International Treasure

One.Day.At.A.Time.

2012-01-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

Exactly one week after my friend sent her text to me in church with a sweet message, the Lord was working on behalf of this humble servant. I received an email from another friend titled, "God gave me a word for you". I can't tell you how excited I was to read it. It is not every day that you get emails like this!
Atleast I don't! This is what it said: "As I prayed for you yesterday(Sunday), God gave me a word for you..here is what I felt He was saying:
I know you are tired and perhaps weak. That's a great place cause when you are weak I am strong. Rest.
Focus only on today and on me.
The future is a phantom to spook you.
Rest, focus on me and watch what I will do for you."

The future is a phantom to spook you. I had to read that one several times and as I prayed the Lord gave me such peace over the word. I received every bit of it....every syllable. Thank you Lord. ONE day. THIS day. Let me take each day and rest in it, rest in YOU.
My Aunt used to sing this song, One Day At A Time, when I was a child. I relished and memorized every word. When I close my eyes, I can almost hear her voice as I imagine her perfectly golden hair and glistening lips as she sang the words. Throughout my childhood and teen years up to now, I have loved leaning back on the truths of that song. Yes, Lord...one.day.at.a.time. It is SO not easy. SO not the norm. Throughout this adoption process, it has been ALL about planning for the future. What she will look like, when we will travel, what we will need when we travel, how to prepare the nursery, when will we get the call, how to prepare for future holidays, what will our family picture look like, etc. Our minds have been consumed about the tomorrows of our adoption..not the today. Lord, today, I rest in you. I take today, my life, my family, my job, my tasks for the moment, and I make them matter for today. May I not press in to worry about tomorrow. May I not try to imagine..just rest. Lord, what you have for me, for us is far greater than I could imagine anyway. I shall (try) not waste my time...your time in pondering on such things that are too lofty for me to attain. thank you my sweet Lord.

Reason to Sing

2012-01-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

I have been praying for a word, a word from the Lord, a very specific word from Him. There has been silence. I have heard nothing. But I know my Lord has heard my plea. I have needed to hear from Him. I have longed for His word over this circumstance...but silence. It has been 2 months..and just silence. We have waited. I have waited. It has been difficult just pressing in, difficult just moving forward. Oh Lord, which way do you want us to go? Do you want us to hang in there? Do you want us to let this go? I need a word. I have pleaded my case before Him and I have been waiting. patiently. I have. I have been just waiting for His still small voice to speak to me.
Last Sunday I was sitting in church and having a difficult time entering into worship. I kept pressing through and felt the Lord whisper, "You will get a word today". Now..I thought He was just referring to the message from the pastor and that I would get an applicable life message that I could apply to me. I had no idea that the Lord was referring to THE word that I have been waiting for regarding our adoption. I began to relax and worship and felt my spirit melt in the goodness of His presence. Within a few minutes, my phone lit up in the darkness of the sanctuary. I quickly sat and reached for my phone. It was a text from a sweet friend of my mind. I read it immediately. She said, "Listening to a song that my husband worked on called "Reason to Sing" .." I need a reason to sing, I need to know that you're still holding the whole world in your hands. I need a reason to sing." It's a worship song...I thought of u when I heard it and about the adoption issues...its one of those songs to hear when things feel like they're going wrong. I want to send it to you."
My heart smiled greater than my face could even try. I knew the Lord had sent a sweet message through my friend. It took a week for my great package to arrive. I couldn't open it fast enough. Below is a link to the youtube. The words are pivotal. They reached my heart. A prayer. A prayer put into song. My prayer. A prayer I havent really been able to voice. What beautiful words. Following the song is a reprise. I have posted the lyrics. Scroll down to the bottom of this blog and turn off the playlist before hitting play on this youtube.

When the pieces seem too shattered to gather off the floor, And all that seems to matter is I don't feel you anymore. I don't feel you anymore.
I need a reason to sing. I need a reason to sing.
I need to know that you're still holding the whole world in your hands.
I need a reason to sing.

When I'm overcome by fear and I hate everything I know. If this waiting lasts forever, I'm afraid I might let go. I'm afraid I might let go.
I need a reason to sing. I need a reason to sing.
I need to know that you're still holding the whole world in your hands.
And I need a reason to sing.

Will there be a victory, will you sing it over me, now? Your peace is the melody. Will you sing it over me, now?
I need a reason to sing. I need a reason to sing. (repeat)
I need to know that you're still holding the whole world in your hands.
That is a reason to sing.

Reprise:
I will sing. I will sing. I will sing.
You are good Oh Lord. You are always the reason. You are good and Holy, Lord.
I will sing, sing, sing to my God, my King. I will sing, sing, sing to my God, my King.
And I will love, love, love with this heart you made for me.

(He's) Watching and (We're) Waiting

2011-12-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

There has been no word from the agency. Just silence. We have been taking our time to grieve as needed and not try to push past this quickly. God is good. No word from Him but I know He is watching over us, over me. His ways are higher than my ways. His plans are greater than my imagination could ever fathom. So, we wait. Each year, we place a new family ornament on the tree. We like to choose one that represents our year past. Some of ours in the past have been a little house (when we bought our home), or a red beautiful glass heart (when the Lord touched my hubby's heart and saved his life), or a little cow (when we lived on a farm when we first got married). Each Christmas season after the kids have adorned the tree with their ornaments, Chris and I take our time putting up our family ornaments. We chat about each one and the memories that accompany them. I am still stuck for an idea for this years ornament. I am debating a little timer or hourglass. It seems our theme has been 'waiting' this year. Not sure if that is a good summation but I am trying to stay positive.

sad does not describe...

2011-12-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Got a call yesterday, November 30, 2011 from the agency. My heart fluttered when I saw their name on the caller i.d. because usually they send emails regarding travel information. The fact that they were calling did not seem right. When I answered, Maxine asked if Chris was also available..at which time, I KNEW bad news was about to be delivered. She then proceeded to put me on speaker phone with two other agency representatives. In a somber voice, she told me that there had been a terrible mix up and that the orphanage had made a mistake and had given our little girl to another agency at the same time they had given her to our agency. The other family involved has just gone through court and now she is legally their little girl. Maxine simply stated, "we are considering this a loss of referral". I have heard that before. She delivered the SAME news on July 7, 2010 after C's heartattack.
A loss. A loss of a little girl. A loss of a child that we have been dreaming about bringing home. Sad does not begin to define the loss in my heart. My heart grieves. My soul sobs. My body aches. I have cried out to my Lord but silence greets me. I await His response and sit in this sunshine filled window...but my heart is not met with healing yet. The sun brings no rays of warmth to this dark place. I grieve. I wait. I am still.

Come On John!!!!

2011-11-17T06:30:00.000-08:00

Oh...we jest when we say, "now, just give me your John Hancock right here on the dotted line". It may be for the lengthy transcripts of the sale of a home or as simple as signing your child's homework reading log...but truly some signatures are literally holding up the lives of others. We are STILL waiting for a signature from the orphanage. It has been over two weeks since we were told that there was "movement" on our case and all they needed was a simple signature before assigning our court case. I have tried to be patient. I actually thought that it meant a 24 hour wait. So, I waited 24 hours. I mean, how long does it take for someone to put pen to paper? How long does it take to just simply put your JOHN HANCOCK ON THE DOTTED LINE?!!! I certainly did not fathom more than 2 weeks. I sent an email yesterday to the agency and she replied that they are still waiting and she has requested an update from the Ethiopian team. Oh Lord, please grant us favor. I know, I know, we are going to get the call soon enough, but it is sometimes these last few minutes in the midnight hour that make it the most difficult to maintain control.
SO, that is where we are. Really nowhere closer. We wait. Our little girl waits. Oh, how I long to see her, to even see a recent pic of her. The only one we have is when she was 6 months old. She is now 9 months old. I am wondering if her hair is grown out a little or her face changed. Ohhh the wait. Come on John, SIGN THE PAPER!!

MOOOOOOVEMENT on our case!!!

2011-11-04T06:36:00.000-07:00

The courts have been closed from Aug 7-Oct 13. It has been a long couple of months with no word. We have been waiting for the ET courts to assign us a court date. We just got an email saying that there is "movement" on our case!! Yippee!! They are waiting for a signature from the orphanage before they can submit our case to the courts. SOOOO, we have been praying for that to swiftly go through and there to be no complications!
While a tickle, a bubble, a little fiery flame is erupting inside of me, I am cautiously proceeding with a full on explosion of joy. We have been through SO MUCH. We have been here...in this spot...a little over a year ago. It was last May and June that we awaited a court date..and then my dearest had a heart attack and our lives changed forever. SO, this time, we are much more reserved in our emotions. This is what I DO know, the greatest Father of all, who loves me beyond what I could ever dream or imagine, has GOT THIS. He is fully aware of it all. So, I lay it in His hands...sometimes daily, sometimes hourly. ..rarely can I go weekly! It is quite more frequent ..and that is OK! My God has this and thankfully, I don't have to do anything else but trust in Him. LOL..not as easy as I just made it sound.
Well..much to do today. Let's start with some trusting....

We got a REFERRAL!!!

2011-08-28T16:26:00.001-07:00

August 2, 2011....we got our referral!! What a glorious day. We were on vacation in the Smoky Mtns for a family reunion and chose to spend this wonderful day at Dollywood.
I am telling you that this day couldn't have gone any better already. We were having a glorious time with our kids, cousins, and grandparents. Everyone was in a great mood, the park was not crowded at all, the rides were glorious, the shows fantastic, the lines short and sweet, and the refreshment of the getaway completely fulfilling. This is a picture of me just minutes before we got the call. We were watching a great show on Eagles and birds. Following the show, it was time to eat! As we approached the eateries, we stopped to check our options when my phone rang. It was our local social worker. As we had just been spending the last few weeks tidying up all of our dossier documents (again), I was confident that she had a question about our paperwork. Sure enough, this is how our conversation started... sweet steph, "Hey Shannon, are you near a computer?", me, "No, we are in the middle of Dollywood." We then discover that sweet steph had just been to Dollywood days before. sweet steph, "Do you think you can access a computer?" me, "uh..I think we will be able to when we get back to the cabin. We have some internet service there, but we won't be getting back til later this afternoon." sweet steph, "hmmm, ok..." me, "Is there a problem with our paperwork?". sweet steph, "NO, there is just a little girl in ET that is waiting on you to bring her home!!!!!!!!". AAAAAAGHHHHH! The tears started rolling. At this point, I am standing in the middle of a thoroughfare in the middle of Dollywood. Chris is wondering how long this convo is going to last so we can order food, the folks that are moving around me are wondering when I am going to get out of the way, and the kids are hungry and tugging at my side. I slowly moved to the edge of the sidewalk with obvious 'ugly cry' emotions running wild. This kind of a cry usually emits the 'there's been a death in the family' kind of alarm. I could see it on their faces as my family looked at me with horror. Grandma comes up and asks what is wrong. All I can manage to whisper is, "we have our girl!!!!!" She knew instantly. Smiles began to abound as she passed the word along. To be honest, I can't even remember Chris' reaction at that point. I believe his back had been to me all this time with his eyes glued to the menu board of the restaurant!! But when Grandma spread the news, Chris was by my side in an instant. He was glued to me, our hearts as one. We stood there in the middle of Dollywood as sweet steph gave beautiful details. I tilted the phone and we shared ear to ear the first news about our little girl. From beginning to end of the phone call my emotions were in full throttle. Chris was in shock. It was surreal. We were in the midst of themepark extravaganza and were experiencing our own thriller of a rollercoaster ride. It was so amazing. The Lord couldn't have picked a better place or time to deliver the news. It was almost as if the Lord wanted to provide the best backdrop. Sure, I wouldn't have personally picked this particular place, but God did. Kind of like, "here ya' go. This is a celebration time, a time of rejoicing, fun, being surrounded by the people you love. This is the time, the moment that I want to share something special with you!!"
It is funny, because the rest of our time at Dollywood was pretty much a blur. Sweet steph sent a pic of her to my phone. It was like my lifeline. I looked at that pic every few minutes. Smiles couldn't be hidden. I was distracted constantly as I read bits of her history over my smartphone in the tiniest print. I did this til my battery faded away.
Here is a pic of us that evening after our big reunion dinner.
What a glorious night. We were able to share our news with the big family clan. We can't post pics of her until we pass court, so that is why she is blurred out in the image. I can't wait to share her pic later!! She is absolutely the most beautiful doll I have ever seen. Our sweet little daughter. Cannot wait to bring her home!!

