and take care of the widows, the poor, and the orphans for HIS honor and glory. To say that this whole journey has been exhausting, stressful, and at times almost something more than I can handle is the second biggest understatement of the year. But if you ask me if it was all worth it…boy, is it worth it!

Not just worth it, when I hold my baby’s tiny fingers or snuggle up for a sweet afternoon nap. But when I see complete strangers become a family in an instant and without reservations or when I see an 11-year-old kid counting down the days until he gets to go to his forever home in a place he has never seen or been to. I am grateful, SO grateful to have a front seat, enjoying seeing God’s hand in action defending the fatherless. Did I mention? - God is SO good!

P.S. I should probably mention that although our group was the recipient of an amazing miracle on that day, there are still a lot of families waiting to pass court and embassy. Also, the situation between MOWA and court is not completely resolved yet and I would encourage you all to keep this situation in prayer. I know in my heart God is pro-adoption. In fact, He adopted ALL of us. If that’s not prove enough, I don’t know what is! So please join me in praying for the families who are waiting to bring their kids home, for those wondering right now whether adoption is the right choice for them or if they should financially support a family who is adopting. Let’s also pray that one day Christians from every nation can stand united against poverty, hunger and we cannot rest until every mouth is fed and every orphanage is empty! That would be a great day!

Day 2 in Ethiopia - my best day yet as a dad!

Hello everyone!

Keyla is normally the blogger, but today I'm giving the update, because it was a very special day for me. :o)

We started off Monday by touring Emperor Haile Selassie's former palace, which has now been turned into a museum on the history of Ethiopia. We learned so much about the country, and even learned more about the region where Ethan is from. Very cool! Check out Keyla in front of the palace.

Then we headed to lunch (great pizza!) and then back to the transition home! It was day 2 with Ethan, and it was all about time with daddy today. We spent 15 minutes getting re-acquainted, and then he decided it was time for a nap. He just snuggled right up to me, and feel asleep in about 10 seconds! For almost 2 hours I lay there with him on my chest, just listening to him breathe. I love this little guy so much!

He would pat me gently on the arm as he slept, and then he would reach up and grab my adam's apple, to feel my voice. He would wake up every so often to turn his head, and then would go right back to sleep. Priceless! Even after he woke up, he just lay in my arms, watching everyone around us. I can't wait to do this full-time.... hehe. He finally decided he was hungry, so polished off a bottle and a bowl of food. He's definitely not shy about eating!

The afternoon ended all too soon, but as we handed him back off to the nanny, we knew that Tuesday we would be seeing him in the morning! We get a chance to talk with his care team on Tuesday, and thank them for their work. Btw, what a dedicated and amazing care team in the transition home! I am truly amazed at the love and devotion each of the nannies give to all the children there. They are truly extending Christ's ministry in all they do.

Thanks for your continued prayers. We meet with the doctor on Wednesday to discuss his health, and then Thursday is court day! If it's God's will and in His time, we could get approved same day, and he could be living with us by Friday! Until next post...

Love to all - Jeremy

First day with Ethan!!

Hello everyone! Checking in from Addis Ababa.
We got in this morning at about 8:15 after a long 13 hour flight. No sleep at all...in case you were wondering! :)

We got a chance to meet our little guy for the very first time today. There were MANY tears...mainly from him. I don't think he was too fond of us. But that's ok. We will be back tomorrow, to try again.

I got a chance to have him fall asleep in my arms for an hour and enjoyed listening to his contented sighs. Then he woke up and teased us with a few giggles! It's so much fun to see how he begins to trust us little by little and how we fall in love with him each day more and more!



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Final check-in from DC!!

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Location:Dulles Airport

Headed to the airport...

Click on the link to see a short video of our ride to the airport!
More to come later...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sty8az7wNOU&feature=youtube_gdata_player


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Room update #1

(remember to stop the music from the playlist at the bottom of this page in order to enjoy the video)

Room update #2