No Visa Approval

We still have no confirmation that the embassy in Addis has our visa approval!

It was mailed way back in October and is probably lost in the bottom of a pile of papers somewhere at the US Embassy in Addis Ababa. It was emailed again on Wednesday. We didn't get an answer on Thursday and they are closed today.

I am ready to go there and find it myself! Or call our US ambassador and ask him to call the ambassador in Ethiopia! Maybe I will just call Obama and get him involved.

Or maybe I will just wait....

Which is really all I can do today?

The thing I have to remember is it will get there, in the right hands, eventually. It might delay things a bit, but we know the visa approval exist. We have a copy of it! We have trusted God's perfect timing, so why stop now.

She will come home to us...

Travel plans

Yesterday, our immigration office emailed a new copy of the missing approval letter to Addis. We still don't have confirmation from them, but we are going to move ahead with our travel plans because we like living on the edge..ha ha

The plan is for my sister to fly to Doha and go with me to Addis. Trying to coordinate flights for her to Doha, for the two of us to Addis, for the 3 of us back to Doha from Addis and then for all of us (kids, hubby, sister and me) back to the USA! I must say my husband is brilliant when it comes to these types of things!

It is just a little over two weeks until we travel to pick up Ella!

We have a jam packed two weeks...it is the last two weeks of school, so lots of fun activities.

And it is HOT here...it has been 117 degrees...probably hotter these last few days, so we are all ready to get to Texas for some cooler weather...

One More Thing...

I just got an email that our visa approval is not at the American Embassy in Addis Ababa, where it should be.

I will have to call the CIS (immigration) in Athens, Greece where we filed our visa application and ask them to RESEND it.

So, just when you thought you could stop praying for us.....we need you!

We need them to resend the approval form and do it FAST!

The Good News...we are scheduled tentatively for a JUNE 17 embassy appointment, which means in THREE weeks we will get to bring Ella Grace HOME!

WE PASSED COURT TODAY!

We are officially parents of Ella Grace Wubeski Collins. We love you baby girl and can't wait to bring you home.

Just wanted to thank all of you for praying for us! Our God is awesome and answers prayers! We have seen quite a few answered around here this week!!!

It's May 25!

Today is the day!

In fact, more than likely the judge has already heard our case and has already decided. It is 4:33 in Doha and in Addis Ababa. But, it is only 6:33am in Washington state, where our agency is located. I guess we will have to wait until they wake up to get our news.

Yesterday was good! I could feel that someone was praying for me. I got so much done off my stressed list. I even slept last night. I think we went to bed before 10pm and slept all night. Ahhhh...peace!

Today has been great! I spent the morning with friends shopping in the souqs (traditional market) in Doha. I have managed to stay prayerful, and not fretful about our court appointment.

Now, I am ready to hear some news...but no news yet. Not even a hint.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

I need Africa..

Update!

Got an email and one of the families that was being deported is mysteriously no longer being deported.

Just wanted to say a little HALLELUJAH!

They are our awesome youth leaders and we need them here!

The Real Deal

Stressed!

I am beginning to feel like the title of this blog is appropriate! Things are a little bit crazy for me right now.

In just two days a judge will hear our case for Ella Grace! Sometimes families don't pass and for a long time I worried uselessly about us not passing! That worry has given way to peace (the peace that passes understanding) and I know whatever the outcome God ultimately has a plan. Not passing only means your case will be rescheduled and heard again with whatever problems corrected. Now, I don't want another day to go by without our baby girl, but it ultimately is in God's hands and I trust him.

I think if I list all the things that are worrying me right now...I can give them to God and get to sleep, so here goes...

1. I still have lots of donations sitting in cargo storage in Ethiopia. They didn't come in when we were there in April and I haven't been able to make arrangements for them to be picked up by anyone else. Just sent an email about this to the cargo people, so I feel a little better about the situation.

2. I need to get my doggy groomed before I leave for Texas. It is just something I tend to put off. On my list to call tomorrow.

3. Have to finish up a photo collage for Abbey's 5th grade step up ceremony.

4. Desperately need a pedicure! (don't laugh...it is serious)

5. Need to talk with Will's teacher about the end of year party. I'm the room mom. Plan end of year party!

6. Found cute house to rent near my Mom this summer (thanks, God). Now need some furniture to put in cute house.

7. Need to pack!

8. Challenging to keep kiddos motivated these last few weeks of school.

9. Feeling pressured to make definite summer plans when we don't know when we will be traveling to pick up babe.

10. Need to plan a birthday party for my son and a going away party for my dear friends.

AND...only 3 week til we are on a plane headed to TEXAS!

Deported!

Several friends of ours are being deported.

Reasons haven't been given.

It came as a surprise to them.

Starting over on the next adventure God has for them.

We will miss them!

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."

The Poppy Dip Dress.

A new dress

I ordered a dress from here http://itspoppydip.blogspot.com/

The mom makes adorable dresses with fun fabrics for little girls. You pick the fabric. They are $25...which is reasonable for something custom made with love.

