I'm going to try my best attempt to put into words what our past week, or really 4 years, has looked like. If you've been following our journey at all you know we have pursued adoption in Ethiopia for the past 4 + years. We can now say with our everything that of course it was worthy of our tears and the trying wait and that we would wait another 10 years if we had to for these babes, but it is the hardest journey we have every traveled. We were most recently matched this past September with two precious girlies. In April we received news that the ministry of women's affairs, which is a prominent organization in processing adoptions, had suspended their processing indefinitely. If you've followed along you know the outcome. After a few months of no positive letters, tears cried & prayers for miracles they started moving again.
We were hopeful we may have our family together & home in 2017. On the Fourth of July we were celebrating with some family & got a call from our case worker that we had a court date on July 11th and would need to be in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2 days. We were in shock. We shared our news with our people, talked to our jobs (Jen had to quit immediately) & prepared for the trip of a lifetime. Talk about a whirlwind. Not surprisingly, our people rallied, we booked one-way flights, shopped for clothes, a whole pharmacy of meds, snacks, food, diapers, toys, etc, did what we could to prepare for homecoming and left for about 36 hours of travel ahead of us. As soon as we landed our agency met us at the airport. We were exhausted after 4 chaotic days with little to no rest. We went to the hotel for a quick macchiato (and yes, the coffee is just that good in the country where it originated) and we headed straight to the orphanage about 2 hours away to meet our DAUGHTERS!
We had low expectations for the first meeting and interactions with them. As much as we adored and loved these two unconditionally already they didn't know us from Adam, we look way different than their current caregivers, don't speak their language & are simply strangers. I can't say there weren't tears at first but the days following they became more and more open to us comforting, feeding, holding and playing with them.
We have visited them for 3 days and today was our court date. We are now officially their legal guardians on the Ethiopian side and will go get them tomorrow and bring them back to our hotel in Addis. After that there are several more steps including a court decree, vitals, medical appointments, passports, visas and birth certificates. Pray those all process quickly, smoothly and that their paperwork processes together. Pray also for our next couple weeks as a family of four in the hotel. We will be spending a lot of time in the hotel due to the fact that in Ethiopia it is disrespectful for adoptive families to be in public. I foresee a lot of elevator rides, car rides & family cuddle sessions & can't think of anything better. We have, for the past several years, tried to educate ourselves and those in or little circle as much as possible and can now truly see how important these next months ahead are for attachment. To sum it up, as great as these nannies are they just can't meet all the needs of these kiddos and they aren't receiving the parental love every single child deserves and needs. We need to re-wire parts of their brain in areas of connection and allow them to grieve losses they are experiencing. We have to be the ones meeting every need of theirs (feeding, bathing, changing, etc.) which will be difficult but necessary for them to trust us as mom and dad. Everything is new as they have never left the orphanage gates. It's hard to fathom how overwhelming and frightening that must be. We have a long road of healing ahead of us. Pray for us as their mom and dad as we officially take on the title parents. Pray we are quick to meet needs and know what they are despite language barriers. Jen's mom who is a flight attendant will be coming over towards the end of our trip to help the four of us get home. Pray for her travels and can witness firsthand and help practically.
As real as it is, I still wake up in the mornings in the hotel pinching myself. Being in Ethiopia is unreal. It is a country extremely rich in culture, beauty and poverty. I think it will take time to process and understand all that our eyes have seen. The driving took some time to get used to between the crazy drivers and livestock on the road. The people of this country are truly kind and very affectionate. The landscapes are absolutely beautiful between the mountains, valleys, rivers and trees. It is winter here now and rainy season has started. Us Texans couldn't have had better travel time then when it's 100+ degrees at home but the locals are all bundled up for winter.
It is not without mention of sweet Sally and Sadie (our first referral that we lost). Upon landing and driving around Addis where they live I carry them with me so heavily on my mind and in my heart. I've wondered what we would do if we happened to get a glimpse of them with Birkutan in the seas of people that flood the city. They will always and forever be a special part of the Schwoch clan. Pray for wisdom and guidance and for the Lord's timing in someday sharing our entire story with Halle and Lucy.
We feel like we are on the last lap of our marathon adoption and praise God for that but know parenting won't be without struggles and difficulties. We want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for reading, lifting the four of us up in prayer and for your continued support. For practical ways to help and more specific information and prayers contact sis, Gretchen Watson, Gretchenjwatson@gmail.com
All our love,
Luke & Jen
Meet Halle & Lucy Schwoch
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