The Prayers of Many
April 7, 2010
My students prayed!
More students prayed!
Kaden & Karson prayed!
Ryan and I prayed!
Our church family prayed!
Questions
April 7, 2010
Why adoption? Why Ethiopia?
Why not?
Reflections
April 4, 2010
I met Fikirte and Konjit at Kid’s Care Orphanage one year ago today.
Most of the days over this past year have seemed long, but at times the days moved quickly in the midst of our paperwork and fundraising. We are excited that the wait is almost over.
Although we haven’t been in direct contact with the girls, we have been able to send small care packages since the time of their referral to our family last July. Each package has been delivered by another America World family who was traveling to Ethiopia to pick up their child(ren). I wanted to share with you some of their thoughts about Fikirte and Konjit. Of course, I am a bit biased about them, but everyone who has spent time with them seems to agree that they are great!
“When your girls came out, they were adorable! They seemed excited, yet shy, and held onto each others arms.” – Heidi R.
“I got to know Konjit during the trip! I LOVE that girl. It was like she knew I was there to represent you. The first day when our group showed up she latched on to me and wouldn’t let go! It was the same when we went back today. She is so incredibly sweet, as I’m sure you know! The girls do remember you! And when Konjit saw the picture of the group from when you were there she got soooo excited.” – Jenny L.
“Your girls are precious! The older one was more comfortable…the younger was quite shy…but both seemed so sweet. They so sweetly went through your gifts…one at a time. What a blessing these girls will be to your family! I can’t wait til you get to bring them home!!!” – Beth H.
“Your girls were so sweet and appreciative of the gifts. They really enjoyed opening them. They seemed a little shy…They were certainly precious little things that you are blessed to be adding to your family!” – Aaron S.
“Deanne, I love your girls. Please let me know if you have a blog. I can’t wait to hear about when they come home. I told them you almost had their paperwork ready. Not sure they understood but they were so very sweet and gracious.” – Audrey F.
They have all included photos, but we are unable to post them on a public forum until we have passed our court appointment. If you would like to see the latest pictures of the girls let us know, and we will forward them through email.
We are SO grateful to these families for helping us connect with our girls! We hope to do the same for other waiting families when we are finally united with Fikirte and Konjit.
Three Little Letters
April 1, 2010
Today, we received news that our family is DTE (Dossier To Ethiopia)! This means that our paperwork has begun its trip across the Atlantic to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We can actually track it and have been told to not worry if the package makes stops in Europe and other countries for long periods of time. I have a feeling I am going to wear out the refresh button on the FedEx tracking page.
So, what does this mean for the Motts? Do we have a better time-table as to when the girls will be home? Well, that depends…
There has been a lot going on in the country of Ethiopia this past month. On the 10th of March, our agency, America World Adoption Association, wrote to inform us that the Ethiopian Federal Court announced a change in court policies. The change would require both Ryan and myself to appear at court in person to testify to our desire and commitment to adopt our girls.
Previously, we were not required to be present for this part of the process. We would have traveled at the end of the process to bring the girls home. This change would require being in attendance for court, remaining for roughly 5-7 days and returning to the US. We would then travel back to Ethiopia approximately 6-12 weeks later to bring the girls back to the states.
As Ryan and I digested this new ruling, we came to the decision that we would not travel twice if our court date was set after I was done with classes at Lincoln Christian University. Ryan, Kaden, Karson, and I would be in attendance for court to become a family of 6. Ryan would then travel home with Kaden and Karson, and I would stay with the girls in Ethiopia until we were cleared to come home.
We had just come to this decision when we received another email announcement on March 25th stating that the recent change in court policies had been put on hold. America World shared they did not know how long the change would be on hold or if/when it would be reinstated, but that we should continue to prepare for the potential of additional travel.
I must admit, my first reaction was disappointment. We were excited about the time I would be given to bond with the girls in their first culture, surrounded by their comforts. Discussions brought forth the idea that I could go over once LCU’s semester was complete, and Ryan, Kaden and Karson would join us when it was time to bring the girls home.
Today, just two hours after we received word of being DTE, we read that the Ethiopian Federal Court will be reinstating the change in court policies beginning May 9th, 2010.
So, now that the Ethiopian Court has decided what is best for the children of Ethiopia, we will be praying about what is best for our family of 6.
