Tuesday, June 24, 2008

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!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

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!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008



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.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Please pray.

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.

Friday, June 13, 2008

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

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.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Adoption Update and Random Thoughts

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.