Dear friends,

As you may know, we must be approved in court in Ethiopia before we are allowed to go pick up our son.  And you may also know that the courts in Ethiopia close for 2 months, from early August thru early October.  So, if we hope to travel sometime before November to go get Judson, we must pass court before it closes on August 7th (or somewhere around there). 

However, we received an email this morning from our coordinator, Duni, who is in Ethiopia right now, working so hard on our behalf & on behalf of the other families in our situation (who have received referrals, but have not yet passed in court).  Here is the email:

Dear Families

I thought I would update you on what is going on as I know you are all anxious and also, after knowing the situation that you may pray specifically.

As you know nothing happens the way or on the day you plan it here. I was hoping I would have some solid information for you by today but nevertheless there is some progress.

I will be appearing before the judge tomorrow to hear when your court date will be. They are no longer issuing dates for before the closure.  I am 99% positive that I will get a date [for you] for sometime in October.  My plan is to go back to court on Wednesday and appeal. Your children don’t have anything life threatening so I don’t have a major excuse to appeal nor is there any reason for the judge to grant it. I am going to try anyway.  I am asking all of you to pray for God’s favor and for the judge to show us some kindness.  You shall hear from me, whatever the outcome, by Thursday morning.

So, as you can see, we need your prayers.  Unless God steps in here & works on our behalf to change the judge's mind & grant us favor, we won't be going to get Judson until probably November.  I say November because the courts will most likely be backlogged with similar requests by the time they reopen in October.  I'm assuming we will probably pass several weeks later & then be allowed to travel 2-3 following our approval.  (We had been hoping, however, to pass by early August & then travel at the end of August or early September.)

Will you pray with us?  I'm reminded of Esther going before the king.  Duni (our coordinator) is like our Esther!  And in a sense, we are all like Esther, going before our great King in prayer. 

I am very sobered, but am confident that God can do the "impossible" here & is so disposed to give good gifts to His children. 

Below are some thoughts I had this morning, which I emailed to my friend Amy.  May they provoke you to pray with us.  Thank-you for your love & your prayers for us & for our son. 

Mark & I just got done praying.  Philippians 4:6-8 is just rolling thru my brain right now.  "With thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God"...  I have to remember to thank the Lord when I have a request like this.  So easy to just ask & that easily turns into a demanding spirit, if I'm not careful.  So, I have to remember to bless & thank God for so much while I'm presenting my request to Him.  I "rehearse" his mercies to me & to us.  It's good for my soul to do that!  Helps me from falling headlong into a worrying/despairing mindset. :)  And then when we're done praying, verse 8 tells us what to set our minds on...
 
Whatever is true
whatever is honorable
whatever is just
whatever is pure
whatever is lovely
whatever is commendable
if there is any excellence, 
if there is anything worthy of praise, 
think about these things.
 
I have to fight, too, not to let my mind waltz around with lies that love to spring up in my head & heart--lies about God's character & providence or just lies about the unknown.  There's a big GOD factor here...  
 
The God of Esther.  'Nuff said.  (Story in book of Esther)
The God of Elijah, who prayed that it wouldn't rain, & it didn't.  "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit." - James 5:16-18
The God of Joshua, for whom God stopped the rotation of the earth (or caused the sun to stand still) so that the nation of Israel could have victory over their enemies.  (See Joshua 10)
 
I could go on & on...

And friends, here is where I'd like you to step in & go "on & on" for us.  Will you fill up the comments here (& on Mark's blog) with reminders to us of God's promises & stories from His Word of how He moved in a mighty way to answer prayers of His people?  Will you "remind" God of these things--He wants us to do that!  Will you write out some prayers for us & leave it in the comments?  We would be so encouraged (literally, given courage!) if you would do this for us.

But more than anything, please, please join us in prayer & fasting over the next few days!  THANK-YOU.

One last thought that I also shared with Amy this morning...

One more verse that God brought to mind...  and I'm thinking about the judge in Ethiopia as the "king" here!  :)
 
"The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will."
Proverbs 21:1

That judge's heart can be turned just by a slight shift of God's hand!  :)  Let's pray for God to move that hand & turn his heart to give us favor!!  :)

GOD IS GOOD.  IT'S BEEN MERCY ALL THE WAY, FOLKS!

My friend, Kari Gibson, got to meet & hold her beeeeeeauuuuuutiful new daughter, Zoie, today in Addis for the first time!!!  Go see their precious pictures!  (And here's a second set of 5 more pictures.) 

Congratulations, Roger, Kari, Michael, Hannah, & Zoie!!!