A Court Date on the Horizon!

On Africa Time--

Waiting is so very hard.  It is amazing to miss someone you've never met.  To feel a strangely familiar longing for your child, as though the ache in your chest has always been there....  

 It has been 15 months since I saw his serious little face, with the too-big-glasses.

It has been 12 months since we signed our contract and paid our first "big chunk" of fees. 

  It's been 15 months since Joe said, "yes", but didn't yet love our boy, 

as he would when he gave it all to God

.....and 11 months since God whispered a son into Joe's heart.

The Good News:  We've just learned that our first court date has been set-- The Beginning of the End of our adoption process is certainly cause to celebrate!  Although it is months later than we'd hoped for, we are thrilled, and thankful to be moving forward.  On November 26th, in the capital city of Ouagadougou, our Burkinabe attorney will represent us, and petition the judge hearing our case on our behalf-- the judge will be given our dossier.....all of the papers that represent who we are, along with all the papers that tell who Sylvain is.  He will look at our photos, and know we are a family waiting for a little boy.  If our family is approved, then this sweet boy will be our son on this day!  I wonder if he will even know this

Our son  will then  wait 30 more days, until we have a second court date set, and he will meet his new family.

As with many things that are planned so tightly in our own minds, glitches remind us that we are not really in charge of anything.  In adoption, we learn to expect the unexpected, and we practice relying on God for peace, since we cannot find it on our own. 

The Glitch: The judge hearing our case requires one last document, which seems easy enough, especially given that we have 6 weeks......  But nothing is as easy as it seems, is it?  We need something that only one person can provide, and this person is out of the country until November 26th......ironic isn't it?  the same day as our court date.  We are praying, and people are working hard to get this letter, so that we can keep our court date.  

Please continue to pray with us-- for safety, protection, and continued favor, moving forward-- smoothly and glitch-free!