Travel Schedule

Here is a brief look at our travel schedule so you will know how to pray specifically each day. Thank you in advance!

Saturday (7.3.10) - Leave Charlotte, NC

Sunday (7.4.10) - Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Monday (7.5.10) - Meet Marek for the first time!

Tuesday (7.6.10) - Family bonding day

Wednesday (7.7.10) - Tour of Gladney’s Orphanage/Caregivers say ‘good-bye’ to Marek

Thursday (7.8.10) - U.S. Embassy appointment/interview

Friday AM (7.9.10) - Pick-up Marek’s VISA and passport (Pray specifically these are ready for pick-up...if not, we will not be able to leave the country until Monday)

Friday PM (7.9.10) - Leave Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Saturday (7.10.10) - Arrive in Charlotte, NC @ 2:15pm to meet big brother Hollis!

Marek Joel SCOTT!!!

We received the incredible news today that Marek is officially a SCOTT! As many of you know, we ran into a small snag with our original courtdate, which was set for this past Monday. Everyone showed up on time...except for the court officials, who decided to take the day off ~ typical Africa! As a result, everyone present decided to meet back on Thursday to try the process again. However, today around noon, we received a phone call from Gladney letting us know that our case was approved today. (We were actually the ONLY case to be approved all day!)

As if this was not good enough, we also found out that our US Embassy appointment in Ethiopia is scheduled for July 8th. That's right...we are traveling in about 2 1/2 weeks to pick up our baby! Needless to say, we have experienced every. single. emotion. imaginable today...from being absolutely excited to being absolutely overwhelmed!

We began the process of booking airline tickets today. As of right now, it looks like we will be leaving on July 3rd or 4th and will arrive back home on the morning of the 10th.

We hope you realize that everything you have just read is a DIRECT result of your prayers. God has answered mightily and we are shouting praises from the rooftops tonight! Thank you again, for loving us perfectly and for laying our family before the Throne.

We've got a court date!

We received notification today that we have an official court date...June 14! Yes, June 14th...like, 12 days from now! What this basically means is that, bearing no delays or reschedules, Marek will officially be a 'Scott' on June 14th! Families typically travel 3-6 weeks after their adoptions are approved and finalized by the courts in Ethiopia. So, if everything goes smoothly on June 14th, we will (more than likely) be traveling around mid-July to pick Marek up...and bring him HOME finally! What an awesome BIG God we serve!?!

We also received another update on Marek today from one of Gladney's in-country reps:

"When I first came to visit Marek today, he was too intent on observing what was going on around him to pay much attention to me. He’s got quite the intense little stare: he’s quite the observer. But then a caregiver started playing peek-a-boo with him, and that got a big smile to spread across his face and broke his concentration. When he started staring at me again, I stared back at him playfully. This is also got big smile—and even a little laugh. Marek seems like he may be pretty active. It’s hard to tell right since he’s not crawling or walking yet, but he likes to move what he can and he’s got an incredible set of pipes! He can squeal with the best of them.”

Sleeping Smiles!

A few weeks ago, we met the Schmidt family (through email!). The Schmidt family recently picked up their precious son, Solomon, from Ethiopia. While in Ethiopia, they were kind enough to meet Marek and take some pictures for us. Unfortunately when they arrived, Marek was sleeping! However, here are a couple of pics they took, along with a video of him sleeping. Not much to see, but it sure did put a BIG smile on our faces!

Marek Update - 5.18.10

Each month until we travel, we will be receiving an update sent from Gladney updating us on Marek. These updates will include stuff like weight, measurements, motor skill development, etc... and will also include an updated picture! We received our first update today! "Little" Marek is now 4 1/2 months old and has gained a pound...up to 13 lbs now! He is doing wonderfully and developing right on track. (He rolled over for the first time this month!)

Here is the updated picture of our sweet baby!

Marvelous Miracle!

