Dear J.O. and J.U. -

Hello, my precious little men! How are you both doing? I hope you're having a lot of fun at Hannah's Hope with all of your little friends. I want you to know that Daddy and I miss you so much, and we can't wait for the day that we get to come see you again. I realize that you won't be able to read this letter for awhile, but someday you'll have it recorded in your adoption blog book. I also know that you're probably confused as to what is going on; why did we come and spend a week with you and then leave again? Why haven't we come back yet? Did we just forget about you? No. Never. It's all really hard to explain, but please try to understand that we never wanted to leave you. We have to wait for a bunch of legal work to take place yet, and we most definitely will be back to get you just as soon as we possibly can. We have not forgotten you; in fact, we think about you all the time. We left a big part of our hearts over in Ethiopia when we came home, and we really don't feel complete anymore. We pray each day that God will watch over you and protect you until we get to meet again, and we know He will. After all, he brought all of us together in the first place, and he's not going to leave you now. We can't wait to bring you home for good, but in the meantime, here are some Bible verses to hold onto:

"Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards." John 13:36


"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3


"But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly." Philippians 2:24 


We received an update and some new photos of you several weeks ago. Part of the email from the staff at Hannah's Hope read, "Those are our balls of energy boys, certainly the love of HH. They are doing really well......'U' is the leader and 'O' is the follower and likes to do whatever Mr. 'U' does.....They are super smart and explore." I had to smile as I read the information, and nodded along, thinking, "Those are my boys, alright!" New measurements were listed for you as well, and I'm happy to see that you're both growing nicely. I loved the photos, too, and had to laugh as I looked at the one of you, 'O', on the swing. You love that swing so much, and yet you get this scared little look on your face as you swing back and forth. It made me want to just pick you up and squeeze you!


Your brothers and sisters are looking forward to your homecoming as well. Shana has been wearing a red, yellow and green friendship bracelet (Ethiopian colors!) every day, and will continue to do so until you come home. Malia is always saying, "I just can't wait to meet my new little brothers," and she prays for you and your birth parents several times each day. As part of one of Ashton's school projects last week, he had to list 3 wishes. His #1 wish was that his little brothers could come home. Adrian is excited, too, and is looking forward to all the fun he'll have with you. He can't wait to teach you how to play football. Your Daddy and I can't wait to hold you in our arms once more and whisper "Ewedhalu" to you over and over again. We so badly want to see your precious smiles and hear your little voices again. But until that time, please know that we love you with all our hearts. We know that there will be some tough times ahead for you as you say goodbye to everything that you've ever known, but just remember that we will always be here for you, no matter what. Be good boys, and we'll see you again soon!

With much love and prayers,
Mommy
XOXOXOXOXO