driveway

My dear daddy died in May 2005.  He had cancer.  Sometime during that next year I had a dream about him.   He was dead in the dream but he had come back to talk to me.  We were standing in the driveway of the house I live in now (my parent’s old house) and he told me “if he had to live his life over again, he would have studied more about the substance of things.”  The dream was so vivid.  I wrote it all down the next morning.  Sometime over those next few weeks, I came across a book by Charles Capps called “The Substance of Things.” Well, of course I bought it.  It’s a great book all about faith.  A real easy read.  And so the verse referenced below (Hebrews 11:1) has become pretty special.

March 11, 2011

It’s been 18 months since we began this adoption process. Our homestudy began in Sept 2009. Our dossier was submitted to Ethiopia in May 2010. Then we waited. At the end of February 2011 we got our referral (a picture and a medical report of a precious little girl named Selamawit.)

Selamawit

And today is a great day!

Here is the back story.  We have appealed to the Ethiopian Court and Embassy systems to expedite our adoption with Selamawit.  She is small and malnourished.  We sent a letter to this effect from the doctor we consulted with who is a pediatrician and an expert in adoption medicine.  We also sent a letter from our neurological expert who advised that the sooner she can come home and get into a program of nourishment and brain stimulation, the better, as that time between 0-3 years old is key and vital to her brain development.

Mountains

Ever since we decided to send these appeals, I have been thinking about that verse  Mark 11:23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” This verse has always messed with me a little I guess because I’m thinking, ‘Ok, really?  A mountain?’  But when we decided to do this appeal, I thought, ‘This is the mountain!  Ok, this is the area we are going to have no doubt about!  I have no doubt that God wants Selamawit home with us as soon as possible.  So come on God.  Let’s move this mountain.  It will be a great story to tell!’  So….that verse has been in the back of my mind ever since.  That was about 3-4 weeks ago.

Details

About 3 days ago, all people in all countries that are in the midst of adoptions from Ethiopia got a notice from their adoption agencies that said the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) in Ethiopia had presented a proposal that was to take effect March 10th (yesterday) that would decrease the number of letters they write for adoptions by possibly up to 90%.  They were proposing this because they were trying to work with the US Embassy making sure that no child trafficking is going on in the adoptions.  MOWA writes a recommendation letter for every adoption that takes place in Ethiopia.  Reducing the number of letters written would have been a terrible thing for the millions of orphans in Ethiopia.  Petitions were circling facebook and the internet.  Advocates were imploring government agencies in Ethiopia not to do this.  And prayers were requested from all.

For the last few days I have been emailing back and forth with our agency trying to understand what is happening and if it will affect us.  I was told, yes, it could affect us.  It could affect anyone who has not already passed court.

The Key

When I heard about this whole thing, I had a niggling of temptation to worry, but I’d had that Mark verse in the back of my mind AND I had been really good about my God Time the last 6 weeks or so. (AND THAT IS THE KEY!)   So I thought ‘Nope!  I still believe Selamawit is coming soon.  In fact, in April, because that is what my husband just out-of-the blue said.  And I have come to learn that when he just casually makes a declaration like that with total confidence, he is usually right. Seriously, he has some kind of 6th sense sometimes. He would never profess it, but I’ve seen it too many times.

So yesterday I went to my weekly bible study.  In my small group the leader asked if there were any prayer requests so I told them about this MOWA thing.  We prayed.

PTL!

And today, we got a call.  Our court date is set for April 21st!  Praise The Lord!!   “Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see.”  Or from the New King James and really my preference:  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Hebrews 11:1.”  No doubt!   No worry!  No giving in to those temptations!

“The line must be drawn here! This far and NO farther!”  (That’s for all you Star Trek fans :)

We are still standing firm with our belief that we will be bringing Selamawit home very quickly.  Amen.

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  1. Hayley Nieuwoudt says:

    Hi Allison, I happened to stumble across your website when I was looking for bible study hints and your post with the post-its (funnily enough) came up. I love your blog.
    It’s truely inspirational to me. I went home telling my husband about you and what you have been doing. We are so inspired. We are also thinking of adopting after we have had a child or two of our own. We are newlywed and are loving it.
    I really love how you have found God and have ran with it. The reality of your blog is something we all need. Not some sugar coated stuff… the real business.
    It’s interesting how you have found what you were looking for all along at home, because the other day I was re-reading my journal and God also said to me a while ago that I would find what I am looking for at home also. I don’t know what it is yet but i’m very excited and am holding on to his promise.
    Look forward to hearing more from you.
    Love Hayley.
    P.S Congrats on your adoption :)

    • Allison says:

      Thank you so much for your sweet words. It was encouragement to my soul :-) God bless in your journey! Always have in the back of my mind various posts Id love to put up. Getting them done is another story! Especially with our new little one. But I know it will happen when its meant too. Thanks again!!

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