Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The view from here is amazing!!
Sarah has been in Ethiopia for several days now, and I have had the chance to talk to her via Skype. (If you don't know what it is, and you make international calls, look it up.) Olivia is beautiful! Very active with lots of cooing, and she is very ticklish. I had a profound effect on Olivia when I saw her on Skype, because she was saying dadadadadadada. I'm that strong of an influence!!
This is incredible. Just knowing that God has blessed us with this amazing little girl, and that she is doing so well despite the circumstances she has come from....it takes my breath away!
I can't wait to have my wife and daughter come home. The past week has been long, and the next several days will be even longer, but I can only imagine what emotions will pulse through my body on Saturday when they get off that plane.
This is incredible. Just knowing that God has blessed us with this amazing little girl, and that she is doing so well despite the circumstances she has come from....it takes my breath away!
I can't wait to have my wife and daughter come home. The past week has been long, and the next several days will be even longer, but I can only imagine what emotions will pulse through my body on Saturday when they get off that plane.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The Trip begins
Yesterday I drove Sarah down to Denver Colorado for the first leg of her flight to Ethiopia. After dinner at Olive Garden, we crashed and set a wake up call for 3:15am. At 5:30am, I sat upright in bed and looked at the clock. CRAP!!!! Got to love a reliable wake up call from the night shift of the hotel!
After rushing to the airport and spending a few extra bucks to re-schedule the flight, Sarah was off to Washington DC. Sarah's mother and oldest sister are also going with her. I won't go into detail about the different stories from her family about their feelings of us being late!
It's hard to believe that Sarah will be flying over the ocean tomorrow. I start to get the shakes when I think about a new baby coming home next week. How cool is that? AWESOME!!! Olivia is gorgeous, as you can see by the pictures from the previous post. Crazy......just crazy. The whole thing puts me at a loss for words.
Please continue to pray for Asher. The courts have yet to announce any decisions about the abandonment cases that were under investigation, which leaves Asher in limbo. A big thank you to everyone who has prayed, helped and encouraged us throughout this process. You guys are awesome!
After rushing to the airport and spending a few extra bucks to re-schedule the flight, Sarah was off to Washington DC. Sarah's mother and oldest sister are also going with her. I won't go into detail about the different stories from her family about their feelings of us being late!
It's hard to believe that Sarah will be flying over the ocean tomorrow. I start to get the shakes when I think about a new baby coming home next week. How cool is that? AWESOME!!! Olivia is gorgeous, as you can see by the pictures from the previous post. Crazy......just crazy. The whole thing puts me at a loss for words.
Please continue to pray for Asher. The courts have yet to announce any decisions about the abandonment cases that were under investigation, which leaves Asher in limbo. A big thank you to everyone who has prayed, helped and encouraged us throughout this process. You guys are awesome!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Our new daughter! :-)
Meet Olivia Gadisse Dunn! and please continue to keep Asher in your payers as we wait for the courts to start hearing cases again.
Friday, May 29, 2009
A true test
Forget the roller coaster. Forget the third time is a charm. Forget the ball going flat. BOOM!!! That ball has simply exploded.
When we thought the frustration couldn't get any worse, today happened. We received news that Olivia didn't pass court again. This time it appears that a holiday in Ethiopia prevented someone from getting things ready in time, and once again we are delayed in our efforts to bring home our daughter.
The new court date has been set for June 12th, and the new Embassy date is July 6th. If Olivia passes court on the 12th, that would put everyone on a plane over the fourth of July weekend.
If everyone could diligently pray over the next two weeks for those in charge of this case to prepare properly, we would greatly appreciate it.
When we thought the frustration couldn't get any worse, today happened. We received news that Olivia didn't pass court again. This time it appears that a holiday in Ethiopia prevented someone from getting things ready in time, and once again we are delayed in our efforts to bring home our daughter.
The new court date has been set for June 12th, and the new Embassy date is July 6th. If Olivia passes court on the 12th, that would put everyone on a plane over the fourth of July weekend.
If everyone could diligently pray over the next two weeks for those in charge of this case to prepare properly, we would greatly appreciate it.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Grrrrrrrr
So just when we thought the ball was rolling again, the darn thing gets a hole in it!
We received a phone call from our adoption agency that said some paperwork wasn't in place to complete the court hearing on May 22nd. Irritation was quick to set in, but things are obviously out of our control. The hearing has been reset for May 29th, and hopefully this time everything will be ready to go. Third time's the charm, right?
The ban on adopting children that is effecting Asher is still ongoing. The last time this happened was about a year ago, and it took six weeks to get things resolved. That is the tentative time frame we are hoping for, but since we can't hold our breath that long.........we're not!
Despite the ups and downs we have experienced lately, we have to remember that things are actually going quicker than we had hoped. Since we started the process in late October of 2008, with the mind set that it would take 1-2 years to complete everything, we are still blessed to be sitting where we are.
Thank God for his love and kindness to bring these beautiful children to our family. We are truly blessed!!
