these setbacks feel like it goes back to her feet. back to the start.

but i'm not distraught. i'm {by the amazing grace of God}...

hopeful still.

this is about as factual as i can write as news has traveled across waters today.

we are certain we had a hearing on january 29. we were supposed to have another one on february 7 and learned that our judge was no longer on the docket. we only waited one week before we were reassigned another judge {H.I.B.}

on february 12, while we initially thought it was a hearing date, it was instead a meeting where we we were given the next court date - march 26. we worked from our end to get an earlier court date and were told we would have a hearing on march 3.

since the first of march, we have learned that while judge H.I.B. has been promoted to our court, she has not been trained for adoption cases, though all the adoption cases sat in her court. her training wasn't complete by march 3 so there was no hearing. it's not completed now, so there will be no hearing on march 26.

 i could go down that slippery slope of how we've been in court since november and our paperwork submitted last october and how we've been assigned a judge who can't rule on adoption cases though we are one. i could question God's love and goodness in that k is still an orphan, along with the A*7. but i know i can't even begin to comprehend the heights and depths of His love for me and for her.  i've been in that pit a time or two, and it's now filled up with cement. i'm not going back.

a higher-up official {someone whom you all prayed for a year ago!} has gotten involved because of this delay in court. he has personally made a trip to k's city and has spoken face to face with our judge. we have two options. stay with this judge or get reassigned and start over. our lawyers and case workers strongly believe we are to stay with our current situation. starting over would be months and we think that all we have left is weeks.

from conversations, we believe we have a good and nice judge that sweet eva has been praying for. we believe she has received and "checked off" everything she would need to issue us orders. just like completing a training, she needs time to study and take a test and receive certification to approve adoption cases. we are uncertain where she is in the process, but we want to believe that she's near the end. we are near the end. the end might be taking much longer than we planned or even hoped, but we are near the end. and the end is always the hardest. i am speculating that since our case {and other A*7 cases} have been rescheduled, that she thinks she will be finished before our next hearing.

wanna hear a sweet thing?

our next court date?

april 4.

2 weeks from this saturday.

taking place during the evening of our good friday.

let that just run through your mind.

we are a resurrected people.

how can you pray? pray that nothing stops the judge from completing her training. she is still in session hearing other cases when i'd rather have her in chambers cracking the books! 

how can you give thanks? we have no human opposition. from all we can gather and believe, everyone touching our case is for our case.

how can you help? share this story. pray in circles with others. use this story to share the easter story. use the easter story to share this story. and stick around. hopeful still.

this story, with all its twists and turns, WILL BE REDEMPTIVE, RESTORED, AND RESURRECTED.