ANOTHER Ethiopia Change

We received this email from our family coordinator yesterday:

Dear James & Kelly,

We are writing to inform you that a notice was posted by the Ethiopian Federal Court stating that the recent change in the court policies (put into place on March 10^th) has been put on hold. The March 10^th change required both prospective adoptive parents to appear in person at their court appointment in order to testify to their desire and commitment to adopt their referred child(ren). We do not know how long this change will be on hold or if/when it will be reinstated. As the policy could be reinstated at any time, America World advises families to continue preparing for the potential of additional travel.

Although not required by the court at this time, America World continues to strongly recommend families travel to meet their adopted child(ren) in person prior to adoption finalization. We recognize any additional travel can be financially and logistically challenging for families, but in light of the numerous advantages to meeting a child in person and being present for court, we urge all families to seriously consider making the additional trip part of their adoption plans, even if only one parent is able to travel.

Please rest assured America World will continue to provide families with updated information on the adoption process as quickly as possible. We appreciate your prayers for the Ethiopian Government as they work to continue to improve the details and requirements involved in the international adoption process.

So, at least in the short term, it looks like we're back to one trip! Which, financially, is a big blessing. However, all the back and forth on policies is definitely starting to make me a bit nervous. Please keep praying everything goes smoothly and we don't hit any more bumps in the road!

Also, for anyone interested, we are still selling coffee as a fundraiser for our adoption. We purchased some ourselves and I can verify its yumminess. We receive $5 per bag sold towards our adoption expenses. In addition, all of the varieties are Fair Trade Certified and many varieties are organic! To visit our store, simply go to: https://www.justlovecoffee.com/BringPhinHome

Also, our good friend Chris Hendrixson is helping us to get an adoption tshirt in the works. Stay tuned for that!

Blessings!!!

Coffee Fundraiser

Hey Coffee Lovers! In light of the new "Two Trip" requirement for Ethiopia adoptive families, we are looking into some fundraisers. If you love coffee, Just Love Coffee is a great org you can buy your coffee from and $5 of every bag sold goes directly towards our adoption. In addition, a percentage of the sales go to help our orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Check it out and thanks for your support! https://www.justlovecoffee.com/BringPhinHome

Bad News

I just finished reading an email from our adoption agency notifying of us of some "not so good" news.

Apparently, the Ethiopian government has decided to REQUIRE both parents to appear at the court date that happens 4-6 wks after we receive our referral. We will be required to stay in country 5-7 days and then will return to the US. 10-12 weeks later, we will travel BACK to Ethiopia to bring our son home.

I cannot express to you how devastated I feel at this news. There are not many countries that require two separate trips and now, it seems, Ethiopia is one of them. The main problem is, of course, money. Just as I was beginning to think we were only about $5000 short, we receive this news which means we will need to bring in, possibly, an additional $7000 for a second set of travel arrangements. I know they said to "expect the unexpected", but I am sincerely blown away. Never in a million years did I expect this magnitude of change. I've just been crying since I got the email.

There's a conference call tomorrow that is supposed to answer any questions we may have. Right now, I don't know much more. I will try to let you all know if I get any more information.
Blessings,
Kelly

The Wait

Has it only been a couple of weeks??? Already it feels like forever. I've been trying to think of projects to occupy my time. I've considered working on Halloween costumes early. I've thought about making curtains for the living room. Maybe a new shower curtain. Or I could make doll clothes for Halle. But instead, I've opted for checking the AWAA blog every 15 minutes or so, just to see if any referrals (for other people) have come in.

It's a sickness. I don't recommend it.

On a positive note, Steven Curtis Chapman's Agency, Show Hope(http://showhope.org ) sent us a letter to inform us that they had awarded us an adoption grant in the amount of $3000!! This was our last, and final grant. Every other grant denied us, and I expected to receive the same news from Show Hope. But praise the Lord! $3000 changes our lives! We are one step closer to Phin. Thank you Show Hope and Steven Curtis Chapman!!!!