Bringing Joel Home--Embassy Day (Tuesday)

Embassy Day

(November 15, 2011)

There aren't a ton of pictures from this day.  This is the day we went for our embassy appointment.  We got dressed and ready.  And then kinda just waited around the house.  I think they were supposed to pick us up around ten or so...  But Ethiopia time is funny.  You never know when they'll come get you... And its almost never when they say they will!  So here's Joel and Tony reading together waiting for our ride to come.

Dereje (the main CCI guy in Ethiopia) went with us to the Embassy.  We also went with the Kasey and Teddy, and Hewitt (a nanny from the transition house) who was accompanying a child that was to be escorted home.  The Embassy is the last step in getting approval to take your child home to the US.  By the time you're actually going there for the appointment, they're not really going to tell you NO, but you can't help the feeling that your totally at the mercy of someone who's never met you or your child.  We had been told by friends kinda what to expect, but there's still just the element of the unknown.

We walked onto American soil and I was just reminded of the stark difference between America (the land of the frivolous) and Ethiopia.  Not that Embassy building itself was the trigger--though it is nice--but just the thought of being home on American soil.  We walked through security, and walked into a large room with little sort of bank teller booths all along the left wall.  Dereje got a number for each of us who came with him and we just waited.  The room filled up as the minutes passed.  Kasey and Teddy went first out of our group and, no surprise, everything went well.  Then it was our turn.  We walked up to the window and the lady explained a few things about why our case had taken so long (a doctor's credentials had to be validated and some other things), told us that Joel had been checked out by a doctor and found to be nothing but healthy, asked us what we had been told by our agency about our case, had us sign a few documents then handed us  a bunch of documents (original birth certificate, adoption decree, and some other official things) and told us that Joel's visa would be ready in a couple of days.  DONE!  FINISHED!  OVER!  This kid was going home with us!!!!

We then had to wait for a long time before the other child in our group had their interview.  The baby who was with Hewitt.  Now, when we had gone to pick up Joel the day before, Hewitt had not been at the transition house.  I think it was her day off. I was SO disappointed!  Hewitt is the main nanny who took care of Joel the entire time he was at the transition house.  I wanted to thank her, and love on her, and ask her lots of questions.  So when I found out she was going to the Embassy with us, I was elated!  Hewitt LOVED Joel.  I think he was kinda her pet.  Joel had been that the transition house longer than any of the other kids. Usually children are brought to the transition house just before their court date, and leave a few weeks after when they have their embassy appointment.  Joel was brought to the Transition house in December of 2010 --this is when we expected that our court date would be in January.  Our case had so many ups and downs, that Joel ended up being at the transition house for about 10 or so months!  (This in itself was such a blessing from the Lord...  If he weren't at the T house, he would have had to stay at a less affluent orphanage and might have been confiscated.)  Hewitt obviously had formed a special bond with him!  We had over an hour to spend with Hewitt to know her and see her interact with Joel and ask her lots of questions.  (No pictures--we weren't allowed to have cameras in the Embassy.)  God has a way of working things out, huh?!  :)

After the Embassy, we went back to Grace and crashed for the afternoon... The went out to dinner with our new friends and a lovely Italian place with FOUR families who adopted Ethiopian kiddos.  What a joy to have met these families!

The front of the restaurant.  There was this awesome outside seating area just to the left.  Really nice place!

Doing a little reading.  Our handsome scholar.

Mom is happy!

Joel's hilarious camera face!  You'll see more of this... I promise!  :)

Embassy Day Over!  Praise the Lord for his goodness and knowing more that we do!