Bringing everyone up to speed

2011-08-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

4 days after my last post, our family's lives changed forever. To keep things super simple, my sweet hubs had a heart attack, died in my arms in the ER, and was revived 35 minutes and 11 shocks later. Our lives have never been the same. Following that most incredible miracle, we spent the summer recovering physically and emotionally. We lost the referral of our baby girl and were put on a six month hold on the adoption.
THAT is the brief update. SO much has happened in the meantime. Mainly, our Lord gave us a beautiful new perspective on life. Each day is incredibly new. It's not just about not 'sweating the small stuff' but about making the big stuff what it should be. While being disappointed beyond belief that we were not able to bring home our little girl, we knew God's plan was so much bigger. We began to look at the process in a completely different way. We completely relinquished the process to Him. Before, we were looking at the phone and emails constantly...waiting on the latest news in our process. We were anxious and ever trying to speed up the process by rushing to get documents and paperwork done. But, after our miracle intervention on June 6, 2010, God could not have been more clear. The timing is in HIS hands. Nothing we can do can change that.
SO, we have approached this second waiting with a completely new heart. Following a 6 month hiatus, we were informed that we had to redo all of our paperwork, dossier, homestudy, fingerprints...EVERYTHING. Basically, it was like starting all over from ground zero. We did it, smiles in tow, no rushing. God's timing. We did it all. As a matter of fact, we signed the last bits of documents on July 13.
We havent been anxiously looking at the phone or emails. ..just waiting on the Lord. Okay...I have to admit, I have inquired a few times with the agency..but not harassed.
This past week, Aug 2, 2011, while walking through the streets of Dollywood with the family, WE GOT THE CALL!! THE CALL! THE CALL! Did you hear me?!!! THE call! more details to come in next post!!!!

Momma's coming. Hang in there!

2010-06-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is it! a super new picture of Mussie Orphanage where our little girl is. Inside those walls....through those windows, is our little girl! Wonder what she is doing? Is she crying? Is she laughing? Is someone holding her, hugging her, kissing on her? I can't wait. This picture is from another family from our agency who just visited Mussie. I loved reading her blog and trying to place myself in her shoes. In only a few weeks, I WILL be there!
My little girl is there. ..behind those precious teal walls. Hold on baby, we are coming! We are praying for you constantly! We carry your precious picture with us everywhere we go. It is pasted all over our house. I kiss your precious lips and cheeks every night before I close my eyes. You are in my heart sweetie until I can get you in my arms forever! sleep tight!

2010-05-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl is here: Mussie Orphanage. It is located in Southern Ethiopia. It is a single story building that I believe has somewhere around 60+ orphans currently. Last night, I was researching this orphanage and found a blog of a gal who has just returned with her son from there. They were actually there when our little girl had just been placed just 2 weeks ago. It is so possible that she may have even seen her. As I read about her experience, I tried to place myself there. That is so hard to do! More though...my heart cried out. She said that the orphanage had a great need for baby clothing and that the infants and babes wore no clothes during the day but a simple cloth to apparently act as some sort of diaper. She said that the babies were placed in diapers in the evenings so as to conserve the diapers as much as possible. Instantly, I pictured our little girl with no covering. Although the picture I have of her displays her with a cute little outfit, it is highly possible that she was simply dressed for picture day. I have not stopped crying.
I could not help myself today but to run over to Goodwill and find as many onesies, tops, and outfits I could fit in my armload so that we can bring them to the orphanage. I got 17 of them. 17...that is nothing. There are so many needs. I pray for wisdom as we prepare to travel and for the means to get us there and for the treasures that we can bring them.
I will post more later of the process that is still to come. ;)

We got the REFERRAL!

2010-05-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

May 7th, 2010 at 2:42pm the phone rang. Chris and I were getting ready to take a quick nap. He had worked all day..been up since 2am. We heard the phone ring. My heart jumped as usual but I was not expecting THIS call. Chris leaned over and glanced at the caller i.d. He said, " It is someone from Twin Cities, MN". I could not tell him to answer it fast enough! He gave me the phone but wasnt sure that THIS was THE call. I could tell he was skeptical, as was I. After all, we have had so many discouragements, it has been almost better to not expect the call than to expect it. Sweet Amy, our sw, quietly said, "Hi, Shannon". In her solemn tone, I was sure she was responding to an email I had sent her earlier this morning expressing more discouragement. I was preparing myself for her comforting words of how we are close to the top or we are almost there....but she didnt say any of this. Instead, the next 4 words will forever be engraved in my memory. Amy said, "Today is the day". Her soft tone was so calm and collect. As I type this, I am crying. It was beyond a sweet moment. I said, "really?"...."yes!", she said. She asked Chris to get on the other line. Funny how it seemed to take.him.forever.to.get.to.the.other.phone. My hand gestures of 'hurry up!' were not seeming to help either!
When Chris got on the phone, Amy sweetly and slowly began to give us the details of our daughter. OUR DAUGHTER! "She is 6 months old. She was born in the Southern region of Ethiopia..." Her history was so beautiful to hear. I clung to every word. I scrambled to write down the details even though she promised to send them via email within minutes. Chris and I looked at each other across the kitchen counter as she spilled every word about our daughter. I couldnt see half the time as tears filled my eyes. "Do you have any questions?", she asked. Nothing..nothing came to my mind. I have been waiting for 2 1/2 years and I had NO questions. "That is okay", Amy said. "Usually there is not much to say at this time." Chris popped up with a question about travel time. Good question, honey! She told us that we would be traveling to court in 2-3 months and then we will travel 6 weeks later to bring her home! Glory to God! We have our girl. Our prayers are that everything goes according to plan: that we travel safely, before courts close, that we pass court, that we bring her home before her first birthday, that she remains healthy, that our children are covered during our travels, that we stay healthy before, during, and after travels, that there are NO complications.
PTL! We got the call!

Top of the list

2010-04-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday. A beautiful day. It has been a beautiful week as a matter of fact. But the sunshine seemed not to be shining so brightly on Thursday in my heart. I had just stumbled upon another blogger who had reportedly gotten their referral for a baby girl from ET. Not only that, but they had also gotten their court date already. They are also from TN. They are with a different agency and she had been put on the wait list in February of 2010. She was immediately placed at #19 on the list. And now..just a few months later, she has a picture of her beauty in her hands. This news seemed to penetrate deeply. I do not know this family. I do not know their circumstances. But...it seemed to make my circumstances so much more evident. We have been on the waitlist since August of 2008. We have been given no # on the waitlist. We have no referral. no court date. no picture to hold in our hands. I instantly sent a message to our sw in MN. After my plea for more detailed, comforting information, I decided I could not wait for a reply via email, so I called. She picked up! Amy was incredibly helpful. All in all, she said that we were at the top of the list. She said we are next. They are simply waiting for more referrals to come in from ET. I get it. Each agency is different. What seems odd is the incredible difference in timing for different families.
After I got off the phone, I melted just a bit. I just cried out. Amy had been very helpful, very comforting, very informative of the process. STILL the moment consumed me and I allowed all kinds of emotions to take place. While I know my Savior lives, I couldn't help but to buckle a bit under all the swirlies going on in my brain. Knowing this was taking place, I knew I had to do something. I reached above me to the bookshelf next to my chair and grabbed my devotional. (Notice I did not get up--that might have been too much for me). But thankfully, my devotional sat there waiting for me. As I flipped to that days date, glancing through watery eyes, I knew it was just what I needed. Its message was clear: Be thankful. As I read through it, I was convicted. I was questioning my Lord's ability to run this whole shindig. I was thinking perhaps I had a better plan. Wow. It is good that He doesn't pull back the curtain to the heavenly realms and let me peek in. It would be too much for me to understand. He asks that we live by faith, not by sight. The Lord's ever watchful eyes and careful hands have so tenderly orchestrated every moment leading up to us being at the top of the list. Everything from who our little girl is to who within the agency will be the one looking over her file and ours in order to make the perfect match. We are on our 12th social worker. 12th! It has taken lots of directing to get her to this point!
Needless to say, I am thankful. Tired..but thankful. I immediately emailed my sw back giving my gratitude and explaining my devotional. I wanted her to know how so very special she is in the process to us. The Lord has ordained her to be in this very place in our lives. How so beautiful.
She emailed back not too long after stating how it had made her day! how sweet! The Lord promises as we refresh others, we, ourselves will be refreshed. so true!
In a nutshell, we are at the top of the list. I am praying my next post will bring THE news!

It is Well

2010-04-10T13:18:00.001-07:00

On Monday, Chris and I were able to steal away for a night to the Inn at Evins Mill. It is a precious bed and breakfast Inn that is tucked away in a very rural area with beautiful natural landmarks. It was a PERFECT getaway...so very needed for the both of us. The Lord was completely blessing us each step of the way with perfect weather, perfect room with super big porch, perfect food, perfect solitude and quietness of nature. This was SO perfect that I completely forgot to check out our agency hotline update which usually goes up every monday. Guess what? I didnt check it until Tuesday morning! Upon my surprise, I found that they are FINALLY giving referrals for infants to those who started their wait in August '08. THAT'S US!! Our official wait date (which is when our dossier landed in ET) is Aug 8, '08. This precious date of 08-08-08 is also the awesome birth of our sweet nephew, little O AND the birthdate of my awesome big brother! SO...needless to say, it is a divine date. What does all this mean? Well, that we are getting closer. Unfortunately, the dark side to that kind of news can reinstate a new level of anxiety; ie. checking my phone every hour or so to make sure it is ON, making sure my phone is with me at all times, panicking if I have missed a call, etc. This is NOT good. The blessing is that peace comes when you ask for it.
Today, I was surrounded by my precious girl friends in a our ladies leader group from church. I confessed my slight obsession and asked that peace come. Before leaving, they beautifully prayed over me a prayer of peace and contentment and that the call would come in the Lord's perfect timing. Even more so, as the tears rolled down my cheek, they prayed for our sweet little girl, that angels would protect her in every way. I am resting in that peace. I have included a pic from our stay at the Inn of the waterfall that we were so very blessed to enjoy all to ourselves that day. It was beyond glorious. The peace that flowed from that river was unbelievable. There was such a draw, such an attraction that it was magnetizing. Almost like the glow of fire that captures your soul instantly as you fade into its depths of glowing coals, we would just sit there in the beauty of God's creation without words to express. That peace is what I am trying to cling onto as we wait for the call. There is no way we could get any closer as far as notices from the hotline. So truly, the wait is on but so is the peace. It is well :)

A note from our Agency today...