We received a phone call from our adoption agency that said some paperwork wasn't in place to complete the court hearing on May 22nd. Irritation was quick to set in, but things are obviously out of our control. The hearing has been reset for May 29th, and hopefully this time everything will be ready to go. Third time's the charm, right?
The ban on adopting children that is effecting Asher is still ongoing. The last time this happened was about a year ago, and it took six weeks to get things resolved. That is the tentative time frame we are hoping for, but since we can't hold our breath that long.........we're not!
Despite the ups and downs we have experienced lately, we have to remember that things are actually going quicker than we had hoped. Since we started the process in late October of 2008, with the mind set that it would take 1-2 years to complete everything, we are still blessed to be sitting where we are.
Thank God for his love and kindness to bring these beautiful children to our family. We are truly blessed!!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
The roller coaster....Part II
So after your stomach settles, and the fear of certain death has subsided, the thrill of the ride kicks in! Your heart is pounding so hard in your chest that you aren't sure you can catch your breath. The adrenaline is screaming through your veins and you can't stop shaking. You want to get back in line and go again!
WOW....talk about amazing! We got news that since Olivia was found abandoned outside of town she is not affected by the investigation that is occurring. Her court date was moved to May 22nd, but we can go get her at the end of June as scheduled!!! AWESOME!!!
Asher is still on hold due to the circumstances in Ethiopia, but our baby girl is coming home!! :-) Sarah is going to fly with our oldest son Carter, and when Asher is approved to come home, then I will go get him. I am thrilled at the opportunity to be the one who gets him! Maybe I can talk our youngest son Justice into going with me.
WOW....talk about amazing! We got news that since Olivia was found abandoned outside of town she is not affected by the investigation that is occurring. Her court date was moved to May 22nd, but we can go get her at the end of June as scheduled!!! AWESOME!!!
Asher is still on hold due to the circumstances in Ethiopia, but our baby girl is coming home!! :-) Sarah is going to fly with our oldest son Carter, and when Asher is approved to come home, then I will go get him. I am thrilled at the opportunity to be the one who gets him! Maybe I can talk our youngest son Justice into going with me.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
The roller coaster
Just when we think things are going smoothly and life is good, the roller coaster of life goes over the next big hill and throws your stomach into your throat.
We were informed on Monday the 11th that all adoption cases involving children that have been found abandoned, are being halted until further notice. The government in Ethiopia has found evidence of possible fraud with abandoned children. There is concern that some of these children have been taken or sold, so an investigation is underway to sort out what is going on. All we know is that this could be days, weeks or even months before we have a new court date.
Thus the throat in the stomach comment earlier.
Please pray that this gets resolved quickly and Asher & Olivia stay safe and healthy.
We were informed on Monday the 11th that all adoption cases involving children that have been found abandoned, are being halted until further notice. The government in Ethiopia has found evidence of possible fraud with abandoned children. There is concern that some of these children have been taken or sold, so an investigation is underway to sort out what is going on. All we know is that this could be days, weeks or even months before we have a new court date.
Thus the throat in the stomach comment earlier.
Please pray that this gets resolved quickly and Asher & Olivia stay safe and healthy.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Almost Official :-)
Our court date is the 13th, which will be Tuesday night here so please keep Asher and Olivia in your payers.
If all goes well I will be able to post their pictures that day.
If all goes well I will be able to post their pictures that day.
Monday, March 23, 2009
MY BAD!!!
I apologize for the delayed report. As you can tell, I am prone to putting things off, and the result is a posting that is a month late. MY BAD!!!
Once we were informed about the court date being set for June, the idea of having to wait four months to bring our children home was devastating. I suggested that Sarah fly out to see the kids in the middle of April to ease the anxiety and be better prepared for the final trip. Sarah was thrilled at the idea of seeing the babies, but after talking to Susan and others that have been thru the adoption process, it was decided that it would be better for everyone involved if the April trip was canceled, and just fly out with the boys in June. As difficult as this decision was, we know that God has his hand in everything that has happened to this point, and the trust had to be put back on him.
Over the past month there has been one change involving the adoption. Initially we were going to name our baby girl “Sadie Gadiesse Dunn”, but time has played a role in our thoughts on this as well. After numerous discussions and prayer, we have decided that we will name our daughter “Olivia Gadiesse Dunn”. So why change the name? What was the major contributing factor that made of consider this idea? As foolish as it sounds, we suddenly found several friends and co-workers that had pet dogs named Sadie. That didn’t sit well with Sarah, but then what does sit well with her?!!!? Olivia is, at this point anyway, the official name for our baby girl! AWESOME!!!
As of today we are down to only eleven more weeks before Sarah and the boys will fly to Ethiopia and see our new children face to face for the first time! The anticipation is almost unbearable, but who wouldn’t be on edge knowing you were about to add two beautiful children to your family!
Once we were informed about the court date being set for June, the idea of having to wait four months to bring our children home was devastating. I suggested that Sarah fly out to see the kids in the middle of April to ease the anxiety and be better prepared for the final trip. Sarah was thrilled at the idea of seeing the babies, but after talking to Susan and others that have been thru the adoption process, it was decided that it would be better for everyone involved if the April trip was canceled, and just fly out with the boys in June. As difficult as this decision was, we know that God has his hand in everything that has happened to this point, and the trust had to be put back on him.
