update

Once again, we are waiting. You would think that we would be good at this by now. God has taught us to trust Him and the waiting is more bearable than it use to be. I never feel alone. God is there and friends who are living this same journey are always there to listen. CWA is saying that our papers should be submitted to the US Embassy on September 7th. Then we wait to hear from them. Once the Embassy has investigated our case and approved it, we will be given an Embassy appointment. These are offered once every two weeks so we are hoping to travel in October. September 21st would be the first possible time that we could travel, but it is doubtful that we would be approved by then. Addia's first birthday is October 24th so we are hoping to be with her by then. Thank you for your continued prayers....

here she is!

Introducing Addia Faith Netsanet Collins....
Netsanet was the name her birthmom gave her and it means "freedom".

we are home with one sweet girl missing

We are home! We arrived home on Thursday. I can't even describe in words what it was like to be in Ethiopia. I think our caseworker described it best when he said it is a place of contrasts. The people are unbelievably beautiful. At one point I turned to Mark and asked "do they even know how beautiful they are?". They are very loving with arms around each other and holding hands wherever they go. They take care of each other. Admist all of the love and beauty, there is poverty that you have never seen before. As we were driven places in a van, I would see shocking scenes out of the window. Things that you can't imagine...things that would take your breath away....things that make you want to scream "stop" and jump out of the van to rescue someone. Then you realize you can't "fix" the poverty in one moment. I know visiting there has changed me forever...spiritually and mentally. We were so blessed to travel there with other CWA families. We made lifelong friends and had a lot of FUN being and living these moments together. I can't imagine the trip without them. I so hope that we travel for Embassy together as well. The best part of the trip was meeting our sweet Addia. Our first meeting could not have gone any better. She responded so well to us, looked deeply in our eyes, hugged me so tightly at one point and gave her Daddy a big kiss. Once we have our computer issues resolved, I will post a picture of her. She's a cutie with chunky rolls, big eyes and lots of personality. We were told that we may travel to bring her home in 4-6 weeks so we are counting down the days. Thank you for your many prayers...every one was felt and made our trip easier for us and our children at home. Pictures coming soon...

leaving in two days

That's right! We leave on Wednesday for our FIRST trip to Ethiopia. We will be able to spend a little time with the baby and we will appear before a judge to say we do want to proceed with her adoption. Thank you for your continued prayers. After this trip, she should be legally a COLLINS and then we will wait for an Embassy appointment. At that time (maybe 6-8 weeks from now), we will travel back and bring her home. For now, we are excited to meet her, whisper in her ear that she has a forever family and see her beautiful birth country. We will update as we are able...

PASSED COURT

Really that's enough said in the title!! We are completely relieved and thankful that we passed court the first time. This is a blessing and we don't take it for granted. Looks like we'll be leaving in 20 days and meeting her, holding her in about 22 days!!! So thankful today! Thank you for your prayers!

court date is tomorrow

Please pray for our court case as you go to sleep tonight. Our court date is tomorrow and Ethiopia is 7 hours ahead of us. As we sleep tonight, a decision will be made about a baby girl's future. We have been told that court cases do not pass 50% of the time. If we don't pass, we may not be able to travel at the end of this month. Please just pray that all needed documents and people are present and that the case passes easily. I'm trusting that we will hear good news tomorrow afternoon or early Friday. Thanks for your continued prayers...

big week ahead

As I sat in church this morning, singing patriotic and worship songs, I had great difficulty holding back the tears. We have waited for this week for so long now. We have waited for a court date to know that we were one big step closer to bringing home our little girl. Our music pastor did a wonderful job of tying in scripture that related to freedom this morning. Then it hit me...our baby's Ethiopian name given to her by her birthmom means "freedom, liberty". I was overwhelmed. I have known the meaning of her name and have appreciated that her birthmom gave that name to her for a reason, but realizing that all again on July the 4th with an impending court date brought all my emotions to the surface. Just as I felt when we received our referral(s), I go into this week with mixed feelings. Of course, I want us to pass court easily. But I also grieve for a birthmom who feels she has no other choice than to give her daughter "freedom" and I honor her for the sacrificial gift she is giving her child. In a different country, she would most likely not have to make this decision. I just pray that I can always honor her. Please remember us this week...the court date is Thursday, July 8th.