In my own arms

a strange grief.

2010-04-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

It’s a weird thing. I lost both of my dear grandparents this year- within a three month time span. Within that same time frame we lost the dream of two more daughters.

I always thought that loss and death would be this really hard, constant, ongoing, depressing thing. And don’t get me wrong, it’s hard and depressing at times, but it comes and goes. Some days it’s like any other day. Breakfast, schooling, lunch, laundry, library, park, you know the drill. But some days it’s really hard. I mean really hard. The kind of grief or sadness that lingers on your every thought. Everything has to do with that loss. For me, it’s the loss of our adoption process, of M and G, and of a dream for our family. I become paralyzed with sadness and can’t seem to function at my normal rate. I get sucked into the adoption blogs, message boards, and facebook profiles of people that are adopting, hoping upon hope that I will find some sort of tidbit of info that will lead me to a way to get to the girls. Time passes by and at the end of it all I just feel dried up. Dried up and tired.

There have been moments of breakthrough. Moments of intense emotion and prayer where I feel like I might be coming through something. But a few days pass and I am right back to where I started. Questioning, wondering, and asking WHY!? This is such a strange grief. One that most people will never have to experience. It’s very lonely.

Not only have we lost the dream of adopting the girls but we live with the knowledge that there are 4 other children at Bethel who have been adopted or are being adopted and joining families in the US. M and G will be left behind and probably not even know why. This tears me up. I have absolutely no control over this fact and am constantly giving my thoughts over to God and trusting Him in dealing with the situation. Only He knows the answers to the why’s and the why not’s--- but it would be nice if I could too.

I packed up some of the girls things today. Backpacks, purses made by a friend, shoes, and the two beautiful jewelry boxes made by my dad. They went to the attic. I really don’t have it in me to get rid of them or give them away. There is a tiny part of me that is hoping that some day these material things will belong to M and G.

Slowly we are adjusting to the loss of our dream. It will never feel right, and I will always wonder about the life I had pictured in my mind with M and G. We still aren’t sure what the Lord has for us in regards to how our family is going to grow- or if it ever will. We are still praying that if it is God’s will – we could someday meet M and G and be a part of their lives and a part of Bethel orphanage. Will you pray that for us too? We need it to be clear… because it is so muddy right now. The next step seems SO unclear.

broken

2010-03-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Three months have passed since our world was turned upside down and our adoption agency called and said that they would no longer work on our case. We were dealt with in a rude and inappropriate manner and told that we were "not patient enough and not understanding of the process". Although we have always felt that something wasn't quite right with Hope Adoption Agency, being treated in this manner and having the rug pulled out from underneath us was quite surprising.

That phone call started a whirlwind of filing complaints, making contacts and trying to get some answers. Through all of this, many people have contacted me and the unfortunate and sad side of Ethiopian adoption has been brought to our attention. A handful of families have had less than positive experiences with Hope Adoption Agency and there is evidence of Hope Adoption Agency being involved in accepting bribes for children, allowing children to be adopted with false paperwork, and lying about the origins of a child. I have also received emails from people not with Hope Adoption Agency, stating that their children were in fact trafficked. We recently and surprisingly received our money back. This does not make things better or cover up the lies, mistakes and mistreatment.

We have been in contact with a couple of national news outlets sharing our story and the information that we have been made privy to. We will not stand for this, nobody should. Recent rulings have been passed in Ethiopia to create more transparency and more accountability with adoption agencies. This is such encouraging news and we are glad to see that our complaints and the complaints of others are being taken seriously.

As of right now we don't think that we will ever be able to adopt M and G. The only thing we know for sure is that we will speak out for the orphans of Ethiopia (and of the world for that matter), and be advocates for ethical and upright adoptions. This experience has shown us how bound by fear adoptive families get. We were one of them. So many families are scared to speak out and ask questions, for fear that their adoption would be jeopardized, lose money, or worse have long term effects on the adoption system in Ethiopia or the US. These are all valid concerns- but at what cost are we going to remain silent? Do we enter into this process for our own selfish desires? I pray not.

We will continue to exhaust the options to find out about M and G. We will continue to pray. We will never EVER forget them. We are praying that God would make a way for us to at least visit them someday, and possibly care for them and be a part of their lives long distance. Only God knows what the plan is for our family and for M and G.

Please pray for M and G. Please pray that someone will be able to tell them the TRUTH, and that their hearts would be protected. Pray that they know Jesus. Also pray for us, for our faith to be restored and strong. We know that God is holding us and keeping us in His care, but I have a broken heart. The only thing I know to compare to this feeling is a miscarriage. The dream of two beautiful daughters being added to our family has been ripped away from us and my womb (heart) is empty.

Taking the high road....

2010-01-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

Our last post has been removed as we are trying to resolve the matter at hand.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.

ephesians 5:6-14

keepin it real....

2010-01-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

we haven't heard from our agency since october. frankly I think it is rude and unprofessional. but what can you do? two sweet little girls wait for someone to give them a family. all the way in ethiopia, africa. we are patiently waiting. waiting for someone to tell us, no. or, yes! who knows. we are having a hard time making that decision on our own. the words just won't seem to come to the surface. we don't want to do it.

one family that has been waiting alongside us with kids at bethel, passed court today. this is a VERY big thing. we are so happy for them! their wait is over and their lives can move on with new added blessings! we don't know if that will ever happen for us but we have a teeny, tiny, microscopic glimmer of hope in their news today. (can you tell we have become a bit jaded?)

if you are still following our blog, and you probably gave up a long time ago!- please pray. pray for answers in 2010! pray for the children in ethiopia all the children with no mommas and daddies. every child deserves a momma. and a daddy.

and while you are waiting- watch this. and order yourself a pair of TOMS. I just did.

update!

2009-09-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

*if you look really close... the girls are holding a piece of paper with a picture of them on it... and my name on it too! a small connection... so far away.

We received some encouraging news this week.... the girls paperwork is moving along and "almost complete"! Getting news of "progress" is something we have received before and ended it up being nothing so we are taking it all with a grain of salt. Chris and I were actually getting ready to make plans to travel to Ethiopia within the next couple of months and this has helped us decide to put our travel plans on hold. We aren't sure how fast or slow things could progress but knowing how this roller coaster tends to ride we are keeping our seat belts on for now!

Please continue to pray. Pray for all the kids at Bethel Orphanage, for their safety, health and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Just a quick update...we haven't lost hope and still believe that the girls will join our family some day!

my life. changed.

2009-07-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

Warner Bros. new horror movie Orphan proclaims that it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own. Let me tell you about how an orphan changed my life...

Twenty months ago Chris and I knelt on the floor of our bedroom and wept. We cried out and prayed, asking God if this is what He wanted from us. Adopt? Two!? From Ethiopia?! We wondered what our family would think, our friends, and our church. Two little girls’ faces had stolen our hearts. We prayed and prayed some more, and came to the realization that our family was not complete without them. Money flooded in, miraculously, piles of paperwork though not understandable got filled out, and things just fell into place. We knew this is what was right for our family. God had truly called us to it. Then the clock started to tick. Loudly. And almost two years later here we are. Still waiting, still wishing, hoping and praying. That being said, even though we haven’t met our adopted children our lives have already been forever changed. We haven’t hugged our girls, wiped their tears or heard their laughter. But not a day goes by that we don’t think about what that will be like. Our world has been rocked by the knowledge of the fact that there are over 4 million orphans in Ethiopia, Africa. How can we sit by and not do something? We have no excuse. Not one.

Our journey though, has now turned into something so much deeper than just adoption. In the dark moments of questioning and asking why and why not, our hope remains. When the emails of non-information come and the conversations with our agency that seem to be like a scene from “Groundhog Day”, our faith is strengthened. When we watch and hear of other families bringing home their adoptive children in what seems to be record time, our love grows. What started as a journey to adopt has become a journey to adopt M and G. Their pictures are in frames in the bedroom. Their beds wait empty. The closet is full of dresses, shoes and backpacks picked especially for them. Even two beautiful, handmade wood jewelry boxes wait on the dresser for them. This is about THEM. Our life has been changed for THEM. We won’t give up and we won’t stop praying. No amount of time waiting will force us to forget little M and G. Our lives will never be the same.

...from Tom Davis' blog

...it became apparent to me that this is exactly the opportunity to defend the cause of the orphan. But instead of cursing the darkness, let's put the truth on display.

I want to challenge my readers and friends to write 500 positive blog posts about how an orphan has impacted and changed your life. Post this on your own blog so that when people search for the movie, they are flooded with positive messages about adoption and orphan care.

Just finish this sentence: "Warner Bros. new horror movie Orphan proclaims that it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own. Let me tell you about how an orphan changed my life..."

This is the heart of defending orphans. Help push back the darkness and deceit here by holding up as an example the powerful love that adoption and orphan care can unleash.

Here's how you can defend the orphan:

1. Write a "positive protest post" on your blog that references the movie, Orphan.
2. Focus on your orphan care or adoption story that is positive, redeeming, and full of love.
3. Link your post here via a trackback or comment.
4. Send out an e-mail, Facebook message, or tweet to get others to do the same on their blogs.

If you don't have a blog, post your story on the Christian Alliance for Orphans Site.

prepared...or not.

2009-07-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

God prepared our hearts and we took the leap of faith...

We prepared our family, by sharing the news and assuring them that this is something we have to do.

We prepared our church and they came along side us, financially and prayerfully.

We prepared our house; painting rooms, setting up bunk beds, rearranging space to make 4 kids fit in our humble abode.

I prepared my mind by reading all the books and made myself aware of some of the negatives of adoption causing me to stand firm in what God has called us to do.

What I wasn't prepared for was still not having two more children in our home...TWO YEARS LATER.

What I wasn't prepared for was being smacked in the face with sadness when I realize that M and G are missing out on another holiday, summer, birthday, etc. with our family.

What I wasn't prepared for was the longing that comes with the knowledge of knowing our family is not complete and two children are missing.

What I wasn't prepared for was wondering if we were really cut out for this.

I pray, I ask why and why not. I wonder constantly WHEN! The one thing I am sure of is that I haven't lost HOPE. Someone asked me today if I was still sure we were supposed to adopt. I know- without a shadow of a doubt that we are. I know that there are two little girls in Ethiopia, Africa waiting for Chris and I to come and get them and become their daddy and mommy. I will wait forever for them. I will pray for them, hope for them and long for them until the Ethiopian government tells me we can't adopt them. Even then, if that day ever comes to pass, M and G will forever be a part of our lives.

We might never know why our adoption story has played out this way. All I can be sure of is how I react and respond. The waiting is hard and frustrating at times but God's Word gives me comfort. "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

We have no update, we have no news. We are at the mercy of the Ethiopian courts and what they decide, whenever they feel like it I guess. We do get tidbits of information, but at this point, until we get "the call"-- we don't know what to believe.

Praying, hoping, trusting, never giving up!

"Tell my mommy to come soon..."

2009-06-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

…M’s words to our friend Lisa who returned from Ethiopia last week. When hope seems to be waning and faith dying, the words of a little girl keep us going.

Over a month has passed since our case was deemed ‘open’. We are still waiting on information in regards to our actual case. Rumor has it that we might be receiving a new court date soon. History has shown us not to get our hopes up about these things. As frustrating as it is to not get any information on WHEN we did receive new pictures and general information about the girls and their lives at Bethel. Many precious images of the girls, jumping rope, hugging, reading letters, singing, climbing the small water tower at the orphanage, and silly smiling faces. They look happy and healthy. We pray for that and to see them so lively in the photos is an answer to prayer. Bethel really is a wonderful place for the children. We look forward to meeting their caregivers and the doctor who runs the orphanage. I often wonder how we can help Bethel once M and G are home with us. I would love to see my church become a life long sponsor or something of that nature. Praying about that one.

Summer has begun, our home school is winding down and I can hear the beach calling our names. Hopefully it won’t be long before M and G can join us down by the waters edge.

Trying to live Romans 12, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation and constantly in prayer.

my life right now

2009-05-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

sleepy morning hugs, soft sweet smelling breath and chubby hands wrapped around my arm. cleaning up after bowls of cheerios, peanut butter sandwiches and sticky juice seems to never end.

wash your hands! brush your teeth! wipe your mouth! I seem to say over and over. curious questions of why? and how? and is it time yet?

patience is a virtue I say, , almost always not having it myself. be kind and love one another seems to be our daily mantra, trying to plant seeds from our Father.

we pray, we read, we create and we learn together. watching your faces as you discover something new is the reward.

picnics in the backyard and caterpillars are the highlights of our day. dirty feet and sticky hands come in to a nice cool bath.

the sun is still up but eyes are heavy and we all share yawns on the couch. wet hair and soft clean skin snuggle up for prayers and bedtime stories.

two brown faces in a distant land are missing from our perfect messy life, but we don't forget them. empty beds waiting to be filled... we all sleep.

wondering if the next day our family will grow.

