Much to our suprise, we received a court date yesterday! This was about 2-3 weeks before we were expecting to hear this news. (Notice that I said we were expecting to hear. All along we have learned that we don't know much and are not in control.) So...now it looks like instead of going to Florida for Thanksgiving and eating turkey and dressing we will be traveling to Ethiopia to meet Jeremiah and eating injera and wot. Our actual court date is November 25th. We are so excited!!
In everything that we have completed for the adoption to date and all of the milestones that we have put behind us, this is the first time that it feels real. Not only do we know what Jeremiah looks like, we now have an actual date that we are going to be able to hold him in our arms. It doesn't get much more real than that! I'm not saying that all of the past experience hasn't meant anything, it's just that nothing can compare to seeing him in the flesh and counting all of his toes and fingers, kissing on his cheeks, and looking into his eyes and knowing that he will soon be with his forever family.
We now have about 7 weeks to make travel arrangements, complete more paperwork, and prepare for the long trip 20+ hour trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Please continue to pray for Jeremiah and that he is receiving loving care, pray for Jaden and Justin and a smooth transistion from a family of 4 to a family of 5, and for our preparations to meet our son for the first time. Black Friday will never have the same meaning in the Sutliff household!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Just the Opposite
Well, we continue to wait for October 10th...which is when the courts re-open so the judge can assign us a court date. We are getting pretty excited as we anticipate our court date, our first trip to Ethiopia, and most importantly meeting Jeremiah for the first time. We continue to get monthly updates on Jeremiah's progress. He just turned 6 months old on September 28th and weighs almost 13 lbs. Every update shows progress and his photos portray him as a very happy and healthy young man!
During conversations with people about the adoption, a constant comment from people is that Jeremiah is one lucky kid. They always mention the opportunities that he will now have, the fact that he will be a part of a loving God-centered household, and being part of a family that will embrace him. However, Julie was recently having a conversation with someone about Jeremiah and they stated how we are so lucky. Lucky that God is entrusting us with Jeremiah, and the many blessings that he is sure to bring to our family.
Throughout this entire process, I have never felt that we were not supposed to be adopting. From the point that a decision was made, it has become part of our life. Almost a normancy of sort...a calling of faithfulness and obedience. There have also been thoughts of changing the life of a child by bringing him into our home. It's the least that we can do! Right? Or is it? I believe that our mindset should not be to change Jeremiah's life...but to change our life. We should be learning that God is changing us through this process as He shows us how to live a more Christ-centered life. A life that involves listening to, following, and obeying God's word. This is just another step in God's plan for us and we should understand that there may be many more to come.
This looks great in writing, but application is difficult. Sometimes, we have to go into things with our eyes wide opened, our ears fully listening and our mouths closed...and just let God direct us. Personally, there are many times that I forget this and have patches over my eyes, cotton in my ears and all the while my tongue is just a flappin'. Just remember - this isn't about what you are doing for someone else, it's about what God is doing for you. Blessings are abundant and we don't ever want to loose sight of that!
During conversations with people about the adoption, a constant comment from people is that Jeremiah is one lucky kid. They always mention the opportunities that he will now have, the fact that he will be a part of a loving God-centered household, and being part of a family that will embrace him. However, Julie was recently having a conversation with someone about Jeremiah and they stated how we are so lucky. Lucky that God is entrusting us with Jeremiah, and the many blessings that he is sure to bring to our family.
Throughout this entire process, I have never felt that we were not supposed to be adopting. From the point that a decision was made, it has become part of our life. Almost a normancy of sort...a calling of faithfulness and obedience. There have also been thoughts of changing the life of a child by bringing him into our home. It's the least that we can do! Right? Or is it? I believe that our mindset should not be to change Jeremiah's life...but to change our life. We should be learning that God is changing us through this process as He shows us how to live a more Christ-centered life. A life that involves listening to, following, and obeying God's word. This is just another step in God's plan for us and we should understand that there may be many more to come.
This looks great in writing, but application is difficult. Sometimes, we have to go into things with our eyes wide opened, our ears fully listening and our mouths closed...and just let God direct us. Personally, there are many times that I forget this and have patches over my eyes, cotton in my ears and all the while my tongue is just a flappin'. Just remember - this isn't about what you are doing for someone else, it's about what God is doing for you. Blessings are abundant and we don't ever want to loose sight of that!
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