Packed and Ready ... I Think!?

We are ready, I think...

I keep throwing extra things I think of into the carry-on and suitcases, but for the most part we are all packed. 

Kiera's stuff is ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's. Joel and my bags are packed. Silas' wardrobe is stuffed into a suitcase, along with enough toys (we hope) to entertain him and us in the guest house for 5 days. And we have a pack 'n play that was generously donated by a member of our church to use for Silas in the guest house (and leave there for other families). 

So, I think we are ready. 

The baby gate went back up today, along with the highchair and changing table. It is starting to feel real. 

I can almost see my little guy running around after his sister and getting into everything. 

I am so excited!

We leave for the airport tomorrow (Monday) at 11 am (we fly out at 2:00) and travel for about 24 hours before we arrive in Ethiopia at 9:30 pm their time on Tuesday. 

Then on Wednesday we get to officially take custody of Silas and keep him with us forever. 

On Thursday we have our interview with the US embassy and then we wait for papers before flying home on Sunday (arriving Monday afternoon)

Please keep our travels and our stay in your prayers! I will try to update the blog when we have time and Internet. 

Blessings!

Joel & Mandy

"It's Time"

So, last night, January 10, 2013, at 11:27pm my water broke I began to cry. 

I checked my email one last time before going to sleep and immediately elbowed Joel to wake him up... "its time" ... 

We received the email we were waiting for from the us embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

CLEARED CASE

This office is ready to schedule an interview for the I-600 petition filed on behalf of the below applicants.

1.      Case Number   ADD2012650024

Family Name, Child Name   Brandt, Abay Joel

And then reality hit with the next email at 12:59am this morning ...

Good morning

Please be informed that the interview is confirmed on Jan.17,2013 at 01:00pm.

Regards,

Adoption unit

Now it is the mad dash to pack up all the stuff we will need, rush to the hospital airport, and wait.

In 72 hours we will be on a plane ... Then after 23.5 hours of labor travel, we will be in Ethiopia. Ready to hold our son in our arms.

We will have to spend a few days in the hospital guest house before the doctor embassy checks us over one more time and gives us our release papers Silas' US entry visa, so we can come home.

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Thank you all for your prayers for our family as we move along this journey of adoption for the 2nd time to be united to our son. We have been blessed by so many people and will be forever grateful. And I ask for you to continue your prayers for us as we go back to Ethiopia and this time bring home our son and become a family of four. 

• Especially Silas and Kiera with all the changes that are about to happen for both of them.
• Pray that Joel and I are strong enough to guide them through it.
• Pray that God will guide us as we parent.
• Pray for protection and health as we travel.
• Pray for the language barrier.  (Unlike our first adoption, Silas is old enough to understand much of the Ethiopian language and he knows no English). 
• Pray that our family will be able to bond together.

Pray that God would cover this whole thing with his blessing

God Bless you all!

Joel & Mandy

P.S. Stay tuned for updates from Ethiopia (when we can get internet)

Praising God ... and Waiting

Today was Silas' finder interview at the embassy. We heard that it went well, but need to wait to be approved and cleared to travel by the US embassy. Then we can hop on a plane and go get our son.

So, how do we wait...

That is the question of the hour/day/week...

We are waiting and trusting in God.
It is not easy. Even though it is now nightime in Ethiopia and the embassy is closed for the day, every time I hear my email notification sound on my phone my heart starts to race and I have to check, hoping we can book our flights. We hope to leave this weekend or next week, but we know it has been taking longer for the embassy to clear cases and this may not be the case.

So, again we wait. I am learning through this whole adoption process, as I did with Kiera's adoption, that God's timing is perfect. Silas' is God's child and He loves him even more than we do. We can trust that our Lord is with him and will move things along in His perfect timing.

Today I came across a verse that calmed me (for now):

Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day! (Habakkuk 2:3 TLB).

Our bringing Silas home will not be overdue a single day. 
This is what I am leaning on right now.

And I am taking a cue from a friend of mine who is also waiting to be approved to get her twins ... to decide to "praise God in the wait" and list the things I am grateful for in this wait:

1. We get to spend some special time with Kiera. 
2. I can get over my cold before we travel for 30 hours. 
3. My faith can grow as I daily seek for comfort and reassurance from Christ, my Savior. 
4. We can sleep through the night a few more nights. 
5. I can play in the praise band and go to small group Bible study again this week. 

Prayerfully these will help me Praise God in the Wait this week. 

Blessings,

Mandy

Praise God!

Happy New Year Everyone!

We have a lot to be thankful for this year ... and a lot of things to celebrate in the New Year!

Silas is almost home!

Prior to issuing a visa for an adopted child to be brought home, the US embassy does an investigation of the parents and the child (looking into Silas' history and making sure he is a true orphan). We were approved within 1 day, but are waiting for Silas' orphan status verification. As soon as they tell us this is complete, we have to be there within 2 weeks to bring him home. We are praying this happens quickly.

