roller coaster

I almost wrote this on my facebook update, but couldn't do it. This isn't really so much like a facebook thing.

We have had quite the roller coaster week. We thought my mom was going to come visit. But my dad got sick and she couldn't come. My Luke has been praying every day for Papa to get better so Nana can come. We were sad.

But then the next night, we received an email that started like this: Well, I hope you're ready for this. I have a referral for you. And he proceeded to tell us that he had a little boy, almost two, who could be ours within the next year. If we wanted him. We didn't see his picture or look at his medical records--we said yes. So we have been thinking about a little man living in Ethiopia all day and dreaming about going to meet him and then bringing him home.

And tonight we got an email from the same aforementioned man who told us he needed us to call. So I did, and he told me he didn't even know how to tell me, but sweet little man had passed away. I guess he died yesterday. He got sick and couldn't recover--it happens a lot in third world countries. So, we're trying to pick our jaws up off the floor. It is so sad--not for us, but for this little man who we were already falling in love with. We have been hoping all night that he had someone who was loving on him in the hospital this week.

I guess this happens once every 20 years, but it's made me think.

We actually already have another referral. Another little boy who's 7 months old. And we're excited about that one, too, but I feel just a little sad about the loss of a little almost 2 year old that we actually never met. I hope he's having fun with Jesus.