Not great news.... Please keep praying!!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2


Hey Everyone,

As many of you are already aware, the court date to legally finalize the adoption of our beautiful little babies in Ethiopia is scheduled for tomorrow (Friday, November 6th). We are full of emotion and I'm sure we'll have some trouble sleeping tonight. We just received an update that I wanted to share. All of the court cases to be heard today were postponed due to the Ministry of Women's Affairs unexpectedly closing today. This is sad news, since it affects a number of children awaiting their "forever families". This unexpected closing is something that's hard to understand as Americans; it's not clear exactly why the entire office closed and it's something that they can do at the last minute. The real tough news is that the rescheduled date is December 7th for all of those cases. Our case manager called us today to let us know that our agency's lawyer in Ethiopia thought that the same thing would happen to tomorrow's court cases. However, nothing has been officially announced, so, until we hear otherwise, our court case is still scheduled for tomorrow.

We know God is watching this situation and He has all of us -- our children, their biological families, and us-- on His mind. We know He will make this happen at the appointed time. Still - we are called to pray! I know you guys have been praying for these children for a while now and it is really an amazing thing you're doing. In light of this latest piece of news, please continue to pray - pray that the adoption court cases scheduled for tomorrow in Ethiopia are heard and that all obstacles that are not of God are moved aside.

Love,

Phil & Amy

Good News from October Court Cases!

Just wanted to post a quick update- we just heard from our agency that 5 out of the 6 cases our agency presented in court in October were approved!! Looks like our chances will be even better than 50/50 next Friday!

Is it Really Just One Week Away???

In just one week our adoption cases for both baby S and little T will be heard in court! Can this really be happening???

I can't sleep at night.... haven't been able to since we got our date... I just keep thinking about their little faces....

I'm trying to be prepared for the possibility of not making it through court... but it's so hard to not get excited at the prospect of having 2 new Weinmeisters next week. NEXT WEEK!

Yikes.

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!!!!!

Hey everyone!

We just found out yesterday that we have a court date!!!!! It's November 6- only two weeks from tomorrow!!! It's so hard to believe it's all actually happening!

We don't travel to Ethiopia for court- an attorney goes on our behalf. But we need a lot of prayer. Court cases are only successful about 50% of the time. And we have 2 different families involved (since the kids aren't related.... YET!). If we don't pass court for whatever reason (paperwork isn't complete, family members don't show up for court, etc.) we'll get rescheduled and have more waiting to do. BUT, if we DO pass court, we should be able to travel to pick them up about 8 weeks later.... maybe even by the end of the year!!

SOOOOOO EXCITING!!!!!!!

Love,
Amy & Phil

Court Opening Delayed...

Just wanted to post a quick update- courts will not be opening until Oct. 12. It's only a small delay, but we're just so anxious to get this show on the road!

Many Blessings,
Amy

Still waiting for court to open...

Hey everyone,

I know it's been a while since we posted, but we're still waiting for courts to open up after the rainy season recess. They re-open on Oct 6, so we're almost there! Soon thereafter, we should receive our court date :) We will keep you all posted!

Many Blessings,
Amy & Phil

OUR DAUGHTER!!

We got the call!! Around noon on Friday, Amy got a call on our house phone...it was our adoption agency coordinator. He said he had some info for us -- that was quite the understatement! :) We received the referral for our daughter!

Just like with T (her soon-to-be-brother), we can't share any real details yet, so we'll just call her S. She is from the same region as T (which is a blessing, they are coincidentally in the same orphanage right now) and she is about 3 months old.

It's amazing how you can feel the effects of prayer sometimes. This was definitely one of those occasions. We know a number of people - friends, family, our church - have been praying for our children recently and it's just awesome how things have moved along so quickly in the past few months.

Now that we're getting so close to meeting our babies face-to-face, I've been thinking about this long waiting period and it's much easier to see God's perfect timing from this end. It's easy to look at something you're anticipating so much and not realize all of the other work God is doing around you. There is so much he has done in our lives during this time. I am so grateful that He gives us more than we even know to ask for...

So, now what? :) We have been told that the average duration from referral to bringing the children home is about 6 months. The next steps are the completion of all the paperwork required to request a court date, the court date request itself, and the scheduling of a court date. Since the courts will close for the rainy season, we won't even be able to request a date until after 10/6. It's conceivable that we could get an October court date, although, like every step of international adoption, nothing is guaranteed...we'll just have to wait and see.

Please pray that everyone involved in the request process completes their portion accurately and in a timely manner and, of course, please pray for T and S...that their hearts may be calmed in such a tough time, that they continue to receive love and care from the orphanage staff, and that may be under God's hand of protection as we prepare to bring them into our family.

Thanks again for all your prayers. They do have eternal significance and we are extremely blessed to have all of you in our lives.

Love,
Phil & Amy