Court. A day to celebrate. A day to pray.

Today we headed off early to the court house. The court house is not far from our guest house, but we piled into the agency van with two other families. All anxious about the morning. We took the familar steps upstairs, about four flights of stairs that makes you winded with altidude by the time you reach the top floor. You pile into a large open room where a broad range of people are all waiting. Many are other families just like us, waiting anxiously for their verdict from the judge. The stories of others in the room are hard to take in. Today a woman probably my age, with a worn look of a hard life I will never know, and about 6 children following behind her with one small infant on her back sound asleep where there with her. She looked mostly at the ground, while the older children sat closer to a caucacian family in the same room. They all got up at the sound of the family name and entered the room. It was hard to see the story unfold in front of me. This mother was giving her consent to this family for her children to be adopted.  I have seen the conditions these families live in. Adoption provides a hope for these children to live. A chance at life, vs at times death, and others a very hard life alone on the streets from a small age defending for themselves. Just last night it was pretty much dark. We were walking from the small shopping area in Bole, to our guest house. A small girl about 3 or 4 years of age approached us, tattered clothes, dirty feet, and desperate for attention. She began dancing and singing for us, just as the women do at the Ethic Ethiopian Resturants do. She was a gem. She followed us from the shopping area to our to our guest house, asking us for birr or money. We asked her if she liked dabo, (bread). She lit up! So we went inside our gate and got all the bread we could find. And within minutes she devoured it. In her case this child at night, hungry and alone, is raising herself. She needs a family a home. A mother. Adoption is an amazing part of what God has asked us to do. But in other cases Adoption fails the mothers and fathers, walking up the steps of the court house and having to sign over their precious children, to other mothers and fathers because they don't have enough. Especially when the world has plenty. Adoption is not always the answer to this crisis. For the already 6 million orphans needing homes it is! But for the families on the verge of losing their children today... it is our responsibility to help them keep thier children right here with them. This is my prayer today. That no mother has to do what this mother did today.

There were three families today at court. We all entered the judges room together, which is something different. She asked us all the questions, and we all answered, "YES"! She went case by case. The first family, was a " Suspended case for 4 days later."  as well as the second. Expecting the same our Eftu was called. But we were humbled. She proceed to say, Family of Eftu. She is yours. We are overjoyed. But yet our heart remains with these familes that are still waiting. We are celebrating today. Samiah Tegist Rees is now our daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece...... to our family forever. But there are families that are still waiting. So in the midst of our celebration, we still are on our knees praying hard for these families needing paperwork, letters, and signatures so they too can celebrate. A true celebration is one where we can celebrate with Christ's body. We will have our true celbration once our friends recieve their news! We pray that soon like he says in Isiah 43 He will bring our sons and daughters from a far, and they will come home. We trust that they will come home soon.

Introducing Samiah Tigest Rees:  13.5lbs  Born June 26th, 2010  6 months old. Our doll.

More photos to come once we return home!!! Love you all !! Flying home tonight.