i stand amazed

cute print huh?

i stand amazed of our Savior King. 

in awe of our Jehovah Jireh.

we received news at 1:28 today.... after more than a month of waiting and great uncertainty....Ethiopia WILL remain open to international adoption!

from our agency:

"We are thrilled to share positive news from Ethiopia.  Earlier today Minister Zenebu, along with other high level MOWCYA officials, met with agency network representatives.  In this meeting it was clearly expressed by Minister Zenebu that she does not plan to work to stop adoptions, but desires to focus on eliminating bad practice and continue to invest in good practice of Ethiopia adoptions.  She reiterated that neither MOWCYA nor the Ethiopian Government plan to shut down adoptions within Ethiopia, and went on to encourage agencies to continue their work as normal.

We know this news comes as relief for many adoptive families in process.  America World will continue to work on behalf of Ethiopia’s orphans and vulnerable children to place them into Christian homes.  We expect MOWCYA will likely hold more meetings in the weeks to come and will continue to keep families updated with any new information.  We are seeing several regions issue clearances for children to be adopted and are hopeful more will start soon.

America World is in full support of improvements to uphold the most ethical practices in adoption. We care deeply about adoptions operating with integrity and transparency.  We will continue to support MOWCYA in their efforts to implement better parameters around adoption processes and safeguards against fraudulent practice.

We are glad to hear this news today, and know it has been a long few weeks for families since Ethiopia’s first statement about adoptions. Thank you for your perseverance throughout this month. "

the relief and excitement and thankfulness we feel right now is intense.

this past month has been a hard one..... i kind of felt like i did in the weeks leading up to losing our 3rd child, 16 weeks into the pregnancy. 

once again, we found ourselves:

~ praying desperate prayers....waiting for a miracle while preparing for the worst.

~fluxuating between pain that numbed, tears that wouldn't quit coming and  experiencing joy and peace that weren't because of circumstances, but  rather in spite of them.

 God has, once again, worked His will on earth as it is in His Heaven.

and we, once again, have felt His presence guide us and walk every step with us.

so today, I ask that you praise Him with me!

He has done this great work, and His name is to be praised!!!

REJOICE with us and PRAISE His Name!!!

pray. step. wait.

image courtesy of stuck in customs.

this image speaks so strongly to where we have been lately in our adoption journey. 

here we are traveling down this long road... a long beautiful road...in beautiful country... surrounded by vast displays of our Creators visible love and grace to us. 

and at the end of the long and beautiful road?

an equally beautiful, majestic, glorious mountain lies ahead of us that we must climb to get to our destination.

we have absolutely no experience climbing such vast heights and peaks!

 in and of ourselves...

we. can't. make it.

climbing such a mountain will require many things.... great patience, determination, endurance, trust, vast amounts of energy and resources.... and still.... that won't be enough.

unless.

unless, we have complete and utter reliance on the One and Only, well equipped and skillful Guide. He might guide us down a path we might not have chosen... a path that appears to look more difficult... but He knows the way...the best way.....and  in order to make it to the top and then back down the other side safely,  to where this beautiful journey will culminate, we must trust that He knows the perfect route to take us on that will get us there.

we thought we would have an answer today on  whether or not Ethiopia will be closing to international adoption or if it will be some other form of  action or reform that will take place. but we don't know yet. They are hoping to know perhaps by next Thursday now.

so, we have more time.

time to  keep praying. 

time to keep stepping into the unknown.

time to keep waiting for God to do what only He can.

our agency is encouraged by the fact that there have been several regions that have still received clearances from government on children even this week ....which is a great sign!  we have been praising God for how well our agency has been keeping us informed and how they have the best interest of ALL of Gods children from hard places, from all over the world at the heart of their mission. what a true blessing they have been! we are thankful for how God led us to them!

will you please continue to pray with us for Ethiopia?

for:

• boldness of believers in government offices to speak up and stand for the children of their great country
• officials to see that children belong in good families and not in an institution; whether that means homes within their wonderful culture or whether that means out of their culture.
•  processes to remain moving forward even as a decision is being made
•  families who are continuing to trust and move forward even though there is great uncertainty that lies in front of them

thank you for standing alongside of us as we continue along this most precious journey of our hearts. 

God is good.

