What's next now that we know our babies?
/First off, we've been inundated and overwhelmed and obscenely blessed by the affection and affirmation we've received since Friday. There have been over 1500 hits to our blog since we posted the BIG NEWS. Wowowowowow! We are so grateful that our village is so verbal and supportive. Beyond grateful.
His tattoo on his right arm says "redemption", which says it all.
I'm also so grateful that you have simply sat in the celebration of the moment without rushing us to share "what's next?". This is a moment worth partying and living in for a while!! But I know you're dying for the next steps and what the time line looks like. I'll do my best to explain AND share specific prayer requests.
Where are you in the process now? As of Friday, August 20th we accepted the referral for Lil' A and Baby T. We are pursuing adopting them into our forever family!
Are these really YOUR kids? Yes and No. We are pursuing adopting them, but anytime before the first court date our referral could fall through [for a variety of reasons on Ethiopia's side or ours]. Scary but reality. PRAYER REQUEST: that we would be able to adopt Lil' A and Baby T...that nothing falls through in the next few months.
What's next? An Ethiopian doctor will do a more extensive 2nd medical report on both kids. This will include blood tests, urine and stool tests, more measurements, and an general physical. Keep in mind that Ethiopia's medical care is 180th in the world, so our PRAYER REQUEST would be that these tests rule out any major medical issues. We are free to deny the referral at any point before the 1st court date if medical reports come back with issues we feel we cannot handle. This process could take up to several weeks to complete.
What happens after the 2nd medicals? FIRST COURT DATE :: After we accept the 2nd medicals, we submit for a court date in Ethiopia. Our BOLD PRAYER REQUEST would be that we could get an October 19th court date. That date would be 364 days after we got on the wait list. Our agency receives court dates for Tuesdays only. This would be when we take our first trip to Ethiopia and would be in country for 5-10 days. PRAYER REQUEST: that God would creatively supply the cost of the each trip [approximately $6000/trip or WAY less if someone offers us airline miles for one trip...the other trip has been provided for!]. If you know of someone who could bless us with these, let me know. After this court date, THEY ARE OFFICIALLY DIAZ'S!!!!!!
How long between the 1st court date and the 2nd trip? Anywhere from 4-8 weeks. This part of the process involves transferring paperwork to the US Embassy, getting their visas, and issuing their US Citizenship. This is not a court date but an Embassy date. After the Embassy date, we get to bring them home forever!!!
Lil' A and Baby T will be home by the end of 2010!
This is very possible, but would require no delays, lost paperwork, medical issues, etc. Everything from this point on would have to go very smoothly.
Please pray home these little ones in 2010!!!
A painting my friend, Erin, designed a year ago for a prayer/donation shower that our small group threw for us. It's in the kids' bathroom now.
ADDITIONAL PRAYER REQUESTS:
- God would protect our babies health and hearts and prepare them in every way to come home. This period is critical for their transition.
- God would nurture and nourish them body, mind, and spirit, especially through their nutrition and caregivers at the orphanage.
- God would prepare Brian and me to become THEIR parents - not just parents but Lil' A and Baby T's parents. That God would supernaturally speak to us about their needs, wounds, and personalities.
- God would provide the finances for this last stretch of the adoption journey. We've seen him supernaturally provide up until this point, and believe in his provision. Our parenting expenses haven't even started [like most natural families].