As you may recall, the Ethiopian federal courts have implemented a new policy for all international adoptions that would require adopting families to travel twice to Ethiopia before the adoption was finalized (Once for court, Once for US Visa appointment). Under the old policy, we signed a 'Power of Attorney' over to the in-country Gladney reps who would go to court for us and once the adoption was approved, we would then travel once to pick up Marek when the US Embassy scheduled his Visa appointment. The date for the new policy going into effect is May 8, 2010. Therefore, any paperwork submitted and approved by the Ethiopian courts before this date would fall under the old policy.

Upon receiving our referral last week for Marek, we asked what the possibilities were for us to fall under the old policy and only having to travel one time. The caseworker from Gladney responded, "Well, I don't want to say it is impossible, but I will tell you it is extremely unlikely." (This statement followed earlier emails telling us that we would definitely be traveling twice.) So, knowing all of this, we began praying specifically (and asking everyone we came in contact with!) that if this lined up with God's will concerning Marek, would He please work a miracle and get us approved by the Ethiopian federal courts?! We have had literally hundreds of YOU precious saints praying this specific prayer all week long on our behalf.

Fast forward to this morning...

At approximately 12:02p.m., April received a phone call from Mary, our Gladney Ethiopia caseworker. Here is how the beginning of the conversation went:

April: Hello

Mary: Hi, April...this is Mary from Gladney. Are you sitting down?

A: What's wrong?

M: I just received notification that your paperwork has been submitted and approved by the Ethiopian federal courts which means you will only be traveling to Ethiopia ONE TIME!

Your specific prayers were heard and we are SO much closer to bringing our sweet baby home! (To spare you all of the details/timeline, it is starting to look like we will be traveling sometime in mid-late July.) Thank you for your faithfulness in praying.

Father, you indeed are worthy of every ounce of praise we can offer. You just worked a miracle. Forever in awe of You...

Meet Marek Joel Scott (Finally!!!)

After nearly two years of seemingly endless stacks of paperwork and the sacrifice of so many precious people, our dream day has finally arrived! This morning, we opened our inbox to this precious angel whom God has allowed to be a part of our life forevermore. He was born on December 28, 2009 and is currently weighing in at a whopping 12 lbs!

We will write more a little later but here are a few fun facts that we learned about our angel today through the Gladney Ethiopian caregiver:

* He is a cute, but little guy!

* He loves to start up "conversations" and will 'talk' your ear off!

* He is holding his head steady when upright

* He is grasping a rattle

* He is eating and sleeping well

* He dislikes tummy time!

Oh, we could go on and on but bottom line is...HE'S PERFECT! Thank you for celebrating with us. We are editing more pics and will post them soon.

Without Measure

There once was a man named Eddy. Kind, gentle, selfless, loving, and oh so thoughtful was he. Eddy lived in a village known as Morganton where he helped shepherd a flock, along with some other very wise shepherds known as David, Philip, and Brian. This flock wasn’t just any old flock, but one filled with hundreds of sheep filled with tender, teachable hearts that followed THE Shepherd wherever they heard his voice speak, whether through wind, fire, thunder, or a whisper. It happened one day that the Shepherd spoke to Eddy and told him of a great need three of his small sheep possessed. Obediently, with confidence only a true Shepherd can offer, Eddy spoke to the other shepherds and determined a way to meet the need. The way would not be easy, but would require many days of work from the shepherds and the other sheep in the flock. It would require sacrifice and selflessness on the part of everyone. It would require long nights, much sweat, dirty jobs, sore legs, and tired eyes. However, the reward was promised to be literally out of this world, in another kingdom, far from the pasture in which the flock grazed. So, with much determination the flock set out to meet the need and that they did!!! The three little sheep that received the help were astounded, amazed, and quite shocked!! They did not have the capability of thanking the flock to the degree they desired, but just ran with intensity to THE Shepherd and begged Him to bless the flock without measure for the sacrifice wrought to meet their need! THE Shepherd knew about sacrifice all too well and was overjoyed to bless the flock for sharing in the spirit of His life, His ways, & His plan!!