2010-03-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

You are getting so close to a referral so hopefully I’ll be able to call you soon! We did receive a good number of referrals this month so that was very encouraging to see some movement.

Like sands through the hour glass...

2010-03-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

It is getting to the nail biting, clock ticking, sand dribbling moments around here. SURELY our time is coming closer. Today, we found out that there were 14 referrals given out last week. 14! 14! Okay, there was absolutely NO indication whether these were infants, toddlers, sibling groups or what. That is where the mystery lies. The last news we were given was that there were less than 15 families ahead of us. I am assuming that means infant referrals since our sw indicated that they were already jumping ahead of us to give out older children referrals. So, there is no way of knowing exactly how many infant referrals were given out last week. Unfortunately, the agency does not believe in being specific AT ALL. So..this means waiting. Gee...waiting. What a thought. Oh sure..I will just wait. no problem :). I never thought of that. Whew. That is all I have to do.
I will have to say that there was some victory today. I mean, I did not check the agency website for the update as soon as I woke up this morning. And I did not check it 10 minutes after that or 10 minutes after that, or an hour later, etc. I actually FORGOT to check it this morning. I consider that somewhat of success. I have been slightly obsessive about checking it every Monday morning. ..just slightly. If the laptop is conveniently located at my bedside, I barely open my eyes to pull it close to check for the update...never mind that the office isn't even open for business yet. That doesnt cross my mind until AFTER I have checked it a couple of times. Then I usually try to hold myself off until atleast 9am. usually no news. So, I wait until 10 and check it again..and then 10:20, 10:30, 11. Usually by 11am, it has been posted. But today, I didnt even check it until 4 pm! Do you see the victory here?!!! I had actually prayed last week that I would let it go. That I would not be so obsessed with counting the numbers and trying to guesstimate the possible week or even day that we might get the phone call. I waited until 4pm! Please, please hold the applause. Save it up. I am believing for even better news to come.
Continue to be praying for the Ethiopian govt to be blessed by the adoption agencies that are working in ET right now. There have apparently been some mishaps (details unknown) of families getting through half the adoption and then pulling out. This has created a new policy that was put into place last week that will require us to travel TWICE before picking up our little girl. This was not sweet news to my ears. But as my wise husband announced, "Hon, we are still getting our little girl. So what if we are traveling twice to get her. We are still going to bring her home!" Wise wise words. My worries fled. We are just praying that the country will not shut down or create more difficulties for families in the adoption process.

Referral Update

2010-02-24T07:28:00.000-08:00

Our agency posted the latest hotline update from last week. Only ONE referral was given out last week. I promptly sent an email to our sw who replied quickly and said she has no real answers as to the reasons for the slow progress. She confirmed that there are less than 15 families ahead of us. This is NOT the number that I had been configuring. As a matter of fact, I was convinced it was less than 10. But the reason is because, as the sw also confirmed, that they have gone out of order to other families past our date because they had requested older children. So...if it they continue to give ONE referral per week, then we could be looking at a good THREE MORE MONTHS. This just makes me get on my knees harder. Whatever the circumstances are that are surrounding our little girl are of utmost importance. I dont know what is going on with her...her birth, her mother, her safety, her care. My prayers are that the Lord hastily put a protective shield around her. That He send a host of angels to comfort her. Aaaagh...my heart is aching, my throat is hurting. May the Lord bring her to us soon.

The Hard Truth about conditions for Women in Ethiopia

2010-02-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

I am part of several blog groups that discuss and support Ethiopian adoption. I just ran across a blog article that describes some of the hard truths that surround so much of the difficult lives that women face in Ethiopia. I have read some of these in the past, but it was good to get a refresher to remind myself of some more areas to pray for when I lift up that precious country. If you want to read the full article, click here. I am including a brief clip of the truths below which describe some of the very reasons that women in Ethiopia are currently using sticks to abort babies. It is a sad truth this is rampant across the area. These beautiful women, some very young girls are faced with horrors that we can't really imagine.

Poverty

The statistics – and the realities of life in much of Ethiopia – are harsh. Over 85% of Ethiopian women live in rural areas where poor families are primarily engaged in subsistence agriculture. Over 65% of the population of 75 million people live below the poverty level. One in five children will not live to see their fifth birthday. Life expectancy is not quite 55 years. Nearly half of the population is undernourished and famine is a recurring problem.

Illiteracy

Ethiopia has among the worst rates of school enrollment for girls in Africa. The literacy rate for girls and women in Ethiopia is just 35%. When girls and women have access to education and are able to read, their status and the wellbeing of their families improves significantly.

Violence against women

In Ethiopia, almost 60 percent of women have been subjected to sexual violence including rape. Abortion is linked to violence, as approximately 25% of women seeking an abortion are pregnant as a result of rape. Ethiopian women face further violence in the form of early and forced marriage or marriage by abduction. Although it is hard to believe, an estimated 72% of women are married by abduction, a practice that often involves rape. According to one study, 85% of women believe their husbands have the right to beat them if they burn food, refuse sex, or go somewhere without their husband’s consent.

The Hotline update...for the week of Feb 8-12

2010-02-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

The weekly program hotline is intended to provide a brief overview of recent referral activity, travel and other news in the Ethiopia program. Referral and travel activity that directly affects you will not be posted here until you have been notified. Please remember to contact your Ethiopia specialist for more information specific to your adoption process.
• 1 child was referred to 1 family
• 4 children/3 families passed through court
• 0 children/0 families court dates were postponed
• 6 families arrived in Ethiopia to complete their child's US immigrant visa process for 10 children.

• CHSFS confirms that several families have assigned court dates through February 18.
• We estimate that the wait for referral for children newborn to 24 months of age may now be approximately 16 - 24 months. The referral wait time for children over two years old may now be approximately 3 - 15 months.
• Families more flexible with regard to age, gender, number of children and known medical issues can expect a wait toward the shorter end of this range.
• The future wait time for either an older child or a sibling referral remains difficult to predict.
• Families most recently matched with a child under 12 months of age with few known health concerns began their wait in July 2008.
• Please note that there is no wait for referral when adopting through our Waiting International Children (WIC) program.
• The current wait from referral acceptance to travel has ranged between 4-6 months, with several variables unique to some cases impacting that timing.

SO, WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN????!!!
Hanging in there! So, now there is apparently less than 9 families ahead of us. woop woop! In the meantime, I MUST add a picture of what is currently going on our lives other than adoption waiting. It is SNOW!!!

We are thrilled. I have to say that though, that I am not opposed to the kids having school every now and then despite the white stuff. We are getting super crazy creative around here to keep it interesting. Today, it is rubberband guitars and homemade wholegrain pancakes. This is just breakfast, folks. I will have to keep you posted about the rest of our day!!

less than 10 families ahead of us!!

2010-02-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, since my last post, I have been keeping close tabs on the referrals going out weekly to families. To date, there have been 15 referrals sent out since the last post. That means that we are down to 10 families or less ahead of us!!! It has been interesting to see the progress...slow as it is, but it is a sure indication that the Lord is making sure we get the right little girl for us. Two weeks ago, there were 10 referrals given out which had knocked us down to 10, but last week, there were 0 referrals. What a huge disappointment. So, back to waiting patiently, which as I tell my little one, "that is waiting with a smile on your face!". I am trying super hard to not concentrate on the "is today the day?, could it be?, I can't imagine!!, what am I going to be doing when we get the call?, what if I am in the car and not near my computer?!!". All of those questions may seem silly but they are totally comforting and yet super time consumers when you are THIS close.
My heart is thrilled though to still be hearing of more and more families adopting in our area. My prayer is that more and more families will capture the vision that these precious children, whether here, there, or anywhere, need loving families to take them in and love on them. We are not here on this earth to simply live life to the fullest and get all we can get out of it. We are not here to partake of every life opportunity so that we can say "We did it!". Nope...we are here to bless, to serve, to love, to grow, to help, to disciple, and to care. It is so easy to think about ourselves, how we are being neglected, how we are being deprived of this and that. BUT spend 10 minutes..no just 3 or 4 looking at the lives of children who are being held in orpanages all over the world who may not even get one meal a day, whose clothes (if any) are ripped and dirty, whose feet are not clothed with warm fuzzy socks or right sized shoe, whose arms need someone to wrap around, whose hearts are waiting for their opportunity to live in a forever family. Then, then...hearts might change, but only if they are willing to accept the responsibility that comes with an open, loving, giving, caring heart. Some of us might even feel a little empathy towards such a vast number precious children, but not the calling. Okay, then what? Just turn a blind eye? NO, my prayer is that those that are willing but maybe not called to adopt, will atleast search the possibility of helping in some small way other than lending a nice comment here and there. That may be simply sponsoring a child through an organization like World Vision or Compassion International. Or perhaps traveling across the globe to help build a well or shelter for orphans. Would it be possible to visit the local shelter downtown or soup kitchen and serve to families who have no home? I shall step down from my soap box. I know the Lord is doing amazing things in the hearts of His people. I heard just recently a quote from John Piper that I shall bless you with, "The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2042 (32 years from now) minorities will make up more than 50% of the population. We do not look with alarm or threat on this. This is the way heaven will be. “You were slain [Lord Jesus], and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9). "

2 more months..perhaps

2010-01-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

We are in the middle of updating our homestudy. It has been 2 years since we started the process and it is time to go through all the hodge podge of paper work again. It is not as detailed but still tedious and time consuming. There is nothing fast about getting five family members physicals with specific qualifications needed on the paperwork. Especially during school and with an office who isn't very comfortable drawing blood from children. So, then, there is the trip to the hospital lab where they are super pros. But first, you have to check the kids out of school again and on a different day because the two other two hour doctor visits in the office took up all your free time. I am not complaining. Doing all of this is worth it. It is. Today, we had to trek across town to the sheriff's office to apply to get police clearance letters. We will pick them up on Friday when they are ready. Liam got a cool sheriff's badge, of which he was proud to wear all day! After that, we traveled down to Spring Hill to get our FBI, TBI fingerprinting done. This is NOT the same as the immigration fingerprints which are done in downtown Nashville. NOPE. same fingers, just different prints. go figure. :).
We are almost done with some of the other items on our checklist. We need to get a carbon monoxide detector...and get the kiddos to write a letter about how they feel about getting a new sister. We need to make tax paper copies and insurance copies and oh...drive across town to pick up our lab results from the doctor's office. It seems to be a lot of running around and honestly, it seems like nothing is getting done because you know what? ...our little girl isnt here yet. BUT boy...she is worth it. My prayers are nonstop. I am praying for her safety and health. I pray for blessings over her mom. I pray for her care at the orphanage. I dont even know if she is born yet. But...I have a feeling she is. Something very strong in November came across me. I could be very wrong. I chalk it up to mother's intuition. We will see :). In the meantime, we wait. trying to wait with patience and fewer tears and more faith. Today we got an email from our social worker. She offered words of encouragement and a hint that we are about 2 months away from a referral...for REAL. She gave no definite numbers but indicated strongly that there are fewer than 25 families ahead of us. Considering that there are currently over 425 families signed up with this agency, we are pretty high on the charts. I cant believe it.
I would love to hear from you if you are keeping up with our news. I love the support that we have been getting from everyone. It has certainly been a God-send. It has been a long 2 years which was reportedly only supposed to be 6-9 months. We appreciate every word of hope and support, every prayer lifted up on behalf of our sweet little girl. Blessings to you!

