Big Decision on the Front in the Huff House

So.... this is where we are at right now. Ricky and I have been praying about and have talked with our families and made the decision that once we have a Court Decree in Ethiopia... I will travel to Ethiopia and take immediate custody of G and G and stay at a long-term guest house until we obtain US Visa's for the kids and can travel home. At that time, Ricky will fly to Ethiopia to  help me return with the kids. This is a complex decision, and it involves two difficult scenarios.

I am horribly scared to leave our little buggers here for a period of unknown time, likely between 4-6 weeks or a touch longer... and I am horrible scared to not go and leave our little buggers in the orphanage for any longer than necessary. So picking between the two, has been really hard. Lots of tears, but we know that Ricky and our amazingly supportive family is here for the boys... and no one is there in Ethiopia for G and G... except me... soon!

We have been so blessed by the a surprise job for me over the past two years... that paid for the adoption and allowed us to move into a bigger home that will fit our expanding family. Now that I am not working and this additional adoption expense has crept up, we are praying for another miracle. Also, recently become very aware that while we thought we would all fit in our car, the car seat situation makes that impossible when G and G come home..... and as of the end of 2011 the Adoption Tax Credit is not something that will supplement all the funds we have spent over the past two years in the adoption process. Because of the delay in our case, we were faced with additional costs that I don't think anyone anticipated... again pulling on the reserve for the car fund.

We are applying for adoption Grants and saving like crazy right now. The best we can calculate, it will cost me and the kids about $65.00 a day to stay in Ethiopia and we will need to purchase an open ended ticket allowing us to travel back, but with the ability to change the date (I am sure you know the costs associated with anything airline related! HA!).... So here we are, praying and trusting that God is going to provide for what we know HE is calling our family to do... for Momma to go to Ethiopia and care for the littles there until we can come home all together!

Would you join us in prayer over the following items:

1. Timing of travel... kids starting school, my brother getting married, etc.
2.  Cost of my extended stay in Ethiopia with the kids and airline tickets that have flexibility
3. Ricky and the boys while I am gone.... It is no secret to any of us that this will be a challenge
4. G and G's health...
5. My health while in Ethiopia
6. My heart while away from Ricky and the boys for such a long period of time.

Blessings!

Brandi and Ricky Huff

Progress....?! Could it be real?

So this last week we have renewed HOPE that our littles are coming home soon! Here is where we are now...
We have 1 of the 3 letters needed to approve the kids for adoption, that does not seem like very much BUT our cases have been submitted to the 2 level for approval and they have promised after changes were made to some paperwork that they would approve the cases. Those changes have been made! Our case will be submitted back to the 2 level for approval this week and based on what we have been told... they have promised to processes these cases (4 families total stuck in the same paperwork mess as our case) with urgency... fully understanding it has not been 7 MONTHS since we traveled for court! 


The third level has, from the beginning, agreed to sign the letter needed ASAP and then we would have the much coveted Court Decree legally making G & G our kids! At that point, things will really start moving along and we will be making plans to travel to Ethiopia again.

Please be praying for our family as we process through timing in travel to Ethiopia. Big Man G has not been looking very good and we are concerned over his health, so prayers over him is also appreciated.

As for the Huff's right now... we are trying to enjoy summer and all that comes with that! Here are a few moments of the first 6 weeks of summer...

 It is really stressful around here... can you tell? lol

 Me and my dearest friend Em hanging out at the beach in Newport!

  

Selfish....

Soooo... I am guessing that my selfishness has been brought to light this last week. We got an update that stated: "Your paperwork is ready to be resubmitted, however we are waiting to submit everyone's together"............ long pause, deep breath, and cry selfish "why oh why do we have to go all together" tears. Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE each of the families that we have been on this extended journey with, each of them have a special place in my heart... I know that we will forever be friends and have a bond that no one, unless you have been in our shoes, could duplicate. I LOVE each of their children, having wept long hours over each of the names and we prayed for them. I am selfish, and I am working on it and praying for forgiveness as God continues to bring to light what He wants changed in me.

We are now only getting updates on Fridays, which makes for a long week, but I am praying this week will bring tears of joy...

We are at the end of re-doing our dossier, since we have been told that it expired yesterday. So my prayer warrior friends, would you pray with us that we can get our paperwork completed and sent to Ethiopia as quick as possible and that if for some reason Federal MOWA looks at our file prior to us getting the new paperwork to them, that they would pass us even without the updated documents.... since nothing has changed, I am still the same person that I said I was on my birth certificate 2 years ago, which has not changed in 30 years. =/

26 Weeks.....

This week marks the 26th week since we left Ethiopia, since we have been able to hold and love on our kiddos. 26 weeks of waiting for a the paperwork to be processed so we can bring them home.

