A Christmas blessing.....friendship!

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!

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?

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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...

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.

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

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....

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--

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...

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...

61 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...

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....

"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....

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...

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...

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!

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

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!

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...

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...

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!

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!

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.