The family is adopting from Ethiopia....so each dress you buy helps them bring home their child.

What's not to love about that?

Ella's Toes

Only 6 more days until our court date. Here is a little sneak preview of our girl. Aren't those the sweetest little toes you've ever seen?

As soon as she is legally ours, we can post photos of her. Check back on us next week! Hopefully and prayerfully there will be lots of pictures!

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not yet seen " Hebrews 11:1

Abbey's musical

Our daughter was in the 5th grade muscial "Oliver Twist" last night. It was amazing! She was one of the urchins and danced and sang all throughout the show. It was fun getting to see her on stage. She has always loved singing and wanted to try her hand at drama. I couldn't be prouder of my girl. Picture coming soon!

Also got new pictures of our little one in Ethiopia. She is still as cute as a bug! She has her first two bottom teeth now....they were just starting to come in when we were in ET and she was sitting up so straight. I can tell she is getting stronger.

We are so blessed because for the past week or so a friend of mine was in ET and she LOVES "W" She emailed and said she spend as much time as she could with her.....snuggling her and playing with her.

Only 10 more days till court! Our director said that our file is complete and everything looks good for our May 25 court date! Praying that she will officially be Ella Grace "W' Collins on that day!

The Lucky One

Happy Mother's Day!

I got a huge surprise this morning. My sister and her quilting group make a quilt every year and raffle it off to raise money to support cystic fibrosis reseach. One of our friends who we love very much has a daughter with CF.

Well, I WON the quilt this year! It is beautiful and I am so excited!

I had another surprise this morning. My normally happy boy, Will, wasn't feeling well and it was obvious to me he didn't need to go to school. He has been running a fever all day and just feeling terrible.

He has wanted me right by his side all day, so we have spent most of the day snuggled up in bed.

I was trying to think of things to take his mind off feeling so bad and I was telling him about the winning the quilt.

He started telling me about a raffle they are having at school for a pinata filled with candy.

But he's not going to buy any tickets because he isn't LUCKY.

According to him, He's only been lucky one time in his life.

When he got me for a MOM!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.....TO US ALL. I HOPE YOU FEEL LOVED AND APPRECIATED TODAY!

...rooted in love: No us, without her...#links#links

Mother's Day...beautiful tribute to birth mothers!

...rooted in love: No us, without her...#links#links

18 days

Only 18 more days until our court date for Ella Grace!

In the meantime....Abbey is making her stage debut in Oliver Twist next week. She is one of the singing urchins.

Cole is going to perform with the middle school band the following week. (Must buy black shoes!)

Bill is going back to Milan for a few days.

And I am going to the SPA tomorrow! Calgon take me away!

Is it too late for Easter photos?

We had an interesting Easter. We missed Easter church service in Doha which was on Friday (we were in the US) and we left the US before Easter Sunday, so we missed Easter in that time zone as well. On top of that Bill was gone, so it was just the 4 of us.

We ended up reading the story of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday Morning and spending a little time thanking Jesus for what he has done for us. It was a sweet time for me and the kids. The kids all got Easter basket goodies.....which was a feat since we got home late the night before.

That afternoon, we did some Easter egg hunting with some friends in another compound.

Even the big kids got in on the fun!

To Market To Market

Photos of the fruit and veg market and the fish market in Doha!

Back in Doha

We are home from Ethiopia and had a wonderful visit with our sweet "W"! It was so sweet to meet her (again) now that she is ours. When I got there she was asleep and the nannies woke her up (poor baby) and changed her and brought her to me. They put her in my arms and she looked at me, then looked at them, then looked at me and burst into tears. It didn't take her long to calm down. I think she was startled because she had just been woken up. She loves her nannies and they all LOVE her. They are always singing her name and clapping for her and paying attention to her. They tell her she is conjo (beautiful) and gobez (strong). The payoff is her great SMILE! I think that is why they like to play with her so much. She is LIT from within....she glows.

I got to spend a few days with her, before the rest of the family arrived. Which is a good thing, because Abbey didn't want to put her down. It was so much fun for me to see them meet her for the first time. They fell in love with her. Will and Abbey were smitten. Cole is a little unsure of himself around babies, so she is going to have to work a little to win him over. I have no doubt she will! I think Bill thought she was something SPECIAL! Leaving her was very difficult, but I have so much to do to get ready for her homecoming. Will was the most upset. Poor little guy cried and cried as we drove away.

We were all well while in ET, but Abbey got sick after we got home. I think it was something she ate. She is feeling better, but stayed home today from school. I felt so bad for her. She was such a little mother hen in Ethiopia and was so sweet to all the babies in the nursery.

Our court date is MAY 25....just about 3 WEEKS away! Please put us on your prayer list, that we would pass the first time. Sometimes cases do not pass and we have to be prepared for that, but we want to get her home with us as soon as possible.

I wish I could show her photo , but for now here is her little hand and foot. She is sitting on the sofa that is on the porch of the guest house...yes there is a sofa on the porch. She is leaning over to prop herself up, still not strong enough to sit alone without that support. And she is smiling!