standing on this mountain top
looking just how far we’ve come
knowing that for every step
You were with us
Wow. I still can't even believe I am finally writing this. Eliyas has his visa and is less than 48 hours away from officially becoming an American citizen. The reality of this is sinking in and all I have are tears to express how I feel. Tears of joy, for many reasons. And also the regular old fashioned tears. For us, we are going home to beautiful America. For Eliyas, he is leaving life as he knows it. His country, his culture, his language, his friends, his family, his tibs firfir, "mesmo" (Amharic Christian music), and everything he has ever known.
30 days ago we got the news we never expected to hear, that he had TB. We were told by several different people that day that a waiver was unlikely due to his age. Without a waiver, Eliyas would have to stay in Ethiopia for 9 months for treatment and a retest. This news just about broke me. For a few days after, I felt like at any minute I was going to fall apart. It was hard to even breathe. Over the next 4.5 weeks, the Lord placed people in our paths and worked in ways that can only be explained by His grace.
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
kneeling on this battleground
seeing just how much You've done
knowing every victory
was Your power in us
seeing just how much You've done
knowing every victory
was Your power in us
By His grace, the staff at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa was more than compassionate, understanding, and helpful. When we visited with them on October 16, they assured us they would do everything to help and everything to get us out of here ASAP. We were more than just another "family name," which we weren't expecting at all.
By His grace, we were put in touch with a congressman, Kevin Brady, and his staff who fought tooth and nail for us. I am sure that without them, and without God, we would still be sitting here waiting. The even more amazing part of this piece of the story is he is not even OUR congressman. He is over another district and we cannot vote for him. We are forever thankful for what he has done for us. If you are in his district, please vote for him on our behalf!!
By His grace, I connected with a new friend on Facebook who started making calls for us, totally unsolicited. I briefly met this fellow adoptive mama at Eliyas' orphanage in July when they were there to pick up their beautiful daughter. We happened upon each other on Facebook a couple of weeks before we left for this trip and as soon as she heard the news she asked what she could do to help. She put us in contact with another adoptive mama who just brought her 12 year old son home from China, he also had TB and required the same waiver. This other mama's advice, encouragement, resources, and contacts have been invaluable. She put us in touch with the US' leading pediatric TB expert, who just so happens to consult for the CDC (who we needed on our side) and is in Houston, close enough for us to visit for treatment when we get home. She also gave us contact information for someone at the CDC. This was in the midst of the partial shutdown and that particular person was out on furlough, but there was another person listed to contact in her email auto reply. I reached out to her and she immediately got back to me, assuring me they would do everything they could to help. I couldn't believe it! Someone at the CDC actually cared? Over the next 20+ days, I came to realize this person is a doctor who is highly regarded at the CDC, not just another average Jane at a desk, and she would actually have a hand in approving our waiver. WOW. God is good. All the time.
1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
By His grace, our waiver was delivered to the USCIS lockbox in Phoenix on October 29 and we received our approval on November 7, nine long days later. After the approval, we received Eliyas' visa on last minute notice at the US Embassy this morning! They were nine long days for us, but in comparison to how long it could have taken (5 months is the average time for a waiver to be processed), it is nothing short of a miracle. We got our miracle! It wasn't exactly when we wanted it, but that's the thing about God's timing. As much as I struggle with it, it is perfect. Every time, all the time. I'm not going to lie, I have had days where I have struggled with trusting. I've had days where I have asked, "Why hasn't He let us go home yet?" I've had minutes where I thought everything was going to fall apart and wondered where He was. Why hasn't He stepping in to save the day the way I wanted Him to?
scars and struggles on the way
but with joy our hearts can say
but with joy our hearts can say
yes, our hearts can say
By His grace, our faith has been tested and we have come out stronger, no doubt. We have learned to depend on God in new ways as we have become parents (what a crash course in parenting!!), as we are learning about our son who has had 9 years of life without us. Yes, we are his parents and it is a beautiful thing that God has brought us together. But it's not forgotten that he has suffered loss and pain that we cannot imagine. As we try to figure out how to love him best, how to parent him best, we have relied on the Lord for the wisdom and strength, especially on days when we felt like we had no clue what we were doing. We have trusted in the Lord like never before as we have struggled with illnesses, horribly rough days filled with anxiety and fear. Fear of "losing" our child for 9 months, fear of the unknown financial situation, fear of this third world country that has been our home for the last month. In the last 31 days I have learned more about the Lord and more about my prayer life than I could have any other way. And I keep asking why He's left us here? I think I might have an answer. At least part of it- I may never understand all the reasons, thought I trust His plan is perfect. He has proven His faithfulness over and over.
James 1:2-8
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
never once
did we ever walk alone
did we ever walk alone
never once
did You leave us on our own
did You leave us on our own
You are faithful
God, You are faithful
By His grace, we have learned first-hand about our son's culture, food, country, sights, sounds, and yes, smells. Lots of them. We have picked up a few Amharic words and Eliyas' English has improved drastically. We have made new friends, both American & Ethiopian, who we will treasure for life. We have been blessed beyond measure by our friends, family, and amazing adoption community back home. We have learned that there will be people there to hold us up when we feel like we can't stand on our own.
scars and struggles on the way
but with joy our hearts can say
never once did we ever walk alone
carried by Your constant grace
held within Your perfect peace
never once, no, we never walk alone
every step
we are breathing in Your grace
evermore we'll be
breathing out Your praise
You are faithful
God You are faithful
Tonight, as he goes to sleep for the last time (at least for quite a while) in his home country, we pray for his precious heart. Life as he knows it is about to change. He is leaving all that he knows. I can only imagine how overwhelming everything will be for him. From simple things like sugar packets, to big things like a new culture, new language, new people, new family and friends. We are praying that the Lord gives him peace and wraps His loving arms around him and comforts him in ways we never could. We ask for your prayers for Eliyas during this transition and for us, that we would be patient and understanding and seek guidance and wisdom from the Lord as we learn how to parent.
We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for how you have prayed for us, supported us, encouraged us, reminded us of scripture, loved us, and blessed us financially. I cannot even imagine these last 31 days without the outpouring of love that we have received. On days when I didn't think I could handle anymore, I was reminded of how much we are loved, which in turn reminded me of how faithful God is. We cannot wait to introduce the world to our sweet Eliyas Chase. We hope to have a welcoming party in the next couple of weeks once we see how he is adjusting. We discussed having a big ol' airport party, but just from what we have gotten to know of our son and advice from others who have gone before us, we are going to keep the airport homecoming low key with just immediate family and a few close friends so he's not too overwhelmed. Our initial days and weeks at home will be pretty quiet. We are not ignoring you or trying to keep people away, we just want to be mindful of how this transition will affect him. As you think about us in the coming weeks and months, please pray for us. We know we have some challenging days ahead, but they are worth it!
Jeremiah 29:11-14
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Last thing... for real. Our dear family friends who I have known over half my life, Dale & Jeanne Warner, set up a PayPal account to collect funds on our behalf. Some of you have asked for the link so I wanted to share it again. You can find the PayPal link and more info here. The fund closes as soon as we get off the plane, so soon!!! :) We are completely blown away by how God has provided for us during this time of extra expenses and unexpected break from paychecks. Thank you, Warners, for this blessing, and our friends and family for blessing us beyond belief. "Thank you" doesn't even begin to describe our gratitude.
Not sure how the blogging will go now that this part of our journey is over... I will try to keep you updated with how we are doing! Thank you for being a part of and following our journey!
XOXO!
XOXO!