Update and details

2009-04-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the wait continues.
We did not pass court on Tuesday. After a few phone conversations with our agency director this is the information we have so far:

This isn't the end of the road for us and the girls.

The courts need more accurate information about the girls history. They want to make sure that they have been relinquished/abandoned and that any living family members are aware of their situation. (If they do have living immediate family members i.e. mother, father, older brother, older sister, that can properly care for them, the court sees this as the best living situation for the child- we agree.)

We know that, unfortunately, the girls were brought to Bethel with NO paperwork. There is absolutely no paper trail on their lives.

Finding any living family members could be a long, difficult process.

Our cases have been left OPEN on the court dockets. This means that if our agency can find what the courts are asking for and it satisfies the judge- they will hear our case again and hopefully approve the adoption without have to re-assign us another court date.

If within the next few days our agency can't get the information needed to the courts it is likely that we will be assigned a new court date.

Our agency director seems confident that the girls will come home to us. He has asked us to be patient and know that they are doing everything they can to make this happen. He leaves for Ethiopia next week and says dealing with our cases is a priority.

We asked if this would happen before the next court closures/rainy season (end of summer)and he said that he hopes so. He is hoping and praying that this will all be resolved soon.

A side note to all this is that the kids at Bethel Orphanage, including ours should have never been referred (chosen by families to adopt), in the first place. This is not the fault of our agency - but a third party that was involved in the beginning and is no longer working with us or our agency. It is unfortunate that these children, us and other families are having to endure this long, drawn out waiting time. This is a rare circumstance and we are definitely discouraged that our situation has to unfold like this. BUT... we are believing that there is a reason behind it all. I am holding on the the fact that this is an opportunity for us to focus on God- our obedience to Him - and whatever the outcome, He deserves all the praise, honor and glory.

Although the girls lives seem to be at stake in all this, maybe they're not. All this time could be passing because M has a mother, who is healthy now and is crying out and wondering where her daughter is. And G, has a brother who has made a life for himself and wants to find his baby sister and care for her.
We would obviously be heartbroken if this were the case, but it would be the best case for the girls. They need a family, a home and unconditional love. Not a life in an orphanage.

No matter what- Chris and I know that without a doubt we are supposed to adopt from Ethiopia. Right now we are not giving up on the girls. We are going to continue to pray and believe that they belong in our family.
God has a plan in all this and we are open to whatever it is.

Trusting, waiting, hoping-
Becky

shoes

2009-04-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have held off on buying much clothing wise for the girls, after learning my lesson when our first court date was postponed. I thought for sure they would be here when it was still chilly out and purchased a few long sleeve/winter type items. Well here we are, end of April with an 80 degree weekend coming up! So much for sweaters!

A while back we received tracings of the girls feet from a family that was able to make it out to the girls orphanage. I have carried the tracings around in my purse just in case the right deal came along to get them some shoes. Today it did!
I found some cute mary jane style Crocs and decided to take a leap of faith. Grace helped me guesstimate the size-- we probably looked like goofs holding up all kinds of shoes to our two pieces of paper. It was fun picking out special shoes for her new sisters, and we actually bought three pairs hoping to get the size right! The thought that the girls have never had a new, pretty pair of shoes really puts the pressure on! Even though Crocs aren't he most glamorous of shoes- they seem to have lots of wiggle room in the sizing- so they will have to do until we get the girls home. I look forward to watching them pick out their very own new pair of shoes, and hopefully it will be soon and we won't be taking UGGS! :)

Don't forget 4/28 @ 4:28!! Keep on praying!

4/28 @ 4:28

2009-04-20T08:04:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday our pastor petitioned our church family to pray for us! He thought up this formula for remembering our important day...genius! We had spoke after our April 6th postponement about how we tend to "pray really hard" the day before a big event; that we forget to be as fervent in our prayers ALL THE TIME. For us, the highs and lows get tiring and we tend to try and emotionally detach, forgetting to pray regularly and expectantly.

After this plea- it got me thinking. What do the 4:28's look like in God's word? I looked them up out of curiosity:

Jeremiah 4:28
For this the earth shall mourn and the heavens above be dark; for I have spoken; I have purposed; I have not relented, nor will I turn back.

WOW.

Acts 4:28
...to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

DOUBLE WOW.

Although there is no magic in the special number, it helps to keep us in check and has added an excitement and anticipation to our next court date. The verses are also not only good word to meditate on, but an AWESOME reminder of God being in control. We can put our faith and trust in Him and know that whatever happens He's got our back. :)

Another help has been the recent note we received from M:

Hello Mom and Daddy
How are you?
I am very well
I can't wait to see
Your child-
M

"Your child"- this precious young girl who has survived the loss of so much offers herself as our child. We have been praying for the Lord to re-instill in us a passion for this process and for our daughters whom we have never met. This was an answer to prayer. We will not stop praying, petitioning and longing for them like never before. We will not give up.

With a week to go before April 28th- don't forget- 4/28 @ 4:28.

tired

2009-04-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Our april 6th court date never happened. It was rescheduled for april 28th. needless to say - we were very discouraged about the news- hence my lack of posting.

We are in wait mode again, but today we received new pictures of the girls. Getting this set of pictures was bittersweet. Sweet to see their beautiful faces, bitter because they have grown and time is slipping away.

A fellow Hope family just brought home their daughter from Ethiopia and she is from the same orphanage as M and G. We hear that the children are all doing well and are happy. We are glad to hear of this news but pictures show that the time is wearing on them. Many of the children are more disheveled than in past photos. They look tired and dirty.

Folks-- the time is NOW. The time to be in fervent prayer for the orphans of Ethiopia is NOW. The children of Bethel orphanage, along with so many Ethiopian orphans have been through so much pain and sacrifice. Why should they live another day going without the love and protection of a family? I am of course praying specifically for M and G. We want them home. But lets not forget the rest of them.

Looking back

2009-03-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

Papa, Meme, Chris, Becky, Gracie and Jack at the Steven Curtis Chapman Concert/Shoahannah's Hope Change for Orphans. March 2008

It's been one year since THIS amazing opportunity.....(click on THIS)I can't believe it.

We're looking back and reminding ourselves today how far the Lord has brought us, the work that He has done in us and anticipating what He has for us in the future.

Only 17 more days until our court date!
We have some specific prayer requests that we would like to ask for...
There is a new TB testing issue that is now a part of the process after the girls pass court. This could potentially add a significant amount of time to our meeting them. It could also only be minor and not add any wait time. If either of them test positive for TB we will expect more waiting. If they test negative things should move along as planned. SO, we are praying that the TB tests are negative! Would you also pray that the timing of everything works out. My brother, Matt, is getting married May 30th, in Austin, TX. It would obviously not be good if we were getting back from Africa or leaving during that week!

We trust in a God who is sovereign above ALL things and holds us in the palm of His hands. Thank you for your prayers! Keep sending them up for our girls! :)

New Court Date

2009-02-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

We finally got word of our new court date. April 6. Yup. That's right. 6 weeks. 42 days. The waiting continues. It seemed that we were so close to getting the girls and now they seem so far away again. It's funny how the excitement in this process easily turns into fear. Our first court date was something to look forward to. This second date is one that we almost wish we didn't know about. So many things can go wrong. The anticipation and anxiety of not knowing if we will get to move forward is heart wrenching.

Finding out about our new court date yesterday was hard. We weren't expecting it to be so far away. Especially since it was the courts fault that our first one was just pushed aside. We thought that they would grant some mercy to our older girls waiting one whole year to join our family! But no, we are just another file, sitting in another pile.

Our hearts are broken for the girls. Do they still know that we are coming for them? Do they think we forgot about them? That's what really cuts me to the core.
Honestly, in times like this it makes me question if we are cut out to do this. I get angry asking God, why?! Why is this taking so long!? Are we not the right family for M and G? Is this EVER going to happen? And then- as usual I am brought to my knees. He knows our hearts, He knows that with Him we are cut out to do this. We will continue to walk in Christ, showing His grace, mercy and love daily. We will continue to push through- drawing nearer to Him. And when that day comes, oh what a day it will be. We will REJOICE in our Lord- and know that only because of Him - we will be a family of 6. I can't wait.

After a day of crying, pigging out on some darn good Thai food, and being just plain mad, I have moved on. On to the next phase of waiting.

We are praying for you girls.....mommy and daddy, gracie and jack sure love you and we can't wait to meet you. Please don't lose HOPE.

Prayer Vigil tonight...6:30 pm

2009-02-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

Would you please take the time to pray tonight for our adoption process and for the girls? We are joining many families in prayer, across the nation, trusting and believing that God would move mountains and bring our girls home.

I recently found fellow bloggers Sarah and Davis from Much Has Been Given, going through the same trials as us. This idea comes from them and we are joining in prayer...

So here is what I propose. If you too are standing in faith interceding for your children or the children of people you love then let's join forces in prayer this Wednesday. Let us make Wednesday a day of prayer and fasting and ask God to hear the prayers of His people as we cry out to Him for the children of Ethiopia.

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
Matthew 18:20

Lord, give us the grace to have patience, as you do for us.

yellow

2009-02-06T06:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Chris watched the kids so that I could get out and run a few errands and have some time to myself. After my errands I decided to check out the clearance racks at Old Navy to see if I could find anything for the girls. As I meandered through the store I got increasingly frustrated about us not knowing any thing new. Will they be here soon? Will it still be winter? Will it be warm? Long sleeves or short sleeves? Argh! I wish I had the answers! Then right in front of me was the cutest yellow ruffled bathing suit. As I picked it up I thought of my Ethiopian daughters and their beautiful brown skin against that bright shade of yellow. I stood there and cried. Oh, how I long for them.

It's been one week and we still don't have any news. No new court date, no light at the end of the tunnel, nothing. It feels like we are back at the beginning, suspended in time. This is really hard.

Please God, send us news.

it could be worse

2009-01-29T18:39:00.000-08:00

A woman and her child at a Red Cross Red Crescent centre in the Wolayita region in the South of Ethiopia.

The Red Cross Red Crescent is treating families of malnourished children as a priority and provides food relief to 40,000 people in southern Ethiopia.

Damot Pulasa and its neighbouring districts in the South of Ethiopia have been severely affected by unusual weather patterns in 2008. The previous year heavy rainfall destroyed crops. 2008 a drought has left people with empty bellies. Ato Mengistu Godana, vice-administrator of Damot Pulasa, says: “This district is usually known for producing surplus crops but this year we are facing an unprecedented drought. All 23 villages in the district are affected. Mothers and children suffer the most.” Photo: Jose Cendon/IFRC (p18269)

We found out on Tuesday that our court date has been postponed, but as you can see our "problems" are nothing compared to the reality that faces many Ethiopians.

The Ministry of Women's Affairs in Ethiopia(they oversee all adoption court cases)moved to a new office space this week, so they decided to not hear any cases. This was hard news to hear, but we are trusting in the Lord's timing and know that He is in control of it all.

At first it wasn't really shocking to get the news because there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the way they do things in Ethiopia in regards to adoptions. But now that the actual day that would have been our court date is upon us, it's really dissappointing. We are all pretty bummed out that things seem to be at a stand still again. Grace has really been struggling with going to bed at night. She says she is lonely in her room and misses her sisters. She just cries and doesn't understand why that can't be here. All we can do is pray.
Hopefully we will get news soon of a new court date.

Please pray with us....

2009-01-26T18:48:00.001-08:00

My sweet friend Nancy wants to pray for us every day this week at 8:30 p.m. What a blessing! We are in the final days approaching our court date and all we can do now is pray!
Here is the email she sent to get people prayin! Will you join us?

Hi everyone, I thought I'd send a reminder about the prayer request raised about Chris and Becky's upcoming court date, which is this Friday. I thought it would be a good idea if we could collectively pray for the Vlaming's adoption everyday this week at 8:30 pm. I asked Becky if there were specific areas that she'd like covered in prayer and this is what she said

1 - That the judge and the court would be satisfied with all the administrative details. That all the paperwork would be in proper order. That those who have been working on the paperwork have put it all together properly.

2 - Pray that they would all be mentally and emotionally prepared for the HUGE transition that is taking place in the family. Pray that Chris and Becky would be ready to be parents of four children, pray that Grace and Jack would be prepared to have 2 older sisters. Pray that M and G will also be able to handle the transition as best as they can leaving their home and their country their native language etc. They are leaving all they know. Pray that the Lord will prepare them. Becky's hope is that there will be a Supernatural love and bond among them that is only possible from the Lord.

3 - Pray that whatever the outcome on Friday that they would have a Godly peace that surpasses all understanding. We know God is in control and does all things in His time.

4 - Finally please pray the Lord would provide all the rest of the finances they need for travel expenses and the final agency expenses which amount to approximately $5k.

