The not-so-good news came yesterday in an e-mail from our adoption agency's supervisor. She was letting everyone know that there has recently been violent protests in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Sadly there have been hundreds of lives lost including a woman from the U.S. The effects on adoption are two-fold. Firstly, the Ethiopian and U.S. government officials have to prioritize dealing with the chaos in-country over adoption cases, so this will likely slow down Ethiopian adoptions. Secondly, our adoption agency has decided to change their policy and not allow families to stay in Ethiopia between their court appearance and the U.S. embassy adoption approval. This means we will have to make two trips to Ethiopia. After the first trip we will have to return home without L. and wait until the embassy calls us back to pick him up.
It was a good reminder to me that God is in control. I can so easily lose sight of that. Sometimes I think I have a false sense of control. I think if I work hard enough to push the paperwork and processes along, maybe I will be able to bring our son home faster. But I need to remember it's not me that will make this adoption happen. It's God. For that I am thankful.
We ask for continued prayers for those in Ethiopia. For their peace and safety and for an extra measure of protection for little L.
{Psalm 68:5-6a
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
God sets the solitary in families.}