Moving closer

2010-01-05T09:19:00.001-08:00

I believe it was the week of Christmas or the week before that I found out that the agency is now making referrals for families whose wait times started in July of 08. It took them about 6 weeks or so to get through June. It is really up in the air how long it will take them to get through July. The agency refuses to give out information like how many families are in the waiting times for each month, or how close you might really be. It has always been this ever extended time span. Originally, it was 6-9 months. That quickly moved to 12, 14, 16, 18 and now 24 months. For us, it should be around the 18 month range...but again, we are just waiting for the Lord on this one. I have a feeling that our sweetie is born now. I have been praying for her fervently. I am hoping and praying that they will travel quickly through the July referrals and onto the August families. That is US!! So, we COULD hear something really soon ...like in the next few weeks. That is my prayer. :)
In the meantime, I am excited to announce that our friends from church will be traveling in 2 days to go pick up their son from ET. They have a sweet story. Their time span has been less than 6 months. God matched them with a precious 6 year old boy who is anxiously awaiting his forever family. I am excited for the Wortons! Can't wait to hear how their trip goes. I saw them at Walmart the other day making last minute shopping trips before they leave. So sweet. I can only imagine how crazy it will be when we are just days away from meeting our daughter. Actually, I can't imagine. It seems so surreal right now.
My next blog, I will tell how we have given our sweetie a name.

things are moooooovin'

2009-11-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

We got an email last week that the referral dates are moving forward. They have now begun matching families who began their wait in June of 2008. Yea!!!! Our waiting date is August 8. So....that is good news. We are getting closer. You know how a cow moves slowly across the pasture? Even when they run, they seem to be moving in slow motion? That is like this process. It is definitely MOOOOOOOO-ving. ..just in slow motion.
In other news, we met our 11th Social Worker the other day. She is quite sweet and has been through the adoption twice herself. She has a daughter from China and a son from Korea, and she just gave birth to a little girl. Our new sw was here to help us begin the process of updating our homestudy. It is a process of a couple of home visits, a billion questions, lots more paperwork, a few hundred dollars, and some more visits to the doctor, police station, etc. Hopefully, this will keep our minds busy on the process and not so much on the lack of progress :).
I am so very thankful for the sweet questions that drift in from all over, inquiring of our sweet little girl. She is so very loved and doesn't even know it yet :). I can't wait to wrap my arms around her precious little self.
My prayers are to keep patient and my eyes on the Lord as He is in complete control of EVERYTHING. How so very sovereign He is. There is nothing new to him. Nothing that gets past his ever seeing eyes. Nothing that He can't fix or undo. I am thankful for my Lord...and thankful for the faithful prayers of my friends and family.
Blessings to all of you!

Miscommmmmmm

2009-08-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

Okay....yesterday..the day after I received the news that they were matching June 08 families, we got a corrective email stating that they had made a mistake. Correction, they are still matching families from May 08. Ugh..what a balloon popper. But that is not where the balloon popping stops. I received an email within minutes from our international agency to check with our local agency on the status of our homestudy expiration date. This is to assure that everything will stay up to date as we get closer. I believe they are only valid for one year, which means we are up for an update, but we have never received a call from our local agency. Anyway, I called them--our local agency--- yesterday and asked for our new social worker, Tracey. Our previous sw went on maternity leave earlier this year and will not be returning. Okay..you do remember that through this process we are on our 4th sw from this agency and our 5th sw from our international agency. That means 9 social workers!!! So, guess what they said?!!! "Oh, she no longer works here!!!". At first, I thought I had said her name wrong. So, I jumped in real quick, "Oh...I mean Stacey". .."No ma'am there is no one here by that name." "Oh, so it is Tracey? Wait, where is she? What do you mean she no longer works there? I havent received any notices or phone calls about this? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!!!!!". I ended up getting some very vague answers about how everyone that used to work in that agency no longer works there. I have been assigned an interim social worker because they are currently brokering out social workers to hold up the firm because there are over 80 families who are currently in their system waiting for little children. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!! It seems unbelieveable to me. This is like what happens to other people..not me. And ..of no surprise, my new social worker will be out of the office until Thursday, because she only works on Mondays and Thursdays. How convenient! So, let's recap. We are on our 10th social worker now. You can imagine why you might have found me a few minutes later on my bed crying. This has been an unbelieveable ride so far. All the stories that I have heard of other families sailing through their adoption process, we are not one of them. I have heard of others encountering bumps in the road. But let me just say this...in full faith and confidence...No matter what schemes the enemy may plan to halt, delay, discourage, or rip a part, my God is greater, bigger, better, smarter, and has been victorious in every battle He has ever been in. If my God can conquer the grave...death itself, then minor social worker changes and time delays will not stop His plans for matching us with our daughter whom He predestined to be in our family before I took my first breath. I am feeling better today about the whole thing..yup...better. Will I recommend this local agency to anyone?...uh...probably not :).

We are gettin' closer!!

2009-08-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

"Families most recently matched with a child under 12 months of age with few known health concerns began their wait in June 2008."

This was the email that we received today from our agency. This news is tickling to my soul. We began our official wait 'on the list' in August of 08. That means that soon soon soon, they will be getting to the batch of families whose wait began in July and then August. woohooooo!
While the wait has seemed so so very long, and as we have seen other families who signed up after us already travel to get their little ones in ET, we have been diligently praying for wisdom and peace and patience. All the while, we have never felt led to leave our agency....despite the lengthening wait times. God matched us to our little sweetie before we even signed on the dotted line. And He knows exactly how to bring her to us. The closer we get, the more excited I become. The more I realize how none of this in our control. And that is the beauty of it all. For any of us to think that we might have been accidently placed in the wrong family has some revelations a comin'!! No matter what our circumstances, backgrounds, problems, upbringings,etc, there is such a plan over our lives that promises nothing but blessings. I can't wait to bring our beautiful little girl home and hold her and tell her that she is now in her forever family. Awh...sigh....I can't wait to see her face...to hold her hands ..to rock her to sleep and tell her how much she is loved. Soon we will be getting her picture. oh...joy!

Life Lessons from a Blackberry Picker: Focus on the Fruit Not the Thorns

2009-07-07T17:09:00.000-07:00

We have been living on our property for five years now. Six beautiful acres, half of them wooded, the other half pasture. Last year, we discovered that the large bushes that surrounded our back pasture were actually wild blackberry bushes. I am not sure how we missed it before, but it has been like finding diamonds in the bottom of a sandbox...pure treasure.
The season for wild blackberries start about two weeks before the fourth of July. About every other day, I can go out and pick 2 or more cups of blackberries. During my picking experiences these past few weeks, I have discovered that the act is very much a humorous event for any onlookers (praying that none are humans!) and also a life lesson. I thought I would share a bit with you from what I have learned while picking wild blackberries.
1. Wear big boots with your long jeans tucked inside: Chiggers are nonforgiving. They love me. I can't help it but I am totally sweeeeeeet. You might be too.
2. If you want to work on your tan, wear a strapless tanktop but beware of high branches and thorns that grab to clothing. I learned also that when you make sudden jerky movements from possible insect invasion, the strapless tanktop can completely fall down. Assuming that no farming neighbors can see through the brush, you will be in the clear. Just re-adjust and move on. Focus on the fruit.
3. Gloves would be nice but would completely hinder the proper picking methods. You must feel the fruit in order to pick it right. The soft ripening fruit must be plucked gently at the base. Gloves get tangled in all the thorns. Plus when you jerk and scream from the ants crawling up your arm, you are less likely to drop what is in your hands.
4. Fast sudden movements while in the midst of picking the berries can cause severe damage to the outer epithelial layer of your skin. You might come out looking like you have been in a cat fight..but focus on the fruit not the thorns, you are doing great!!!
5. If you hear a rustle, shudder, scratch, tweek, or shuffle in the wooded area that you are picking, just be very still. It is possible that it could be deer, birds, small rabbits, big rabbits, moles, snakes, or even a skunk.
6. If you smell a skunk after you have heard the rustle, shudder, scratch, tweek, or shuffle, you can be pretty sure it was a skunk. Check to make sure you weren't directly sprayed.
7. It is hard to run fast in large boots with your long jeans tucked in. So, if you hear a rustle, shudder, scratch, tweek, or shuffle and you are convinced that it could perhaps be a mountain lion or bear, be aware that you will not be able to outrun them.
8. Try NOT to predetermine newspaper headlines like, "Woman killed in her backyard while picking blackberries from a wild animal..." It is completely counterproductive. Focus on the fruit. Say a prayer or two. Remember that silly distractions can keep us from really getting the job done....focus on the fruit!
9. If you feel a slight amount of pressure hovering above your head and you think it is just tree leaves resting on your crown, look up! It could be an intricate web of hundreds of caterpillars who have made their temporary home in the branch above you. Do not panic. After screaming modestly with a tight cling to the berry bucket, just hunker down and move along. Remember, focus on the fruit.
10. Finally, when you return from your adventure that has lasted a good hour in the hot smoldering heat, and your shirt is torn, and your arms are bleeding from the thorny scratches, and your clothes are soaked from hardworking sweat, and your face is covered with red smudges from the multiple attempts to swat away the bugs with your berry covered fingers, and your hair is teased from the thorny bushes that grabbed hold with every tuck, bend, and gather under the branches, and you have had to sacrifice a few precious berries from the near death escapes from critter attack, your children might see you come in with your bucket of berries and say, "That's ALL you picked?!!". With a smile full of joy, say, "Yes, my loves, that's it and it was worth every moment". Because when you bite into that juicy fruit and taste its natural sweetness and relish its tangy flavor, it is nothing but sweet satisfaction. It is a dream come true, a moment where you realize that the very piece of fruit you have eaten was created just for you by the God of heaven above, and you are loved, you are special, you are blessed. And this fruit is not just for you, it is for you to share. To spread the goodness to others, to share all your trials and tribulations and yet display the very fruit from the labor, to be an encouragement and joy. Oh..it's not just about the pickin', or the fruit or the thorns or the slim escapes from tethered tangles of vines,it's the whole adventure. It's the process, the before, the during,and the after. And if you can't see it while you are in it, just focus on the fruit, not the thorns. You will get to taste it's sweet goodness when the time is ripe, I mean right.

Our Friends are off to ET today!!!

2009-05-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We are SOOOOOOOOOO excited for our fellow cub scouting family, the Garners, who leave today for ET to pick up their daughter. She is absolutely beautiful!!
Please lift them up as they travel this week. They have been so blessed to get some awesome pictures and video footage of their little girl, Hope. If you click on the video above, please mute our music at the bottom of the page.
Also, go check out their story...it is an amazing one...click here!

A Family Night Devotional

2009-03-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

I just found out about this great family devotional book. It is geared toward encouraging you and your family to have atleast one special night a week where you grow together as a family in the Lord and have lots of fun doing it! I am looking into getting a copy for our family! We have family nights on most Friday nights. These are something the kids TOTALLY look forward to. The kids usually get to pick out the meal that we are going to make, including a special dessert. In addition, we pick different activities to do that night which range from watching movies to playing board games and making crafts. The fun about this new book, Catching Fireflies, is that it has done all the work for you. There is no extra planning needed. What fun?!! I have enjoyed that the kids look forward to family nights. I know we are creating memories and a tradition that I pray will carry on to their families one day. I encourage you to FIRST, start a family day tradition...even if it is once a month right now. THEN, check out this new book. I can't say that I have tried it out yet..but from what I have read so far, I am a fan already. Check out their website here.
If you already have a family night going in your traditions. I would love to hear from you. I love to hear what other families are doing!!

Rain, snow, sunshine....