Brothers and sisters, my prayer is that we can storm the gates of Heaven with our petitions and support them as they go forward in obedience to Christ . Praise be to God who hears and answers the prayers of his people.

By His Grace and for His Glory,
Nancy Myer

We are humbled and so grateful for friends that come along side us during this anxious time. We are literally counting the hours until Friday. Thank you in advance for your prayers!

We will keep you posted!

come on already!

2009-01-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

we are in the single digits folks.
Only 9 more days until our court date. and this is what I feel like.

No-- I am not physically pregnant, but after 9 months of physcial pregnancy it is not fun anymore. (that's me at 9 months with jack in the oven!) The "cute" maternity clothes are not so cute. After over one year of waiting for the girls to come home we are so done waiting! My tummy may not be growing, but my heart has been filling and growing with love and it is about to burst!

We have waited so long, and in only 9 more days we will possibly be the parents to two MORE beautiful children. I get butterflies just thinking about it!

We are praying that in 9 days our waiting will end. Only God knows and we are trusting Him. Pray and trust with us.

EEEK! WE ARE SO EXCITED!

three boxes

2009-01-03T19:34:00.000-08:00

Grace and Jack snuggling in the coveted "top bunk"!

As we have been nesting in preparation for the girls homecoming I have found myself experiencing waves of emotion. Relief, that we are almost at the end of our long wait. Anxiety, not knowing how they will fit into our family or if they will even like us! Joy, pure raw joy knowing that I will have two more children to love and raise in the way they should go. Sadness, for what they will leave behind. Love, for two precious children who I have never met.

Part of our setting up of the rooms was making a special place for three special boxes. These aren't just any old boxes. These are pretty wooden jewelery boxes, each with their own beautiful song and made with the best kind of love. The love only a grandfather can give.

You see, when I was a bratty teenager (and I was VERY bratty), my dear father made me the most beautiful jewelry chest. All curvy and smooth, velvety on the inside with an inlaid wood design on the top. It is really pretty. At the time I didn't much appreciate it. Now it is a treasured item that always gets a special place on the dresser. I store my most treasured possessions and trinkets in it that have been and will be handed down from generation to generation.

When my little Gracie was born my dad made her a special jewelry box of her own. It too is curvy and velvety on the inside- but has a beautiful inlaid shell on the top and plays a sweet tune when opened. A few weeks ago I was admiring it as I was helping Grace to bed and the thought crossed my mind that M and G will also need a special box to call their own. But it was a fleeting thought and I didn't think much more of it.

Christmas morning arrived and under the tree at my parents house sat two wrapped presents. One for M and one for G. I didn't even think about the jewelry box. I thought it was probably something practical. The girls don't even have shoes for heaven sakes! Chris got to open one and I got to open the other. We tore into them like children and when I realized what they were I just lost it like a baby. Even now as I write my eyes are welling up at the thought of my father creating these beautiful boxes for the granddaughters that he has never met. Not only were there jewelery boxes, but tiny golden cross necklaces waiting inside.(we left those to be unwrapped by the girls!) One box plays "Amazing Grace" and the other "How Great Thou Art". It was the best moment I have had so far through all this waiting. Knowing that it is not just Chris and I that feel love for two girls on the other side of the earth. My family has embraced them as well and is waiting along side us, preparing and longing to love and hold them.

So- the girls room is finished. Walls freshly painted. Bunk beds up. Bedding washed and beds made. Three wooden boxes sit side by side. One is full and already collecting memories. Two are waiting to be filled with love.
Thank you Meme & Papa. We love you.

and the winner is......

2009-01-01T08:10:00.001-08:00

Cheryl S. from Arizona!!! Congratulations and THANK YOU!!!

We have spent the past few days making preparations for the girls. Painting, switching rooms, setting up bunk beds, you name it. It feels like we just moved! We are still in the thick of it all but had to hook up the computer to let everyone know who won the Wii! We video taped the exciting moment, and will upload it when we get a bit more settled around here!

Thank you to ALL who donated. We can't thank you enough. It means so much to have friends, family and even strangers come along side us in our effort to bring these girls home. We are so very humbled and grateful.

It is finally January and the countdown is on! 30 more days until the girls become legally ours!!!! We can't believe the time is almost here. Keep on prayin!
Love to all and Happy 2009!

A Christmas blessing.....friendship!

2008-12-23T08:32:00.001-08:00

Some will criticize what we are doing by adopting older children, but the Lord has given us peace and even blessed us with people who share our heart for adoption, Ethiopia, and orphans. Back in the summer we just "happened" to meet Yodahe. She is a student here at the local University in town and has been in the US for 3 or 4 years. Her father and mother made the decision to move their family here in order to provide a good education for their children. Yodahe is a beautiful lady, inside and out. She loves the Lord and has a passion for her home country and a desire to someday open an orphanage! Only the Lord could line up this meeting! She speaks Amharic fluently and English as well. She will be a true blessing to have around when the girls arrive. I am sure she is one who they will turn to in times of homesickness or sadness and confusion. I am believing and praying that the transition and adjustment when the girls come home will be an easy and smooth one. With that said, we know there will be rough patches and feel that God has given Yodahe to all of us! We are looking forward to getting together with her to learn the ways of Ethiopian cooking, heritage and the language. Last week we were able to share a meal with her and some of her college friends and it was so nice getting to know her and ask about a million! questions about Ethiopia, food, language, hair... you name it, I asked it! Thanks Yodahe!! I pray that our relationship grows and she can feel as though she is one of ours as well!

Thank you to all that have donated thus far. Every penny counts. Truly.
We didn't meet our Monday challenge goal...but we got over half way there! Good enough for us!

8 more days to participate in your chance at a Wii and make a difference in the lives of two precious little girls.

CHALLENGE!

2008-12-19T18:01:00.000-08:00

We are blessed! When we think there is no way, God provides it. On paper, things seem impossible. But some how, some way, He always makes it work. We have been crunching some numbers and figured out that we really only need $3000 to reach our financial goal for the girls adoption! That amount will go towards all of the US VISA costs, medicals for the girls and travel costs.

SO- here is the challenge!

We want to raise $1000 by Monday-December 22. That's only 40 people donating $25 each! 10 one hundred dollar bills. Easy peasy!

Have you always wanted to do something to make a difference, but felt too small? This is your opportunity! Twenty five dollars might not seem like a lot but it will give two girls the chance at a life they couldn't even dream of having. Mom, dad, sister, brother, dog, cat, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, education, church family, friends, home, LOVE!

If you don't feel comfortable using the Internet to donate, we will have a table set up this weekend at Crown Sports Center. We will be there from 10am to 2pm. Stop by to see us!

Wanna help? Wanna Wii?

2008-12-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

Many months have passed since we had our "Souper Supper" and Bake Sale, Yard Sale, and received our Shaohannah's Hope grant. The Lord answered our prayers and provided so much money for us to make this adoption happen. He literally moved mountains in our eyes. The time is now near when we will FINALLY travel to bring home our precious daughters. Unexpected fees, and travel money is needed. We need to raise $6,000 to complete this adoption and bring our daughters HOME!

How can we do this?

Go into debt? Sell a car? We have had to get creative...
Everybody wants a Nintendo Wii-- right?!! (thanks Weimer family for this great idea!)

And who doesn't want a Nintendo Wii for only $25!!! Yes - that's right-- $25!!

Here are the details:

All, every penny, 100% of the monies donated will go towards finalizing the adoption our our daughters.

$25 per 1 donation. No limit on amount of donations made.

Your donation information will be entered into a giveaway for a brand spankin' new Nintendo Wii gaming system. This fancy item includes a Wii console, stand, remote, remote jacket, nunchuck, sensor bar, and the Wii sports disk with 5 fun games!
To truly understand how Wii revolutionizes gaming, you have to try it for yourself. Quite simply, Wii is for everyone. The ease of use and interactivity of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk allows for a unique social gaming experience for the whole family. You don't just play Wii, you experience it.

Retail value $249! Pretty good deal!

The giveaway will be held at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on December 31, 2008- yes folks, that's right, New Years Eve! If you are local- you could be playing your new Wii with your family and friends at your very own New Years Eve party! Cool! Tune into our blog the evening of the drawing to watch video coverage of the exciting event!

To enter- you can use our ChipIn button in the upper left hand corner of our blog. Your donation will be paid through PayPal via credit/debit or your PayPal account. We will write your info and put it in the drawing. OR you can see Chris or myself in real life - we will have entry forms and will accept checks, cash, even your old coin jar (as long as there is 25 buckaroos in it!)

If you live outside of the Eastern Shore we will ship the Wii to you for free! No worries!

Rest assured- even if your donation doesn't get the Wii, know that your money will go towards a good cause, the BEST cause. Giving two precious little girls a forever family, a forever home, a mommy, daddy, sister and brother that CAN'T WAIT to love on them! Thank you in advance from the bottom of our hearts.

We're all SMILES!

2008-12-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

WE GOT A COURT DATE!
What was starting to seem like an impossibility finally happened. We got a court date! Here is the email from our agency:

Yours, Lisa's and Susan's court dates are all January 30th! YAY! Finally!!

We have been jumping for joy and singing praises this week! We share a court date with the other families that have kids at Bethel, so it will be extra special if we all pass and get to travel together.

If we do pass court on the first try - we will most likely be traveling the last week in February. It seems so far, but so near! I really can't believe this is all finally happening.

We are praying for peace and for the details to all work out. Finances, timing, work stuff for Chris, etc. are all weighing heavy now. God has been "in the details" since the beginning and we know He hasn't stopped.

So the official countdown begins. In 49 days we will hopefully be able to introduce you to our new daughters!

Thanksgiving praise!

2008-11-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5

Yesterday we received this wonderful email:

Your kids cases have been filed in the Addis Courts! It takes about 2 weeks to hear of a date right now.

That was fast! God is a movin' people! What does this mean, you ask?
The girls papers have jumped through one set of hoops and have to jump through one more set (the Addis courts), before they are officially our daughters. As the email states, we should find out that day in about two weeks. If we are successful in the second court date we should travel to Ethiopia about 4 weeks later! We have heard that right now they are assigning new court dates for January. So we are expecting ours to be around then. That means at the earliest we would travel in February! We can't believe it. What wonderful Thanksgiving news!

I am reminded this Thanksgiving season of what the Lord has called us to do. It's not about looking good, or better or holier than another; but about being His servant. Acting in obedience to what He asks and joyfully and faithfully living it out. I am honored and humbled to know that the day is near when I will become M & G's second mommy. We continue to pray that their hearts are being prepared just as we ours are.

HUGE news!

2008-11-12T20:06:00.000-08:00

After my solemn post on Sunday, we got a great email on Monday!

The referred Bethel kids papers are done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Your guys papers will be filed this week!!!!!

We couldn't believe it. This is what we have been waiting for! This is a huge step in the process and it feels as though a mountain has been moved!

So where are we now, you ask? The girls papers have to pass through two courts, a lower court and then an upper court. Once the papers get approved and pass through the lower court, they move to being filed in the upper court system. We will then wait for that date. There could still be hold ups, and we know that there is still more waiting to do - but the fact that their papers are compiled and ready is such a relief! Things are finally moving along. It seems like a reality again.

Time to start moving forward on our end. Rooms to paint, mattresses to buy, clothing, bedding, shoes, you get the idea! We are looking forward to more good news to come. Please continue to pray!

We also received new pictures, what beautiful, precious girls. We can't wait to hug them!

bittersweet

2008-11-09T17:20:00.001-08:00

original acrylic painting by aworldinvented
inspired by their Ethiopian adoption

Our friends from church leave on the 22nd to go pick up their sweet baby girl in Ethiopia. We are SO very excited for them and can't wait to meet beautiful Frehiwot. They have been on an adoption journey far much longer than we have. Their adventure has led them in pursuing an adoption through China, getting pregnant and putting things on hold, and finally switching countries and adopting through Ethiopia. It has been a long time coming for them. Four years to be exact! Our wait seems like nothing compared to that.

Today our friend stood up in church to thank all those who have supported them through this time. She spoke of the power of prayer and petitioned our church to not cease in praying for our girls. Our pastor, who has also become a dear friend, prayed for our friends, prayed for us and prayed for our girls. A powerful and humbling moment indeed.

Today was a fresh reminder of the fact that our adoption of M and G is a true reality. Others around us are praying and hoping alongside us. The wait is so long, and so hard and some days it all feels like a dream. The hoping and longing is sometimes physically painful, so we just stuff it in the back of our minds. This makes it a bit more bearable.

Some new friends with our agency just got back today from Ethiopia. They too have a daughter at Bethel and spent many days there, meeting all the children. We are waiting for new pictures, notes and messages. Looking foward to that!

