On the Wait List!

I have been wanting to give an update on the adoption process for a while but am just now getting to it. I don't think I have written about it since we sent our dossier to Washington for review in the beginning of the year.  Well, it made it through all the hoops and was officially sent to Ethiopia in early February I believe.  When a dossier is sent, that is when the family officially gets put on the wait list!  Adoption Associates added the Henry's to the bottom of their list in the month of February.  So, as of May 1st we are going on our fourth month of the wait list.  In any International adoption, it is a lengthy process.  Whether it is waiting to finish all the paperwork and get approvals, waiting for a referral, or waiting to go meet your child…it all takes time!   Jud and I knew going into this that it would take time and to be honest, we were ok with that.  I tell people it is kinda like being pregnant for the second and third time…the time flies by and you are so preoccupied by life that you don't think of it as much.  Don't get me wrong, there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of my little man in Ethiopia and get anxious to meet him but, my days as a mommy of three are so busy that it is not an all-consumming thought and for that I am thankful!

All this being said, when I talked to the agency in February and asked them what the estimated wait time was for a referral they said about 12 months from the time our dossier was sent to Ethiopia.  Our agency sends an update to us every month and it seems as if they are cruising through referrals.  Last month, they referred 15 children!  This is such good news, not only because they have so many children but because I know that they have and are continuing to develop such great relationships with the orphanages and people of Ethiopia.  This encourages our hearts to know that our agency values these relationships!  This month we had moved up the wait list quite a bit and Jud and I were in shock when they sent the update because we realized that they moved our wait time back and are now giving us a shorter time of 6-8 month upon submission of dossier.  Just because our time is shorter now, we don't expect anything because we know that things could quickly change in the process but, we also want to be ready as well!  Seeing that things are going so well, we may be meeting our little brother sooner than later!  We still don't expect to travel to Africa before the end of the year but, there is a chance we may get a referral before that.  Again, we trust in the Lord's timing and will continue to do that knowing that his timing is PERFECT!  Whether 6 months, a year, or even longer, we expect God to do amazing things through this time of waiting.

Thank you all for our continued prayers and support!  Please don't stop:)  You can specifically pray that in the next couple of months Jud and I would be diligent in our reading as we hope to get through some wonderful books about the beautiful country of Ethiopia.

Thanks again and we love you all,
The Henry Gang