Back Home

A couple nights ago, Anna and I landed back in Memphis. Just the two of us.

It's obviously not ideal, but there's a little bit of gladness that things have returned to normalcy. After much prayer and some good advice, we thought being home would make the waiting process a little easier for us and for Lucy. So we wait here.

The good news is we are every day one step closer to when "normalcy" will have a entirely different meaning for us. We are closer than we have ever been. Now we wait and pray with great expectation that the God who started this process is out to finish it.

Thanks guys. For everything.

Russ and Anna are coming home for a little while.

We will be flying back in to Memphis Sunday night. We won't have Lucy with us this time.

Nothing has changed here in Ethiopia regarding our adoption so we feel (and have been advised) to travel back home for a bit. We are so sad to leave Lucy, but we were not getting to see her very much and the short times we were sometimes made it even a little harder.

So, we will get into Memphis Sunday night. We still believe that God will work this out....and that the next time we travel to Addis we will bring her home with us. We are uncertain of the timeframe for that happening but praying it will be quick. We are trusting in God to complete this work He started so long ago. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support. We have had a wonderful time...and love this country very much. We had hoped things would have moved along by now but that is not the case. This story is bigger than us and we have learned so much. Lucy is in good hands here but we can't wait to have her with us. Thanks again for loving us.

Surrender

Hey friends!!! Words cannot express how thankful we are for you
praying and loving on us while we are in Ethiopia. We must say things
are not moving as quickly as we had hoped. What we are learning is to
trust God even when things are not as we would choose them. You would
think we would have learned this by now but nonetheless we are
re-learning it.. I think this is always the case for me :)

Waiting can be so hard. Monday was a hard day for both of us. We
realized we both had a little bitterness in our hearts. We truly
believed that our case would be final by now and we could take
placement with her here in Addis. We believed that God would move
mountains and this would happen. It is Wednesday here and we have not taken placement yet. BUT that does not mean that God did not move
mountains or that He isn't doing so right now.

We have spent the day in prayer and it is been a wonderful day.
Contentment and Gratitude are the two words that I have been
meditating on today. Yes, I pray that our case is final soon, that
she can stay at the guesthouse with us, and that we will get a quick
embassy date. Yes, I pray that by this weekend God will give us
direction on what to do about staying.

But today, my prayer is that I would be content. Thanking God for all
His gifts.

I am reading Calm My Anxious Heart and this prayer was in the chapter I read today.

Lord Jesus, I offer you:
All That I Am
All That I Have
All That I Do
All That I Suffer
Now and Forever

I added to that list: All That I Do Not Yet Have

Because this is His story. It has been all along. I offer this
story, her life, our lives, to Him once again.

We will make some decisions this weekend about staying or returning
home. Either way it is good and part of His plan. Thank you for
loving us. As you pray for us...pray for the other families waiting
for referrals, court, embassy appointments, etc.

We love you guys!

-Anna

Pray and Fast

Now that Russ & Anna have passed court, they have entered into a period of undetermined waiting. There are some hold ups right now with the adoption process as a whole (not related to them specifically), and they don't know when those might end.

Tomorrow, February 9th a number of us are going to fast and pray for this "obstacle" to be over soon. Many of you know the details, but I'm not supposed to put those details on the blog.

So pray...

• That the adoption process will be complete very soon
• That Lucy will bond quickly with Russ & Anna when the time comes
• That they will be well & stay well - both Russ & Anna have been sick

Fast...

• If you're not comfortable with fasting food, fast from something else that is a common part of your day....i.e., tv, internet, etc.
• Every time you get hungry, or think about watching tv, or getting on the internet, pray instead.

Let's do this as a community tomorrow!

Pictures!

In Amsterdam during their layover.

With their driver in Ethiopia.

Hearts beating, outside the orphanage, about to meet Lucy!

They passed court!

We had the joy of talking to Russ & Anna on the phone yesterday. They are doing well. They really love Addis Ababa. They said there is all kinds of great food to eat and a lot of incredibly rich history.

