I'm actually going! Here's how I found out:
Yesterday, I called my agency on a fluke, just to ask some minor questions (and I just can't resist calling them at least once a week to milk them for information). Anyway, after I babbled away to my specialist, she told me she had been planning to give me a call. She gave me the news with such a dour voice, I was sure it was bad. She said "Your birth family did make their appearance". It took me at least five full seconds to process that it was good news! So it is all confirmed. I bought the tickets last week (when the date was "tentative"), and God has had his hand on the timing. If I had waited till now to buy tickets they would have been twice as much. We're actually staying a day longer than we planned to because we couldn't get a flight back on our originally planned date. Apparently many people are traveling at the same time. My mother and I will be leaving on July 24, I will meet Child #4 July 27 for a brief time and my court date is July 29. I am super nervous about appearing before the judge. I will be armed with a POA from hubby, but it will be just me to answer the questions. Eeeek. Super crappy part is I am not allowed to take any photos or video of Child #4.... So you will all get to see lots of photos of Ethiopia (and her referral pic when we pass). Hubby has to stay at home with the kids (shortage of vacation time for both trips, needed at work), but thankfully, his parents will be there to help and keep him sane :) I am feeling massive mother guilt about being away from the kids for so long, and galivanting around with my mom while my husband stays at home. But on the other hand, both my mother and I have never left the country (unless you count when she arrived here at the age of 3 from the Netherlands), and we are pretending this is our own "Amazing Race" episode (except we won't be digging through hay bales). It is relatively affordable to travel around Ethiopia, so we will be going north to Lalibela and Gonder for the last three days to see the churches that were carved out of cliff sides 800 years ago and I'll actually get to see a real castle in Gondar. Can you tell how excited I am??
Here is my laundry list of prayer requests if you feel led (it just keeps growing):
-travel mercies for our parents getting here and for my mom and I and all the traveling we'll be doing, keep everyone safe
-that meeting Child#4 would go better than I could imagine
-that court would be smooth, simple and we would PASS (and that I wouldn't worry so much about it)
-that we would stay healthy and not be affected by jet lag too bad
-that hubby and his parents would have a wonderful time together, and that the kids would be good for them :)
-that we wouldn't have any mishaps or lost baggage or damaged items, etc. during our travels
-that I would be able to find an affordable way to talk to my family at home
-that we would glorify God throughout our trip and Jesus would shine through us
I'm hoping to get enough internet to post something. So check periodically after the 24th. If all goes well, we will hopefully be bringing her home sometime in late September. I don't think it will all sink in that I'm actually going around the world until I'm in the plane, and I'll probably be crying too much from leaving the kids to realize it.... :0
