Dear Preedy Family: Your Case Is Cleared
We got the email!! It came on Friday. We had a birthday party for a sweet friend of Kiryn's that morning, and as we were there, I was telling other moms and friends that I wasn't expecting to hear anything today, because Friday is a half-day for most Embassies and government offices, and I figured maybe we'd hear next week. After all, our file had only been acknowledged 9 days ago. It usually takes 2-3 weeks.
We came home from the party around 1, laid Levi down because he'd fallen asleep in the car. We both pulled up our laptop screens, and in just a few seconds, I saw an email from "Adoptions, NBO'.... I grabbed Paul's arm and started jumping up and down, covering my mouth to keep from waking Levi up! When I finally got it open, and got the decision file unzipped and could read the word "approved," I just lost it, started sucking in air and crying out of sheer joy!
So now it's on! I bought tickets in about 20 minutes. : ) First day I could get them for was Wednesday morning early 3 a.m. Here's the plan:
Tuesday 11 a.m.: Kiryn and Megan fly to Delhi, hang out with friends in town and wait for our red-eye to Addis Ababa
Wednesday 7:30 a.m.: Arrive in Addis, get picked up and taken to our hotel. Shower, rest for a bit, and get all our gifts ready for the care center.
10:30 a.m: leave for care center with a friend who lives in Addis. God is SO good! She is free and offered to come with me. She speaks Amharic. She will be able to help me share my heart and communicate with the nannies and tell them everything I want to say, and help me understand anything they want me to know So very invaluable. I can't thank God enough for this blessing.
Afternoon: head back to hotel and crash for the rest of the day. Meryn will be with us for good!!!
Thursday: Take it easy in the morning,
1:00: Visa interview at the US Embassy. If our paperwork has arrived back from Nairobi, they'll give us the visa the next day in her Ethiopian passport. If the paperwork has not arrived, I'll take her passport with me and take it to the Indian Embassy Friday morning with her Indian visa application .
Saturday: Enjoy the best bazaar of the year in Addis Ababa! So can't wait for that! I hope to find Meryn some treasures from Ethiopia to have as she grows up
Sunday: Christmas shopping for family in the states
Monday: Make sure things are moving with our Indian and US visa processing. Please pray for this to all come out just fine! We've left ourselves what we feel is PLENTY of time in Addis to make sure everything gets done.
Tuesday-Friday: Hang out, shop, wait for visas, and meet with the man who did our investigation, and the man who found Meryn, and hear the story from them personally. I'm really looking forward to this!
Friday midnight: Board the plane back to Delhi.
Saturday 9 a.m.: Walk out to join our three boys and be a family of 6!!!
My brain is fried from looking at paperwork lists and details all day yesterday and today, double checking, making sure I have everything we need. My feet are sore from cooking all afternoon and getting five meals in the freezer for my boys while we're gone. Oh, and did I mention my three boys are traveling to Nepal for two nights while we're in Addis? The Lord is flinging our family to all corners of the earth. Please pray for his protection to surround us while we're apart, and to bring us back together! And pray for this mom and dad as we manage two kids each on our own over international borders! My, oh my...
Lord, thank you! Your mercies are new every morning, and you have blessed us beyond measure! I will attempt to blog and post photos while we're in Addis! 36 hours to go!! : )
We came home from the party around 1, laid Levi down because he'd fallen asleep in the car. We both pulled up our laptop screens, and in just a few seconds, I saw an email from "Adoptions, NBO'.... I grabbed Paul's arm and started jumping up and down, covering my mouth to keep from waking Levi up! When I finally got it open, and got the decision file unzipped and could read the word "approved," I just lost it, started sucking in air and crying out of sheer joy!
So now it's on! I bought tickets in about 20 minutes. : ) First day I could get them for was Wednesday morning early 3 a.m. Here's the plan:
Tuesday 11 a.m.: Kiryn and Megan fly to Delhi, hang out with friends in town and wait for our red-eye to Addis Ababa
Wednesday 7:30 a.m.: Arrive in Addis, get picked up and taken to our hotel. Shower, rest for a bit, and get all our gifts ready for the care center.
10:30 a.m: leave for care center with a friend who lives in Addis. God is SO good! She is free and offered to come with me. She speaks Amharic. She will be able to help me share my heart and communicate with the nannies and tell them everything I want to say, and help me understand anything they want me to know So very invaluable. I can't thank God enough for this blessing.
Afternoon: head back to hotel and crash for the rest of the day. Meryn will be with us for good!!!
Thursday: Take it easy in the morning,
1:00: Visa interview at the US Embassy. If our paperwork has arrived back from Nairobi, they'll give us the visa the next day in her Ethiopian passport. If the paperwork has not arrived, I'll take her passport with me and take it to the Indian Embassy Friday morning with her Indian visa application .
Saturday: Enjoy the best bazaar of the year in Addis Ababa! So can't wait for that! I hope to find Meryn some treasures from Ethiopia to have as she grows up
Sunday: Christmas shopping for family in the states
Monday: Make sure things are moving with our Indian and US visa processing. Please pray for this to all come out just fine! We've left ourselves what we feel is PLENTY of time in Addis to make sure everything gets done.
Tuesday-Friday: Hang out, shop, wait for visas, and meet with the man who did our investigation, and the man who found Meryn, and hear the story from them personally. I'm really looking forward to this!
Friday midnight: Board the plane back to Delhi.
Saturday 9 a.m.: Walk out to join our three boys and be a family of 6!!!
My brain is fried from looking at paperwork lists and details all day yesterday and today, double checking, making sure I have everything we need. My feet are sore from cooking all afternoon and getting five meals in the freezer for my boys while we're gone. Oh, and did I mention my three boys are traveling to Nepal for two nights while we're in Addis? The Lord is flinging our family to all corners of the earth. Please pray for his protection to surround us while we're apart, and to bring us back together! And pray for this mom and dad as we manage two kids each on our own over international borders! My, oh my...
Lord, thank you! Your mercies are new every morning, and you have blessed us beyond measure! I will attempt to blog and post photos while we're in Addis! 36 hours to go!! : )
This is the post I have been praying for. Love you.
ReplyDeleteGod is so good! Praying everything goes well and fast!
ReplyDeletePam Johnson
Megan, It's so exciting and surreal. I can hardly imagine how you must feel. So incredibly awesome! Praying for the details. Can't wait to see you all together! Fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for your family. I've been waiting to read this. Every time I see your banner with Meryn's little empty shoes, I get teary-eyed. So thankful.
ReplyDelete