Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Pack Your Bags!

After what seems like a rollercoaster ride for the last few weeks we finally have convinced ourselves that the time has come to start packing our bags! Back on Feb 6th we received the email that told us that we would likely be travelling to Africa on March 7th. We were so excited! Finally, we could see the date on the calendar. The date that would mark the day we would finally meet our 2 little boys. This, to us, was getting really high up on the rollercoaster! The view was getting more & more exciting everyday. Then, on Feb 22nd the rollercoaster very suddenly stopped its climb. We received an email that informed us that our boys' immigration papers were lost. All travel plans were to be put on hold. We were devastated but not without hope. But with each day that passed we felt our rollercoaster ride going lower & lower. The chances of the officials in Africa finding our papers in time for us to travel on the dates that we had purchased our plane tickets for were getting smaller all the time. On Feb 29th our ride sank even lower. We received word that our papers were lost. Nobody knew where they could be and if we didn't hear anything within days we would not be traveling on March 7th...maybe not for as long as 2 more months. But in our hearts we knew that there was still a chance. God could do a miracle. The following Monday March 3rd, the rollercoaster, not able to go any lower, turned upside down dragging our heads in the dirt. Our adoption agency had informed us that it was time to cancel our flights. We would not be traveling on Friday March 7th. We wouldn't be meeting the 2 boys that we had been longing to see since October, Mesele & Abinet. In fact we had no idea whether we would even be able to see them in the months March or April at all. With our heads dragging in the dirt wondering why this had to happen we went about our Monday afternoon & night feeling very depressed and asking God why and if He would just work a miracle. We contacted our travel agent to inform them of our cancellation and tried to remember that God knows best and that He has a perfect plan for us. That He could do anything and that everything is in His hands. Then the unexpected. On Tuesday March 4th our rollercoaster flipped right side up and shot up like a rocket with no sign of leveling out! We received a phone call telling us to Pack Our Bags! They found our papers and they are sitting right in the office that they need to be in! We're leaving in 3 days! Panic! We're going to Africa in 3 days and bringing Mesele & Abinet home with us! What do we do?! We need plane tickets! We phoned the travel agent only to find out that they hadn't even cancelled our flights yet! The rollercoaster continued to sky rocket! That's two miracles with in minutes of each other! Praise God! Only He could do that! At some point the rollercoaster is gonna have to level out but I suspect that it will take some time before we can catch our breath much less let our stomachs settle! I've been on rollercoasters before but never one quite like this. I suppose if I expect Mesele and Abinet to feel save in my arms...I too should feel safe in my Father's arms! It may be a crazy ride but its completely under control!

5 comments:

Elliott Harder said...

Praise the Lord that you are going! Our church has been updated and has continually been praying for you and your situation. On Tuesday night at a meeting I mentioned how you had received the good news and finally were able to leave and one of the people immediately got up and said this was a total answer to prayer. Their bible study group had specifically prayed that the file would be found on a desk somewhere and that you would still be able to go when originally planned. God heard their request from on high and answered. God bless you and give you peace and much joy as you get your children. Elliott

Ray and Jill said...

I can't imagine what is going through your minds right now - 10 hours and counting until you leave on the journey of a lifetime. Thanks so much for putting up this blog so we can follow along and share in your experience. We love you and are SO incredibly excited to see you as parents and meet your beautiful boys.

Kelly said...

I have been blessed already by how God answers prayer and by how faithful He is!! Our small group and entire church has been praying for the last week and a bit that the file would be found ... that someone would take special interest in finding it and that it would come at a perfect time! I am so blessed by the two of you, how you have been faithful to eachother and to God through this entire rollercoaster. I cannot wait to meet my 2 nephews!!!! Bring them home safely! We love you and will keep praying for this next few eeks that the transition is a smooth one!

cjoyunger said...

It was so great to hug you both last sunday and see the hope and excitement on your faces and the utter faith that God had a plan to work out everything in His time and for His good purpose - Praise the Lord! I trust and pray that your flights and details went well today and I can't wait to meet your boys on this blog in the next few days, and then in person in the next few months! I am so very excited that you are now a mommy and daddy to those two precious little boys and know that God has such a wonderful adventure in store for your family!

Love you lots,
~ Joy ~

Kate said...

This is freakin' AMAZING! God is good! My heart prayed so hard when Keli told me about the papers...it is so difficult sometimes to have that absolute trust but when you do everything comes out perfectly to His will in the end. Praise God!!!