CLEARED!

There has been so much rejoicing going on today, that I feel like I could burst. This morning, at the very early hour of 2 AM, I checked my email before heading off to work, because I had a sneaking suspicion that today was the day that God was giving us the gift of knowing that our case was cleared. I opened my account and saw the email and I ran to get Jon so we could read it together. Wow!  I left for work shaking with excitement (turns out, excitement works better than caffeine at 3 AM), and Jon went back to bed. Or so I thought. Around 4 AM I saw him walking in my unit with a bag of peanut M&M's for me. He was too excited to sleep. Can a girl get any more blessed?

The plan is for us to leave next Friday, June 22nd and return home July 1st. We plan to visit J's birthplace when we first arrive, then will come back to Addis Ababa for a Visa Interview on June 27th. The rest of the time will be spent in Addis Ababa.

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

One

Never would I have imagined that for my first child's, first birthday, that we would be half a world away from each other. But as I've said before, life is an adventure. You can never be sure exactly how and where God will direct your life. Yesterday Jon surprised me with ice cream cake, and I was delighted when my good friend Vanessa dropped off a special birthday card from her little girl Eden.

Despite the fun surprises, as I head off for work, my arms feel especially empty today. As we await approval from the Embassy, if we pass, his first birthday party will happen, just a few months after the fact. As much as my heart aches today, I can't help but think of his birth mom and family, who will miss not only birthdays, but the big and small milestones of his life, and it brings tears. My heart goes out to the millions of children who never have the experience of celebrating birthdays with the love and support of family and friends. I pray that all of us continue to have our hearts open to caring for the vulnerable children in our world.