This little story is in no way fiction, but the real story of Burkemont Baptist Church reaching out to our family to meet the financial need linked to the adoption of Marek Joel Scott. The church hosted a BBQ fundraiser on April 17, 2010 during which countless people prepared, set-up, cooked, served, cleaned, and everything in between! So many precious church family members, thoughtful community residents, and others came out to eat and give above and beyond the cost of the BBQ!! AMAZING!!! Over $4400.00 was raised and to this day, the number is still rising! Thank you BBC for being our God-gift in COUNTLESS ways!!!!! We are so thankful God has given Marek a HUGE, God-centered family here in Morganton!

Why we are thankful for Steven Curtis Chapman...

For those of you who have no clue who this family is, please let us introduce you to Steven Curtis Chapman (SCC) and his family. SCC is the gentleman standing on the far right. SCC is an extremely successful Christian artist who has a HUGE heart for orphans. As you can see, the Chapman family have adopted 3 beautiful little girls from China.

Recognizing that adoption is a perfect picture of what God has done for each of us in making us His children through Christ, the Chapman family created an organization called ShowHOPE. The following quote was taken from their website:

"ShowHOPE was established to care for orphans by engaging the church and helping Christian families reduce the financial barriers to adoption. Psalm 68:5-6 tells us that as the Father to the fatherless, God delights in setting the lonely in families. It has been our experience that the scriptural mandate of caring for orphans, such as the one found in James 1:27, is really a wonderful invitation to experience God in a profound way by being a part of His sovereign plan for His precious children. Working from these foundational truths, ShowHOPE exists to enable children living without the love and hope of an earthly family to be adopted into 'covenant homes.' These families can provide not only the love and support needed for this life, but also provide a child with the knowledge of God's plan for his or her eternal life with a forever family called The Body of Christ."

So, why do I give you all of this information? ShowHOPE is one of the organizations we have applied for an adoption assistance grant to help offset some of the expense associated with bringing Marek home. Today, April received a phone call from ShowHOPE informing us that we were awarded a grant in the amount of $2000 to go towards any remaining adoption expenses.

As I sit here typing this note to you, I am standing speechless. How can we say 'thank you' enough to all of you who faithfully lay us and Marek before the throne of Christ? How can we say 'thank you' enough to a man we will probably never meet who has such a heart for orphans? How can we say 'thank you' enough to our Father, who continually leaves our mouths wide open in complete awe of His greatness? The answer...we simply can't. Our hearts are overflowing with thankfulness...a thankfulness that we will never be able to express. However, please know that you are loved more than you will ever know and as much as possible, we humbly say 'Thank you.'

Love you so...

UPDATE: Prayers Needed...

We just received the following update regarding the new policies set in place by the Ethiopian federal courts:

Dear Gladney Ethiopia Program Families:

We received some additional information from our in-country staff today. The federal courts in Ethiopia an­nounced today that they have decided to postpone the effective date of the new policy requiring adoptive parents to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to meet their child/ren and appear for their federal court dates. The effective date for the new policy is now set for April 9, 2010.

This means that an adoptive family who receives their federal court date before April 9, 2010 will not be required to travel to Ethiopia for the federal court date and will only be required to travel to Ethiopia for one trip to pick up their child/ren and have their U.S. Embassy interview appointment. Therefore, an adoptive family may receive a court date on April 8, 2010 that is scheduled for after April 9, 2010, but they would not be required to travel and be present for their court date because they received their court date before April 9, 2010. An adoptive family who receives their federal court date after April 9, 2010 will be expected to travel once to Ethiopia to meet their child/ ren and appear for their scheduled federal court date, and then they will be required to travel for a second trip to Ethiopia to pick up their child/ren and have their U.S. Embassy interview appointment.

