What now brown Cow ... what's next?

Many have asked what happens now?  I know it seems so hard to understand that we went half way around the world, passed court and yet did not come home with our son.  Welcome to adoption where things don't always "make sense".  Faith!

So what now?  We are currently waiting on the US side to clear our Zebene to come home.  After we passed court, the judge wrote a court decree that is compiled with a bunch of other paperwork.  The infamous MOWCYA approval letter, original birth certificate, passport and another round of medical tests must be completed on Zebene to be submitted to our embassy for approval.  This approval gives us the much needed clearance to come for our "interview" and get his VISA to come home.  Rounding up all these things can take anywhere between 2 and 5 weeks.  Our agency "guestimates" that ours should be submitted on December 28.  We (our agency) can only submit files on Wednesdays so that means if our paperwork is ready on a Thursday, we have to wait until the next Wednesday to be submitted.  UGH. I know.

Once that is submitted, the Embassy has 10 days to respond to our case and can do one of 3 things;
1.)  Find his case "Clearly Approvable" and clear us for an interview and travel.  We will then organize and set our "Interview appointment" which happens in country and travel to bring him HOME!
2.)  Request additional evidence to which our agency would need to track down those items and then we await the Embassy to approve.
3.)  Send our case to the USCIS in Nairobi, Kenya for a complete investigation which would mean a lengthy delay ... most often, months!

So, can you take a guess which door we are praying for!  Clearly ... not hard to decide.

It is our prayer and hope that we are frantically organizing travel and details for a January Embassy date.  That is our prayer this Christmas.  Will you join us in that prayer?

In the meantime, I am trying to figure out how you do Christmas with all that's on our hearts.  I mean, how do you travel twice in a year to a place where you have seen so many children without the basic necessities of life and then come home and shop away to fill stockings and more without thinking and reconciling what you have experienced and the truth of all the things we really don't need?  How do you reconcile that your 3 children have always had Santa bring them goodies each year and yet next year, your child from Ethiopia may stop and wonder where Santa was in his life ... I mean, all those cute TV shows talk about Santa taking goodies to kids all around the world who have been "nice"?  Did Santa just forget him?  It's just something that is rattling around in my heart.  Even if he never asks ... you better believe my other kids will.  And well, what if they don't either ... is that a free kitchen pass to not stop and really take a deeper look at the way we do things?  And really, truthfully, we don't make a fuss out of Santa to begin with since we do try to keep our kids perspective on the truth of Christmas ... a celebration of the King of Kings birth.   But 11 years ago, the only way I knew to celebrate Christmas was the one that most Americans celebrate.  The one with a big fat man who brings you gifts of tidings and joy when you have a been a "good little girl" all year.  Anything different didn't sound like "Christmas" to me.  And it's not wrong ... their are many believers who follow suite and do the same.  Their is the argument that it brings children joy and it is fun to make believe - that isn't wrong or bad.  It doesn't mean they don't and can't know the true meaning of the holiday.  I am not saying that is the case.  But in the end, I wonder (for us) what Jesus would think that we have overshadowed his day in the attempts to keep "tradition" and make things "Fun" in light of all he showed us this year about who he really is ... ?    11 years later and 11 years deeper into my faith, I find my heart taking a moment to re-examen the choices we have made and wonder what Christmas would be like if our joy was wrapped up in the beautiful and simple story of a baby born in a manger who came to save the world.   Isn't that enough?  Would that be enough?

If he was enough for us ... shouldn't he be enough for my kids too?  If a manger, full of animals, with a feed box was good enough that night for the King of Kings ... then why do we believe we deserve anything better?  Why do we believe that HE isn't enough joy each Christmas?

I am just wondering.  I am just pondering.  I'll let you know if I come to a conclusion.  As for this Christmas, we have set out stockings and the "Elf" of Elf on the shelf has arrived.  My kids do love the joy of looking for him each day.  And that's fun.  We also have enjoyed sitting around the table, drinking hot coco and reflecting on a baby who came to save the world.  We have discussed and pondered what Mary must have thought that day when an angel appeared before her.  My kids have come to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, Angels don't look like what we think they do ... because if they did, then why would each time an angel appear before someone, would their meeting begin with "Do not fear"?  We have pondered why their were no rooms available that night and there was no place more deserving and comfortable for the birth of the Savior.   We have talked about that perhaps, Jesus, who came into a home with little was showing us that if it was enough for him .... it should be enough for us!