2009-02-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

It is getting colder outside. Tomorrow's forecast projects snow. Wouldn't that be lovely? Inside, I sit in my favorite chair...feet propped up onto the ottomon. My cozy warm sweater seems to hold off the chill in the air.
The phone just rang...and ironically it was our adoption coordinator through our agency. My heart sank just a little and I held my breath as I thought...'Is this the phonecall?!!' Unfortunately, she immediately squashed that thought with her introduction, "I am not calling with any great news, just checking in."
oooohhhh ...sigh...time to breathe. I knew it was probably not even possible, but a girl can dream can't she? It would have been nice for, "Shannon, we have some great news. We have your little girl!"
Nope..the news that she brought actually seemed to bring the chill right back. She said that they are possibly looking at even longer wait times. Currently, the time is approximately 1 year from acceptance date. Ours is August 8th. She went on to say that the time from referral to travel has also been extended. It used to be around 5 weeks. Now, it is approximately 4 months. So....let's do some figuring.
IF we get a referral before the courts close for the entire month of August, that would be the end of July, we would not travel until possibly December. IF we get a referral AFTER the courts close...meaning..in September, we are looking at NEXT year before we travel. Are you kidding me?!! It is still just the second month of 2009. Wow. It is highly possible that our little girl hasnt even been conceived yet.
Somedays, I am great with that and other days, it seems like an eternity.
As a matter of fact, it is harder when other newer agencies are able to process more quickly.
Our coordinator also confirmed that when Guatemala and Vietnam closed their countries to adoption, that those people transferred their requests to ET. This all happened after Chris and I had chosen ET but we were not on the waiting list. So, all those folks were able to quickly get in line before us. We almost chose Vietnam or Guatemala...but God led us to ET..instead..knowing our little girl is there waiting on us. It is in HIS hands.
I can't get depressed or sad for very long. There are things to do. Others are doing work on my behalf abroad. I need to get the things done here that must be done. Hi Ho Cheerio! Chin up! Look for the sunshine not the rain (or snow)!

Partial Update

2008-12-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

What a perfect day to catch up on blogging. It is rainy and cold outside. The kids are snuggled in their beds for a nap, and I am snuggled in mine too. I have lost my voice over the past two days. COMPLETELY lost it. It is no where to be found. Sweet little Liam thinks I am playing a game when I whisper to him, so he whispers back. If I am lucky enough to get a hoarse sound out, he copies that too. It is quite funny. Unfortunately the strain on my sweet vocals to call out to my children when I need them or attempt to intervene a sibling altercation has NOT been fun. I am praying for a speedy recovery :).
It has been a couple of months since last blogging and truly not much has changed. So much has happened, but not much has changed. We had some awesome family pictures taken by my brother during the beautiful fall weather. We captured only a glimpse of its beauty in the pics. But hey..we have to have our mug shots in there somewhere, right? I was thrilled with the ones that turned out. Liam was not having a great day, so we were bribing him with candy corn :).
In other news, we have been busy building up the Children's department at our church. It has been a great experience seeing all the new faces coming through the doors and such a sweet experience seeing all the familiar faces. What a great manifold of giftings the Lord has placed in this church. There can be some fabulous and awesome things to come about. I am praying we dont miss a step or skip a beat. We are humbled at the opportunity to be used in this area to advance His Kingdom. Just this past week, I was just overjoyed at the new little faces coming in the doors. My prayer is that they are fed, that they are blessed, that they feel at home. My prayer is that they walk away with the biblical principles that will build them up and equip them.
That is where my heart lies. In the midst of the tools and the building blocks and the roads and paths that lead us in taking this next generation into their destiny. May I be used if only for a season to take part in the investment opportunity of a lifetime!! This is one investment that won't bring disappointment in the changing stock markets or faltering economy. I would love for every servant of the Lord to have a heart for this generation at some point or another. I believe that there is huge spiritual growth in serving the children. Christ encouraged us to learn from them...from their faith. See?!! I cant help it. Hope you are encouraged to participate, to invest, and to take a leap of faith. It is totally worth it.

Little Man

2008-10-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

These pics were taken just last week. Little man woke up with this awesome hair and I had to snap a picture of his preciousness. His hair is usually the same everyday with little or no upkeep. But this day was an exception. I am assuming he had an AWESOME night rolling around in the bed. The next pic is where I found our little man after I could not find him anywhere in the house. I kept calling for him and even peaked into the living room not noticing him behind all the cushions. This is where he perks himself while watching his favorite video--CARS! He is a cutieee!
As I was lying in bed lastnight praying and reliving the days events, I lifted up my little man. He is such a momma's boy. He loves me so much that he sometimes has a hard time letting me share my love to his siblings. He typically will not let me hold another's baby..and sometimes he will try to separate Chris and I when we are in a long embrace after a hard day's work. I am praying that when his little sister gets here that he will be thrilled and not feel threatened...that his little heart will be welcoming and not jealous...that he will be all ready to play with her and not want to pelt her with a toy from across the room :). Pray for that with me. Isnt he a doll?!!

Please Pray for Peace, Respect, and Humility

2008-10-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

With all the current adoptions occuring in ET right now, there has been increasing concern over the way some adoptive families are handling the process while in country. Some, if not most, of this is due to the huge variation in agencies sponsoring the adoptions. While some agencies are on the ball with regulations and specifications, some unfortunately are not. The result is a mixed message to the ET culture. One that is beginning to send a negative message. I am posting below a most recent message from Joint Council who helps mediate these adoptions. Please read below. If you are a friend/family who is just keeping up to date with our process, please pray over this situation that peace would reign and that no 'exodus' measures would be taken and ET refrain from adoptions. If you are a family who is currently in the adoption process, please read it carefully and prayerfully consider all that it is instructing the adoptive families to do, and finally if you are a family who has already adopted from ET, can you spread this news and help pray for the future adoptions to go smoothly and that the american families would practice respect and humility while in ET.

October 22, 2008
Joint Council Policy Recommendation
Cultural Sensitivity Regarding Adoptions in Ethiopia

Every adoption is like a rollercoaster for the adoptive parents. There are
always obstacles to overcome and hoops to jump through. But in every
adoption there are also many highs. For most adoptive parents the biggest high
is finally being able to travel, meet the child whose photo you fell in love with
long ago, and holding them in your arms. It is the moment that every adoptive parent
longs for and dreams of. Adoptive parents want to spend every moment with their
new child, learning every little piece of their personality and spirit. Adoptive parents want to show their new child(ren) everything that the world has
to offer them. This being said sometimes it is necessary for an adoptive family
to be respectful of a country's local culture and hold off these magical
moments for a few days. Joint Council feels that this is the case in
Ethiopia.

Very often adoptive families stay at an international, national or
local hotel in Addis Ababa. And fulfilling their long held desires, families often
bring their newly adopted child to the hotel during their stay in Ethiopia..
Many times the adoptive family also goes shopping or sightseeing in Addis
Ababa or another local city or village.

This overriding desire, which is very normal and certainly
understandable, often results in unintended cultural insensitivity to the Ethiopian
government and citizens. With over 3,000 adoptions expected in Ethiopia this year,
hotels and other common gathering places such as shopping areas often see
relatively large numbers of families with their newly adopted Ethiopian child.

Given that the vast majority of American and European families
adopting from Ethiopia are Caucasian or other non-black, the adoptive families and their Ethiopian child are easily distinguished and are often a point of
curiosity among Ethiopian citizens. Understandably, due to misconceptions about
adoption some Ethiopian citizens even look upon American and European adoptive
families with suspicion. Cultural differences in parenting and child behavior are
contributing to this suspicion.

The large number of adoptive families combined with the curiosity and
suspicions of Ethiopian citizens and with cultural differences in parenting and child
behavior, is unfortunately causing unintended yet very significant
concerns among some Ethiopian citizens and the government. Subsequently these
unintended consequences are weakening the work and services being provided in
order to ensure permanent families for the children of Ethiopia. Without
exaggeration, this may lead to the elimination of intercountry adoption as an option for ensuring that every Ethiopian child has a safe, permanent and loving
family.

During Joint Councilâ€™s trips to Ethiopia in June and July, concerns
regarding the large numbers of adoptive families, including the Ethiopian child,
staying at hotels and traveling throughout the city were expressed repeatedly
by the Ethiopian government. Significant numbers of Ethiopian citizens have
contacted the government with questions and more significantly with complaints.

During a Joint Council presentation to adoption service providers from the
United States, Italy and France, Joint Council addressed the very important
issue of cultural sensitivities. All adoption service providers we
strongly urged to refrain from utilizing hotels and restricting in-city travel for
adoptive families. Supporting Joint Councilâ€™s recommendation was the Network
(a large association of adoption service providers in Ethiopia).

Most adoption service providers that recognized the issue of cultural
sensitivity are following the recommendation. In fact some have instituted
cultural sensitivity policies regarding lodging and in-city travel
prior to the Joint Council recommendation. For example, increasing numbers of adoption service providers have established private guesthouses for adoptive
families. Unfortunately not all adoption service providers have chosen to be
proactive and implement cultural sensitivity policies. Just as unfortunately, many
adoptive parents are insisting on staying at hotels and going shopping in Addis
Ababa despite repeated requests from their adoption service provider, reputable
advocates such as the Network and the Ethiopian government.

It is essential that adoptive parents and adoption service providers
demonstrate respect for the country in which they are respectively adopting and
working. Without demonstrating respect for the country and its people, the adoptive
family is in turn disregarding the culture of their child(ren).
Similarly the adoption service provider is disrespecting the children they seek to
serve.

It is for these reasons and more that we urge adoption service
providers to encourage adoptive parent to please refrain from staying in hotels and
venturing out in public with their newly adoptive children. With respectful
deference to cultural sensitivities in Ethiopia, to the Government of Ethiopia, and
to the people of Ethiopia, Joint Council strongly urges all adoption service
providers to immediately implement policies which incorporate the following
principles Adoptive parents are similarly requested to respect their child(ren),
their birth country and culture and abide by the following principles and
the policies of their adoption service provider.

Cultural Sensitivity Principles and Guidelines

Principles
1. All due care must be given to demonstrate cultural sensitivities
towards the country, people and government of Ethiopia
2. Full recognition of the questions, concerns, curiosities and suspicions
must be given to the Government of Ethiopia and its citizens
3. It is recognized that adopting an Ethiopian child is a "privilege of
giving" bestowed by the citizens and government of Ethiopia
4. It is recognized that every Ethiopian child has a right to a family -
every family does not have an inherent right to an Ethiopian child
5. Actions and behaviors which may not appear to be offensive to U.S.
adoptive parents, may in fact be extremely offensive to Ethiopian society
6. Actions and behaviors seen as culturally insensitive damage the
institution of intercountry adoption and thereby limit opportunities for
children in need to find a family
7. Actions and behaviors seen as culturally insensitive significantly
contribute to the possible elimination of intercountry adoption in
Ethiopia and thereby eliminate the right of every Ethiopian child to a safe,
permanent and loving family

Guidelines
1. Adoption service providers will incorporate these principles and
guidelines into their contractual or policy relationships with potential
adoptive families
2. Adoption service providers will disclose the contractual or policy
limitations related to cultural sensitivities to all prospective adoptive
parents prior to approving an application from the prospective
adoptive parents
3. Prior to taking custody of their adopted Ethiopian child, adoptive
families may reside in a hotel during their stay
a. It is recommended that adoptive families utilize Ethiopian Guest Houses
or a lodging facility operated by an adoption service provider during
their entire stay in Ethiopia
b. Adoptive families who have not taken full custody of their adopted
Ethiopian child may choose to utilize a hotel
i. In such cases the adoptive parents may visit their adopted Ethiopian
child daily at the child care center
4. Upon taking custody of their adopted Ethiopian child, adoptive families
will utilize Ethiopian Guest Houses or a lodging facility operated by an
adoption service provider
5. Adoptive families will refrain from in-country travel with their
adopted Ethiopian child
a. Exceptions to this guideline (#5) are limited to
i. The visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy
ii. Other adoption related events
iii. An emergency situation
6. Adoptive families will refrain from pressuring their adoption service
provider or in-country staff to violate these principles, guidelines
and/or agency polices representing these principles and guidelines

A Friend's Journey...

