Praying for Obstacles to be Lifted

When we received our referrals in late April we thought we would have seen our children by now. I thought that was how I would have spent my summer, preparing and traveling to Ethiopia. However we faced some slow downs and were not able to get a court date when we thought. It was a long, at times difficult 8 week wait to finally hear that things would start moving. We were then hoping we would now hear about a court date before the rainy season in Ethiopia.

 So we crossed one hurdle and felt so relieved. Then, that was crushed again about 2 days later when we got more unsettling news. Over the past week many, many orphanages in a southern region of Ethiopia have been closed. No one seems to know why but this affects over 250 children who have been moved elsewhere. They have been moved away from everything and everyone they know, which I am sure would be terrifying. One of our little babies was in one of those orphanages. We don't know what this means yet as these changes are so abrupt. We are crying out to the Lord for a miracle...that both of these boys can make their way to us.

All along this journey we have clearly seen God at work in leading us to them. Even if everything has not been in our timing we have seen very challenging obstacles lifted. We have had health scares for Silas and yet his tests came back fine. We worried about his weight and he has put on almost 7 pounds in 2 months (which was amazing for him). We have faced delays and uncertainty that in time have settled. We have heard nothing but wonderful things about where both boys were residing in Ethiopia and we are so confused as to why all of this is happening.

Please pray with us that these obstacles would be lifted. That families matched with children would receive court dates soon. Please pray that all of these children can find peace with these changes as they have already faced much hardship in their lives. We are praying for peace as well, as this has been difficult to digest. All waiting children and families could use all the prayer we can get.

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families." Psalm 68 5-6

"But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless." Psalm 10:14