So if you have been wondering where I've been, I'm still here. Quietly waiting. Bowing on my knees to the One that will make it all come together in the end. With Him all things are possible.

first born

2008-10-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

this is my gracie. she is a spit fire, yet quiet. outspoken, yet reserved. feminine but tough. she's my mini-me. I pray that the Lord would reveal Himself to her and that she would grow into a beautiful godly woman; serving others first and passionate in her love for Him.

some might argue with our decision to adopt children older than her. they might say that it will make her feel "slighted" or she'll lose her birth right as the first born. my gracie will always be my first baby girl. she will always hold that special place in our family as the big sister. when our ethiopian beauties join our family, gracie will come alongside them and be a big sister to them too, although they will have a few years on her. there will be many, many things that she will help them learn and do. they will need her so! she longs for her sisters to come. to share her bedroom, her american girl dolls, her crayons, her swing set and her life. she has shed tears at times "missing" her sisters. some might argue, but they don't know my gracie.

Happy Birthday 6 Year Old!

My boy...

2008-10-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today during church we shared in the Lord's Supper. A usual communion Sunday takes place after all the kids are dismissed to Sunday school. Today was a little different. So that everyone, including Sunday school teachers and helpers could partake, communion was served before Sunday school. My little ones were very curious about this passing out of "treats". As the "wine" was being passed, Jack's eyes as big as saucers watched as I took it out of the tray and held it quietly. He looked at me, and then the tiny little cup, leaned in slowly and whispered "Can I have a sip?”

As we were waiting for the ushers to serve everyone, my sweet boy puts his soft little arm around my neck and says "I lud you Mommy". My heart melted.

I never knew what a joy it would be to have a son. The bond between mother and son is different than mother and daughter. I can’t explain it, and don’t know if I will ever be able to put my finger on it. What I do know is that it is an honor and privilege to raise him into a godly man. The Lord has entrusted me to care for my children and grow them in the way they should go. Who am I to carry out this task?! I am a failure much of the time. But in those God given moments when we get a taste of the sweet fruit, I am in awe that I have been so blessed. (I'll be braggin on Gracie later!)

just dreaming.

2008-09-23T06:58:00.001-07:00

When I was pregnant with my kids I would always have really vivid dreams about them.

Last night I dreamt about the girls. In my dream we received an email saying that we were finally going to get all the information we had been waiting for. Our court date and when we could travel to Ethiopia. The next thing I knew we were standing on our front porch, getting ready to walk into our house. M had already walked in and had a huge smile on her face, but G looked sad. For some reason in my dream, M's name was no longer M- but Carrie. Weird, I know. So I asked G. if she wanted an American name like M. I got down on her level and looked her in the face - I was so close to her- and said "Would you like to be called Lilly?" She just looked at me like I was crazy and shook her head no and walked into the house with a smile on her face. Then I woke up.

Dreaming about them made me want them here even more. Are they dreaming of us? Our family is waiting to grow...

Seasons

2008-09-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

Summer is leaving us and fall has arrived. Warm days and cool nights are here, reminding us that winter is right around the corner. This time last year, we thought we would be a family of 6 by now. We are not. We finally talked to Shimeliss, our adoption agency director, and when asked the question "Will this happen in 2008?". He said no. He felt much more confident looking towards March 2009 as a goal to have the girls home. His words were "I am very sure your girls will be home with you by March." From our past conversations with Shim, he has always been very straightforward and careful not to give us false hopes. We like that. We just want a light at the end of the tunnel. He knows our heart for the girls and wants them home too.

The downside to all this is not only more waiting, but some of our paperwork starts to expire beginning in December. Our home study and our immigration paperwork. These things cost money to amend and re-do. If that's what has to happen, we will deal with it, but we are praying that the situation would all work itself out in regards to the timeline of of our official paperwork.

And we wait. Summer turns into fall, fall turns into winter. We wait. One more Christmas with part of our family missing. The Lord has not forgotten us, just as He has not forgotten our girls and all the orphans in Ethiopia. He is with us. Our Father and Comforter.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18

Patience My Child....

2008-09-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Our agency director comes back from Ethiopia this week.
Will we get any new information?
Will the quiet wait continue?

We don't know them, but we miss them.

More love from Ethiopia--

2008-09-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today we received notes from the girls. Jaclyn (our Hopester friend) sent us drawings and letters that the girls made for us, while she was at Bethel. G's is written in English and is so sweet and full of -I Love Yous. M's was written in all Amharic (the language of Ethiopia).

Tonight we attended a worship concert at our church, put on by a local university ministry. As soon as I walked through the front doors of our church I met a beautiful Ethiopian student. She was so happy to know of our adoption and was excited to translate the letter for us! God is so good! Our super-techie pastor-and his super-techie phone captured it all on video-Love it!

Yodahe reads it first in Amharic and then translates-- Go HERE to watch.

New Pictures and Long Distance Hugs...

2008-09-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

Bethel Orphanage, Ethiopia, Africa

A fellow "Hopester" (another woman adopting from our agency) just got back from Ethiopia and took a surprise trip to Bethel Orphanage, where our girls are! She came back with precious pictures and a few more glimpses into who our girls are. This long wait would be unbearable without these little pick-me-ups and reminders that our girls are waiting too. It's not just us.
Here's the email I got from Jaclyn about our girls (THANKS AGAIN JACLYN!):

I was at Bethel to work on Sponsorships for the other children there and interviewed each kid a bit. Here is how each of your kids answered my questions:

Becky-
G told me she was 7 years old, her favorite color is orange and she loves to eat pasta.
M said that she is 8 years old and yellow is her favorite color. Her favorite food is oranges. Both of your girls were ALL SMILES! They are happy happy little girls. Neither one of them seemed shy but G was a bit more outgoing. They really put a lot of effort into your surprise. Each of them went page by page through the books that you sent even though they were the same. They did have a tiny spat over who would go first. G won.

The little spat cracked us up! Looks like we might have another beautiful strong-willed one! :)
Got this later in the day too:

I forgot to mention in my email that I also hugged both of your girls and said it was from mom and dad. They were so happy and told me to tell you that they love and miss you both. They also said to hug Jack and Grace for them.

Our hearts are longing....

Fun while we wait...

2008-08-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

As a 1930s wife, I am
Superior

Take the test!

Scoring:

0-24 - Very Poor (Failure)
25-41 - Poor
42-58 - Average
59-75 - Superior
76+ - Very Superior

Areas where I failed:

Fails to sew on buttons or darn socks regularly.
Wears pajamas instead of nightgown.
Doesn't want to get up to prepare breakfast.
Has a pleasant disposition in the morning--not crabby.

Areas where I passed:

Faithful and true to husband.
Good sense of humor--jolly and gay.
Is of same religion as her husband.
Neat housekeeper--tidy and clean.

Areas that cracked me up:

Tells risque or vulgar stories
Puts her cold feet on husband at night to warm them.
Seams in hose often crooked.
Slow in coming to bed--delays til husband is almost asleep.
Shoulder straps hang over arms or slip is uneven and shows.
Serves dinner but fails to sit down till meal is half over--then wants husband
to wait for her.

Boy have times changed!

It's a small, small world...

2008-08-26T16:07:00.001-07:00

I woke up to this email on Monday morning. Just a little pick-me-up to remind me that others are watching, listening and waiting along with us! We are not alone on this journey....nice to "meet" you MB! :)

Dear Family:

Hello. My name is MB and I am from Ohio, USA. I spent the past 4 months working at an orphanage in South Africa, Africa this past summer. Two days ago I was in the airport in Dakar, Africa when I met another American who was wearing your necklace. I instantly asked her where she got it and she told me your story of adoption. I immediately came home and searched the net. But all I could find was this email address. I was wondering if you could direct me to the link where I could buy this necklace.

I hope you know that you story is literally being told all over the world. ( i heard it in africa, she heard it in america...). Thank you for falling in love with these two children and good luck in your adoption. Its always a hard road to go down but one day it will be official and you will see how worth it it was.

God bless.

never too small....

2008-08-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

"If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito." African Proverb

Our Missions focus this year for Vacation Bible School was an organization called BITE BACK. The BITE BACK campaign is mobilizing youth around the country to purchase 300,000 mosquito nets to protect African children from malaria. We thought this was fitting, as our VBS theme was Amazon related. This cause is also near to my heart as malaria is a major public health problem in Ethiopia. Malaria contributes up to 20% of under-five deaths. That is just CRAZY to me-- malaria is PREVENTABLE! BITE BACK says that when a bed net is treated with insecticide it is effective in blocking mosquitoes from transmitting malaria. How effective? The nets can reduce the mortality rate from malaria by 20%.

So - we made it our mission to share this craziness with the kids of Harvest and our visitors. All the kids made a goal of purchasing 50 mosquito nets through BITE BACK- that's $500!! While some had doubts, I knew to not put God in a box- or these kids.
At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children"... Matthew 11:25

I am still unsure of the final count, but after the offering on the last night we had raised $578!! We hit our goal and then some! 100% of the money will go to BITE BACK to buy 57 mosquito nets! Praise Jesus! Why do we so often doubt the provision of the Lord?

On the adoption front: we received hard copies of the girls medical forms. We weren't expecting them so it was a nice surprise in a big Fed-ex envelope! Still just waiting on that all important court date. Hopefully that news will come soon...very soon.

Venting....

2008-08-11T09:08:00.001-07:00

It's Vacation Bible School week at our church! A friend and myself have been working hard planning and preparing for this fun and eventful week. We pray that many kids will come to a richer and deeper understanding of the gospel and the grace of Jesus.

Being around all the kids learning, singing, laughing, creating, makes me long for our girls. I want them to be at VBS! I want them to learn and laugh and sing! Here! With us!!

Is this ever going to happen? Why is this taking so long? Please-we want a court date! Argh.

Dimples, watermelon and answered prayers...

2008-07-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

We got to talk to our new friends the Slovers, last Sunday. They got back in from Ethiopia on Saturday night and were FULL of information and had TONS of new pics of our girls! Someday (hopefully soon!) I will be able to post all of the beautiful pictures they took. Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:

On their first visit they went out to the orphanage with the nurse who is handling all of the kids paperwork. She speaks fluent English and was able to translate for them.

All of the kids were "so well behaved" and adorable. Lisa said that M. was always laughing and smiling and she was funny. The pictures really show that too! She has dimples to die for!!

G. was a little more reserved and shy. It took her some time to warm up, but once she did she was fine. There are some pictures of her blowing up a big pink balloon and playing with it. She is smiling from ear to ear. There are also two pictures of her waving to us and blowing us kisses!

They "go to school" everyday, in another room and wear "uniforms".
The kids can speak very little English, know their ABC's, can count from 1-10, know some basic sight words, and some basic math. They have 2 teachers and Lisa said that out of the 3 orphanages they visited the kids at Bethel seemed to speak the most English.

The kids pray a few times a day and are very spiritual. The kids were so excited to see that the Slovers brought them all shoes,because they had been praying for shoes!

Their second trip back to the orphanage, Lisa and her husband brought fruit and snacks. She said our G. and her boy could not get enough of the watermelon. None of the kids had eaten it before and they were fascinated by it!

The best- best- best information she gave us was that the girls have our photo albums and sleep with them in their beds! They were able to point out all of us in the pictures, and talked about Grace and Jack! They also know they are being adopted.

Lisa also was able to measure them and get their height and shoe sizes. They are tiny little things- it's nice to have an idea of what size they will wear. I already picked up a few things!

All this information was a joy to receive, yet makes us even more eager to see their smiling faces in person. We long to hug them and meet all the children in the orphanage. That will be a wonderful day.

Like manna from Heaven...

2008-07-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

This email arrived in my inbox this morning all the way from Ethiopia, Africa!

Hello ladies....
Today is our last day in ET- we stayed at the Hilton our last night (anniversary present-we celebrated our 12 year anniversary while in ET) so we have decent internet service-YAY!! We head back to US tonight and will get in to FL on Saturday evening. I have SOOO much info and pics for the three of you on your kids-I can't even put it all in an e-mail. It will be much easier for me to talk to you so please give me a call at xxx-xxx-xxxx sometime on Sunday and I will fill you all in! We should be home all day recouping-except for church until 11am.
Also, please send me your mailing addresses as I have something for all three of you from your kids-they are amazing!!!!

Talk to you soon....

The Slovers have been in Ethiopia for the past ten days and we are SO excited to talk to them! We have been waiting since February for more information on our girls, so this is a true blessing. These little bits of information, pictures and video keep us pushing through, praying and keeping the faith that our girls will be home in 2008. Thank you Lisa!

2008-07-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I got the chance to talk to a woman with Nurses with a Purpose, who just got home from Ethiopia! She was at Bethel on Monday!! I couldn't believe it. Thank God for the internet, and the fact that our paths crossed. Here are some highlights of our conversation:

There are only 19 children at Bethel.