He is faithful.

and we praise Him for what He has had planned for us, all along.

if you are reading this and feel like you too,  have a mountain that lies ahead of you that you are ill equipped to navigate..... wave your white flag. surrender to trust the route He has for you to climb. He never once promised us easy roads. He only promised He would never leave our sides.

 so look to Him. praise Him for all the good things He has ALREADY done, and abide in His Word. 

"You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your Word." psalm 119:114

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be Glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." eph. 3:20

Praising and Praying While We Wait

Hello everyone. I hope your 2014 has been off to a great start and that you had time to reflect on 2013 and commit yourself anew to the Lord for 2014.

I'm writing today to ask you to join us in prayer. I'm asking you to intercede for the orphaned children of Ethiopia. To pray for government leaders who will do what is best of the children of their great country. To truly weigh their decisions and realize that they hold countless lives in the balance and that realization will sober them as they come to an agreement.

Not long after my last post, our adoption agency contacted us and the other families in the Ethiopia program, and informed us that there was an important meeting coming up in Ethiopia, with important topics being talked about. The main topic was that of international adoption from Ethiopia. A quite extensive thesis was presented to Parliament and other officials in Addis.

That meeting came and went and we were informed that a lot was discussed and it was decided that there would have be more closed meetings in the weeks ahead to "come to a decision."

Our adoption agency has been AMAZING.  They were able to get the entire thesis translated within the week and we  received it a few days ago. I spent yesterday morning reading all 50 pages....trying to get an idea of what way the decision might go.   I have no idea......there was so much in there.... info that is not encouraging and then some that was.

The bottom line...... they might potentially close Ethiopia to international adoption within the next week. OR.....they might seek to reform again.



Either way,  this is what we know:

• God is in this hard stuff..... in these places where we feel helpless and alone. He is with us and will never leave us.....He also is with every single forgotten and unloved child in this world and He longs for them to meet Him, their  constant and ever loving, Heavenly Father, as well as having a loving and devoted, earthly father and mother.       "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." Deut 31:6
• He placed us here "for such a time as this."     With all the uncertainty we have had for weeks, we keep putting one foot in front of the other. To walk where we can't see and where the footing is unsure. He has called us into this journey, and we will walk in it boldly.... with unwavering faith in the One who holds this whole universe and our very hearts and lives in His hands.
• He is growing us.   This is all about Him and His plans  He has for the lives of His children. This is also about 2 little lives...whoever they are....wherever they are... whom we so desperately long to hold and love and grow in CHrist Jesus with for the rest of our days.          "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in HIM! He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jer.17:7-8
• He is Sovereign. and we choose to trust in His plan. He is The Symphony Orchestrater.  He is The Master Artist.  He is the Tapestry weaver. He is the Story Writer. He adds to it every day. Adding to the beauty, that is our lives. May we see it as that.....beauty....grace....love gifts of mercy from our Father.....May we be found worthy of the gracious beauty He graces us with every day.....whether it is in joy or in heartache....in laughter or solemn silence from wounds that run deep.... whether it is in community or in solitude that is all too painful. May we not just trust Him when we can see what lies ahead and the going is easy. May we cling to Him Who always makes a way when there dosn't appear to be one.      I love how the living bible words a very familiar passage in Eph. 3.     " when i think of the wisdom and scope of His plan, I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God......that out of His glorious, unlimited resources, He will give you the mighty inner strengthening of His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living with you as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep and how high His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. and so that at last, you will be filled up with God Himself. Now Glory be to God, Who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes. may He be given Glory forever and ever through the endless ages because of His master plan of salvation for the church through Jesus Christ."

Will you join with us in prayer this next week and intercede for the children of Ethiopia? They say they will come to a decision by Thursday, January 16th. (that date has been pushed back once already so we hold to that timeline loosely.)

I thank you in advance for hearing my heart and for standing in this gap with us. What we lift up to our Loving Father is never in vain and  our prayers matter so much.
Thank you dear ones!

Here are some specific requests to pray:

·      for Ethiopian government officials to be convicted of the need children have to grow up in a family and for international adoptions to remain open;

·      for advocates in Ethiopia and around the world to speak up on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children;

·      for an end to any corruption, deceit, inappropriate work regarding adoption;

·      for ours and other prospective adoptive families who are anxiously awaiting news of the Ethiopian government’s decision;

·      for wisdom and guidance for America World Adoption as they seek to respond wisely to whatever news is heard from Ethiopian officials.

       for peace and joy as we wait.

Much Love and  Thanks from the Ledbetter's!