Only God...

This morning I awakened at 4:30 with Little Sister heavy on my heart.  I believe this is the reason why...
There is a precious college student who has been at AWAA's Transition Home since the beginning of June who has apparently bonded with our sweet girl.  The pictures we have been sent of them together are nothing short of breathtaking.  I knew "L" was leaving July 12, and something about that knowledge had me on my face before the Lord this morning.

I prayed that "L" leaving will not harm Little Sister's heart or her ability to trust.
I prayed the Lord will protect her little heart and keep it from breaking.
I prayed He will help her understand that we are coming just as soon as we can.
I prayed He will work out all the details.

We have been waiting on 2 things...the I-171H, which is the approval from US Immigration to bring Little Sister into the United States, and her Ethiopian birth certificate.  We received the I-171H last week, and I sent an email to our family coordinator to find out how I need to get it to her (Fed-Ex?  USPS?  Does it need to be notarized and certified?)  Because of the July 4th holiday I had not yet received her answer.
So...imagine my surprise when I got an email this morning informing us that our paperwork had been submitted to court and that we could be receiving word of a court date ANY DAY NOW!

I called our family coordinator to try to wrap my brain around the speed at which this is happening ask a few questions.  I said to her that I thought they would not submit our paperwork without the USCIS approval and she said emphatically...
"Me Neither"


ONLY GOD could have done this.  Only God can speed up a complicated process like this.  We could be traveling as soon as the end of July/beginning of August.  I could have my arms around Little Sister and be smothering her little face with kisses in weeks rather than months!  Oh, Lord, we are your vessels.  I know He has had her homecoming day planned since before she was born.  I have NO doubt that He will direct our travel arrangements and arrange for my DH to somehow clear a week off his work schedule to spend a week in Ethiopia.  I know He is in control of every detail.

And I know he awakened me to pray this morning because HE knew that email was coming and that my heart would be racing wildly as my brain tried to form a game plan.

And to think we get to be a part of HIS story, a part of HIS plan for her life.  What an honor.  What a sweet journey of faith this is.