COURT DATE!!!!!!

We have a court date!!! Whoohooooo!! We are so happy, scared, thankful, blessed, and overwhelmed!
It went down like this: Sunday I emailed our Caseworker to ask her a few random questions (cause I am a need answers kinda girl) and Monday morning the phone rang. The number was a Colorado number and I knew it wasn't my In-Laws.
Me: Hello?
CW: Good Morning Lydia (I don't say a word, am holding my breath). Well, I thought it would be easier to answer your questions over the phone instead of email. (My breath let out and my heart sank to my toes) But first I wanted to let you know YOU HAVE A COURT DATE!!!
Me: (Screaming, Laughing) WE HAVE A COURT DATE? WE HAVE A COURT DATE! WE ARE GOING TO ETHIOPIA! WE HAVE A COURT DATE! (Repeat at least 3 more times)
When?
CW: June 29th for your family to appear in court and June 22 for her birth family to appear before the Judge. (Sheer panic and trembling)
So that is about the gist of it. I hung up the phone, screamed some more and then realized I had no idea what happens next, so I called my caseworker back three more times. :)

What this means is that Sweet M's birth family will go before the judge and completely relinquish her rights. (Cannot imagine and I feel so mixed) Then a week later we (our whole family) will stand before the judge and be asked a series of questions and then (if we pass) she will officially become our daughter.

This is a big deal, this is an answer to prayer. We were praying to get in before we are to go to Colorado in July for the yearly reunion of my husbands family and especially before the courts close in (usually August and September) for rainy season, which would delay everything for months. So now we are in lock down, get it done mode. My problem most of the time is I don't know what I am supposed to be getting done, so I walk around like a zombie daydreaming about meeting Sweet M or I scramble and get a few things done or I bark at everyone and cry. It's not really pretty.

When I slow down and reflect (for very short periods) I am blown away by God's goodness, patience and kindness toward us. If you read my last blog you know that we basically lost faith and had almost given up when Sweet M's face showed up on our computer. He changed our hearts, restored our faith. Then, as we have waited anxiously for a court date, he was really the kindest. I will make it a separate blog entry, this kindness of God.

We are still trying to raise the final money for our adoption expenses. I had no idea that getting vaccines would cost one of your arms. (We are thankful that dear friends have graciously offered to give us the two biggies for free). Just one more example of God's grace. Anyway, we lack around $8000,00. If anyone would like to join with us in this last stretch of bringing Sweet M home, please see the sidebar. And if you do join with us, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We truly are just God's vessel to love, care for and bring up this child to know him. I say that sincerely because I know this is a little crazy, we are not spring chickens and feel quite ill-equipped to raise even our two children. But we know God told us to do it. So we are. We are trusting God knows exactly what he is doing!