The Week in Ethiopia: A Preview

Washington DC and the surrounding area have been closed down for the past four days, as many of you know. So we never actually received word from our agency that they received word from the Embassy in Ethiopia saying they have enough time to process our paperwork because America World's office has been closed all week and the staff is working from home!

We will be flying out of O'Hare and into Dulles Airport in Washington DC. We then have a four and a half hour layover (can you say time to write lots of thank you cards!) before boarding our plane on Ethiopian Air and embarking on a 15 hour flight across the Atlantic, with a 45 minute stop to refuel in Rome, before landing in Addis Ababa, 22 hours after leaving Chicago!! And the return flight is the same thing in reverse with a five hour layover in DC.

Here's a rough outline of what our week will look like:

DAY 1 - Welcome to Ethiopia!

Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital and where America World's Transition House - and our boys - are. America World will send a representative to meet us at the airport.

DAY 2 - Paperwork Party and Meet Our Children Day!

All traveling families meet with America World staff in the morning at the Hilton Hotel to fill out and sign more paperwork and have lunch. Then we are off to the Transition House, where families will be called, by last name (and no, we are not last!). And the moment we have prayed about and dreamed about for five years and three months - meeting the children God has always had planned for our family - will become a reality! Families take pictures and video for each other so all of "Metcha Day" memories and moments will be captured on film. We are able to spend about three hours with the boys, playing and getting used to each other. We plan to bring two footballs, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, picture books, and maybe crayons and coloring books to play with with the boys before telling them we will be back tomorrow for them. We will also be able to talk with the boys' nannies and doctor on this day. Then it's off to the Spa with the ladies and back to the guest house for the gents. Mike actually hopes to begin painting a mural of a beach scene on one of the Transition House's walls, at America World's request - we are honored. That evening we will gather at an Ethiopian Restaurant for an authentic dinner and dance presentation.

Day 3 - Shopping and "Gotcha Day!"

We will be able to spend time shopping for presents for the boys (we are planning to buy a little gift for each of their birthdays until they turn 18 as well as wedding gifts), authentic Ethiopia dress for the boys, various child and adult sizes, as well as us, and some presents to bring back to friends and family. Lunch will be at the Guest House and then it is back to the Transition House. We will be able to take pictures of where the boys have lived since August 31st and leave our donations for the Transition House: 10 packages of wet wipes (AW requirement), paper towels (suggestion by AW), small space heater (urgent need), 2 buckets of plastic animals (suggestion from Transition House Child Developmental Psychologist), clothes for older boys, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and children's medicine (thank you Karen and parents at CDW@Play!). We will also have the honor and privilege to deliver care packages to the children of families who are waiting to pass court or for paperwork issues to be resolved before traveling themselves to bring their children home. And then, we will be entrusted with two "good and perfect gifts" forever! The boys will leave the Transition House with us in the afternoon and stay with us at the Guest House.

Day 4 - Embassy Appointment

America World will bring all traveling families, with their children, to the Embassy for our Consulate appointments. This really long morning consists of sitting in a tiny room with no windows and waiting for our name to be called. An America World representative will go to the window with us when our name is called and assist us. This is the time we apply for the boys' visas which they need to enter the United States. If there is going to be any kind of glitch, which of course there is not!, this would be when it happens. We go for lunch after the Embassy and then more shopping before heading back to the Guest House.

Day 5 - Orphanage Visit

The morning will be free for us as we only want to visit the orphanage the boys came from, Kingdom Vision Orphanage, and that isn't planned until the afternoon. So Mike plans to finish painting the mural in the morning while Amy spends some play time at the Guest House with the boys!

Day 6 - Visas Picked Up/Last Day

We will be met by an America World staff member in the morning to pick up our children's visas. Then all traveling families will tour a coffee factory, as Ethiopia is fabled to be the birth place of coffee and it remains their largest export. We are hoping to plan an activity such as the Lion Zoo before heading to the Guest House for a scheduled group picture and a time of prayer. Then maybe time for one more activity, hopefully swimming at the Hilton, and it will be on to the airport where after approximately 24 hours of travel, we will be walking through our front door as a family of 4!

WOW!!

Last Care Package Update

Thank you so much Kern Family!!

"Congrats on having 2 of the cutest boys ever! I really enjoyed meeting them. The older one is so charming and happy. He smiled a ton! The younger one is more reserved, but totally adorable. They loved getting their care packages."

Their hair has been cut!!

But still our smiley, cute big brother!