The doctor who runs the orphanage is a very Godly man. He is a workaholic- but very gentle and peaceful. All the kids call him "daddy" (in Amharic of course). He comes to visit the children every Sunday, and really loves all the kids.

The caretaker of the orphanage is also a wonderful man who really cares for the kids. He speaks English!

Everyone is very laid back and relaxed about everything. The nurse commented that it would be so hard to be an adoptive family, because the Ethiopians take their time on everything! (She has NO idea!)

The children go to school everyday and there is a separate building for it, but she wasn't sure how much time they spent there.

All the buildings are very simple, and not very sophisticated, like the old modular school buildings we have in the U.S.

Monday night the orphanage had a bonfire for the nurses and made them a meal. All the children were singing worship songs, in praise to God. One little boy even prayed specifically for the group of nurses. She says that the children know about Jesus!

Although the nurse couldn't remember our girls specifically, she did make a very deep connection with one little boy in particular. We realized throughout our conversation that I know who his adoptive parents are! She had so much information on this precious young boy, and I was so excited for his parents-to-be. Hopefully they will talk soon. The crazy part about all that is both the nurse and the adoptive parents live in the same area code, in the same state!! So this is the beginning of hopefully, a life long connection. How cool is God?

We cherish this information and will store it away to share with the girls someday. I am sure they will remember this devoted group of nurses who came to spend time, play, eat and worship with them!

In the desert

2008-07-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

Today I choose to focus on Jesus. I will no longer focus on our circumstances with this adoption, but on God. He is my victory, not a court date! In Christ we will conquer this wait. No weapon formed against me shall remain....

Desert Song, Hillsong Live

Look what I found!

2008-07-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

There are times when desperation kicks in as we WAIT and WAIT and WAIT some more for any news or progress of our adoption. I came across a group online called "Nurses with a Purpose". A great organization that enables nurses to volunteer in needy areas around the world. One of those areas is Ethiopia! AND at Bethel Orphanage where our girls live!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I found a journal entry by the woman that started the organization, it gave me so many details of where our girls live, and an inside look into their lives. What a great find. Read for yourself!

***Excerpts from Pat’s Journal from her recent trip to Uganda and
Ethiopia.

...then we went to the orphanage. 21 children between the ages of 4-8. All are orphans of HIV parents who have died. First qualification to get into the orphanage
is that they must have absolutely no living relatives. Second is that they are negative for HIV(70% of the children who are positive, test negative at 18mos)Thirdly, they must be Ethiopian. The orphanage was quite interesting. They have a working farm with 50 dairy cows from which the milk is sold to support the school.
They plant to feed the cows, and use the manure to make natural gas for the kitchens.
The school has one teacher, 5 hours a day, who has no books to teach from. The
children know practically no English. They were well behaved sitting at their desks
but without the teachers or the tools – are falling behind on education. I went today
and bought pencils, books, paper, ABC toys and learn-to-read toys to last them 6-
12 months. ………my day has been so abundantly blessed. I feel so far away from home….I feel so alive here – so purposeful. I can make a difference here – I love this country and the heart of its people……

One of the families with children at Bethel is leaving for Ethiopia on Wednesday. They are in the same boat as us with a long wait, and so decided to go for a visit to meet their children. I was able to talk to her today and she is going to get our girls shoe sizes, and shirt sizes and hopefully get a small glimpse into their personalities. She will be taking a few recent pictures of us to give to the girls. We didn't have time to get a package in the mail to her, but she assures me that they have plenty of fun things for all the kids at Bethel.

We are going to be in prayer for their travel, adventure, first time meeting of their children, and the emotional goodbyes as well.

Our July so far...

2008-07-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, as summer has whipped us into a frenzy of traveling, activities and fun! Here's what we've been up to...

Chris and I enjoyed an overnight date to Annapolis to see Brooke Fraser perform at Ram's Head Tavern. It was a wonderful time to reconnect and hear one of our fave musicians. We had some YUMMY Thai food at Lemongrass, walked around for a bit and then headed to the concert. We stayed at the Westin Annapolis and were spoiled by their "Heavenly Bed".... OH MY GOSH. I want one. Breakfast IN the Heavenly Bed might have been the highlight!

We celebrated the 4th of July one day early, as the kids and I left for Florida with my dad on the 4th. We grilled out, chowed on yummy corn on the cob, and blew off some little fireworks in our backyard. A simple family celebration. It doesn't take much to impress our little ones!

Way too early on July 4th, my dad, my mom, the kids and I loaded up and headed south. We spent a week down in Flagler Beach, Florida visiting my Grandma and Grandpa, uncles, aunts and cousins. It was a cherished time, and I am thankful for it. My beloved grandma is declining with age and it breaks my heart. As she suffers from dementia and Parkinson's disease, my grandpa is doing all he can to keep her home and comfortable. I pray for their peace of mind and rest in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Prayers were answered while we were there and I praise Jesus for that!

The kids and I spent lots of time enjoying God's beautiful creation, playing in the waves and sand. We sure missed Chris though, and were glad to get home to him.

The highlight of our month so far has been getting pictures of the girls!! (I wish I could post them!) Grace, from our agency was finally able to make it out to the girls orphanage and took lots of pictures. It was just the boost we needed to get through this last stretch of not knowing what will happen next. We are still waiting for any information in regards to a court date.

Starting a collection...

2008-06-24T12:03:00.001-07:00

Sunday, after church we enjoyed an art festival in our area and picked this out to add to our collection of photography from Ethiopia. This is called "House in Tigray, Ethiopia."

The artist told us about this one, "Church Window in Lalibela, Ethiopia"...

...but didn't have any prints with him and I was bummed. It would have gone really well with the one I got Chris for his birthday. Regardless, we were so surprised to see some photography from our daughters homeland, right in our own backyard! You can check out Gene's work here.

On the adoption front...A friend from our adoption agency left yesterday for Ethiopia. She is planning on seeing the girls on Saturday! We are keeping her in our prayers for safe travel. We are also hoping that she is able to get lots of pictures and information on the girls. Some moving of crucial papework wouldn't hurt either! :) It is looking like we won't get a court date before they shut down for the rainy season. That means we will be waiting until early fall before we can get a court date and the girls can become legally ours. Who knows though, a miracle could be just around the corner!

2008-06-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

I stepped away from lunch today to grab a few napkins and came back to Gracie with her face to her plate like a dog. The following conversation ensued...

Me: Gracie! Get your face out of your food! You aren't an animal! Please eat like a normal human being!

Jack: (stunned look on his face) She is NOT a human being! She's my sistuh!

2008-06-17T16:06:00.001-07:00

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water,that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,for its leaves remain green,and is not anxious in the year of drought,for it does not cease to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8

So, you might look at our decision to adopt and think a couple of different things. One could be, "That family is crazy!" or "Wow, how cool that they are adopting, I wish we could, it's just so expensive." If you find yourself thinking the latter, know that I thought the same thing. This journey of adoption has taught us so many faith lessons. The most important being TRUST. From the moment we made our decision to adopt we agreed to trust God to work out all the details. The money, the home study, the agency issues, and now of course the Ethiopian court stuff. Through and through, God has worked it out. He never ceases to amaze us, even in the smallest of things.

Not only have we learned through our own personal experiences with this adoption, but from others as well. Others like the Chapman family. Steven Curtis Chapman is a Christian musician who has made it his mission to put feet to the Gospel. He and his wife have three biological children and three adopted daughters from China. They created Shoahannah's Hope to help families overcome the financial barriers associated with adoption. He shares that experiencing adoption has given him a "deeper understanding of the grace of God." Their story is one of grace, passion and miracles. We were blessed to be connected with Shoahannah's Hope and Steven Curtis Chapman when we received a grant from them back in March. The opportunity to meet SCC and worship to his music live was an experience that we will never forget.

Looking back, that time was a huge turning point in our journey. It was like a domino effect. We stepped out in faith to adopt. We stepped out in faith to apply for a grant. Shoahannah's Hope stepped out in faith to grant us money. Friends and family started to open their hearts and step out in faith to give as well. Every single penny was provided. God took care of all the details. Our TRUST in the Lord brought us to where we are today.

Last month Steven Curtis Chapman's 5 year old daughter was tragically killed in an accident. The news was terrible and my heart aches for the Chapman family. Hearing his music brings thoughts of the family and the pain they must be in. The Chapman's have chosen to stand firm on their faith in knowing that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. They are TRUSTING Him through this very difficult time.

The Maria Miracle Fund was created at Shoahannah's Hope in remembrance of their little girl. In 27 days, $500,012.40 has been given.
Did you read that? $500,000! When I read it, I cried. Not about the money, but about God's perfect plan. As the Chapman's mourn and ache for their precious daughter, I hope they know that Maria's short life had a huge purpose. God will be glorified in the lives of so many orphans that will come home to their forever families. Our girls will be two of them.

The Chapman's chose to TRUST God in adoption and in starting Shoahannah's Hope, they are even trusting Him today through probably the hardest time they will ever face. We are choosing to TRUST God continually as we wait to bring our girls home. Stop using money as your excuse. He is calling you too. Trust Him.

Please pray.

2008-06-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

We have not been able to get an update on the children in regards to how the drought in Ethiopia could be affecting them. After watching this, our anxiety level has risen a bit. The girls are in an orphanage in a rural area outside of Addis Ababa, so we do not know if they have easy access to water, food, etc. We are praying that the Lord is providing for their every need. Please remember the people of Ethiopia in your prayers today, specifically our two little girls.

The Terminator, bees, and New York City...

2008-06-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Gracie, my mom and I are headed to NYC tomorrow for a girls day out! My sweet as can be mom, is treating Grace and I to The Lion King on Broadway and a trip to the American Girl Place. As you can imagine Grace has been counting down the days for our big "girls only" New York trip. She has had it all planned down to what outfit she is wearing. (That's my daughter!) So gearing up for our early morning departure (6 AM- eek!), and leaving the boys behind she decided to leave a good-bye note for Daddy and Jack to wake up to tomorrow.....

Get it? Bee back? That is one funny kid.

Adoption Update and Random Thoughts

2008-06-10T17:43:00.001-07:00

Not much has changed on the adoption front. I was really antsy a few weeks ago and my wheels were a spinnin. I emailed our agency and asked if there was any way our girls could be moved to our agencies orphanage, from their current orphanage. I was thinking this might help the paperwork situation. (I am grasping at straws here people.) Our agency director, Shimeless, is fortunately a man of integrity and insists that everything be done legally and how the Ethiopian government wants it done. Although this means waiting a LONG time, at least we know things are being done properly. So this is what the response from our agency was:

"No you can't move them easily until the papers are ready. I am not sure if they would ever be moved to Hope--the doctor may want them to stay with him. The good news is that these adoptions WILL happen, this is a sure thing now. Shimeliss met with the doctor, he will let us handle the paperwork. We are now in a race against courts closing, so no guarantees there, but it will happen!"

We were pretty encouraged by this email. Even this tiny little glimmer of hope helps us to push through and keep the faith. Some days I just want to give up. Some days I think this will never happen. Some days I think I am not cut out for this. Then I am reminded (thanks P. Keith/go David!) that God chose us to do this. We may be a couple of humdrum people living in a humdrum town BUT we are children of God and He will equip us. Apart from Christ I would give up. Apart from Christ this would never happen. Apart from Christ I am not cut out for this. We are praying that our girls are provided for and healthy. There is severe drought in Ethiopia right now. Children are dying. Please pray for them.

As we enjoy the beginnings of summer I find myself missing the daughters that I have never met. Days at the beach, first camping trips with our little ones, picking strawberries, going out for ice cream cones and our family "movie parties" seem as if something is missing. Our family is not complete. Often times one of us will say, "I wonder if M & G will like..." (whatever activity we are enjoying). During our last "movie party" as Grace, Jack, Chris and I were snuggled up on the couch with popcorn and M&M's, Grace casually said we were going to need a bigger couch. Why? So M & G will fit! OH how I long for them to join our family. This is hard.

So we wait. We pray. We enjoy the blessings of family, faith and food! and keep busy with all sorts of projects around the house.(That is a whole other post, adoption nesting has been WAY more intense for me than pregnancy nesting! Is there even such a thing as adoption nesting? I am a mess, I can't stop.)We remember to be thankful for all the Lord has blessed our nation with and try not to complain. And we pray some more.

I am so PUMPED!

2008-05-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Chris surprised me with Brooke Fraser tickets the other day! She's coming to Annapolis! You might remember me posting her video "Albertine" a few months back. This New Zealand native is blessed with musical talent that has led us in worship in our home many times. Her song "Albertine" is one that touches us deeply, and was brought to our attention right around the time when we decided to adopt from Ethiopia. It speaks of her time in Rwanda and eloquently expresses her conviction that we can no longer turn the other cheek. Faith without deeds is dead. True worship is looking after the orphans and widows, the fatherless and oppressed. We are looking forward to worshipping with her in person!(and BONUS - an overnight date night with Chris!) Check her out in a new video joining Hillsong LIVE.