We have been enlightened over the past several weeks of the "new" processes in which our case falls into, and we are tracking carefully to see what is next and what we need to be praying for to happen in Ethiopia.

It is so complicated, and most of the time I feel like unless I am talking to someone who is engulfed in the world of Ethiopian Adoption, I sound like this "wahwahwhahhawhaha". We have basically given this new process a 14 step breakout processes and as of yesterday we are on step number 7.

God has been teaching me so much through all of this, I thought I had learned patience, and I think I have. But what I guess I had not learned was that these kids, or Jake or Carter or Noah are not my own. They are God's children given to me for a short period of time, to be used by God to help mold and shape them into the people God has carved for them in the future, to assist them in impacting their worlds for Christ. And in our home or not in our home, they are God's children. I am learning trust now. Trust in the God that brought our two Ethiopian babies to us and trust in a God who is holding them close while we can not.

"The Journey is the Reward"..... something I am being constantly reminded of....

Throughout my life, God has taken me on many journeys. Some private, some public. Some that have brought me closer to Him and some that have pushed me and I chose to walk away from Him. The Journey's God has given me, to grow me, to shape me have actually been more rewarding than the actual end of the specific journey.

When I found myself to be a single Mom, with a 6 week old, I was sure that I had reached the end of what I could handle in my young life. After having lost three amazing, precious babies back to my Lord... I was finally able to hold and love my son and I was all the sudden going through a divorce. I am thankful that this journey brought me back to the Lord. It taught me to lean on the strength of my Savior, on the family and friends that God placed in my life. This journey has given me the ability to become part of who I am today. I love deeply and with my whole heart. I take my relationships with my family and friends with a seriousness that sometimes freaks people out. I am loyal to the end. That journey of my life brought many rewards.

I am on another journey, and I am excited for the what God is doing in my life... and what those rewards will be when this part of the journey is complete. Who knows what the next journey will be? Who knows what I will learn or how I will be stretched? God does. And I bet He is as excited for it as I am. =)

Still Waiting...

Well, the reason for the silence is compounded right now. One.. we moved to our new house and don't have internet, so blogging has gone to the wayside. Surely, there is not enough time in the day to do this at work!

Second, I feel like if I write it, it makes it more true. We are still waiting. Waiting to pass Court. Waiting for the letters from MOWA to come through. Today we got told that all Southern Region cases were moving forward, except the region where "K" and "G" are from.... I am doing my very best here to give this all over to a God bigger than my worry or sadness.

We would appreciate your prayers over "K" and "G" while we wait to bring them home. 

A little snippet...

As most of you know, we can not post pictures of the kids until we bring them home (if I knew when that would be I might be less crazy)... but I do have a few pictures that don't show their faces and are very special to us.

 Our sweet girl with her Momma

Daddy and his little peep's hands <3

The question I am getting right now the most? How are you doing without them? Do you miss them? To be honest, I have shared with the people closest to me that the feeling of leaving them there has left me with a feeling of grief so close to the death of someone you love, it actually shocked me. Don't get me wrong, I had plenty of thoughts about it being really hard to leave them, but I had in no way prepared myself for the feeling of loss and grief that I feel. And it was not instantly.

Over the past two weeks, the feeling has grown and developed into what it is now, grief. I have been praying for peace and as dear friends have traveled and seen the kids this week, I am blessed with an "in person" update that they are well. 

I wish I could hold "G" and tell him we are coming soon. I know he understands what is happening, and I want so much to be the person that explains and loves on him while he prepares for this change in his life. 

Would you call pray for the kids during this time of waiting? I want so much for them to be blissfully unaware of the wait and to play with the light hearts of children. 

Home.... and still in Ethiopia

So we are home from our Court Trip to Ethiopia! It was a trip that has forever changed our lives and we are excited to share with you all. I have a bunch of photo's that we took, most of them are of the kids, which we can not share right now, but the others are of Ethiopia and the people there.

Being in Ethiopia was amazing, it was a roller coaster of emotions. In one day, we went from the highest of high (being with the kids at the orphanage) to the lowest low (leaving them until we can return to Ethiopia). And there were lots of in-between!

We were blessed to travel with an amazing group of people, who have forever changed our lives. We love each of them and are blessed to have shared this experience with them.

I wanted to journal while we were there, but honestly it was so packed with stuff to do and by the time we got back to the guest house, we were exhausted! I am hopeful that through a bit of blogging I can recap our experiences there.

Here are just a few of the amazing moments we shared together in Ethiopia!

Ethiopian Sunrise is AMAZING! 

The Ethiopian culture is rich and proud

We were honored to have spent the afternoon with our Sponsor child from AHOPE! We were forever changed by her love and spirit! Can't wait to come back to see you "D" in a few weeks and we are praying for you as your family changes and is reunified! 

More pictures and stories to come!