awaiting USA, day 31. {never once did we ever walk alone}

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

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

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

never once 
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

Over the last 31 days we have learned a lot about our Eliyas. He is so smart, caring, loving, an amazing athlete, and hilarious. Even more hilarious in Amharic because every driver, every sweet lady at the front desk, the guides, etc... are constantly cracking up at whatever he is saying. Can't wait till we get to hear more in English. We have played more games of HORSE than we can count. He keeps us on our toes! I have explained what "XOXO" means (still don't think he gets that one), we discuss our family name on a daily basis (the whole name system works differently here- people are known by their first name and father's name. So Eliyas Chase is the way his name would normally be known.) He cracks us up. Today, when asked how to say a number in Amharic he said, "I don't know, I'm American now!" He saw a sugar packet (instead of a bowl and spoon) and lawn sprinkler for the first time today and was amazed at both. We cannot wait to experience more firsts with him and see the world through his eyes. We have overcome some rough days and are seeing more of our sweet son every day. He volunteers hugs, kisses, "I love you's", jokes, asks questions... quite the change from the first few weeks. We are officially in our honeymoon stage and loving every second.

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!

**lyrics from Matt Redman's "Never Once"

awaiting USA, day 21. "no big deal!"

If it's not one thing it's another! Chase came down with flu-like symptoms last night. Chills, fever, aching all over. Eliyas also felt like he had a fever before he went to bed last night so I gave him some Tylenol. This morning, Eliyas woke up complaining of a stomach ache and headache and I was barely able to get him out of bed to go to the hospital for his stinking pills. I had the pediatrician look at him there. He said, "He is having conjunctivitis and a sore throat, he has the flu." I didn't know conjunctivitis was a symptom of the flu? I mentioned Chase's symptoms to him and he said, "Oh, we must test him for malaria." This is the panel physician that is responsible for Eliyas' TB diagnosis, needless to say he's not my favorite person so I didn't think too much of the malaria comment right then. He did say that he and the CDC have exchanged 19 emails and our waiver approval "seems possible." He said he told them his opinion, that he thinks he is at low risk for transmission. Thankful for that!

Once we got back to the guest house, Eliyas' head was hurting, Chase was still feeling bad, and I was exhausted from no sleep the night before, so we all laid around all day. By 7pm Chase was feeling worse, fever started back up and he said his neck was stiff. I called a doctor off the US Embassy's website and he advised us to go to the ER immediately as we was concerned about the possibility of meningitis. He was such a nice guy, has kids that live in Dallas and considered himself an honorary Texan! He also happens to be a TB specialist and said he thinks E must have had a false positive in the sputum test. Wish the US government would listen to doctors instead of insisting he take all this medicine! Anyways, that's another story... A hospital he recommended, St. Gabriel Hospital, is literally right around the corner from us so after some convincing Chase we made our way over there. One hour and $40 later, we found out that he did not have meningitis, praise the Lord!!! But he does have typhus. When the doctor told us, I pretty much yelled at him, "TYPHOID FEVER??!!!" He explained that no, it's not typhoid fever, and it's actually very common here in Ethiopia! "It's not a big deal!" Sheesh... nothing is a big deal here! The pediatrician that gave us the news of Eliyas' results told me, "Madam, it's not a big deal, TB is very common here!" What isn't common here??! Really sad to think about all Ethiopian people go through and are exposed to on a regular basis. :( Turns out typhus is caused by flea or lice bites and he did have some kind of bites on his feet. Thinking it might have come from the beautiful Gorge we visited- as the place was covered in bugs. Also read incubation time is 5-14 days and we are right in that window now, went to the Gorge 8 days ago. We will be wearing bug spray every day from now on! Can I tell you how thankful I am that it is nothing more serious?! They gave us some doxycycline and said he should be better in no time! And one hour, in an out of an ER, for only $40 including meds, you can't beat that!! 

In other news, our waiver was delivered this morning! We finally found out last night that we should have mailed the documents as originally planned. We were told for the last 7 days to keep waiting to hear from someone because there was the possibility of needing it sent to us in Addis to take to embassy. Turns out plan A was correct, and we could have mailed it last Monday, but it is at least where it needs to be now!

We are praying for the people that are processing our envelope, that they get it to the correct place in a speedy manner! We were told it could be as short as a couple days before it get to the correct desk. Praying for the person who will be approving our waiver, that they understand all the facts and have a sense of urgency in helping get us home! 

I'll keep this post short, but am not going to hesitate to ask for your prayers for the following:

- Please pray for our health, that Chase starts feeling better soon, Eliyas gets better/stays healthy, and that I stay healthy!