So, it is very good timing ... God's timing .... that WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR PUZZLE!

We set out to make $5000 to assist with our travel expenses in bringing Silas home.
Basically, this would cover our flights for both trips.

But God had more in mind.

God knew how much we need for this adoption and he met that need through all of your donations and prayers.

This week as we are preparing our house and ourselves for Silas to come home and adding up all the expenses of our trip, we received 3 very generous donations in the name of Jesus ... not only completing our puzzle just in time, but going beyond ...

Are you ready???

You all helped us raise $11,800
(more than double our goal)

We cannot begin to express the joy and awe we have in your generosity!
Thank you all!

There are over 50 families named on this puzzle. Some family, some friends and some anonymous.

We are thankful for all of you.
We are now ready to go whenever His time comes.

God's peace and joy be with you all in 2013!
Joel, Mandy, Kiera & Silas

Final Steps

Happy greetings family and friends,

We have some great news...
Silas' file was submitted to the US embassy in Ethiopia for review.

This is the final step for the approval of our adoption. After the embassy reviews and accepts our file, we get to bring Silas home.

This could possibly take 2 weeks, or if they find something more documentation they want, it can take another month or two.

We know Silas is in God's arms and he will be in ours in God's perfect timing. Please keep us and Silas in your prayers as we wait and prepare to be all together as a family.

We are also preparing for the last financial contribution (i.e. flights, lodging, fees) toward our adoption. We are asking for you to prayerfully consider sponsoring a puzzle piece in our Puzzle Fundraiser.

Thank you and have a Merry Christmas!
God Bless!

Joel and Mandy

Here he is ...

This is the post you all have been waiting for ...

and I have been "patiently" waiting to send.

We have been APPROVED by the Ethiopian court to be Silas' adoptive parents. We received our MOWA letter today.

He is ours!!!

.... now we just wait a few more months (4-5 months) until everything gets in order to bring him home.

So ....
without further delay ...
we would like to introduce you to ...

Silas Timothy Abay Brandt

Silas at 11 months (when he was admitted to care center)

(after 15 days in the hospital)

Silas at 14 months

Silas at 15 months (standing)

Silas at 17 months (he got our package)

On October 29th, we got to go to the care center in Addis to meet our son for the 1st time. What a glorious day!

First meeting with our baby boy!!!

Daddy's son :)

First family picture with our son (but missing his sister Kiera)

We were able to take him back to the guest house with us for a night. We had a great time getting to know his personality and seeing him smile.

Playing in the mirror at the guest house.

Peek a boo

Playing on the bed while daddy read a story
(ended up sleeping here with mommy, because I kept trying to crawl out of the bassinet during the night)

Look at that smile :)

Fell asleep in mommy's arms on the way back to the care center. 

Daddy's turn for the sleeping snuggle. 

Back at the care center before saying goodbye.

The nannies Tried to get him to sleep as we were saying goodbye 

He was stubborn, finished the bottle, stood up and reached out for us, so his nanny strapped him to her back so he would relax and sleep. 

We miss him so much already. Please continue to pray for us that these next few months go fast and we are ready when the call comes.

The Brandts,
Joel, Mandy, Kiera and Silas

Puzzle Update!

In case you want to know how our puzzle is doing.
Thank you to all who have supported us already.
God Bless!

Perfect Love: Puzzle Update!: So ... I know it has been awhile since we began this puzzle fundraiser. It has been a busy few months (we will get to that in a lit...

Court Trip Recap

It has been a memorable week... we are exhausted.
But I want to try to get this all down before I forget the details.

I was hoping to be able to add pictures of Silas by now, but we are still waiting for court approval before we post any pics ... Hopefully by next week. 

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The day after we had court, Wednesday 10/31, we headed to Harar ... the city in eastern Ethiopia where Silas is from.

On the way there we went on a small safari through Awash National Park ...

Awash Falls

Our scout

... and drove through the beautiful countryside of Eastern Ethiopia ...

Volcanic Plain

Lake that is expanding each year because of volcanic activity (the town keeps having to move)

Finally, on Thursday we toured Harar... 


There is too much to say about Harar. There is an "old town" and "new town." The old town is the part that is enclosed within the walls. 

The city is surrounded by five gates, which originally kept the Christians at bay. The population of Harar is still largely Muslim, with its 23 Mosques to 1 Ethiopian Orthodox Church and 1 Catholic Church within the old town. 

Markets abound in Harar. These are Oromo women, who live in villages outside of Harar. In the markets, Arab, Indian and African influences merge.

Harar (main market)

Our tour guide Binyam showing us how (women only) use the injera baskets to carry things on their head. 