Sad news

2008-05-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

"Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest child died Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a car driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Williamson County home.

Maria, one of the Christian singer’s six children, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol."(The Tennessean)

This news has saddened and humbled us. We had the pleasure of meeting Stephen and his two sons back in March when we received a grant from his organization, Shoahannah's Hope. We can only imagine how very devastating this is for the Chapman family. Please pray that they will find comfort and peace in Jesus Christ through this terrible trial. Our children are not our own, but a gift from the Lord; go hug them.

Thoughts: rainy days, complaining and I hope my girls have food....

2008-05-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Why is it raining so much? Water leaked into the basement, AGAIN!

The U.N. Children's Agency UNICEF says a recent drought in Ethiopia has caused a food crisis and estimates 126,000 children are suffering from severe malnutrition.

The produce at Walmart stinks! I am NOT paying THAT much for milk. They are out of white grape juice AGAIN?

SIRARO, Ethiopia, May 19,2008 (Reuters) - Ethiopian mother Ayantu Tamon has lost a child to hunger every year for the last four and now cradles her severely malnourished and weakened three-year-old son Hirbu in her arms. "I just hope God lets him live," she says. "I have only two children left."

Look at those gas prices, $4.00 per gallon, WHATEVER! (Filler-up, glug, glug)

There are fears that the next harvest also will fail. "We are crying with the mothers and the children."

Red Letters Campaign

2008-05-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed some of the new tag additions to my blog? I have joined with Red Letters Campaign as an Adoption Journalist! What is the Red Letters Campaign you ask? They believe that YOU (we, us, I) have the power to reduce extreme poverty, fight preventable diseases and connect orphans with loving families. Their mission is to provide the tools, a network of partners and like-minded people in order to create a solution. We all can play a role in using our faith to fight this fight. It all boils down to finding where you fit into the big picture. My part just happens to be contributing content via my blog, and raise awareness for the orphans of Ethiopia and around the world.
Where do YOU fit it?

Buy a pound of coffee, feed an orphan for a month.

2008-05-10T17:55:00.001-07:00

This is the best idea EVER. If you need a warm, yummy mug of goodness every morning to get your day started like I do, go here. Saint's Coffee partners with Children's Hope Chest and Five for 50, and donates a third of the net profits from every sale of their coffee. We purchased a few pounds of their Ethiopian Sidamo to give as Christmas gifts last year and it was a hit! Father's Day is just around the corner and Saint's Coffee is the perfect gift! It keeps on giving, it's yummy, and it is probably much cheaper than whatever "man toy" your hubby is asking for!

waiting...

2008-05-06T07:01:00.000-07:00

DHL rocks!

2008-05-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

DHL SMS Notification
To: Addis Ababa
April 30 2008 2:23PM- Awaiting pick up by recipient as requested-Addis Ababa

Yippee! Our dossier finally made it all they way across the world to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Africa! Phew! Praise the Lord!

A bit of Ethiopia in our home...

2008-04-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

Chris' birthday was today and I got him this photograph from etsy.com seller Chiana Arts. It is a beautiful print of a door in Ethiopia, taken during a trip in 2007. This is as close as we will get to Ethiopia for a while. Patiently, we wait.

Can I borrow your lederhosen?

2008-04-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

Our dossier is in Germany! It's half way to Ethiopia! WOOT!

Coincidence? I think not....

2008-04-22T06:45:00.001-07:00

I sat down to check my emails this morning and had received the monthly e-newsletter from Children's Hope International, another adoption agency. I am on their automatic email list and I normally just hit DELETE, but today, something jumped out at me:

New Hope Revealed During Mother's Long Wait to Adopt

A waiting mother's Dare to Hope.
"For a while I had felt guilty, thinking that I must not have enough faith if I couldn't wait in a serene state of mind. This verse revealed to me that it's OK to be passionate and to yearn for something while waiting and hoping. It is very freeing."

I clicked on the article and continued to read,

"God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times. When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: Wait for hope to appear."
(Lamentations 3:25-33 The Message)
This hit me in so many ways. I can be still and quietly hope, but I can also passionately wait. For a while I had felt guilty, thinking that I must not have enough faith if I couldn't wait in a serene state of mind. This verse revealed to me that it's OK to be passionate and to yearn for something while waiting and hoping. It is very freeing. I was reminded that I needed to persevere for the child who needed me, even though sometimes I wanted to quit.

Thanks God. I needed that.:)

I feel like throwing a fit.

2008-04-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

You know. One of those two year old types. Screaming, kicking, thrashing about, crying uncontrollably, that kind of fit. It's just NOT fair!!! It's not fair that we have extra hurdles to jump in this process. Why us? It's long and hard enough without the additional stuff! I want to go to Ethiopia. I want to get my girls. I want to meet them, touch them, hug them and tell them they have a family now and that they don't have to worry about grown up stuff anymore. Heck, I just want to know WHEN I am going to Ethiopia- that would be great. At least there would be a light at the end of tunnel.

This is only the beginning of the waiting, I am such a wimp. Today a handful of families with our agency have passed through the Ethiopian courts. They are official adoptive parents of Ethiopian children, now they can make their travel plans and go get their kids! I am so happy and excited for them! Especially knowing that we will get to experience that one day. But I want to be one of those families now. Not fair.

I know, I know. Just wait on the Lord. I know. I am waiting Lord, not very patiently, but waiting. Today I have tried to keep myself motivated and busy to complete some projects around the house that NEED to get done. In addition to our normal Monday routine of laundry, housecleaning and getting Gracie to art I have been going through the kids winter clothes, organizing the attic, getting rid of stuff, some basic spring cleaning. It is not working. How much busywork can one person do!? My mind is still racing and thinking about Ethiopia and our girls. ARGH! UG! EEK! BLAH!

Okay, I already feel a little better. I think a girl just needs to rant every once in a while.

I am trusting you God. I know you are at the center and know the hows and whys and whens. All I can do is trust that. Help me to be the best wife, momma, daughter, sister and friend that I can during this really hard time of waiting for the next season you have planned. May you receive all the glory in the end. Amen.

Not Just Africa....

2008-04-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

Visit the Children's Hope Chest website to see how you can help....

Praise the Lord...it's done!!

2008-04-16T10:35:00.001-07:00

Our dossier is officially done and on its way to the US Department of State. I cannot believe that I actually got it done and its not sitting on my desk anymore! It should be on it's way to Ethiopia by the end of the week for translation and approval. We are still waiting on news about the girls paperwork, and will hopefully hear something soon. This being patient thing, it's hard.

We also sent off a package yesterday to a friend of our agency who is traveling to Ethiopia on Saturday. She is going to pick up her precious little one and will be visiting the girls at their orphanage. We sent coloring books, crayons, a fun beaded necklace and bracelet for each of them and some new pictures. We also sent a soccer ball for the orphanage. We hope they have fun with it!

Please continue to pray that the paperwork will move through the Ethiopian system smoothly and that our girls are safe and well taken care of.

Secretary of State....CHECK!

2008-04-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

We made it to Annapolis and had our papers authenticated. It literally took 5 minutes. All this work for a computer generated piece of paper with a gold sticker! Checking in with the security guard took longer than getting our state seal. Tomorrow I will head to Kinko's for copies and FED-EX!! One more day and we are DONE!

After getting our dossier taken care of, we walked back down Francis Street for a picnic near the docks. It was a beautiful afternoon and we found the perfect spot to sit and people watch while the kids fed the ducks. Our afternoon was topped off by a yummy ice cream cone at Annapolis Ice Cream Company! Yum!

Notary, schmotary.

2008-04-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today the kids and I headed down to Ocean City to meet with our friend Kathy to have our final papers notarized. Chris met up with us at her office and we made it all official. After a quick lunch, and a stop at Starbucks for a potty break (gotta love kids...)(oh, and my Starbucks addiction), we headed to Snow Hill to have our papers doubly certified. This process is so nuts folks. Not only do we have to have our papers notarized, the county in which the notary is certified, has to authenticate their notary. Are you confused yet? It gets worse. Tomorrow we will head to our Secretary of State in Annapolis to then have the notarized, authenticated papers authenticated at the state level. Phew! An added bonus to all this is we have to pay for every piece of paper that is authenticated, fun! Thank God for Kathy, she has offered her service and time to sign and notarize our papers and she even made a special trip to the doctors office to notarized his signature! We love you Kathy!

We are going to take advantage of the trip to Annapolis tomorrow by soaking up the historical sights, and sharing a picnic alongside the Severn River. It should be a beautiful day!

Tonight

2008-04-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Starting at 7:30 p.m. American Idol will be dedicating 2 1/2 hours to raising money for those in need. In 2007 they raised something like $75 million! Many of the charities they have partnered with are doing good work in Africa. One of them being the Global Fund, who is fighting the good fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Last week they aired a clip of how some of the money has helped so far. Two sisters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, were taken off the streets and reunited with each other. It got the tears a flowin' for sure. This world is not as big as we think.

American Idol has become one of those reality show successes, bringing millions of viewers to their televisions every week.(my hubby and I included!) It is encouraging to see that in our broken and self-centered culture, people are willing to take the time to focus on the needs of others.

Warning:
Many celebrities will be appearing on the American Idol stage tonight, including a few who I wouldn't consider "family friendly". If your young ones are joining in to watch, have that clicker ready....you just never know these days. bummer.

You have to what?

2008-04-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

Follow my instructions:

Read:

We just learned that the word in Amharic (an Ethiopian language that our girls speak) for "to use the bathroom" is "shint".

Play video:

We too, giggled like a couple of little girls. :)
(These cute-as-can-be gigglers are from Ethiopia, and were brought home by their "forever family" about 8 months ago. Their story has been an inspiration to us.)

He is good

2008-04-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

Job 4:3-6
Behold, you have instructed many,
and you have strengthened the weak hands.
Your words have upheld him who was stumbling,
and you have made firm the feeble knees.
But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
it touches you, and you are dismayed.
Is not your fear of God your confidence,
and the integrity of your ways your hope?

Have you ever experienced a moment where life changes in an instant? How often do we experience the emotional roller coaster called life and forget about God? We do all the things we are "supposed" to do as Christians; go to church on Sunday, help out the homeless man at the gas station, witness to our unsaved family and friends. We try to live as Jesus would. But in that quick moment when life smacks you upside the head, when you no longer have life wrapped up in a little box who do you turn to? Who comes first? You or Jesus?

I am ashamed to say that for just a moment, after experiencing some scary news the other day I forgot about Jesus. My broken, wretched self tried to lean on my own understanding of things. Although it was literally a flash of time, I felt so helpless. What can I do? Who can I call? A wave of calm came over me and I remembered that I have a God that is at the center of all things. A God who comforts me when I am weak. A God who knew me before I was made. He knew my children, including our Ethiopian daughters! He knows their plan as He knows ours. Praise Him!
We are rejoicing this day as the details change and slowly our Lord reveals His plan for this adoption. Strongholds are being removed and doors are being opened as I type.

This song makes me think of our girls. I have a vision of standing in "our pew" at church hand in hand with my hubby and our four little ones, praising God and worshipping together as a LIVING testimony to what He has done in our lives. I long for that day. Come and listen...

Psalm 62:5

2008-03-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.

We try to lean on our own power and understanding, but cannot. We found out today that this process of adopting our daughters might take a lot longer than we think. After many conversations with many different people involved in the process, we have come to this conclusion. GOD IS IN CONTROL. No agency, no ministry, no doctor, no government, no man can make this happen. Only the One who is at the center, only our Lord can make it happen. We have decided that we must continue to put our trust in Him and Him alone. Yes, that might mean waiting for 6 more months, but we are fervently praying that mountains will be moved and we will be traveling to Ethiopia very soon.

Our girls have been set apart. Selected to become daughters, sisters, grandchildren, cousins, and friends to the Vlaming family, the Kincaid family, and Harvest Baptist Church. We are claiming this today and ask that you would too. Pray for our sweet girls. Pray that whatever strongholds that have been placed before them would be removed in Jesus name. They have a mom and dad, a sister and brother waiting.

Bedtime prayers

2008-03-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Who do you want to pray for tonight Grace?

Grace: I want to pray for M and G, and Kerby because he might have fleas. (our cat)

Okay, how about you Jack?

Jack: Chewbacca, r2dootee and C3PO.

Thanks to my hubby and our humble pastor, the obsession continues. Is there such thing as Star Wars rehab?

The future...

2008-03-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Bling for a cause...

2008-03-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

I got this for my birthday.

