Hello Again!
Before I pick up where I left off last time, I need to back
up a bit. In the weeks before we left
for Ethiopia I needed to start studying a new book of the Bible, and I
chose James. I usually choose rather
randomly, but this time I had reason behind my choice.- Beth Moore has a study
of James titled, Mercy Triumphs. Addie’s
Ethiopian name (now her middle name) is Mihret, meaning mercy. The Lord really led me to this book, and the
Holy Spirit specifically impressed upon me that I needed to memorize James 1 : 2-
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet
trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces
steadfastness.”
Little did I know, He was preparing me for what would be the
greatest trial I had faced to this point in my life.
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We woke up Monday morning, and went and got Addie from her
room. It was an absolutely beautiful
day- there was not a cloud in the sky and it was in the low 70’s. We took Addie outside and sat on the porch in
front of her dorm with some of the other adoptive families and some of the
children from the transition home. I
will never forget the faces of the children as they played with the play-doh
and the bubbles we had brought. It was
evident that a couple of the young children had never seen bubbles, and watching
them discover this new floating ball that they could pop was just so much fun.
I sat and sang every hymn and praise song I could possibly
think of to Addie. I had dreamt for
months of singing to her, and here I sat reveling in the moment, eagerly
awaiting the afternoon, when I expected to hear the coveted words from the judge-
“She’s all yours.”
That afternoon we loaded up the van and headed into the
heart of Addis to go to court. We
entered the building and sat in a large room filled with people from Ethiopia
and all corners of the world. These people
were living the extremes of emotion- some were relinquishing their rights as
parents or grandparents and some were becoming new parents through the miracle
of adoption. I sat with Billy and our
new friends (those who were at the guest house with us), and we nervously
chatted and laughed together as we waited.
Woudneh (our guide/liaison) came in the room and asked Billy
to step into the hall with him. My heart
started beating a million times a minute, and I sat anxiously waiting, for what
seemed like ages, for him to come back in.
Nothing could have possibly prepared me for the news that followed.
When we received the referral for Addie, the only
information we really had on her was that she had been abandoned. Billy walked in, sat in front of me, and
announced as gently as he could that Addie’s birthmom had been identified. My jaw fell to the floor, and I sat completely
stunned.
I had no idea what the implications of this might be, but
knew that this could possibly change everything. She had been identified, but after trying
seventy times to call the number he had for her, Woudneh still could not reach
her.
We were called in before the judge, asked several uniform
questions, and told that Addie’s case was pending, and not closed. The words we had hoped for were not going to
be voiced that day…
As the afternoon unfolded we were informed that Addie’s
birthmom had to be found for a couple of reasons. First of all, she had to be deemed unable to
care for her child. Secondly, she had to
relinquish her parental rights and consent to the adoption. I was terrified of losing our girl. She had our hearts completely already. If a woman is capable and willing to be a
loving mother who can provide for her
biological child, it is always best for her to keep her baby. I knew this, and yet it was so very hard for
me to reconcile this with the fact that I desperately wanted to call Addie
mine- to bring her home to her big sister and have a part of our forever
family. I was just totally overwhelmed
with about a zillion emotions.
That evening we headed to a fried chicken restaurant called
Dodi. J Woudneh informed us when we got there that he
had gotten in touch with Addie’s birthmom and that she would be at the
restaurant in about thirty minutes. It
was all I could do not to pass out. Many
adoptive families meet their children’s birthmoms, but they are usually given
time to emotionally prepare to do so. I
had prayed for this woman daily from the time we had decided to adopt. I had spent many sleepless nights pleading
with the Lord for her safety and for her salvation. And now I was going to meet her face-to-face
in a matter of moments.
Would Woudneh say she was unable to care for Addie? Would she want Addie back? I was bombarded with a million questions in
my head. I remember looking at my dear
friend Deidra and telling her my life verse is Philippians 4:6 “Do not be
anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition with
thanksgiving…” I was about to fall apart so she finished it for me- “present your
requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
What a blessing it was to meet such godly, wonderful friends in
Ethiopia. The body of Christ became more
important to me that night than it had ever been before.
I still had a million questions, but the certainty of knowing the kind, loving God in control was more than enough to give peace.
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