What is This Thing....

Called Court?

We've had a few people ask, so we thought we would share some of the final steps that take us that much closer to our little one.

Once you receive a referral, which we did on June 10th, then you must sign more paperwork informing others that you are willing to accept placement with this particular child. Turning over a nice big check also signifies that you would like to be a parent! :)

These acceptance papers then make the long journey to Ethiopia and land on a desk of some lovely person at Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA). This person reviews our life on paper (otherwise know as dossier) and determines whether a recommendation should in fact be given for a placement match. This letter of recommendation is essential for our court date.

So our court date rolls around and hopefully everyone is able to be present (judge, birth parent, etc.). The judge reviews our paper work and determines whether or not things are in place for our family to pass court or not.

We anxiously await to hear news from Ethiopia about the outcome of our court date. If we pass then we wait for a visa appointment to be scheduled at the U.S. Embassy, allowing us to travel and return home with M. If we do not pass, then we wait until another court date can be scheduled and give it another go.

So as you can see, very little of this is actually in our control, which can be difficult to not fret over. We pray continually that there will be electricity, the judge will arrive at court, that necessary people will be there, paperwork in line, etc. etc.

And that my friends, is this thing called court.