2008-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

I want to share this beautiful pictorial journey that our church friends just posted. They brought their little one home from ET just a few short weeks ago. I am in awe of the pictures, their stories, their messages...their depiction of our daughter's birth home. My heart hungers to hold her as I know she is there somewhere..even if it is still in her birth mom's womb. The Putty Family is precious and I have been thanking the Lord for their safe travels and successful journey to bring home their son. They have only greater things ahead. Watch their spectacular travel abroad. Don't forget to pause our music at the bottom of the page.Give it some time to load up before you hit play :)

Them there are fight'n words...

2008-10-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of Joyce Meyer ministries and all her words of wisdom and her books and podcasts. She is an amazing speaker with a fascinating testimony. I have been through a couple of her biblestudies and have two devotional books of hers that I love. They are called, "Ending Your Day Right" and "Starting Your Day Right". This morning I grabbed the evening devotional (okay it doesn't matter that it was morning!) and began to open my heart to every word I read.
On a side note, this past week has been a difficult one for our family. In a nutshell, we have been on a downward spiral with some interesting goings on within our spiritual community. Without saying too much, it has simply been attack after attack on our family. Feeling like one against one thousand has not been the easiest feat. As Chris and I have held eachother close and spoken life into eachother, we have faced the hardships of others not speaking life to us. Essentially, these others should have been speaking life, should have 'had our backs', should have been supportive but were not. As I read the devotional this morning, it tied some very simple truths that have been spoken to us over the past few days by some great friends. I have to say that our dear sweet friends, our spiritual family has been the greatest during all of this. We are humbled by God's completeness as He has provided just what we need. One word spoken yesterday by a dear friend suggested that these attacks from the enemy are on the cusp of some great things going on in our ministry. ..and further to consider that the enemy is hard on our trail to thwart the very things that God is calling us to do. During this difficult few days, I have not had the clear vision to see such. It was like a lightbulb moment..."of course!".
In further confirmation, as I get back to the devotion (sorry for digressing),Joyce Meyer confirmed, "The devil does not want you to start anything of value-and if you do manage to get started, he does not want you to finish." p284.
I have long known that the enemy will use the weaknesses in others to attack us. While it sounds like a no brainer, it is a simple concept that is easily forgotten. While it may appear that the devil himself has come in the flesh to fire his flaming arrows, the truth is that he finds a weak soul to invest in for a few days in order to attack another. There may be times that this weak soul gets a revelation and the devil moves on and then there are times that he lingers for awhile and creates strongholds. My prayer is that God would call me to my knees before the enemy could use me to tear someone down. I admit that I have work to do :).
My spirit is strengthening as I break free from the false hold that was on me. PTL that the enemy has never and will never have the authority to win. His fighting days are over. As I shout from the roof tops, I believe that great things will be happening in this spiritual community..and I believe that even greater things will be happening in the spiritual realm where those that spoke out of character and acted out of character will have their eyes opened. I am believing that the Lord would shine His light on these situations and let the truth be known so that no more darkness and trouble would be allowed to settle here. It is time to put on the fighting gloves and get to work.
If you have not had the privelege to read any of Joyce Meyers materials, I strongly encourage you to start anywhere. There is no doubt, a message for you in one of the many books and studies that she has. In addition, I encourage you to get into a strong church community where you can develop a spiritual family that can hold you up like no others can. The church was designed for just such a ministry as that. "The believers gathered together..."
Be encouraged, if nothing else, that the Lord is faithful to answer the prayers of the righteous.

12 months and counting....

2008-10-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

I think I have mentioned this before, but just got further confirmation this morning that the current wait time for our little girl is now 12 months. I was hoping that this delay was for those who had submitted their paperwork after us, but it applies to us :(. This means that it could possibly be August of '09 before we are able to get a referral. We have been told from the beginning 6-9 months. But over the course of our process, the wait times have gotten longer. Not much to say except that God is in control. I choose not to be (that) discouraged and look forward to the moments we will be able to hold our daughter and love on her and bless her and let her bless us. I can't wait! Our kids ask nearly every day about her. We love her as if she were here already. I am hoping and praying that our prayers are lifting her up whether she is in the womb or has just been birthed. May the Lord cover her and protect her and bless her birth mother and her caregivers. Today is a beautiful day. May the Lord be glorified in it.

Am I Adopted? A way to share to your child...

2008-09-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

I just discovered that Kirk Cameron and his wife, Chelsea are adoptive parents. Chelsea was actually adopted herself as a child and has always had a heart for adoption. It may be old news for many, but I have enjoyed reading up on this family and their experiences as adoptive and christian parents in this tough world. I am attaching a conversation that Chelsea had with their oldest son about his adoption. It is a beautiful account and a great way to share their entry in to the world and into the family.

Mommy, was I in your tummy?
How Chelsea told her eight-year-old son about adoption
Jack: Mommy, was I in your tummy?
Chelsea: No, honey.
Jack: What about Bella?
Chelsea: No.
Jack: What about Anha?
Chelsea: No.
Jack: What about Luke?
Chelsea: No.
Jack: Well, who’s tummy was I in?
Chelsea: Well, sweetheart, I don’t know her name. But you were in an amazingly, special, incredible woman’s tummy, and she took care of you in her tummy for nine months. And when the time came for you to be born, she felt God talking to her heart and telling her that Mommy and Daddy were meant to be your mommy and daddy. And because she loved you, she took care of you for nine months. And, Jack, she did the most amazing thing. She listened to God. She wanted you to be where you were supposed to be – where God wanted you to be. And then, Jack…God uses people like angels – not angels with wings – but anyone who does God’s work is like an angel…. The minute she [our social worker] brought you to me, I started crying because I had been praying for a little boy with green eyes like Daddy and curly hair. I looked at you, and I knew that you came straight from heaven, that God brought you to our family and you were the baby I had been praying for.

For the entire article, go here. It is soooo encouraging.

Date Night

2008-09-24T20:41:00.001-07:00

It is late..but worth the moments to share just a great date night. It takes lots of work to find sitters and make arrangements and on top of all that justify the funds that it takes to pull it off ..BUT joy joy, Chris and I had a great date tonight. We decided to do the typical dinner and movie but altered the dinner just a bit by choosing a picnic at a local vineyard just 3 miles from our house. We have been meaning to visit but just havent had the opportunity to go without the kids.
We were pleasantly surprised by its remoteness and authenticity. We immediately felt like we were swept away to a vineyard far from home..perhaps Italy? California? Okay, I am dreamy..but still it was nice :).
We had a great time tasting some of their prize possessions and even got a sweet raspberry truffle to really start off our dinner. We found a great spot on the top of a hill not occupied by any other picnic-ers. As a matter of fact, we had the entire hillside to ourselves.
Our menu..
Homemade Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Crusty French Bread
Creamy Butter
Fresh pears..picked from the tree!
A round of Brie
Summer sausage
and...2 kinds of dark chocolate

With the sun setting, the perfect outdoor temperatures, a light breeze, no passersby, a great delectable meal, and a close view of my sweety with NO interruptions was simply heavenly.
These pix were taken from my cell phone to capture just a blip of our date.
I would love to say that I wish you were there..but to be honest, I am glad you werent. It was just a moment for the two of us..one to remember. So...maybe next time.

I-171H Form Approved!

2008-08-25T09:37:00.001-07:00

We received this form on Thursday! It was a sweet moment to see the envelope's return address from the government. When I opened it carefully, I pulled out the folded letter that officially states that Chris and I are approved to house an orphan from Ethiopia. It has taken about 8 weeks to get this once our homestudy was approved. This is the LAST document that had to be done before we could receive a referral. There is nothing holding us back now from getting the referral of our beautiful daughter except TIME.
Our friends from church leave in a week to pick up their precious son from ET. You can read all about their amazing journey here, The Putty Family. We are praying for them to have a fabulous and safe trip. I cant wait to see their pictures. She is a professional photographer by trade, so I am anxious to get their story told through the beauty of pictures. I am curious and excited to see the land and people where my daughter is coming from. I want to go there, now. I want to smell the land, the air, the foods. I want to hear the music and the voices. I want to see the eyes, the smiles, the faces. I want to touch the clothes, the water, the homes. I just want to be closer to her, to her heritage, to her family, to her caregivers. We pray daily for her. Our thoughts and prayers are never far.
Okay..I digress. The good news..the update...the moment we have been waiting for (at this stage) has come....We got the I-171H...and that is GREAT!!

Our Dossier is Approved

2008-08-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures of the night before we sent off our dossier. Obviously without a professional photographer we had to get creative to get all of us in the pictures. It was hilarious (atleast for me and Chris). By the end of the event, I think we were about the only ones not in tears! Needless to say, however, we were thrilled to pass that milestone of sending off our dossier. On Friday, we got the news that our dossier passed inspection. Our SW told us that we have been approved and we are OFFICIALLY on the referral wait list. She said that we now have about a 7-9 month wait ahead of us before we get the referral of our beautiful daughter. That means that around Feb-April is our estimated time. After the referral of course we would need to pass court dates in ET and then we would have a travel date about 2 months after that. Despite the appearance of a long wait ahead, I think the worst is behind us. We are thrilled!

A babe is born--our nephew!

2008-08-10T10:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I traveled with the kiddos to the far side of the state to see our little nephew come into the world. My sister was brave and strong as he was delivered, healthy and happy on Friday, August 8. These are a few pix of our visit. I am a proud Aunt! Notice the cousins all lined up. They had fun playing together and waiting for baby Owyn's arrival.

134 copies and a couple of days later

2008-08-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

TODAY, TODAY, TODAY, Our dossier was mailed off to the agency! Late on Friday, I missed a nap to make 134 copies! It took about an hour to stand in Kinkos and one by one make copies of everything in our dossier, including our passport pics, money orders, checks, birth certificates, etc. At one point, I thought, This is crazy! I am going to put these through the feeder instead of doing each page, one by one. However, THAT thought was the crazy one. On the first document as it went through the feeder,the copier stopped running for a second and made this strange sound and my heart dropped to the floor. I thought it had eaten the page. This was a certified, notarized piece of history. I quickly snapped into sanity and retrieved the document as fast as I could and went back to copying one by one. There is no telling what my face looked like on their cameras! Slight panic and fear had to top the list!
Anyway, last night after dinner, we put all the documents in their very specific order and crammed them in the best fitting Fed Ex envelope. We sealed it up and with tears prayed over that precious package. It was a sweet moment as all of us, including Liam, placed our hands on it and lifted it up to the Lord. Liam even had 3 special words over it. We are not sure what he said because it was in his own language, but he was quite serious as he bowed his head and bellowed out a prayer. Evan was so sweet as he lifted up the package in prayer and his 'little sister'. He talks so plainly about her as if she is already in our midst.
We are believing for some great things as we plunge forward. It has been a long time coming to this moment. As a matter of fact, it has been 7 months. Our preliminary thoughts were that we would have already reached this milestone by April. BUT...again, I know that God is in control. Only he knows the perfect timing of when our little one is to be in our arms.
Oh Joy...is all I have to say!!