And our not too sure little brother!

But check out these smiles!!

We're coming for you babies!

It won't be long now!!

Small Group Shower

My wonderful small group gave me a shower on Saturday, January 30th - and not only that, but they looked through my frequent adoption email updates and figured out who some of my friends were and invited them to the shower too!

I felt so loved on! To have people gathered who have prayed for our children for years, way before we even knew about America World or Ethiopia, was humbling.

And I must admit, driving to the shower was very surreal - I was heading to a baby shower ... for me ... because I'm a Mom and have two boys!!

The following are pictures of my small group and some of the parties festivities:

This is my dear friend (and fellow Monk lover) Dianna pinning on the precious corsage she made for me. It had a football and baseball intertwined with ribbon!

This is one of my best friends, shoulder to lean on, ear to listen to, do anything for me, sister in Christ Alison:

This is my friend Christine who recently joined our small group as she married one of the guys in it! She has been so excited and supportive of our adoption since she first learned about it from Dave (her now husband, then boyfriend) and has shared that excitement with her family. I love her!!

This is Karen and her daughter Emily. I have known Karen for almost six years. We met serving in our old church's children's puppet ministry. Karen has been one of our biggest cheerleaders and champions in our long journey toward adding children to our family. She is my "AHHHHH!" friend whenever there is exciting news!

This is my dear friend Doreen. Doreen who knows our adoption story so well that at both our summer garage sale and fall candy sale, she was able to tell others all about our journey and not miss a detail! I can't wait for the boys to get some lovin' from this auntie!

This is Dianna with her three daughters, Emma, Dannah, and Aria. All three girls have prayed for our children for years!

How cute is the cake Doreen picked out:

Presents for the boys!

Thank you Sue and Hayley!

I look way emotional in this picture, but I was really so excited (not hysterically crying) that my friend Alison had hand made gifts for the boys as I was so hoping she would!

Our boys will look stylish and adorable in clothes from Doreen!

My kindred spirit Gloria picked out these shirts for the boys and this is what we will change them in to when we arrive back home at the airport!

One of the gifts from our friends Karen and Angel. Angel picked out these hot wheel cars for the boys!

And Karen's daughter Emily made an amazing bracelet: two silver little boy jewels, a silver J, and a silver R surrounded by green beads. I will wear this to Ethiopia!

This is one of the many gifts from Jeff, Dianna, Aria, Dannah, and Emma and the one Mike and I spent the most time playing with once we got everything home! It is really cool and does lots of stuff. Can't wait to play with it "with" the boys!!

We have some new games to play with John and Ryan thanks to my friend Terie!

The boys will have chairs to sit in and sleeping bags to sleep in when we go camping thanks to Christine!

A soccer ball from my friend Jan! Soccer is the big sport in Ethiopia (and pretty much all the world except here in the US) and this ball is just the right size for them.

It was an amazing day!

Care Package Update

Care Package 5 - Thank you so much Ross Family!

"Eyob (John) is definitely more outgoing. He had so much fun coloring in his book. He's really great at coloring too! Ephrem (Ryan) took a while to warm up to us - but seemed to really enjoy himself after a while."

Our serious little man:

But here's a smile! And note the stickers on his arm:

I love the camera!

We already knew we were bringing bubbles, but these pictures got us excited! (The other boy in the pictures are one of the Ross's sons.)

Here's another smile:

Catching on quick!

2/05/10 - A Beautiful Email!

This was in our inbox when we arrived home from Dad Vagnoni's funeral today:

Mike and Amy,

I happy to confirm that the embassy received your family’s updated approval today! The current approval they have on file for your family is listed below:

We got it. This is what we have on file as of February 5, 2010 for Vagnoni family: America World Adoption
I-600A expires on 10/28/2010
FP expires on 03/30/2011
approved for 2, Either, 0-6 years.

Congratulations on this exciting news! All paperwork was submitted last Wednesday for your family as scheduled to travel with the group. The embassy did ask us to wait until Monday to confirm your family’s travel as they want to ensure they have sufficient time to process your family’s paperwork. We will be able to confirm travel dates on Monday and feel they will definitely have sufficient time but want to ensure we have their confirmation before officially having you book. You are welcome to put flights on hold and book at your own risk if you’d like.

(We actually stepped out in faith and bought tickets two weeks ago, ever since we received word from USCIS that our case was updated and complete, but shhhh... don't tell anyone!)

