I know you've all been on the edge of your seat in eager expectation of a blog update (I give myself way too much credit...). So I've decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. If your question is still not answered, join the club, it's part of the adoption process! But seriously, feel free to ask me any questions! We love to keep you all in the loop as best we can.
Soooo here we go....
Q) What's his name?
A) His name is Yibekal. It means, "it's enough". (And can I get an, "Amen!!" I've had enough! I'm ready for him to be home!) But due in part to the fact that we live in the South and are pretty confident his name will be butchered...or not even pronounceable for that matter...we've decided to call him Harris. He will be the fourth generation Harris! Jake's grandfather, father, and Jake himself all share that name. Now, if you ask Asher and Mary Clair, they'll say his name is Little Asher Bluejay. In fact, Asher just informed me that when we pray for him, we need to call him Little Asher. Thankfully the Lord knows who we are praying for and will meet his needs just the same.
But his name will be Harris.
Q) How much more money do you need to raise?
A) This is always a great question...there are always extra costs that pop up! Right now we are concentrating on plane ticket costs and travel in Ethiopia costs (there are two trips--see details below). We recently applied for two grants and hope to hear back from them in the next couple months (pray that we receive some support from those two grants. We worked hard on pulling those applications together! Thank you if you were part of that!)
I'm really hoping to pull off one more corn hole tournament...this may have to happen closer to March since it might be too cold to have it right now. This is a fun way that we've been able to raise money for our adoption in the past! We hope to be able to do this. I'll keep you in the loop....
Q) What's the timeline look like?
A) This is most frequently asked question!! And I wish I could give you an exact date, but I can't! (I know, it makes me crazy too!!) The long and short of it is there are investigations and paperwork and court dates that have to be done, attended, processed. So we are looking at hopefully March or April when we would be able to travel! Now keep in mind we have to travel twice. The first trip would be one week in March or April for a court hearing. We would come home (yes, without Harris, Lord help my heart and soul) and go back about a month later for another week long trip to get him and bring him home. So we are hoping to have him home before his first birthday in June.
Please pray for all paperwork and such to be expedited! We are eager to get him home!!
I'm sure there are details floating around out there that I left out, but hey, the good news is we are getting a son! It's worth the wait and confusion and time and effort. We are excited, but pray for our perseverance on the home stretch. Pray for our family to stay united. Pray for all the kids' transition to a new sibling. Pray for Harris as he is apart from us--for his health, safety, development, etc.
As always, thank you for your support! Love to you all!
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
ad lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him
and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5,6