Garden Glory, part 2

2008-08-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago. Our garden is even bigger and better than I ever imagined it would be. In my previous thoughts about our garden,Garden Glory I have a picture of the corn that we were growing from seeds. As you can see, we have corn! I plucked two off the other day and we plan on grilling them tonight. The greatest part is watching the kids light up as we bring in arm loads of veggies. They are not as excited when I cook them up for dinner, BUT we are working on that!

Dossier Certifications

2008-07-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we visited the 'Boro again and had our dossier documents County certified. We took pictures of the county clerk hand writing the certifications for each document and she didnt mind a bit! Liam enjoyed eating raisins and spilling them all over the clerks office. Don't worry, he picked them up (and ate them!) Evan and Lacy quietly sat and played Nintendo. Following the certifications, it was time to seal them up and send them to the State for MORE certifications. This is to prove that your real documents are really real...and certifiably real. So...off via Fed Ex they went. We treated ourselves to lunch at a quaint restaurant off the town square and called it a day. We are getting closer.

Oui Oui Mocha!

2008-07-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

I had to show off our littlest family member. She got a new t-shirt yesterday. It flaunts one of my favorite places, Paris. The back of the t-shirt reads: .
J'adore Paris Zee French make no faux paws! however, in order for her to wear it, I have one little requirement. Clean. This is not something that Mocha is always excited to be. As a matter of fact, since this special little purchase, she has had two baths in 24 hours. Why? Why? you ask? Cow patties. Need I say more?!!

Our fourth Social Worker

2008-07-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Just as an update, the new sw was pleasant. I think Chris and I somewhat are wanting some warm fuzzies from this place considering everything we have already been through. I have to confirm that we did NOT get this. It was a very brisk, formal, and nonwarm and fuzzy meeting....no water, no donuts, no hugs. We were able to crack a few jokes though and made a few smiles. On a real note, this agency has lost a friend through all of this. Our deceased (first) social worker's husband and her mother actually visited the agency earlier this week with the baby. She said that the husband was still very much grieving but has placed all of his energy into the son. This was the first time he had stepped into the agency since Kathy died in April. I cant imagine his emotions. She said that before she died, he would come over and that he and Kathy would eat late dinners together in the office. I cannot imagine.
We need to continue praying for them.

Dossier is in review

2008-07-25T13:44:00.001-07:00

We spent the better part of yesterday in Murfreesboro getting our Dossier documents signed and notarized. About 30 minutes before we were supposed to meet our (new) social worker for this event, I discovered some discrepencies in the names on the documents. Some have my full name including my maiden name,some don't, some have Chris' middle name, some don't, some have a mixture of the two, some don't. I have read blogs of families who have gotten over there and when they were ready to take home their child, there were typos or strange things wrong with their paperwork. My fear (that I have to subside) is that it will happen to us.
After a panicked phone call and email to the main agency in Minnesota, we were still not sure how to resolve this. The reason is that some documents have been filled out by banks, employers, friends references, doctors,etc. These are the documents that cannot be easily changed. They all have different names. Some, like my passport and the tax statements cant be changed at all. Even our homestudy called me by my first name which I do not go by. I was all in a 'tizzy' as we left to the appt. Our sw was really not sure of the degree of strictness in the name situation. She went ahead and notarized everything with a few notarized 'extras' just in case we need to switch a few out. It is like everything depends on these signatures. Our daughter..bringing her home is dependant on the black and blue ink that covers these white pieces of paper. ..and if there is one typo....ugh.
We faxed the dossier to the agency in MN for review and we are praying that they are not only sufficient but found excellent. After this gets approved, we have to get county certifications to prove they are real and then get state certifications to prove they are even more real! This will then get officially sent to MN and we will prayerfully be placed on the waiting list.

Crisis in Ethiopia

2008-07-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

How many times as a mom (or parent)have you felt your insides screaming when your child approaches your plate with hungry grunts and whines. You look at them and say, "this is MY food. No...you have already had your piece. This is mommy's!" Then after you indulge in another bite or two, you relinquish your selfishness and turn over the last few bites of your favorite pancakes, or your best chicken casserole or your buttered roll to the requesting child. Or you find just enough slices of bread to make sandwiches for your offspring for lunch. There is none left for you, so you turn and make some creative (sometimes barely tolerable)conconction for yourself out of frig leftovers and say to yourself,'atleast they got to eat something!'
It is our nature to care for our little ones, even to the point of sacrificing our own needs to meet theirs.
In todays news, Ethiopia is currently suffering from a major drought and elevated food costs. The news captures photos of families standing in lines to receive food rations of mixed cereals. However, due to costs all over the world, the rations have been minimized and fewer aid is coming into the country. As a result, millions are suffering. My heart sank when I read in an article:
"There is no widespread famine. There is localised, critical child malnutrition,"
"Already for some kids... it's too late, but it's not too late for many, many other children who need assistance until the next harvest comes in," said Sonali Wickrema, who designs programmes in Ethiopia for the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP).
"We want rapid assistance now in order to prevent large-scale and long-term damage," she said.
The Ethiopian government says 75,000 children are suffering from the most severe form of malnutrition because of food and water shortages caused by drought. "

At this time, right now, I have no idea where our precious daughter is in Ethiopia or what family she is coming from. I do not know her mother or other family members. She may not even be conceived yet. ..but there is trauma over there. There are blessed little children who are going to bed hungry, some have lost their lives to hunger and disease. Her family could be suffering right now. My heart aches to bring her home. ..to hold her and love on her. To give her my last piece of pancake...to bless her with the rest of my sandwich or let her drink the rest of my (favorite) sweet tea. My prayers are so layered sometimes I cant keep them straight but I hang on to the hope that Christ has given me. I hang on to the beautiful vision He has placed in my mind of her. My heart is torn for her mom and family. I am only humbled..only thankful that we have been chosen to bless her with a new home. I can't wait...just can't wait.
And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory...

Adoption update=>delays and new sw

2008-07-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

We got a letter in the mail the other day from our local agency. I actually handed it to Chris not wanting to read it. He said, "What do you think it will say?" I responded, "probably that we have a new social worker!" That is EXACTLY what it was. To our dismay, they had given us another sw because our 2nd one was an intern and her time at the agency had come to an end. If you can remember, our first one tragically died during childbirth earlier this year.
Needless to say, this was not welcoming news. Due to the 4th of July holidays, we couldnt call the offices until yesterday. In a tear filled phonecall, I explained with the best of selfcontrol that I could muster, why I felt our family had not only been tossed around like a hot potato, but in light of the numerous mishaps, misinformation, and delays, we felt like our case was not being taken seriously. I did my best to convey how this is a life-changing event for our family not simply a decision to buy new windows for our house (I didnt use those words but I think she got the picture through my crying..) In the end, the agency's main sw whom I was talking to, decided to take on our case herself. THANK YOU!
I feel like we are getting back on track again..however, I will feel better when our dossier is actually in ET.
In addition to the letter from the agency, we got a letter from immigration services stating that our homestudy did not have the right wording to state that our home was safe for a child. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!! This goes back to our first and second social workers. UGH.. Anyway..that is being fixed and an addendum is being sent in the mail 'right away'.
So...how do we stay encouraged? How do we not lose hope? I remind myself that I have only just begun the process. There are many families (including some friends) out there who have been waiting for years for their precious babe from China. There are some families whose countries have just been shut down. Some families whose agencies were false and their monies stolen. My momentary troubles do not compare to these stories and I am humbled. I am reminded that God is in control. I pick myself up off my knees and wipe the tears from my eyes and trudge forward again and I thank God for my agency and for these people who have acted on my behalf and I pray that they are blessed for their work and faithfulness...and then I get back to my day.

Jesus in our Family Picture

2008-07-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is a picture we had taken of our family at Easter in the Childrens church room after church that day. It was probably a few months after that we really saw the irony of the photo. In the middle of the picture you can clearly see the picture of Jesus on the backdrop appearing to stand behind me and Chris and be included in the family picture. His hands actually look like they embrace us. We couldnt have picked a more appropriate place for him in our family. Although it was a sheer accident (on our part) that we stood where we did, it was by far no accident on God's part to place himself exactly right where He belongs...right smack dab in the middle of our family, our marriage, our lives. I love looking at the picture. I look right past our smiles, the imperfections in my hair, wardrobe, etc...and I laugh..out loud, no doubt..at the beauty and humor of the Lord. It's a perfect picture!

Eye of God

2008-06-26T03:44:00.000-07:00

This is an image taken by NASA in 2003 by the Hubble Space Telescope. It is referred to as "The Eye of God". This image has been featured in many space articles and magazines. It is actually described by astonomers as "a trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases." I thought I would share this beautiful picture. It's likeness to an amazingly gorgeous eye is undeniable. Isn't it awesome just to dream for a moment that perhaps the Lord looks upon us with such hugeness and such glory? Just recently a fellow blogger offered words of comfort as she discussed this space image and challenged the thought that if our Lord's eye is this large, imagine His hands and how so very much they encompass us and lift us up. It is quite comforting to think of it that way!

Garden Glory

2008-06-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

We are trying to get serious with gardening...I mean I am. I will explain Chris' involvement in a minute. For several years, I have created larger and larger areas to garden and expanding the library of produce that I plant. This year, I am excited to add corn to the backyard garden (check out photo)! I planted the seeds not more than a week ago and they are sprouting up quicker than I can say 'hopscotch jolly.' (Does that sound country enough?!) We live on 6 acres of beautiful land. Three acres are wooded and the other 3 are pasture. Our house sits right on the border of both. It is a perfect place to raise kids, do some gardening, watch the dog run and hopefully add a few farm animals. I am trying to convince Chris into letting us get a donkey from our neighbor who is giving hers away. (We'll see!!)
In the meantime, I am trying to nurture my little garden and hopefully be able to enjoy the fruit of my labor. I hope to see some corn, zucchini, red onions, 3 different types of tomatoes, green peppers,squash, green beans, and a variety of herbs.
Now..let me describe Chris' role in the gardening. He is an avid supporter. He will water it faithfully, create and maintain any composting, even purchase a few plants to add, and he definitely enjoys harvesting any ready fruits or veggies. As far as his involvement a couple of years ago, it can be summed up in 4 words: He mowed it down. We can laugh now about it, but 2 years ago, not so much. I was 8 months pregnant with our 3rd child and I had been nurturing my beautiful garden since the spring..and it was not funny. I had even started seeds indoors 6 weeks before planting during the winter months trying to get a head start. Here is where the crazy idea came from. During a car ride back from town one day, we noticed a man had mowed down his garden. It sparked a conversation going somewhat like this, 'Why would you mow down a garden? I wonder if he had already harvested all the veggies. I wonder if that helps it grow better next season. I bet he is going to plant new stuff now." That is how it went. A few days later, I look out of our kitchen window and discover that my husband has JUST FINISHED MOWING DOWN MY GARDEN! Let me say that we had just begun harvesting the veggies. It still had many more weeks of growth and plenty more veggies to harvest. You can imagine my response....and let me remind you that I was 8 months pregnant. This condition already creates an increased level of emotion. Needless to say, Chris will not ever mow down a garden again....and anyway the 4 foot high fencing that we installed prevents any temptation! His explanation?!1 Well..it was something like this: Didnt you say that you wanted me to?!! ha..ha...ha..ha... He was very serious and to this day, it has been chalked up to miscommunication. Ummm...hmmmmmm. Yep...miscommunication. See...these are the things that make a marriage stronger. and you just thought I was talking about gardening!