Junkposse at etsy.com makes these sweet little "Heart for Africa" necklaces to raise money for her daughter and son-in-law's adoption of a babe from Ethiopia. I was so excited to recieve this as a gift knowing that 100% of the money will go towards the adoption of a precious child. As I wear it, I am reminded of my "hearts in Africa" and try to wait patiently for the day when I can hold them close.

On a side note, if you haven't discovered etsy.com yet...you need to check it out!! I have wasted away many evenings "window shopping" on this fun site. We got some creative gifts for the kids at Christmas time through a shop on etsy. I am currently saving my pennies for an adorable print for the girls room from sarahjanestudios. How cute is this...

2008-03-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Some people have commented that this adoption is our mission field. It is, but we believe that being parents to our children biological or adopted is our mission field. It is an honor and blessing to teach our kids about Jesus and teach them bible verses to hide in their hearts. Most recently we have had to re-visit Luke 6:31- Do unto others as you would have them do to you. Since we home school, Grace and Jack spend a lot of time together and for the most part they get along really well. But on occasion we have a knock down, drag out and mom or dad is called in to referee. The other day the kids were upstairs playing while I prepared dinner, and I could tell that things were starting to get a little heated. I leaned into the stairwell and said "What's going on guys?!" Grace stomped over to the stairs, crossed her arms and with brows furrowed stated, "IT'S SO HARD TO DO UNTO OTHERS!"
I couldn't help but chuckle, but I think that deserves another Amen sister! :)

Pray for our little"M"...

2008-03-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

After receiving the exciting news and pictures of our girls, we were able to speak with our caseworker who had additional news about miss M. She has a "lipoma", or cyst on her chest. It is pretty big for a tiny, little 8 year old girl. The growth seems to be about the size of a potato, under her left nipple. We have pictures of it and it seems to be soft and spongy to the touch. It really doesn't look that bad, but the size is a bit shocking. They apparently took her to a local lab to have a sample drawn from it. We have the lab results and they are pretty much inconclusive. Chris and I have a complete peace about this and are believing in prayer that this is just another detail the Lord has covered. Our agency has suggested we meet with our pediatrician to get his opinion and follow his advice. We could end up getting his authority to apply for a medical visa for her. Could this be a blessing in disguise? That could mean a faster processing time for all of our paperwork. With that said, if the issue is not life threatening and our second daughter would not be able to come along, we would most likely stick to the original plan and let the paperwork go through together. We see our pediatrician on Wednesday evening.

All the information we have looked up on the good ole' Internet has come back as this being a benign issue (what the heck did we do before GOOGLE!). If she does need medical attention though, we would much rather her get that care here in the US. We are praying for healing for our little M. We pray that she is not in pain or in any discomfort. We also pray that the doctors here and in Ethiopia would have the wisdom to deal with the issue at hand and make the best decisions for her. Please join us in this prayer for our Ethiopian daughter.

The girls know who we are!!

2008-03-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

The orphanage where our girls are waiting....

I just received an email with new pictures of our girls! They are opening their gift bags and photo albums from us and look SO BEAUTIFUL!. Oh how I wish I could share their precious faces with you. I am in complete awe of the Lord pulling all this together. There our little girls stand, holding ziploc bags from all the way across the world. The small stuffed puppies, the photo albums with hand written descriptions of who we are, the "hello kitty" puffy stickers, and the butterfly t-shirts. In the first few pictures they look a bit confused, then curious, maybe scared, like "Who are these white people?!" and "especially that chubby little angel haired boy? Is his hair for real?!" In a few they have very serious faces. The final picture is the most precious, they are both holding their new treasures close, smiling from ear to ear. It warms my heart to see that one.
Now the hard part starts. The real waiting. We have known them, but they now know us. They are waiting to be taken home. Waiting for a shoulder to snuggle their heads on, a mothers hand to stroke their hair, a fathers warm embrace, a family. Do they long to meet us as we do them? I am praying that God would give all of us peace and rest; rest in His timing and perfect will.

Greater than the universe....

2008-03-09T18:07:00.001-07:00

If you have five minutes to spare and wonder why we are doing what we are doing, watch this by John Piper.....

Blessing!

2008-03-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

Thursday we made the trip to Baltimore to attend the Steven Curtis Chapman concert and to appear alongside him to talk about our adoption! We went not knowing what to expect and boy were we blown away! The whole night was full of not only phenomenal music, but a testimony of adoption and SCC's passion for serving the orphans of the world. He spent a good part of the night sharing his personal testimony and how adoption has changed their lives. It was an emotional night to say the least.
All night I thought of our girls. I prayed for them, and praised God for putting this adoption on our heart. A few of his songs are specifically about adoption, what a blessing to be able to worship to that music.
Towards the end of the concert we were to meet up with the David, the road manager and he led us backstage. We got to stand in the wings as the band performed their last song. It was SO COOL! Jack and Grace were mesmerized and as the band came off, the drummer gave Jack his drumsticks. How cute is that!?
We were led onstage and well, you can watch the rest here...

Thanks to all who prayed for our peace and non-hurling on stage! :) We are praising God for His abundance and provision!

Use the force Luke....

2008-03-04T06:34:00.001-08:00

Ever since our "conversation", Jack has had a slight obsession.
Some friends of ours brought this mask over for him to play with. A certain little boy has been wandering over to the dark side since Saturday night. We might need to have an intervention.

Exciting News!

2008-03-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

I think we have shared this with most of the people who probably read this blog....but I had to post it! Last week we received a call from Shaohannah's Hope. We had applied for a grant from them back in December and have been anxiously awaiting some news.

"Now to HIM who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to HIS power that is at work within us...."
Ephesians 3:20

We have been asked to come to Steven Curtis Chapman's concert at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore this Thursday, March 6th. His grant organization chose our family to come up on stage at the end of the concert and share a testimony of what we are doing and how we are acting in obedience to what the Lord has called us to do. We will get to share our story with possibly thousands of concert goers in Baltimore! What a blessing! We are blown away by God's plan for this adoption. He continues to confirm for us that we are on the right path. We continue to believe in prayer that our girls will be home soon and only when we put ALL our faith in the Lord, will miraculous things happen.

Come....

2008-02-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

Nesting...

2008-02-25T07:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend we played switch-a-roo with the bedrooms! Our plan is to have all the girls together in the upstairs two rooms and we have moved Jack down stairs. He is officially sleeping in a "big boy bed"! Moving things around and cleaning up all those under-the-bed dust bunnies is a lot of work- but so fun! It is nice for Jack to have his own little boy area for all his little boy stuff. Trucks, blocks, drums, swords and more trucks. The poor guy has had to deal with everything pink since he was born! I think it was probably the most fun for me, decorating and such! So- with all this moving around - it makes it even more "real" in preparing for our girls to come home. Pretty soon we will paint and finish the empty room upstairs. Yesterday I was out with Grace and we came across these really cute quilts and sheet sets - ON CLEARANCE! I couldn't resist. She is SO excited to share a room with one of her big sisters and we had fun picking out their new bedding! (Wow-- I am going to have lots of sheets to wash!)

We are praying this week with excitement, waiting to hear any news of the girls. AWOP is in Ethiopia right now, checking on all the kids at the orphanage and getting more information for us. Please join us in prayer that we will continue to rest in the Lord, and wait on Him.

Our wants = Their needs

2008-02-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

Do you know about (PRODUCT)RED yet? Ever since we found out about it, we have been buying it up every chance we get! We discovered (PRODUCT)RED way before our decision to adopt. Oprah had Bono on one afternoon and he had unveiled this concept to partner with various corporations in order to raise money for AIDS in Africa. From their website:

(RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of DATA to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

What's the meaning of the parentheses or brackets? Well, we call them "the embrace." Each company that becomes (RED) places its logo in this embrace and is then elevated to the power of red. Thus the name -- (PRODUCT)RED.

It just makes sense. If you are going to buy something, why not buy the product that gives back. What a great concept. Many companies have joined in and many are following. Some of the companies we have purchased from are GAP, Sprint and Hallmark. So far (RED) contributions have topped $100 million. They have put the money to work in the African countries of Swaziland, Ghana and Rwanda.

This subject has become so much more intense for us. Our girls parents could have died from AIDS. If not, something even crazier, like Malaria or TB. Diseases that are PREVENTABLE and that people in the USA DON'T die from. If their parents weren't infected with the AIDS virus, I am sure that their friends in the orphange have been affected by it. 11.4 million children in Africa have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic.

Buying products that help to change peoples lives, makes this world a little smaller. We are often paralyzed into doing NOTHING when a crisis is a world away and is so big. This offers us a way to really HELP, no more excuses. You can learn more about(PRODUCT)RED here and learn about the Global Fund here.

So, when your cell phone contract expires and you need a new toy get a (RED)MOTORAZR like me! OR if your shoe fetish has taken you hostage and you need a new pair of kicks go here. OR the temperature has warmed 30 degrees and you are ready to bare those arms with a cute new tee go here. OR you just need to send a thank you note, make a trip to Hallmark and buy these.

Approval!

2008-02-17T11:35:00.000-08:00

We recieved THE approval yesterday!! Our I-797C came in the mail from the Department of Homeland Security. We thought we were waiting for the I-171 form - but this came instead. We found out that it all depends on which office you file with. We filed at the Baltimore office, therefore received the I-797 form. It really doesn't matter what it's number is -- all that matters is that according to the US government "It has been determined that you are able to furnish proper care to an orphan or orphans as defined in Section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act." YAY! YIPPEE! WOOHA! We are one step closer and praising the Lord!

Do angels drive white trucks?

2008-02-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a really scary experience. I had just picked up Grace from her art class and she had a big bag of goodies, as they had celebrated Valentines Day. She pulled out a big gummy heart and tried to give Jack a bite. It was WAY too chewy and big for him so I told her just to throw it away. Before I could hand her a bag to put it in, Jack had shoved the whole thing in his mouth! I came to a stop sign and looked in my rearview mirrow and saw Jack with his eyes as big as saucers. He wasn't making any sound and I realized that he was choking. I was stuck at a busy intersection and didn't know what to do - so as soon as the traffic cleared I pulled across the street, parked and jumped out as fast as I could to get to him. He was choking pretty badly at this point and I started to panic. I was hitting his back and had stuck my finger down his throat with no success. His face was turning blue and we were getting really scared- I screamed out "Somebody help me!" - and started to REALLY freak out! Right when I said that - a man was standing behind me and calmly said "Is everything alright, what happened?" I told him that he had gotten a hold of a gummy candy and it was stuck in his throat. He took Jack and held him up and said "Hi buddy, I am a firefighter, are you okay?" Jack immediately calmed down and just stared at the man. He looked at me and then started screaming. That stinkin' gummy heart must have finally slid down his throat and he was breathing again. The fireman said "That's a good sign!" and handed him back to me. I thanked him and he got back in his white truck and drove off without a word. Poor little Jack was so scared and Grace too. She had her face buried in her coat the entire time. It was a scary experience for all of us! God used that nice fireman yesterday to help us out and make sure my little Jack was okay. He was our angel!
After all the drama had settled and we were asking Jack about it later in the day he had quite a funny story to tell. Here's how the conversation went:

Mommy: That was scary today, wasn't it buddy?
Jack: Yeah, candy got stuck.
Mommy: And that nice man stopped and helped us didn't he!?
Jack: Yeah, fiah fighta (big smile)
Mommy: Do you know who else was watching over us and helping us? (we had talked about how Jesus was watching over us earlier)
Jack: Uh-huh, Darth-Vader

Off to Africa!

2008-02-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Today we finally got our package in the mail to our girls in Ethiopia. Our agency said that we could put together a small photo album and send along a small gift. The director of AWOP is leaving for Ethiopia on February 20th and will be taking our package with her.

My grandma gave Gracie one of these little pups when we visited her in Michigan a few years back. The stuffed springer spaniel was promptly named "Sarah" and has been Grace's bedtime pal ever since. So when Jack was born, Grace and I were off to pick out a puppy for him! Jack's is a golden retriever named "Buster" and just kind of hangs out in the crib, not so much a bedtime pal yet. It just seemed fitting that we select a special pup for the girls. Grace picked them out and chose a black lab and a beagle. We hope these puppies will give our girls some comfort and snuggles while we can't be there.

The best part about all this is that the girls are going to find out that they are being adopted!! They will see their new family in pictures for the first time. How scary and exciting. We are continuing to pray for their little hearts and minds.

Are you fatherless?

2008-02-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

I read recently that there are 115,000 children in the US foster care system waiting to be adopted. In comparison and according to The Washington Times there are about 65 million Americans that call themselves Christian(evangelicals). HELLO! These numbers don't match up. Are these 65 million "Christians" skipping the parts in the Bible that COMMAND us to care for orphans? Are they missing what "true religion" is? James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." This verse along with at least 40 others spell it out for us in black and white. Were we not orphans once? Our heavenly Father has adopted us unto Himself, we are no longer fatherless. Will you do what He has done for us? Will you step out in faith and obedience and bring an orphan under your wing? Are you satisfied with your comfortable life, your mini-van, your 5 bedroom home and white picket fence? Have some CONVICTION people! DO SOMETHING! (I have added a feature on the bottom of my blog, How to follow James 1:27... scroll all the way down and check it out- no more excuses!)

