Lunch with Belay

Last weekend we had the pleasure of having lunch with Belay Tafesse, the head of Gladney's program in Ethiopia. We did something similar last September before we were even on the wait list and it felt really great to be 6 months further into the process this time. This is where we met several local families and we were able to see some of those families again and meet a few new ones.

I was hoping to get a read on our situation at the lunch...hoping for a glimmer of recognition or some sort of sign that we had been matched! Of course they can't give away any information and, on the contrary, Belay explained how difficult it is to be matched with a young sibling pair. Apparently many of the children that come into their care are relinquished as infants, and it is less likely that a mother would relinquish two children after caring for them for a while. Twins are also a rarity. He thinks that more likely our situation will be one where both of the parents are deceased. Whatever the situation, it will be a sad one and our hearts and prayers go out to the birth family and, of course, to our children.

Still, we remain optimistic. To Belay's point, there are no time estimates given for families waiting for siblings because the timing is so unpredictable. But the latest trends show that families who are waiting for children older than 12 months are getting the call after 4 months (we are at 3 months, 3 weeks and 1 day!), and families waiting for children under 12 months are getting the call after about 8 months. We could fall anywhere within or beyond that range but even though our call might still be months away, we have started enjoying the occasional (alright, maybe more than occasional!) day dream about where we might be and what we might say when the call does come. Last Friday I was driving over the Tappenzee Bridge and out of the blue I thought, "what would I do if I got the call now?!". It was so exciting to think about and it felt so much more real than before. Mark confessed at dinner that he has been having the same kind of thoughts so, if nothing else, we are certainly starting to feel it!

Here is a clip of an interview with Belay Tafesse if you are interested.

"You don't have to be tall to see the moon." ~African Proverb