Emailed Adoption Update #2 (February 20, 2010)

Hello Friends and Family,

We have a few exciting updates since our last email.

1. We found out last Wednesday (Feb 10) that our daughter's HIV test came back negative. This was the last piece of information the agency needed before they could file us for a court date.

2. The agency filed us for a court date on February 18. They tell us to anticipate waiting 6 weeks for our court appointment. At this appointment the agency goes to court on our behalf in Ethiopia. They present our dossier along with all of information for our kids. There are a lot of documents that need to be submitted for this court appointment and there are often mistakes. Any mistakes or discrepancies in the paperwork would cause us to not pass court. On top of that, because our children are not biologically related they have to pass separately.

3. We decided on names! Be prepared - these are not your normal run-of-the-mill names. :)

Our daughter - Liliana Faye Pearl Mihiret Hawks (Liliana Faye is her first name. Pearl & Mihiret are her middle names - Mihiret s her Ethiopian name)
Our son - Michael Paul Milkias Hawks (Milkias is his Ethiopian name)

We would love you to join us in prayer for the following items:
- Pray that all the paperwork necessary for Liliana and Michael to pass court would be complete and consistent. Pray that we pass court the first time.
- Pray for God's timing and peace as we wait for our court date
- Pray for Liliana - she has strabismus (lazy eye) - that God would be healing her and preparing her if she needs surgery when we return home.
- Pray for our finances - with things moving more quickly than anticipated we need the funds necessary to pay for everything more quickly. Please pray that God would continue to provide as He has before.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support as we continue on this journey! As always - let us know if you have any questions.

Love,
Matt & Becca