A Milestone (at least on paper)

It's hard to believe that it has already been 6 months since we submitted our dossier. Although there are days that the waiting is painful in regard to the adoption process...life continues to happen which helps keep us focused and determined to accept God's timing.

According to the adoption agency, the average waiting time for an Ethiopian referral is 6-9 months after the dossier is submitted. So...here we are! It's been 6 months and the excitement is building. Unfortunately, in keeping up with the forums and blogs from Bethany and other families, we have learned that the waiting period for Ethiopian adoptions has been getting longer - not in all cases, but nonetheless families do appear to be waiting longer. From what we understand, this is due to some concerns about illegal adoptions from the Ethiopian government which has caused increased investigations and the growth of adotions from Ethiopia. We just continue to pray and trust that God has a plan.

I thought that I would leave you with a few facts about Ethiopia that may surprise you:
The Calendar There are 13 months in the Ethiopian Calendar! Each month has 30 days and the last month has only 5 or 6 days. New Year's is celebrated in September and there is a 7 year difference with the western calendar. For example, in 2011 it is actually 2004.
The Clock/Time of Day The Ethiopian clock begins & changes time at first light or at 6am rather than at midnight. When you ask an Ethiopian what time it is, although, it's 12 n00n because the sun is right above your head, they would tell you that it's 6:00 o'clock (in the morning) which is also when the date changes; at 6am rather than 12 midnight. It can be very confusing!
Literacy Rate The literacy rate in Ethiopia is 43%...compared to 99% in the United States.
Average Income US$200 per year
Orphans 4.8 Million

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Disheartenment

Today I listened in on a conference call set up to help families understand the current situation in Ethiopia. Apparently, there have been delays with families getting court appointments and embassy dates for travel caused by some corruption within the Ethiopian adoption process. Unfortunately, with anything good...comes bad. When greedy people see a good thing happening, they immediately want a part of it and cause havoc. There have been suspicious activities with some of the adoption agencies and orphanages within Ethiopia as it relates to unorthodox adoptions. People trying to make a quick buck by finding children meeting certain criteria that are not abandoned or orphaned and getting them 'into the system'. There have also been reported cases of parents selling their children to certain orphanges...which for a family in despair and desparate to support themselves is a very enticing proposition. I want to clarify that this is a very small part of the entire adoption process in Ethiopia and that Bethany Christian Services is not a part of the investigation, however one bad apple causes the entire system to go into gridlock.

I know for us, a family that is awaiting the day that we are presented with a referral of a child, the waiting is very difficult. However, as I listened to the other families today asking questions, I realized that most of them already had referrals and were waiting for their court date or embassy date for travel. I quickly realized how hard it must be for them...already knowing who their child is...seeing photos of them...perhaps already meeting them...and then hear about possible delays. Knowing that you have already prepared a place in your heart and home for this child, only to receive reports and photos of your child's development...of your child growing up thousands of miles away. At the ages of most of these children, a couple of months makes a big difference. The difference between crawling and walking; the difference between making noises and talking; the difference between bonding with a nanny or their forever family. I can't imagine the disheartenment that they must be going through.

Please be in prayer for this entire situation. Specifically for the Ethiopian adoption process and the investigation to conclude and the timing of the court dates and embassy dates to improve. For the families that have received referrals and are waiting to travel to Ethiopia to either meet their child or bring them home. For the children that are in the orphanages that they continue to receive good care and are safe. And for us...that we will remain faithful to our commitment and know that God is in control and His will be done.

Christmas Blessings

I'm finding it easy to get caught up in our everyday life and briefly forget about the fact that we are on the edge of a major life change. It's the simple things like seeing a mother loving on her baby, or planning something on the calendar for 2011, or preparing Christmas cards that brings everything back to reality and stirs up the anticipation of bringing a new baby boy home for the first time.

With the Christmas season quickly seeping into every aspect of our lives, the excitement of adoption continues to build. It brings reminders of all the changes to come with thoughts of our last Christmas pictures with just the four of us...thoughts of waking up Christmas morning without a baby playing with all of the paper and boxes...and not worrying about 'baby-proofing' the Christmas tree, everything changes the minute we bring our new baby boy home for the first time.

I'm continued to be drawn to the fact that God delivered a new baby boy home for the first time on that cold night some 2,000 years ago as a Savior was born! My Savior was born...your Savior was born. My prayer during this special time of the year is that we reflect on the change that the birth of this baby boy brought to us. Change that lasts an eternity...everlasting change as we are cleansed white as snow and walk with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!

Shooting Stars

Although it seems as though we just started on this journey...almost a year has passed since we first began the process. It's hard to believe that we have already been waiting two months since our completed dossier was sent away. We are definitely ready to see the child that God is sending us, but we realize that it will be in His time and that He is still preparing the road...not only with us, but our family and friends. While we recognize that some people find it difficult to completely understand our motivation, we truly know that we are fulfilling a request from our Savior. A request that involves sacrifice and faith; a request that involves unconditional love and security; a request that involves unity and compassion.

We received notice over the weekend that we are one more step closer to a referral as our dossier has completed all of the necessary steps. It has been authenticated, translated and registered with the MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs-the adoption authority in Ethiopia). Now we are officially ready to receive a referral. A referral is when we are presented with the biography, medical history, family history and photos of the child that we will be matched with. This is very exciting as it will be the first time that we actually "meet" (even if it's only on paper) our son.

