The Plans

Many of you loyal readers have been so excited about our new addition and it is so fun to watch!  Several people have asked what is next so I will do my best to lay it out for you!  It is however, very unclear, unknown, and can vary in more ways than one!

So, here it goes:
 Nearest Future in the US:  We are working on getting our home study amended in record time so we can get the appropriate clearances we need from homeland security.
Nearest Future in ET (Ethiopia): The staff there is doing there best to work at lightening speed to get "B's" paperwork together and our family files together to submit to the Ethiopian courts for a court date.  This is a little more difficult these days because the courts are closing the first week of August for their rainy season.  The rains make the roads unsafe and therefore they shut down until mid October.  Our agency is doing all they can to expedite our case so that we can appear before the court on "B's" behalf while we are in Ethiopia to pick up Nahome.  (Please join us in prayer that we would get a court date while we are there, it would save us a trip to Africa which adds up to a LOT of $$$).

Near Future in US: I am beginning to work on packing and getting everything organized to travel, hopefully in the next couple weeks.  I am also heading into my classroom to get everything set up and ready to go for the school year.  I had to move classrooms and grade levels yet again (5 different curriculums in 5 years).  I am still not sure what the start of school will look like - it depends on when we get Nahome here - but my room needs to be ready in case I take some leave and a sub starts the year.
Near Future in ET: Nahome and "B" will be finding out they are brothers!!!!  They will get to hang out and bond for a few more weeks before we arrive!  They have been together at our agency's Transition Home since February - they arrived 5 days apart.  Hoping they begin to bond as brothers, even more than they already have!

Future in US: We will be saying farewell to our kiddos here, to go be with our kiddos there.  We'll fly to ET to spend precious time with "B" and pick up Nahome - Gotcha Day!
Future in ET: The embassy will review Nahome's file and notify us when we are cleared to travel and pick him up!  We are hoping it will be in the next 2-3 weeks!  This should fall around the same time we could go to court for "B" (if they are able to get us a court date).  We will pick Nahome up - FOREVER!!!!!  We will get to hang out with "B" but just as we had to leave Nahome while the paperwork was finalized, he will not be able to return home with us.

"B" - There is a lot that COULD happen depending on if we can get a court date or not for "B":
~ If we get a court date before court closure and PASS - "B" will legally be our son and they will begin compiling paperwork to submit to the US embassy for us to bring him home (BEST Scenario)!!
~ If we get a court date before closure and DON'T PASS - the courts will review his file and gather any missing information and then give us a PASS status most likely sometime in the fall, once court closure is over.  Since we would have already given our consent at the court date before closure, we would not have to return to ET to pass court  We would wait to clear through the US embassy and then go pick "B" up and bring him home! (GOOD Scenario)!!
~ If we are unable to get a court date while we are in Ethiopia picking up Nahome, we will have to wait to be assigned a court date after court closure.  The Ethiopian courts open back up mid October so we would most likely travel back to ET sometime in October or November.  We then would come home and await clearing embassy and then have to travel back to ET to pick "B" up (4 trips to ET in a few short months - $$$$).  This is PLAN C - praying and hoping the other 2 work out but know that God knows and will provide!

Thank you all so much for your encouragement and love!  We covet your prayers more now then ever!!