2/03/10 - Sorrow and Joy

Mike's Dad went to be with Jesus this morning after entering the hospital last Thursday with bilateral pneumonia (fluid in both lungs). He was a good man who had Jesus in his heart and read the Bible every day.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6



One of Mike's fondest memories of his Dad is the times when he would come home from work and get down and wrestle and play with his kids on the floor. And sometimes he would bring home a candy bar for each of his four children.

We are praising God for many things: that Mike's Dad got to see all the pictures of the boys and was so excited for us, that we weren't in Ethiopia traveling this week, that his condition didn't linger for days, that the doctors and nurses and all hospital staff were wonderful, that both of our work places have been beyond compassionate and understanding, that Dad Vagnoni is no longer in any pain, and that God is always good.


There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

And today was also our time for the paperwork nightmare to come to an end. At approximately 3pm CST, we received a call from Susan in our congresswoman's office - National Visa Center (NVC) had received our paperwork and was scanning it and uploading it into the system. All that happens now is our travel coordinator at America World will email the Embassy in Ethiopia for verification and we are good to go!

What a day!

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24

2/1/10 - Not Too Much of an Update

Not too much new to say except that we have called the National Visa Center a bunch more times (they still don't have out update), emailed United States and Citizenship and Immigration Services to ask them to resend the information (they will not as they have recently sent it but may "consider" doing it again in a few weeks if NVC still doesn't report having the information), and called the senator and representative's offices for the third time. Our representative's office is contacting USCIS to determine when and in what form the information was actually sent to NVC. They have also asked us not to contact NVC any more - not a problem as long as they get things taken care of!! The representative's office said they will get a hold of us with results!! Praying that will be within the next few days!!

PRAYER: Please pray for God to move this mountain!! Please pray for healing if Mike's Dad who is in the hospital and not doing well. Please pray for us to focus on God and stay strong in His word.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5


Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. - Isaiah 40:28-31


Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength - Nehemiah 8:10


Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. - Matthew 7:7-8

1/27/10 - The Saga Continues

Mike spent time yesterday morning trying to get through to National Visa Center without any luck. I made it through at about 8:30pm but the computers were down! A very nice woman, who sounded disappointed that she couldn't help me, advised calling back in a few hours. I got through again at about 10:30pm and was told there was not a supervisor available to check if our updated information was on file and no I couldn't be put on hold but to try back in about 10 minutes or tomorrow. Needless to say, I tried back right away as it was taking anywhere from 5-15 minutes to get through. I did get through to a person again at 10:45pm and he said he had no new information for us but maybe the information would arrive tomorrow and to call back and talk to a supervisor then. He was not very compassionate! So Mike tried again this morning and was not able to get through.

So we called the big guns again - senator Dick Durbin's and Representative Melissa Bean's office.

I am so ready for this saga to be done!!! Please pray that we focus on how BIG God is and not how annoying this issue is!

1/25/10 - The New I-171H Form Arrives

Hallelujah!!!! Hallelujah!!!

An envelope bearing the return address United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) arrived in the mail today and Mike, knowing it was something important, opened it and left the beautiful form on the counter for me to see when I arrived home from work!!

Our new fingerprint expiration date is March 2011 and our approved age range reads from 0-6 years old!

Mike spent 45 minutes on the phone with National Visa Center (NVC) yesterday and was disconnected 3 times in an attempt to verify that they have also received the updated information. He'll try again today. Once we know NVC has the correct information, our agency can email the Embassy in Ethiopia to verify that they have been sent the information from NVC. Sound confusing - that's okay, just know we are ALMOST THERE!!! This form arriving means all the major legwork is complete and approved. All we need is two agencies to verify they have the information and we are done!!!!!!!

PRAISE: Please join us in praising God for this triumph!

PRAYER: That verifying the two agencies (NVC and The Embassy) have the corrected information goes smoothly and quickly!!

01/21/10 - Surprises from My Coworkers

We had our monthly staff meeting tonight at work and as we were beginning the meeting it was announced we were celebrating me and the adoption! Out came two big boxes:

And a cake (and I didn't even notice the guy at Target had spelled the word congratulations wrong until it was pointed out to me - hee! hee!)

For those of you who know me well, you'll know there is rarely times when I am speechless - tonight was one of them. I was totally surprise and totally blessed.

I brought one on the gifts home for Mike to open.

Now whenever I put my babies in the car and strap them in, I will be reminded of all my dear friends at work who have shared this journey with me and cheered me on, many from the beginning!