I have to share something else that happened over the weekend. Throughout this whole process, as I have been praying, dreaming and anticipating the delivery of our son...I have secretly hoped that God would show me a sign when our child was born. I know this seems a little hokey, but how cool would it be to experience the birth of our son in a non-physical way thousands of miles away. So, as I have been thinking about this and praying, I would question different things that would happen and wonder "was that my sign?". But, then I would just say to myself...no, it was just that I was thinking about it at that time. Well, on Saturday evening as Julie and I were on our way to Montezuma to pick Jaden and Justin up from Julie's dads house, we both saw a shooting star falling in the night sky and then it just fizzled out...like a spark that made its way from a fire. I can count the number of shooting stars that I have seen in my lifetime on one hand...and the more that I think about that star, I can't help but wonder if that was our 'sign'. God has definitely used a star in the past to announce a birth. I know...silly huh?? But, how cool would it be to find out that the child that we have been matched with was born on October 2nd? Can I at least dream?

This experience also made me think of the lyrics of a song by Mainstay called Stars are Singing. The lyrics are as follows:

Under open skies I leave the day behind
Wonder in my eyes, the world feels so alive
I just speak Your name and my heart seems to change
God of truth and grace, I can only praise You

And the stars are singing out
the glory of Your wondrous love
Heaven's reaching down
to show me all that You have done for me

Healer of my heart, come burn away the dark
Under soft twilight, I can hear your voice tonight

Your name is higher than the Heavens
Your glory fills a million skies
Your heart is reaching down from heaven
and my soul cries out to You

We are so blessed...blessed beyond complete understanding.

Sacrifice

Well, we received word today that Agegnehu was placed with another family. Although we knew that we didn't have much of a chance in getting him, we still were excited about the possibility of getting a child so soon. However, we know that God placed him with a family that is best suited to meet his needs (whatever they may be). Please continue to pray for Agegnehu and his new family and the exciting future that they are about to begin together.

So, as for the Sutliff family, we will continue to be in a holding pattern while we wait for our Dossier to get translated. We feel that we are ready to receive our referral and begin the final part of the adoption process. The unknown is exciting, thrilling, overwhelming and scary all at the same time ~ however, looking into the future and seeing hope in the eyes of a little child makes the sacrifices all seem so trivial.

Please don't ever forget that all over this world there are little children that are being abandoned, orphaned, abused and just plain not wanted and that you can help. Whether it is through adoption, sponsorship, donations, education and/or prayer, everyone has the ability to make a difference. It starts with one...a sacrifice is still a sacrifice, no matter how big or small.

"One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving." - Amy Carmichael

A New Life Filled With Love

Just when you think you are in a holding pattern...BAM! Somehow I knew my timing and God's were a little different. Needless to say, this has been a week of unexpected excitement. As you are aware, just a few weeks ago we completed our dossier. Since then, it has been approved at the corporate office, been authenticated in Washington D.C. and is currently in the process of being sent to Ethiopia. Once everything is squared away in Ethiopia, we are looking at 6 months to a year before we would hear about a specific child.

Well...on Monday, we received an email about a 7 month old little boy. Because he didn't match any specific dossiers that were currently waiting to be assigned, they sent out his referral information to all of the various locations to see if there was any interest in Ethiopian adoptive families that were in various stages of the process. So, our Adoption Specialist forwarded it to us to see if we had any interest.

Immediately, we begin to think "what is the matter with this child?" or "why isn't he going through the 'normal' referral process?". However, after a couple of conversations with our Adoption Specialist we understood the complicated process of referrals and why this child was so special. To start with, his name (Agegnehu) literally means 'I have found you'. Once we saw his picture, we knew that he is going to be a fine addition to some lucky family.

After much prayer, some questions and a 'very basic' medical review, we decided that we would put our name on the list (along with several other families) to be considered for this precious little boy. Although we know that we are low on the priority list since we just submitted our dossier, we do know that God is ultimately the protector of this child and will match him with the best family.

What now? We wait. We wait to hear back from the adoption agency on whether or not we have been chosen for Agegnehu or if he was placed with another family. Either way, this little boy will be the winner. Our time will come, but his time is now. His world is about to be rocked upside down. A new life filled with love, opportunity and family. Please be in prayer for this situation and that Agegnehu will be placed in a home that overwhelms him with love in a God centered family.

The Waiting Begins...

Today marks an exciting milestone in our adoption process as we have finally (after 5 months of collecting documents, attending classes and having our home study conducted) turned in our dossier! Now for the waiting. Our dossier will have to go through several steps prior to getting to the Ethiopian courts. However, just knowing that we have completed everything that we are responsible for is a huge relief. Every day that passed as we were working on our dossier was one more day that we would have to wait to meet our son.

It's kind of cool knowing that today, August 3rd and our 14th wedding anniversary, is the day that our dossier is complete. It is a little sentimental...who knew that 14 years ago a union began that would produce two beautiful children and another one soon to be added to our family. We have been so blessed and know that our blessings will continue as we turn the page to the next chapter of our life story.

Prayers are requested during this "waiting period" as we are anxious to meet the little fellow...but, also know that it is all in God's timing.

"Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need." James 1:4