Friday, July 31, 2009

my life. changed.

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.


Thursday, July 9, 2009

prepared...or not.


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!