Visits with Lucy have been good. She is long but so tiny! They are not supposed to be bonding with her right now since the adoption is not totally complete. The hour they get to visit her at the orphanage is when the caregivers are feeding the babies and putting them down for a nap. Anna gave Lucy her bottle yesterday and put her down for a nap. Russ had the joy of doing that the day before. It is a sweet time, but hard because they still have to keep a certain distance from their beautiful daughter.

Russ and Anna went to court this morning around 11:00 their time. It went as it was supposed to, so half of the legal process is done. Anna said it was very emotional to hear that their adoption can't be reversed! They are going to tour 3 government run orphanages today which will be interesting but also hard. One of them will be the one Lucy was in for a while.

Keep praying that the obstacles blocking their path will be moved quickly!

-Merissa Rambo

Visit #2

Russ & Anna were able to see Lucy again yesterday, and she was calmer this time. Russ held her and she fell asleep in his arms. Please pray for God to calm His child, Lucy, and for her to adjust to her soon-to-be new life and parents.. She is very attached to her caregivers, which shows how good she's been taken care of as a baby! They are hoping for some positive movement in the investigation, so continue to pray that God will work out all obstacles. They had no internet for a while yesterday and electricity is sometimes sporadic. Anna's hairdryer will not work in Ethiopia and everyone that knows Anna and her hair issues, understands that she will be a tangled mess by the time she reaches the U.S.! (quoted directly from Anna's mom - I don't want to get in trouble ;)

They are very grateful for the continued prayers of all of you!

First Meeting

From Anna, "well, we met our sweet girl for the first time. very overwhelming and precious! She was not a happy camper at first...but after a nap and food....did much better! Pray now that the courts would move quickly and we can hopefully be home soon with our baby girl!"

It was asked on facebook if Lucy is staying with them now. She can't stay with them until some things happen legally. This week they get two more one hour visits with her. Their court date is February 4th. We will know more details then.

There is an investigation going on right now by the Ethiopian government checking in on some of the adoptions that are happening - simply to make sure they are legitimate. However, Lucy won't get to stay with Russ & Anna until this investigation is over. Please be praying that it ends soon.

Also, they can't legally post any photos of Lucy yet. I know we can't wait to see the first picture of the three of them together!

In Ethiopia!

Russ & Anna have safely arrived in Ethiopia! I'm sure their arrival looked slightly different than their departure from the Tupelo airport. They will get to see Lucy for the first time around midnight or 12:30 am central time Sunday night, the 30th. They are 9 hours ahead in Ethiopia. Continue to pray that the investigation gets settled soon, and that the first meeting goes better than they have even dreamed!

It's All Happening

We leave today.

For the past few weeks I've had these tiny blasts of panic. They haven't ever lasted long because almost immediately I've thought of another task that needs to be completed. This paper needs to be signed. This call needs to be made. For work or for the adoption, something always needed to get done. I welcomed the tasks because it made the fear go away.

So last night, when all my tasks were over, I feared the fear. I went to bed thinking I would be in a meltdown by morning. But something happened. I woke up, and felt at peace. Calm. No panic. Just an ease about what God has called us into.

That defines this whole process. It really defines my entire life as a Christ follower. Countless days of fear and panic, followed by calm. The peace comes from understanding that any semblance of control is just an illusion. It's faker than T-Pain's singing voice.

More than any other experience, adoption has showed me that the God I believe in is real. This story is not ours. It's not even Lucy's. It is God's. He is weaving this ravaged world back together. He uses tarnished people.

Every time we have had a roadblock, someone has come in the name of Jesus and helped us navigate it. Paperwork problems? Meet this notary. Money issues? Here's a check. Computer issues? Use mine. Work issues? Take whatever time you need. Scared? Here's a group of people to let you know that what you feel is normal. Here's a group of people who will pray for you.

We thank you all. Family members. Adoption agencies. Friends. Co-Workers. Youth Group Kids(you all know who you are). Caretakers. Coaching programs. Women's groups. Birth mother. There is no way that we can thank you enough. It's not possible. Each of you has played a large part in the life of our daughter. We love you. Our family's faith has been strengthened because of what Christ has done in you. This is a unique adventure that would not happen without you. You're the best.

Lucy's coming home. It's all happening.

See you guys later.

Russ