Hello from Ethiopia!

We have arrived after 30+ hours of traveling (which is super exhausting), stops in Detroit, Amsterdam, an unexpected stop in Khartoum, Sudan (just to refuel and drop off some people) and finally Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!
We slept for over 12 hours last night after arriving at our amazing guest house. The guest house has been such a huge blessing and we have an amazing hostess who gave us Ethiopian coffee, toast, and omelettes when we woke up.
As usual, traveling in a new country is such an adventure. We have spent the morning sitting on our balcony, eating chick peas from the neighbor boy, and taking much needed showers. Tomorrow morning (Monday) we meet Trey and Tessa. There are five other families here with Bethany this week and we will meet them tomorrow too. We are eight hours ahead of Michigan time so it is currently Sunday afternoon here. We can't wait to see you all in a week!

-Phil, Connie, and Kate

The time has FINALLY come!

We are leaving for Ethiopia on February 12!



Last week, we received word that we are expected at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa on February 16. We will be meeting the kids on February 14, the best Valentine's Day we could have ever imagined.

Currently, we are scrambling to finish all the travel details. Its kinda difficult to plan an overseas trip in less than two weeks! Phil, Connie, and Kate will be traveling together and will be staying at a guesthouse in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. Once we get the kids on February 14, they will be with us the remainder of the time. We aren't sure what we will be doing each day, but the mystery of it all is exciting. Please keep praying for us during this unique step of the journey...

We are planning on returning to the Grand Rapids airport on Sunday, February 21! If anyone is interested in coming to the airport, we would LOVE it! Let us know if you want to be contacted (Abby will be letting people know of any flight changes, etc. - anw223@gmail.com or facebook her) And then a new journey of adjustments, language, laughter, new experiences, new clothes, new people, new toys, and a new family begins...

Thanks for your prayers, encouragement, support, and love!

We are APPROVED!

Good news today! We just got an email saying that our court date occurred in Ethiopia today and we are APPROVED. Once our paperwork was sent to Ethiopia, there was a list of 14 things that needed to be done before we get our kids. The court date was #13 on the list. The only other thing left is an invitation to travel.

This is such an answer to prayer because, until now, there has been a possibility that we could be rejected. But, we are approved! Now, we are told that we must wait for an invitation from the U.S. Embassy to travel. They have told us that it could take 1-2 months before we travel, but things have been happening fast and anything could happen...And God can work as fast as he wants. So, please keep praying with us!

And...we got a few new pictures of Trey and Tessa today. Adorable and they look pretty social :). We can't wait! Here's Tessa (on the far left) with some friends. And here's Trey (bottom right). As you can see, there's lots of other cute kids :)

I am so amazed at how God provides for our needs.....this just happened ten minutes ago:

I was sitting at the table working on adoption paperwork, trying to figure out what still needs to be completed, how we're going to come up with the next amount due, and figuring out immunizations for our upcoming trip to Ethiopia......and I saw a guy park outside our house and come up our driveway. I don't think I've seen him before. I couldn't get up right away because I had papers everywhere so I called to Phil and Robbie. By the time they got to the door, the guy was gone but had left a Christmas card with a $100 bill inside, telling us he is praying for us. Anonymous!! Well, whoever you are, if you read our blog, you have no idea how encouraging this is to all of us! God has used your faith and actions to remind us that he is caring for us, he is providing for us. This is his plan and I don't have to worry about HOW he is going to accomplish this.

Also, Saturday night Phil and I went to the tabernacle (BSHOP) for their worship/prayer time. Ryan asked people to lay their hands on us and pray for us and Trey and Tessa and that the adoption process would move ahead quickly. We both felt so encouraged and blessed by these prayers. And the hugs. So many people, many we don't even know very well, lifting us up, being obedient to the Holy Spirit's promptings!!

This is the fun part.......but there is so much more to come. I envisioned Trey and Tessa at the prayer house, in the middle of this group, worshiping God, praying........and knowing that these people loved them and prayed for them way before they even met. And knowing that all that love really comes from their Heavenly Father.

We have an official referral!

We just found out the kids are officially ours...We received an official referral from Ethiopia and we hope this means that things will continue to move along....

This was just a glimpse of hope when it felt like the waiting was tooooo long. At least we know things are moving and happening.

We also received some new pictures and information about Trey and Tessa. Oh wow. The pictures of the kids were ADORABLE. We had never seen pictures of them with such big smiles! We can't wait to show these pictures to all of you :)

Keep praying! We can't wait to have our kids home!

Happy 50th Birthday, Dad!

Today is a monumental day. Phil is turning 50! Time to celebrate! Here's a picture of him with an adorable kid that we take care of from our church. Soon, he will be the father of two more kids :)

Not many new updates on the adoption...
The paperwork is in Ethiopia being translated and processed. When we are asked, "When are Trey and Tessa coming?" we don't really have a clear answer yet. We are hoping within the next couple months. Please continue to pray with us for God's perfect timing!

We put up our Christmas tree on Sunday and there are a few presents for Trey and Tessa under the tree already :)

On a side note...The Hole in our Gospel. This book is so great. It is written by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision and we highly recommend it.

Latest Developments...

We had an amazing opportunity this weekend to experience a little taste of Africa through an eye-opening exhibit put on by World Vision. This experience set up a mini-African village and allowed visitors to walk in the footsteps of four different children who are living amidst the HIV/AIDS crisis. We followed the story of Emmanuel, a six-year-old boy from Uganda whose parents both died of AIDS. Our hearts broke as we sat in the small makeshift huts and waited in the clinic. For a glimpse into the awesome work of World Vision, check out their website!

http://www.worldvisionexperience.org/minisite/minisite.aspx?id=199

As for the latest updates of our adoption of Trey and Tessa...our paperwork is in Ethiopia! It is being translated and processed. We have been told that once the paperwork is there, it could be 2-4 months. Please continue praying for Trey and Tessa to know the love of Jesus through the people around them.

Also, we are confronted with a unique situation right now. Because Tessa is HIV-positive, it will require a significant amount of paperwork and waivers to get her into the United States. In addition, it could require a three-week stay. However, on January 1, 2010, President Obama is reversing the long-standing HIV Immigration Laws which prohibits immigrants with HIV from entering the United States without all of the waivers. Because of this, if we go to Ethiopia after January 1, the paperwork would be minimal and our stay in Ethiopia could be as short as 4 days!

We will leave you with this...

"Fifteen thousand people dying needlessly everyday from AIDs, TB, and malaria. Mothers, fathers, teachers, farmers, nurses, mechanics, children. This is Africa's crisis. That its not on the nightly news, that we do not treat this as an emergency -- that's OUR crisis." - Bono