- Pray for our time here in Ethiopia, that we have a great time bonding during Eliyas' last days in his home country. 

- For all 3 of us during this transition, for Eliyas' heart as he is about to leave all he knows and for us as we seek wisdom and guidance to be the best parents for our sweet son we have been entrusted with.

- And lastly, please pray that our waiver is processed quickly! We are praying for and expecting a miracle!

We can't thank you enough for your prayers and support over the last 21 days. The kindness of friends, family, and strangers back home has been overwhelming. We are so thankful!

DTE!!!!!

I know this update is long overdue, but I figured no one wanted to read a whiny post about how we've just been waiting on this and waiting on that. So I've been holding out until I finally had some good news to report.

My friends, that day is here!!! As of yesterday we are DTE!!! {Dossier to Ethiopia} How many times can I track a package may you ask? A lot. 

The day we've been waiting for since July is finally here. 8 months of organizing paperwork, ordering birth certificates, passports, doctor's appointments, home study, USCIS fingerprinting + a hiccup with our USCIS clearance, notarizing, state certification... well, you get the picture. It is all behind us! (For now... some of our things will have to be renewed next year, but who's talking about next year right now?!) 

Now what? Now we wait. It's looking to be about 24+ months right now for our age range we're requesting (0-2 yrs, boy or girl). So eventually we'll be getting a call to come bring our baby girl or boy home. I can't wait for that call! But at the same time- I can. I wish it wasn't going to take years, but we've never been parents before people! We don't own a crib, or a stroller, or a changing table, or a baby monitor... We've got some preparing to do, and for a person who likes to have things planned out and prepared for, I'm glad I do have a little bit of time to get our ducks in a row. I'm really glad we don't know yet what we are having or the baby's room would probably already be furnished, painted, and closet filled. 

Over the next 2 years we will be praying, reading books, and getting our home ready for our child that we dream about and pray for every day. My heart has been really heavy the last couple of weeks, and it's hard to get it all out in words, but this is a good start: 


“Adoption is a redemptive response to tragedy that happens in this broken world.” 
― Katie J. Davis, Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption

"An honest approach to adoption involves both profound brokenness and beauty."

- Jason Kovacs

Adoption for us is our Plan A. God has called us to bring our first child into our family from another country, that will not look like us or talk like us, but will be ours all the same. While we are rejoicing our DTE status, right now in Ethiopia our baby could be making their way into this world any day. Our baby might already be born. I can't imagine the heartache that our baby will experience in their short life before we bring them home. I can't imagine the heartache of our child's birth mother and birth family. I can't imagine the circumstances that will leave our child without their birth family. My heart has been heavy thinking about these things. Adoption for us is how God has called us to grow our family and live out James 1:27. Oh how we wish that adoption wasn't necessary, how we wish that there weren't millions of orphans needing a home. For millions of children in the world, international adoption is their best hope. 

So we pray- we pray for our child, that God would hold him or her safe in His hands and that He would comfort them and place people in their life that will love them until we can bring them home. We pray for our child's birth family, for the nannies in the transition home that will care for him or her until we can get there, for the government in Ethiopia to process cases quickly but yet ethically and effectively so that less children are stuck in orphanages all over the country- and the world. We pray that children remain with their biological families, but when that's not an option we pray that more and more Christians will ask the Lord how they can help. Not everyone is called to adoption, but we are all called to care for the orphan- and that can look different for everyone.

I think I could go on & on here, but I'll leave you with this link to Brandon Hatmaker's blog post about the movie STUCK. STUCK is a movement to remove barriers to international adoption and to prioritize the need to find permanent loving families for children all over the world. Too many children are STUCK in orphanages while families wait years to bring them home, this is too long, things have got to change. Check out his blog and/or visit the link to sign the petition.

We want to thank each of you for your love, support, and prayers over the last 8 months. Please don't stop now, the hardest parts are ahead. We couldn't be doing this without our friends and family and we appreciate all that you have done for us! I am amazed at how gracious God has been to us over the last 8 months through the support of our friends, family, and people that we barely know. He has been so good to us and we are so thankful! 

We had a wonderful celebration at Taste of Ethiopia in Pflugerville last night with our family and friends, thank you for joining us to celebrate being DTE! We love you all! If you haven't had Ethiopian food or like Ethiopian food, get over to Taste of Ethiopia. SO STINKING GOOD! (I got Siga Tibbs with Fesolia, and loved every bite.)

I cannot tell you how much I love this painting made by Jacob & Stephanie, our dear friends Andrew & Laila's sweet kids. We love this family so much!! 

Have a blessed Easter celebrating our risen Lord!!!