Obviously, this is better news than we received on Wednesday. We are asking that you pray specifically that we receive a referal for a child and get a court date BEFORE April 9th. Thank you for being our prayer warriors during this time. It is such a breath of fresh air to know that so many are praying on our families behalf. We will keep you updated as we are updated.

Prayers Needed...

I know it has been months since last updating the blog, but as mentioned below, nothing much has been going on during this "waiting period." Well, as of this afternoon, our "nothing going on" has turned into some pretty discouraging news. Instead of trying to explain what is going on, I am just going to copy the following email that we received this afternoon: (Note: if you don't want to read the entire email, the important parts are in bold)

Ethiopia Program Families:

Our in-country staff were notified today by the federal courts in Ethiopia that a new policy has been implemented, effective today, requiring all adoptive parents to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for their court dates before their adoptions can be finalized in court. This policy does not affect any families who already have court dates scheduled. This policy is effective immediately for any families who receive future court dates. This policy will now require families to travel to Ethiopia twice during their adoption process (once for adoptive parent/s to appear in court and once for adoptive parent/s to pick up their child/ren to come home to the United States).

We anticipate that the first trip will be an approximately 5 day stay in Addis Ababa for adoptive parents to meet their referred child/ren and appear in court. For two parent families, both adoptive parents will be required to travel and be present in court. For single parent families, the adoptive parent is required to travel for both trips. It is our understanding that if there are delays in a family’s court process, the adoptive family will be able to complete their court appearance on the first court date and will not be required to stay in-country or return again for subsequent court date(s).

The adoptive family’s second trip to Ethiopia will occur after the adoption is finalized in court and when the family is scheduled for a U.S. Embassy interview to process your child’s immigrant visa. At least one of the adoptive parents is required to travel to Ethiopia for the second trip. Based on current time frames, the second trip would occur approximately 3-6 weeks after the court date when a family’s adoption is finalized, and the sec ond trip would be an approximately 7 day stay in Addis Ababa. The timing of the second trip depends upon the day of the week that families’ adoptions are finalized; the number of families who are approved in court at any given time; the number of children that the Embassy can process at a time; the time required to obtain children’s court decrees, passports, and birth certificates; and the Embassy’s schedule with appointments every other week. Adoptive families will be given their finalized travel dates for the second trip after their adoptions have been approved and finalized by the courts in Ethiopia.

In order to provide you with this information as quickly as possible, we are notifying all families immediately of this change, but we are still working to coordinate the logistics of how this will impact each of you. We ask that you please be patient with us as we are talking with our in-country staff and anticipating questions that you might have in order to provide you with as much information as possible.

Words cannot express how heavy our hearts are with this news. We have so, SO many questions that it really is hard to know where to start. We have been instructed by Gladney to hold all questions for a few days while they sort through all of the changes, but honestly, being "quiet" is really hard. And, if we can be totally blunt, some of this is just unacceptable to us. However, instead of ranting and raving, we are just asking that you please pray specifically for the following concerns/requests:

* This goes without saying, but traveling to/from Ethiopia twice, doubles our travel expense. God has already proven to us throughout this process that He is our ultimate Provider. However, in our flesh, this added expense is a bit overwhelming. Please just pray that we focus on our Provider and place total faith in Him.

* Over the next few days we are supposed to receive a few more updates concerning these new procedures so please pray that some clarity will be given. The idea of us traveling to Ethiopia, meeting our son, going to court to finalize his adoption, then leaving him there for 3-6 more weeks while we wait on an appointment with the US Embassy, is simply not o.k. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will drop some common sense on those who (obviously) need it. :)

Thank you for being a listening ear and most importantly, for your precious prayers. We totally know that God is in control of this and nothing has caught Him off guard. In the end, we want Him glorified and if this is one more avenue for Him to be exalted, then we are willing to take the journey.

AAHHHHHH...it just stinks, though!