"Praise be to the Lord, for He has heard my cry for MERCY." Psalm 28:6

Shortly before going to bed Monday night, we received a text message from one of our dearest friends, Jonathan Johnston.  He reminded us that although we were shocked and scared, nothing that had happened caught the Lord off-guard.  We were trusting in His sovereignty and control.

Tuesday morning arrived after a restless night’s sleep.  Billy went to get Addie from her dorm room and brought her to the common area of the guesthouse.  I was so torn.  I wanted to enjoy this time with her, and yet I knew that it could very well be the last time I did spend with her.  Our flight was leaving that night.

Woudneh came to the guesthouse that morning and shared more of Addie’s story.  I again began weeping.  This time, these were tears of gratitude.  I had prayed for mercy over my girl, and listening to Woudneh, I realized that the Lord had already poured out His mercy upon her life.  I cannot go into details here because I feel that this is Addie’s story to tell some day, but just know that we have seen vividly how His hand has been upon her life from the beginning.  We are so thankful to have witnessed His faithfulness so clearly.

The birth mother had agreed to go to court that day, make her statement, and give her consent.  Woudneh suggested that we go with her, and we more than willingly obliged.

Addie is so stinkin’ cute that it’s hard to stay too terribly sad around her long.  We spent the rest of that morning kissing her sweet cheeks, playing with her, feeding her, rocking her to sleep, praying over her, and speaking words of truth about our great God to her.

After lunch we headed back to the courthouse, praying that her birthmom would indeed show up.  When we arrived we met not only her birthmom again, but also Addie’s biological sister- an adorable, full of life three-year-old bundle of energy.  How amazing to spend a few hours with them, playing with this little girl! She loved the Skittles I gave her, playing hide-and-seek, jumping on the stairs with Billy, playing with my hair, drawing with my pens, and all the other things that all little girls enjoy.  I think about this child daily and pray for her protection. 

After hours of waiting, the judge was finally ready to see Addie’s birthmom.  We sat eagerly waiting in the same room as the previous day when we had first received the news.  This was a huge step to have her before the judge, but we knew there was still the matter of the birthfather.

What came next was one of the most bittersweet moments of my life.  Woudneh went in, spoke to the judge, and reported to us the news:  In Ethiopia it is illegal to impregnate a girl under the age of 18, so the birthfather is not legally recognized, and did not have to be found. (!) He was also the father of Addie’s biological sister and had not provided anything for that child, and therefore the judge said that it was a closed case as far as she was concerned.  Now all we needed was final approval from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, and it would be finalized.  The judge sent her recommendation to them, and Woudneh told us that they almost always go along with what the judge says, but that it could be a week or two before we would know for sure.  It looked like everything was going to work out!  Thank you, Jesus!!!! 

We were overwhelmed with gratitude, but completely burdened for this mother, who was clearly torn apart by the events of the past two days.  She did tell Woudneh that she wanted us to adopt her baby, and I will be forever grateful for that.  I told her she had given me the most amazing gift imaginable, and that I would do everything I possibly could to love her child with everything that I had.  

I will not even pretend to understand all the reasons why the Lord allowed all of this drama or why Addie wasn’t just knit together in my womb in the first place.  I do know through this He answered my prayer- my faith is strengthened.  I have seen like never before my need for him and the incredible grace that secures my life in His presence forever.  Jesus, fully God, and fully man, lived a perfect life, and then took on the punishment for my sin.  He died a brutal, cruel, humiliating death, and then, Hallelujah!, He rose again, and sits at the right hand of the Father, pleading on my behalf.  It by His blood that I can stand before the Lord confident and sure that my eternity rests with Him- through His blood that I am called HIS CHILD!   It is my prayer that somehow Addie’s birthmother will, through all of this, experience adoption herself- adoption as a daughter of the King- that she will some day be in a place with no more hunger and no more sickness, no more tears, sorrow, or pain. 

Until that day, may we work daily to give orphans homes, to provide ways for mothers to keep their babies, to feed the hungry, and clothe the poor.  May we never forget the muck and mire from which He rescued us, and may we toil endlessly to spread the good news of Jesus to the lost.  He is our only hope!

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We returned back to the guesthouse an hour before we had to head to the airport.  We practically ran to Addie’s dorm room.  I stepped inside and walked over to her bed, and the minute she saw me, her face spread into the hugest toothless grin I’ve ever seen.  I must have kissed her face a thousand times.  We spent the next forty-five minutes calling our family on FaceTime so that they could see our sweet girl face-to-face.  How wonderful it was to share our good news with them.  There were no guarantees that everything was going to work out, but we were so much more hopeful at this point. 

Talking to Grandaddy on FaceTime right after we got back from court with Addie's birth mom.
 All he did was laugh and cry.  After he got off the phone someone asked him what the latest news was, and he had no idea- just too filled with joy at the sight of his precious new grand baby.

Addie is holding a picture of the family that Payton drew for her.
Can't wait for our girls to be united!

I told Addie as many times as I possibly could how much I loved her and that I would be back for her.  Not knowing 100% for sure that I actually would be back, I prayed that what I was telling her was truth.  We took her back to her room, kissed her one time, and  tried our best not to completely fall apart as we loaded up the car to head to the airport. 

It was so very difficult to walk away and leave our baby girl, but we were full of gratitude that we were leaving full of hope that we would indeed return.  We were (and are) certain that He would watch over her and continue to keep her life in His hands.

"Praise be to the Lord, 

for He has heard my cry for mercy.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,

and with my song I praise Him!"

                         Psalm 28:6-7