#1 We Never Should Have Known About this Orphanage

First, let me confirm that no, I am not done with finals but I just can't wait to get started sharing the first part of our story. Over the next few days I want to go through and share with you all the reasons we never should have met Our Girl.

Reason #1 - We Never Should Have Known About this Orphanage

Let me explain.

This story goes back over 4 1/2 years ago. We received a referral for Eli in June of 2008. He was about 4 months old and we were given an initial date for us to pick him up of September. If our court date in July had gone through we would have been in Ethiopia in September.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was at a math conference in Madison, Wisconsin anxiously awaiting word from our case worker about whether or not we had passed court (this was back in the day when you only made 1 trip to get your children from Ethiopia). The call came. The case would not pass court that day. I was DEVASTATED. I cried and anguished. All I wanted was my son home NOW!

Because it was the rainy season our next court date was not scheduled until October 13. Again, we did not pass court. Frantic does not even BEGIN to describe how I felt. My son was growing up and I WAS NOT THERE! Finally we passed court on November 13. We held Eli in our arms on December 13 (4 years ago tomorrow!).

Now as far as my teaching schedule it was BEYOND perfect. I was teaching 3 classes, it just so "happened" (as in God ordained) that all three of my finals were scheduled for Monday of finals week. We left on Tuesday morning to fly home to Oklahoma (we were living in Ohio at the time) to drop Abi off with family. Then we flew out of Oklahoma to Ethiopia (by way of Houston - where we were delayed because of snow and then Dubai - where we were supposed to get to overnight but didn't because of the delays in Houston). Sorry I'm clearly getting off topic... Okay, so at the time it just seemed like God really orchestrated great timing for our trip in respect to my school. But let me tell you what... it was SO MUCH MORE!

You see while we were in Ethiopia we met two families from Pheonix, the Gumms and the Slonigers. They were there to pick their kids up too. But you see, they came a week early... why? To work with kids at an Orphanage. Had they not come that week early and had we not been there 3 months "late" according to MY timetable, we never would have known about this Orphanage. Nothing of the rest of the story would have happened.

To say God's fingerprints are ALL OVER THIS, seems like a dramatic understatment. Over 4 1/2 years ago God orchestrated our court delays along with the travel schedules of two families we had never met to introduce us to an Orphanage, an Orphanage that will forever change the course of our lives!

Stay tuned... there is more... SO, SO much more :)