Over the past month there has been one change involving the adoption. Initially we were going to name our baby girl “Sadie Gadiesse Dunn”, but time has played a role in our thoughts on this as well. After numerous discussions and prayer, we have decided that we will name our daughter “Olivia Gadiesse Dunn”. So why change the name? What was the major contributing factor that made of consider this idea? As foolish as it sounds, we suddenly found several friends and co-workers that had pet dogs named Sadie. That didn’t sit well with Sarah, but then what does sit well with her?!!!? Olivia is, at this point anyway, the official name for our baby girl! AWESOME!!!
As of today we are down to only eleven more weeks before Sarah and the boys will fly to Ethiopia and see our new children face to face for the first time! The anticipation is almost unbearable, but who wouldn’t be on edge knowing you were about to add two beautiful children to your family!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Still waiting on that update Travis.....
While we wait.
A rough storm came up one night and left a sandy beach strewn with starfish.
The next morning, a child walked along the shore, stopping every few
feet to pick up a starfish and fling it out into the sea.
An old man watching the child finally shouted at him, "Why bother,
son? There are too many starfish to make a difference."
With that, the boy picked up another starfish and looked at it
intently before heaving it out into the sea. Then turning to the old
man he said...
"It makes a difference to this one."
A rough storm came up one night and left a sandy beach strewn with starfish.
The next morning, a child walked along the shore, stopping every few
feet to pick up a starfish and fling it out into the sea.
An old man watching the child finally shouted at him, "Why bother,
son? There are too many starfish to make a difference."
With that, the boy picked up another starfish and looked at it
intently before heaving it out into the sea. Then turning to the old
man he said...
"It makes a difference to this one."
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Something to think about
'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.'
When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'
When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'
Friday, February 20, 2009
May 12th is the day!
Finally!!!! The date has been set, and the bags are already packed. Seriously!! For now I will keep this short and sweet. The court date is set for May 12th, and then Sarah and the boys will travel four weeks after that. There is some frustration and broken hearts at the idea of waiting another four months to bring our babies home, but everything is in Gods hands. Check back on Sunday for a more detailed posting. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support!
1 Peter 5:7 ~ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you
1 Peter 5:7 ~ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Getting even closer :-)
We received our I-171H today so now we're just waiting for a court date!! It's feeling VERY real now! Soon Asher will get to see and hear us!!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Getting Closer
All our paper work is in Ethiopa now :-)!! So we are getting closer to bringing Asher & Sadie home. Please pray that our court date is not far off.
Here is a passage that a friend of mine shared with me.
24 About Asher he said: "Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil. 25 The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.
Here is a passage that a friend of mine shared with me.
24 About Asher he said: "Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil. 25 The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Doing Good
Our social worker from Illien is back from Ethiopia! Asher is doing great and listens to our voices on the digital recorder all the time! ( thank you Nancy for the wonderful idea!!!!. He is chubby, happy and healthy! we pray he continues this way till we can get him home.
Sadie is doing as well as she can and has taken to the formula well :-) but is still a tiny girl, she did interact well with Susan so this was great news!
We hope everyone had a wonderful new year! Thank you so much for all the payers and please keep them coming! We know everything will fall into place in His time and way.
Kathy Troccoli - A Different Road
From the album Corner Of Eden
I've traveled long
I've traveled hard
And stumbled many times along the way
I've bruised my knees a lot
And turned my back on God
And seen His mercy
I've been quick to judge
And slow to learn
So many times I've gotten in the way
I think I know so much
I've questioned God enough
But still He loves me
So now I'll walk a different road
I want to see Him there before I even go
I've run ahead and gone too slow
I've got to be still now
And wait upon His will now
This time ... It's gonna be His time
Don't want to live
Without the peace
That comes to me when I am by His side
I've known the freedom there
I can't find it anywhere
But in Christ Jesus
I believe He's got a plan
Everything in His time
I may not always understand
Everything in His time
Everything in His time
Sadie is doing as well as she can and has taken to the formula well :-) but is still a tiny girl, she did interact well with Susan so this was great news!
We hope everyone had a wonderful new year! Thank you so much for all the payers and please keep them coming! We know everything will fall into place in His time and way.
Kathy Troccoli - A Different Road
From the album Corner Of Eden
I've traveled long
I've traveled hard
And stumbled many times along the way
I've bruised my knees a lot
And turned my back on God
And seen His mercy
I've been quick to judge
And slow to learn
So many times I've gotten in the way
I think I know so much
I've questioned God enough
But still He loves me
So now I'll walk a different road
I want to see Him there before I even go
I've run ahead and gone too slow
I've got to be still now
And wait upon His will now
This time ... It's gonna be His time
Don't want to live
Without the peace
That comes to me when I am by His side
I've known the freedom there
I can't find it anywhere
But in Christ Jesus
I believe He's got a plan
Everything in His time
I may not always understand
Everything in His time
Everything in His time
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)