As I sit and write this I am humbled and honored to know that I belong to a community and a church where this is recognized. Thursday night, in support of our adoption and our Ethiopian daughters we had an estimated 250 people show up at the doors of Harvest BC. Donations and support came in all forms and we were in awe. I couldn't even allow myself to actually stop and let it soak in for fear of having a complete emotional breakdown in PRAISE and JOY of what the Lord was doing. (warning: this might happen on Sunday morning in church)

This adoption is not only about our family and our Ethiopian girls. This is about the 115,000 orphans in the US, the 4.5 MILLION orphans in Ethiopia, the members and visitors of Harvest BC, our town, our neighbors, our extended family and friends. This is about doing the LEAST we can do after what the LORD has done for us.
Obey Him.

We are officially official..

2008-01-30T17:27:00.001-08:00

Today we had our FBI "biometrics" done. Just another term for fingerprinting, but all high-tech. One more step closer. Now we wait for our I71-H form, the I71-H is officially called the, “Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advance Procession of an Orphan Petition”. While waiting for any bit of news about how our adoption is moving forward, there are few things better than the I71-H. In a process that at times can seem as though it is grinding to a hault, the I71-H will be welcome news! We hope this part moves quickly and without any glitches.

I also got my passport today in the mail! Yippee! I was SO excited about this little book. Chris should get his next week, since he applied about a week behind me.

Just a quick update! Things are moving along!

What's in a name?

2008-01-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

These past few days, my mind has been full of the idea of naming. Yesterday we received some new pics of our girls! They were listed with different names. Similar to what we know but a little different. This has my mind running. What are their true names? Why is a name so important? Does a name define us? Our biological kids have names that we feel really "fit" them. We named them before they were born, and both of their names have a special connection to our family. In America we pour over books and websites looking for the latest trendy name. I doubt that in Ethiopia they start "Googling" the hottest names in 2007 as soon as they find our they are pregnant.

To me, naming is special. It ties a person to their family and heritage. In Ethiopia, a child uses their father's first name as their last name. For instance, my father's name is Robert. So my name would be Rebecca Robert. Ethiopian/Amharic names have such depth and meaning. The Amharic male name Mignote means "he is desired" and the Amharic female name Alemnesh means "You are the whole world". Whoa! The mothers and fathers that choose these names for their children want them to be defined by their name. They picture a future for their child just in their name.

I wonder about M and Gl's mom and dad. A sadness comes over me when I think about them selecting a special name for their daughters and then having to leave them behind. One of our daughters names means "Lady" and the other means "God shall redeem" and "Peaceful one". I can't help but think that by keeping their Ethiopian names we would be honoring their parents. M and Gl will leave the orphanage with literally nothing but the clothes on their back. I am sure that isn't the future that their parents pictured for these precious girls. Our girls might want American names. To signify a new beginning, a fresh start in their American lives. I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we will rest in the fact that our Lord is with our girls, protecting, guiding and comforting no matter what their name.

We're having twins! (kind of)

2008-01-28T18:04:00.000-08:00

From the beginning of this journey, Chris and I have felt led to adopt two children from Ethiopia. When we received the DVD of children from AWOP, we knew that God had chosen M for us. We asked if she had a cousin or friend in the orphanage with her, and we would consider adopting that child too. Weeks passed and it was looking like we would just be bringing home M. All the other children had been placed or there were just sibling groups left. I had been struggling with the idea of just "one". Would she feel like an outsider? Would she get lonely for her friends from the orphanage? I am sure that this would, at times, be the case. But nothing that we couldn't help her through. Friday we got an email from our caseworker at AWOP and they wanted to let us know that another little girl was available for adoption, and they thought of our family. She was originally placed with another family, but circumstances took over and they were not able to move forward with their adoption plans. We are sad for this other family, as they have had to put their dreams on hold as they work through some family issues. But we are SO excited and grateful to God for placing another precious little girl in our path! Her name is Gl and she is 6 years old. Both M and Gl are very similar in size, just a few pounds and a few inches shy of each other. Our caseworker said it's like we are adopting twins! Who would have thought!? Please continue to pray for our TWO little girls. We are praying that the Lord would begin to prepare their hearts for all the changes that are to come in their lives.

Let's talk about race...

2008-01-26T05:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't touched on this subject yet and truthfully don't really know where to start. I am not naive to the fact that our daughters will look very different from us, and may at times, feel like outsiders in our white family. Our prayer though, is that they would see Jesus in us and always feel loved. We have a strong desire to make sure our girls stay in touch with their Ethiopian roots. We are not adopting these children to pluck them out of their culture and expect them to forget about it. Ethiopia has such a rich and deeply rooted Christian culture and I believe that we would truly be missing out if we were to do that. So, in thinking about all this, my mind races with how our girls will fit in to our society, town, church, etc. How will they see themselves? How will they relate to others? Will they have different thought processes than American black children? Probably. I am so curious to see how all this plays out once they are home with us. I came across this documentary by a 17 year old highschool girl from NYC. If you have a few minutes (8 to be exact), I suggest you watch the following video. It is VERY interesting to see that we really haven't come that far. I pray that our daughters will be proud of their color, their heritage, their culture and their families, Ethiopian and American. But most of all I pray that they never have to base their self worth on the color of their skin, the style of their hair or where they come from. That ultimately they can look to Christ and know that it is only HIM that makes them whole.

How will YOU help?

2008-01-25T06:33:00.000-08:00

James 1:27

2008-01-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

The Gardner family started Kingdom Kids and then African Widows and Orphans Project. We are working with their ministries to raise money, complete our dossier and bring home our daughter! When I was struggling with whether or not to switch agencies the Lord gave me my answer through His word. James 1:27 says Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Kingdom Kids and AWOP's philosophies all line up with the Word of God. They too are acting in obedience to the Lord and living it out. We knew then that it didn't matter what agency or ministry helped to facilitate this adoption, as long as it lined up with His word, we couldn't go wrong. The Gardners have a passion for seeing the body of Christ serve in obedience to the Lord in the way of adoption. They also have a desire to help make these adoptions successful, by offering training to adoptive parents. Our goal is to attend their May training in Spokane, Washington on Ethiopian older child adoptions. We will learn things like, how to deal with grief and loss, multi-racial family issues, attachment issues and Ethiopian cultural awareness. We are so excited to get the chance to learn all these things as we prepare for our daughter. They offer a wealth of knowledge through this experience. Their family is an inspiration to us. (this video is from another ministry that is similar to the one they started, also a great resource, Life International.)

I-600 A DONE!

2008-01-20T18:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a whole month since I last posted and boy have we been busy. We announced today at church that we know who we are adopting! We are moving foward to adopt a 7 year old girl. So far all we know is that she is a "true" orphan (she doesn't have living parents), and that she is 48 inches tall and weighs 50 pounds. A little thing! Oh- and she likes to draw and play soccer, a perfect fit for our family! God sure does know what He is doing.... :)

We also filed our I-600 A paper work with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. This is a big step in the process and costs a chunk of change. We will wait for an appointment to get fingerprinted by the FBI - and will then wait for official approval to adopt our daughter. We are SO excited and want it to happen YESTERDAY!

More updates to come as we continue the paper chase this week. Please be in prayer for our daughter.

I'm a bad blogger...

2007-12-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

So much has happened recently and I haven't been blogging about it!
After a weird turn of events involving Chris' car being totalled (parked in front of our house) and an insurance check, we have been able to really move forward with the adoption process. A VERY generous family at our church GAVE us a car so that we could use the money to put towards our adoption. That same week we randomly received a DVD disc in the mail from a ministry that we have been involved with. It was an updated listing of waiting older children in Ethiopia. At first we weren't even going to view it because the children are connected to an agency other than the one we were planning to use. We thought it would be too much of a hassle to switch agencies and go through all that- but God had other plans. We watched it and have fallen in love. After A LOT of prayer, fasting and more prayer we know that we are supposed to switch agencies. God is in the details and we are trusting in Him. Coincidentally our home study was finished and approved that same week too! Things are really starting to move along. We are now filing our I-600A paper work (immigration stuff) and will wait to get fingerprinted for the FBI. All this involves some hefty fees - but the Lord has provided and we are excited!

So we have been sitting on some awesome news but are kind of waiting until we get more information. We will definitely keep you posted!

Conversations with kids: Part Tres

2007-12-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

Looks like this might be a regular addition to the blog..... just can't help but spread the laughs!

G: When I grow up I am going to be a vet, an artist, a ballet dancer and a doctor.
Me: You can be anything you want....
G: I am also going to be a vegetarian.
Me: (trying not to laugh) Do you know what a vegetarian is?
G: Nope.

REAL motivation....

2007-11-27T11:13:00.000-08:00

Last night, Chris and I watched "God Grew Tired of Us". A documentary film about the Lost Boys of Sudan. Pretty powerful stuff. The Lord continues to convict me that adopting from Ethiopia is what we are supposed to do and to push through this very difficult process. When I am exposed to the reality of what is going on in nations like Sudan I am saddened, burdened and disgusted- but most of all MOTIVATED! I know that I can't change the state of the world but I can be obedient to what God has called us to do. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:6

Will you join us in prayer not only for motivation through this process but also for our African brothers and sisters?

More conversations with kids.....

2007-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

This week after battling the stomach flu and spending 2 whole days in bed, I finally got some nice snuggle time with the kids tonight reading our bedtime story. Mommy is no longer "yucky". After our book and prayers Grace gets to chit-chatting and wait until you hear this one....

G: Mommy, if I am the princess, then Jack is the prince, right?
Me: Yeah- or the knight!
G: Okay, I am the princess, Jack is the knight, Daddy is the King and you are the Queen!
Me: Sounds good to me!
G: I think Queens are lazy.

Guess it's time to get back on my game, folks! :)

Testing of faith

2007-10-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we have hit a small bump in the road. We are VERY close to having our home study complete and approved. I made a phone call to the ministry that we are working with to raise money and who had offered us a "grant". There was a HUGE misunderstanding in the wording of their letter to us and we have not received a grant of "95% of the funds earmarked for our adoption". We will receive 95% of the funds earmarked for our adoption. What? Are you confused too? It goes like this, if you donate $100 then we would receive 95% of that $100. Not 95% of the $20,000 that we originally thought. Chris and I feel a little bit mislead, angry, embarrassed and frustrated. What then, is the purpose of this "ministry". They are basically a "bank" for our donated money, they also take care of setting it up so that people can donate and get a tax deduction, all the while using 5% of our donated money. We understood that when we decided to join up with them, but we also feel a little mislead with the wording of the 95% comment. The day we got the letter I even called to get clarification and she just repeated what the letter said. I still felt a bit confused but didn't push the issue because I didn't want to be a bother. I do that way too often and I feel so dumb now.

So what is the moral of the story you ask? Do your research! Push through until you get clear answers! We have learned a hard lesson. This is not a process that will just "happen". The Lord has a plan for our life and for the life of the child or children that we are going to adopt. This will move in His timing, not in ours. We have taken this as a wake up call. Do we really want this? Are we willing to put in the hard work it will take to bring our baby home? The answer is YES! We believe that this is something our family is supposed to take on. We will do whatever it takes. There are so many other things that happened this week along with our news from the fundraising ministry that have made us open our eyes. Nothing in life is a coincidence. It is all Gods plan, He is in control after all, not us.

I was reading an old My Utmost for His Highest passage this morning; Every time my theology becomes clear to my own mind, I encounter something that contradicts it. As soon as I say, "I believe ’God shall supply all [my] need,’ " the testing of my faith begins ( Philippians 4:19 ). When my strength runs dry and my vision is blinded, will I endure this trial of my faith victoriously or will I turn back in defeat? How timely! Will we continue to trust God even when times are tough, even during trials? YES!

So- the money situation is grim but not hopeless. We are $1000 short of our first fee that is due to the adoption agency. That fee will get us in the "system" and start our training process. We will take this thing one fee at a time. That's all we can do! Sometime in the near future we are going to have a pig roast (some VERY generous and thoughtful friends have already donated the pig! thanks s & r!), and we will probably have another yard sale sometime soon. Any other ideas???

Note: For those of you that have donated via the fundraising ministry, rest assured that your money will be going to the cause you gave to. Our children! We will use what we have so far to pay towards our first fee and then just close out our account with them. We are currently looking into other ways for people to make donations that are tax deductible. We are also looking for real grant money!
Sorry for such a long post!