Court Date!

I woke up to good news this morning.  I checked my email shortly after I got up, and I had an email from our social worker with our court date!  Our case will be heard in court on July 14th.  This is a wonderful answer to prayer.  We - along with many of our friends and family - had been praying that we could appear in court before the courts close for the rainy season.  The courts usually close in early August and reopen at the end of September.  If we had not been able to get a court date before the closure, not only would it have meant that it would have taken that much longer for us to bring our daughter home, it would also have meant that we would have to re-do our entire dossier. It took me a couple of months to get our dossier together the first time, and I'd rather not have to do it again. Most of the documents from our dossier are dated at the end of 2009.  Dossiers expire after two years in Ethiopia.  As long as our case is approved by the court before November, we will not have to re-do it. We are so thankful for this news.

The only downside is that I'll have to miss work at a time when I need to be there to help cover vacations.  The manager knew that might happen though and understands our situation.

We are so grateful to everyone who has been praying for us and for Baby M.  Please keep them coming!  There are still a lot of things that could go wrong that could delay our case.  Here are some specific things that we will be praying for, and we would greatly appreciate it if you would join with us:

• Baby M's birthmother will have to appear in court before we do to terminate her rights.  Sometimes the birthparents will reclaim custody of their children at that time.  Pray that all goes well if God does intend for Baby M to be our daughter.
• Pray for all of our documents to be in order when the judge hears our case, and for our case to be approved while we are in Ethiopia.  There are several documents that have to be obtained from the area where Baby M was born.  Some families with our agency have recently experienced delays both with the court and the US Embassy because these documents had not been obtained.
• Continue to pray for Baby M.  She is doing well, and she has gained a few pounds.  Pray for her needs to continue to be met and for her to stay healthy. 

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:9-10