Saturday, October 16, 2010

Still in the USA :(
















So, I was hoping my next post would be from Dubai, but I am actually typing this post from my bedroom. Yep, we did not get on a flight today to Ethiopia. Why, you ask?



Well, at about 1:30 pm yesterday afternoon while I was at a local pumpkin patch / farm with Caleb on a field trip, I received a phone call from our adoption agency. I didn't answer it, because honestly I didn't know the number , and for those of you who know me, I hardly ever answer my cell phone if I don't know the number, and I honestly don't do a good job of answering my phone even when I do know the number :) So, I waited to see if they left a message, and they did. I played the message while Caleb was playing on the playground, but all I could hear was that it was our adoption agency, and something about a travel delay and our son's birth father. Major freakout! Major!! I immediately called Zack who had just left and told him to call our agency, as I didn't have good reception and would be boarding a school bus shortly, as we were ready to leave the pumpkin patch. I did not know what to think at this point! I was supposed to be leaving in 24 hours to bring home our son!!!!


What we came to understand is that there is an error with paperwork regarding Noah's birth father. The police report says he is deceased, the orphanage paperwork says he is unknown, which apparently is the correct status. But, they have to match before the embassy will issue Noah a visa, allowing us to enter back into the USA. This is usually an easily resolved issue, and in fact, we didn't even know anything about the discrepancy in wording until yesterday! In our case, the person who was responsible for making the change (should have been done almost two weeks ago)in wording simply didn't do it. That's it. Just a simple mistake. We all make them, but this one really stinks!

So, we canceled our tickets (not cheap, but thankfully we were able to pay a fee and have them completely refunded) and have tickets on hold for the next embassy date, November 2. Prayerfully, we will know at the beginning of next week that the issue has been resolved, and we will leave for Ethiopia on October 30.

At first, I admit, I was angry, but God helped me work through that pretty quickly, reminding me, as I mentioned above, that we all make mistakes. Now, just disappointment and still a little shock remains. We just were so looking forward to having Noah home. When I told Caleb I wasn't going to be able to go and get Noah as planned, he said in a very distraught voice, "Oh, no!". I explained to him Noah was coming home, just not as soon as we had thought. I think he is pretty disappointed too.



So for now, we continue to pray for Noah, pray that this issue will be resolved, and pray that God will help us be patient through the next two weeks.


In the meantime, we are enjoying our time as a family and this beautiful fall weather. God is good.

4 comments:

Gran said...

Bless your heart, I can only imagine the freak out you had with those words going through your head..... It is going to be okay and God is in control!!!!

KLT said...

Arggghhhh! It can be so hard to let go of our expectations! I am sorry for this delay and will pray that God's grace will help you surrender your disappointment each moment and to live with fullness in the next couple weeks. I will also continue to pray for the time (still coming) when your whole family will finally be together!!!

natali said...

praying. :))

Lib said...

My heart just sank when I read your news and I can only imagine how devastating this latest setback must feel - but I fully believe that God's hand is moving in your lives and that, in looking back, the waiting will make sense. I will pray for patience for you and courage and faith for Noah and for NO MORE DELAYS! Keeping your family in our hearts and prayers always.