But, for now, we rest in the fact that we are DTE and one step closer to holding our girls.
a little Ryan
March 30, 2010
Ryan had his first taste of Ethiopian food today.
I asked him what he thought.
His response was, “Well, it looks like I’ll be packing one outfit and 50 pounds of trail mix.”
How I love this man!
Into the Unknown
March 29, 2010
Our minister at MPCC used an illustration yesterday that really struck a chord in me. Mark shared some facts about the African impala.
The impala has the amazing ability to jump great heights and distances (up to 10 feet high and 30 feet distance from a standing position). With this ability of vertical and horizontal jumping, the impala survives and thrives in the carnivore-infested savannas of Africa. But, if you were to see an African impala in a zoo, it would be confined by a simple three-foot tall fence. You see, the impala will not jump unless it can see where it is going to land.
I am often like the African impala, feet firmly planted on the ground, not seeing the need to jump into the unknown. But, when I met the girls in April of 2009, I knew it was time. We began the adoption process after I arrived home from Ethiopia. We jumped, hopeful of where we would land but not really knowing. There were no promises that we could be matched with the girls. We did our best guess as to their ages and reqested along those lines. On July 9th of 2009, we recieved the referral for Fikirte and Konjit. I felt like we landed from a jump that day. So, we did it again, and again, and most days I feel like we are still mid-air. The process has been full of the unknown. When will the paperwork be complete? How long can a background check take for a cop and a teacher? When will our homestudy be approved? How are we going to pay for this? Will we have to travel twice? Will I stay in Ethiopia for a time?
Well, our paperwork was completed with an approved background check, and our home study has been approved. We will complete our USCIS fingerprints tomorrow. The payment is still up in the air, as is travel, but we continue to move forward in faith. We will not let the fear of an unknown landing dissuade us.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Our Day
March 20, 2010
The Motts will be on the run today, but it couldn’t be for a better cause. Tonight is the Mother – Son Night Out! Please check HERE to see our heart behind offering this night.
It also shares more about the Gowin Family. They are on this journey right along side us…well more like a month in front of us. It has blessed us again and again to be on this journey with them. The third family is Micah and Laura Wakeman. They are in the beginning stages of the adoption process. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds for them!
We would all love to see you tonight!
a little Kaden
March 10, 2010
When we originally began our adoption journey, we were processing for a baby.
Deanne’s mom, aka Grandma Howie, was talking with Kaden (then age 5) about the first time he met his baby sister, Karson.
Grandma asked, “Kaden, do you remember that day? I helped you put on your new ‘I’m a big brother’ t-shirt and drove you to the hospital to meet Karson for the first time.”
“Yea,” Kaden said, “the next one’s comin’ on a plane.”
Half a World Away
March 7, 2010
Tonight, like so many others nights, I have Ethiopia on my mind.
We pray for Fikirte and Konjit every night as we are tucking in Kaden and Karson. The weird thing is that we are thanking God for the day Kaden and Karson just had, praying away bad dreams and asking for peaceful rest at the same time we are praying Fikirte and Konjit into a brand new day. Ethiopia is 9 hours ahead of Mt. Pulaski, Illinois.
Oh, to be in the same time zone as my children. I long to tuck them in, to kiss their foreheads and to pray with them.
I continue to reflect on scripture. Our God is faithful. We will continue to try to wait patiently.
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God….”
Psalm 40:1-4
He is answering our patience with two beautiful girls who are half way around the world. I find comfort in knowing that the girls are being taken care of and loved by their nannies and by our God. The following pictures were taken by our team almost a year ago while working in the America World Transition Home. These are a few of the things that are likely in front of Fikirte and Konjit this morning. Good morning girls; we love you, and we’ll be there soon!
find the pair that fits, and they are yours for the day
the door to their classroom - the Amharic spells Jesus
their classroom
Our Story
March 4, 2010
This blogging is a new thing, and I am having a little bit of trouble. I am not sure which idea to write about first. So, I have reminded myself of the purpose of the blog – our family’s journey. In order to do that, I think I should go back a bit.
Last summer, just prior to our match with Fikirte (fa KEER ta) and Konjit (kone JEET), a close friend of our family wrote an article about our journey for a local on-line newspaper. As Candra is a writer, I will let her tell the story today.
It was an honor just to share our story. We didn’t know until the article came out that we were the Personality of the Week. That was pretty cool!