Old town market

 


This is a traditional Adare (Harari) guesthouse, which are typically set back behind a courtyard and an elaborately carved door. Inside, the walls are covered with Harari baskets.

Beautifully carved door

On the shelf lie carpets, one for each daughter available for an arranged marriage (guests can see this from any seat on the platforms) 

Joel and Mandy sitting on the platform (this level was originally for honored guest only)

Safes to hold gold, grain, oil and incense (not locked, but too high and deep for little kids hands to steal)

This street was called Machine GerGer Street because it's lined with tailors working on their sewing machines (and they make the gerger sound all day long).

The narrow streets of Harar are painted in vibrant colors, perhaps inspired by the city's inhabitants. This street is called "Peacemaker's Street" because Muslims and Christians would have to pass closely by eachother politely and made peace. 

We also were able to feed the hyenas ... This man feeds hyenas every night. It's not a tourist show - there have been hyena-related rituals in Harar for over 500 years.

On Friday, November 2nd, got to go visit the Harar care center before heading back to Addis for our flight home. It was great to see how much the nannies love the kids and how attentive and caring they are with them. There were only about 10 kids in the center at that time (at least by my count) and there were 4 nannies and the manager. That is great statistics. We were also able to find out more details about Silas and his life right before joining the care center. This is his story to tell some day so we will not share details on here, but we are thankful for his birth family who cared for him and wanted him to live a happy, healthy life; for the people that took him to the hospital and watched over him as he was sick; and for the nannies at both the Harar and Addis care centers that are caring for him now until we can get back to bring him home. 

Head Nanny and Manager of Harar Care center
(they said Silas is their social, smiley baby and he is doing well because he is "happy and fat")

There are so many wonderful things to see and people to meet in Ethiopia. I would love to write much more, but my daughter is waking up from her nap now. Keep watching for new posts...soon it will be pictures. 

Blessings,
Joel and Mandy

Almost Home!

We are sitting in the airport in MSP waiting to board our final flight back home. It is bittersweet. I am so excited to see Kiera. I have missed her so much and talking to her on the phone just now almost made me cry. She always sounds so grown up on the phone. She said "we are coming pick you up mommy and daddy." Oma is bringing her to the airport to pick us up in 5 hours. I cannot wait.

But we also had to say goodbye to Ethiopia (where our son is now sleeping in the care of wonderful nannies). We did not get to say goodbye to him on Friday before we left because our flight from Harar to Addis was delayed by 5 hours due to a broken plane (details on that trip to come in another post). So we asked our new friends and fellow adoptive parents to give him a hug for us before they leave. We will miss our little happy boy.

I will try to post details on our trip over the next few weeks. I am also hoping we can post pictures soon (as soon as they tell us we passed court).

Blessings!
The Brandts

Court Today

We had court today. Everything went well, however our MOWA letter was not submitted yet, so we have to wait. The judge did say that once that is in they will approve the adoption. YAY! I guess that is the best we can hope for right now and it shouldn't take more than a week from the sounds of it.

So… unfortunately that means we cannot post pictures yet. But believe me, Silas is a sweetheart with a shy smile and a wonderful spirit.

We were blessed to be able to have Silas with us yesterday and this morning. His favorite “game” was us sitting on the floor and him running to Joel with open arms and a big smile, giving a hug and then turning around and running to me with the same big smile and hug. Then repeating this for about 20 minutes. So awesome.

We will miss him. We hope to be able to see him again on Friday before we leave to come home. Tomorrow we head to Harar to visit Silas’ care center and tour this area in Eastern Ethiopia. It should be a great trip.

I hope to be able to post more details and pictures soon.

Blessings,

Joel and Mandy

We are Here!

We arrived late last night around 10:30 Ethiopia time. We got checked in and had power for a few minutes to unpack ... then it was black, so we went to sleep.

It is now 5:30am and we are awake ... waiting ... We get to meet Silas today in about 4 hours.
No wonder I cannot sleep

Praise God this day has come!

Now if only the power would come back on so we can have hot water to shower.

...

Thinking back to two years ago when we were here for Kiera, that time was pure joy ... Our family was complete here.
But this time is different ... We are missing Kiera terribly

Please Lord watch over her. Give her peace when she is scared and when she is worried about us. Help Oma and Opa be able to distract and comfort her. Let her always remember our love and your love.
Amen!

Saying Goodbye to Kiera at the airport on Saturday morning was so hard. We had picked Joel up on Friday night from his conference in Arizona from the same airport. Kiera now new what it meant to go back there. She tried to talk her way onto the plane with us (this was cute). And when that didn't work, she was so brave ... blew us kisses, signed I love you and gave great big hugs. We love you little one and cannot wait to get home to you.



...

God has truly blessed our family by bringing Joel and I together, then adding Kiera and He is blessing us again through Silas. I could not have asked for a better family. Thank you Lord!