The Next Step

Adoption is something Peter and I have talked/prayed about ever since before we were married (almost 7 years ago). We have never been in a place long enough to start the very long and complicated process. We weren't sure how long we would be in the US so decided to 'jump in' and see how the Lord would lead us. Last February, after talking with a lady from our adoption agency we decided to pursue adopting from Ethiopia.

In 2005 Ethiopia had approximately 4 million orphans. The estimated # of children living in the streets of Addis Ababa is currently between 60,000-100,000. We knew we wanted to adopt from wherever the biggest need was and from our research Ethiopia was one of the top choices.

In August 2008 we received the referral for a baby girl named Meskerem. We prayed about it, talked about it and accepted the referral. We decided to keep Meskerem (which means September or Spring in Amharic) as her middle name and give her the name 'Matea', which means gift of God. It is also a feminine form of 'Matthew'.

So, after many many months of paperwork, delays, court closures, court dates, etc. we have finally received travel dates. We leave tomorrow for Addis Ababa to meet our daughter. We appreciate your prayers for our travel as well as the attachment process and trust building. Please pray that all goes well with the embassy appointment and that we can have the visa in hand by Wednesday the 6th. Pray also for our boy Hudson as he stays with his Auntie Ris and Uncle Donny for the 8 days we are gone.