Le Dossier

2008-06-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

We are excited now to have gotten our second installment of dossier instructions and list of items to gather and notarize. We thought we would have been WAY into the waiting time by now, but as we realize and rest at ease knowing that God is in complete control and He is watching over every bit of our process, I choose not to be discouraged that we are not on the timeline we had set for ourselves. Thank goodness, things dont happen because I choose for them to happen. There is no telling what kind of situation I would be in! Time to hop into the paper chase!

Homestudy is off to CIS

2008-05-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have avoided writing lately as we hit another bump in the road. It has been discouraging to be blogging only mishaps and bumps...and since I had little to rejoice over as far as our adoption process, I couldnt write. Briefly, I will say that the reason we have been delayed again is because we received misinformation regarding our education credits...again from our SW who just recently passed away. We were told that we could gain 10 hrs credit each from multiple sources including books, seminars, conferences, meetings, online meetings, etc. We were encouraged to do the Hague accredited 'With Eyes Wide Open' (voluntarily) after we were in the official waiting for a referral stage. We had been steadily reaching that goal as our homestudy was being reviewed and found out that this was not good enough. As a matter of fact, all the credits we have so far gained are basically not applicable. While our SW was aware that this 'With Eyes Wide Open' was apparently mandatory, we did not. She thought we would be grandfathered in, even though our paperwork had not yet been submitted. It is CRAZY!! Anyway, Chris and I have been in seclusion filling our precious nighttime moments at the computer trying to complete this online course which takes approx 10-12 hours to complete. We are done! We completed the course, and YESTERDAY...yes YESTERDAY...one day after our 14th wedding anniversary, our completed Homestudy was sent to CIS. WOOOOO HOOOOOO! Happy dance!

Home Study complete

2008-04-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Victory!
Our homestudy is complete and we are having it sent on to our partner agency, CHSFS. We are thrilled! It did not come without a few more tears but atleast it is done. We found out today that our previous SW did not turn in valuable paper work to our partner agency a month ago. I was shocked to hear our new SW say, "they do not have this part of your application ..." WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Again, this has revealed just more items that were left very undone before our SW passed away. These were items that we were told had already been done. Our new SW called today with very sincere words of comfort as she completely understood and encouraged me to express my frustration. As we have been trying to tred lightly where our previous SW is concerned due to her untimely demise, we have not really been able to express how all of this uncompleted work and delays have affected us. Our new SW expressed that it is normal to feel frustration and even guilt during this time that we are trying to celebrate her life and continue moving forward doing jobs that she had neglected. She too expressed frustration and guilt and encouraged me to please feel free to express myself, that I would not offend her. She did say that she and her supervisor felt this case was the most important item on their docket and they are doing their best to pick up the pieces and complete it in a timely and yet excellent manner.
I appreciated her grace and words of encouragement. I cannot imagine being in her place and I pray that we continue to grow grace during this process.
As I was walking down my beautiful long driveway to get the mail with tears in my eyes, the Lord reminded me that He is in control and He has a plan. My response, "Yes, Lord." And that is exactly what I needed to hear Him whisper to me. Yes...just trust. So easy to get caught up in the moment and feel like everything you are doing is falling apart or not going 'as planned'...but truly, we are called to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight". In my bible notes, it states that "He will remove the obstacles from your pathway and bring you to your appointed goal". YAY!! Unbenownced to me, there are tons of obstacles he has already removed from this adoption path. I am grateful. I am humbled. I am loved. I am blessed. I am His child and He loves me!So, in other words...Relax! It's all under control!

Baby Steps

2008-04-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

The great thing about baby steps is that even though they are small, they are still moving forward! In our case, even though it has seemingly been a few steps back, it has just been baby steps. Due to the circumstances surrounding our social worker and her recent death, our homestudy was on serious delay. However, it has now gone into full gear. Our new social worker has picked up the pieces and found some missing parts. After supplying her with those elements, we are nearing completion of that phase. Today, our homestudy is under review by the supervisor and hopefully in the next few business days, we can get this thing sent off to all the right places.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord, our God." Ps 20:7

Room Service Please

2008-04-14T05:38:00.000-07:00

My 6 year old daughter woke up early this morning as I was just sitting down for some quiet time in my favorite chair. Now, I need to set this up just a little more. She had already gotten up once, and I encouraged her to go back to bed and sleep in because it was too early to get up. Within a few minutes, she came in and saw my face of shock, both of us knowing that she had now disobeyed. She said, "Mom, I have a question." My slow and controlled response, 'yes, Lacy?"
In her sweet little voice with concern and slight frustration on her face, she said, "Mom, when am I going to get room service?" (me) "WHAT?!!!"
(Lacy) "Well, I never get it! I havent gotten room service in a long time (never) and I want to know when I am going to get it. It's just not fair. Other people get room service all the time and I never get it."
(me) "What are you talking about sweetie? Are you talking about breakfast in bed?!"
(Lacy) "Yes, Mom. I never get that. When am I going to get that, like eggs and toast and stuff when I am in bed? It's just not fair"
(me) "Okay, well kids dont get room service. I dont get it except when it is Mothers day! So, when you grow up, maybe you can get it then! We will continue to eat breakfast like normal, in our wonderful kitchen!"
(Lacy) sigh...
(me) "Now, go back to bed...." and I added a few more words about disobedience.
Am I missing something? Is the new trend to feed your children room service in bed? Hmmmm....I have totally missed the memo on that one!

Bring The Rain: A Letter to My Daughter

2008-04-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Bring The Rain: A Letter to My Daughter

A beautiful story. These past few days of rain have not been anything to the richness of soil that has been growing through the raindrops that have been falling for this family. I have been a sobbing mess trying to describe to Chris what I am reading. I have been barely able to read the pages as my eyes well up with water. Angie's beautiful message of hope and love for their child is so touching. Her trials and lessons learned, her messages from the Lord are so tangible. Read Angie's story. Her husband is one of the talented singers from the group, Selah. Read, learn, love, pray, grow.

Oprah-the truth

2008-04-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

This video explains so much. It is so sad...and yet so predictable that the enemy would use and confuse such an influential figure. Yes, one day her eyes will be opened. In the meantime, I pray for all those who believe in her, who believe that she is doing good. What a deception! What an ingenious way of trapping those. They believe that just because she does 'good' that it is in the name of Goodness, the one who created good, the one who gave us life, the one who makes it very clear about the way, the only way to Him. In the end, Oprah will be held accountable for those that are led astray because of her teachings. Wow! The video is amazing.

Tragic Loss of our Social Worker

2008-04-07T14:08:00.001-07:00

We are without words. Our social worker passed away a few days ago. Read below.

Kathy Elaine Herrod Robison

On Friday, April 4, 2008, Kathy delivered a healthy boy, John Micah Robison, but sadly lost her life after suffering an amniotic-fluid embolism.

Kathy loved her job and working with families. She believed in the work she did here and was integrally involved in almost every aspect of the work at the agency - writing the newsletters, coordinating volunteers, organizing special events, and overseeing education classes. Kathy was kind-hearted, full of life, and dedicated to her family and friends. All who knew Kathy are mourning this great loss.

Family visitation will be on Monday, April 7, 2008 from 4-8 pm at Woodfin Funeral Home, 1488 Lascassas Pike, Murfreesboro, TN.

The funeral will be at 11:00 am on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at First Baptist Church, 200 E. Main Street, Murfreesboro, TN.

Please keep Kathy's husband, Nathan, new son, Micah, as well as her whole family in your prayers.

Goodnight Moon

2008-04-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Liam has been enjoying story time lately. I have to say that I enjoy it too. His little warm body still against my chest as his tiny fingers hold the edges of the book in anticipation of the next page. By far he has two favorites, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See by Eric Carle and the second which is my favorite as well, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. I have been reading that book for over ten years now. When Evan was born, it became our favorite quickly. We read it so much, that I could recite the whole book without turning a page. But the best part about the book is the intricate drawings. While they seem simple and nondescript, there are slight differences in each page that make you search for the characters. For example, throughout the entire book, the little mouse is moving about the room eating the mush in the bowl, watching the moon rise, etc. Or you might find the kitties playing and then snoozing later in the rocking chair. The moon rises ever so slowly from one page to the next creating this great image of time passing by while this little man says his goodnights to everything in the room. It is by far my favorite kids book and has given me thoughts of an adorable nursery with the same theme. It would be a sweet mural to adorn a nursery...(my artistic side never leaves me). I dont think that book will ever get old..or the preciousness of Liam in my lap or the memories of reading it to Evan and Lacy.

Yahoo Groups

2008-04-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

We belong to two great blog groups that have been super informative about the Ethiopian adoption process. If you are in the process and have not joined in, please consider it. They are CAFEKids@yahoogroups.com and EthiopiaAdopt@yahoogroups.com. Both groups have some fabulous attendees that share the best information. Interestingly, the hot topic this week has been over the financial weight of adoptions on families and the choice of whether or not to have a fundraiser of some sorts. The responses have been all across the board ranging from the polite encouragers to the downright firm opposers. I have enjoyed reading the responses and it has caused me to consider perhaps a fundraiser of our own. I have found two on Etsy.com that have caught my attention. I am particularly drawn to the beautiful artwork of JunkPosse who has created these beautiful silver pendants of Africa to help raise support.
From the beginning, Chris and I have planned to send out support letters to our friends and family. This is a great way to share our heart and gather support from all over the states. This support can include emotional, spiritual, and financial elements. All to create a circle of warmth around us as we prepare to bring home our daughter from Ethiopia. We hope to get those out soon. In the meantime, I am praying for some ideas of fundraising if we are called to take that route. I have no doubt that God will provide if we ask.

Time To Believe

2008-03-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a rainy season the past few weeks, and I am not just talking about the weather. For some reason the enemy has been stirring up all kinds of trouble, casting shadows of doubt in some, waves of frustration in others. We have had two families close to us with huge issues in selling their homes and buying another. Silly things that have caused delays and tears and just upsets all around. Issues have arisen that we can't post. We have had people doubt their faith, admit marital concerns, reveal personal weaknesses and health concerns. It has seemingly been a consistent stream of dirty water passing through the pipes, so to speak, a heavy cloud overhead with endless showers of rain, drizzle or just darkness. Even in our own family, we have become subject to the contagious frustrations of a toddler or the solitude of busy-ness that consumes us at times. However, it is time to stand firm, stand tall, proclaim victory and give the enemy and ear full. It is time to shout from the roof tops "NOT ME! NOT MY FAMILY!" It is time to lend helping hands and listening ears. Time to provide warm meals to friends and a warm hug. Time to send words of encouragement via email, snail mail, phone or voice. Time to praise our Lord for the little things...because we know that even greater things are happening that we cant see. Time to take charge of our bodies and the health of our families. Time to make a difference. Time to say to God, "USE ME!" Time to get on our knees and admit our weaknesses so He CAN use us. Time to teach our children why we are here. Time to start waking up each morning and realizing that we have been blessed with the gift of life for that day and that we owe our Lord the very best that we have. He believes in us, it is time that we believe in Him.

Fingerprints done....for good

2008-03-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoon, I revisited the CIS offices for a reprinting of my fingertips. The first ones apparently did not take well, so I received a notice to have them retaken. I was not thrilled by this news as my first appointment was far from exciting. However, as I was preparing to walk into the building, I looked at this as a new opportunity to try to get the man at the counter to smile. As some of you may know from my previous blog, this gentleman was far from polite and received an honest comment card from me regarding the less than satisfactory services that had been provided. This time, he smiled! I was initially greeted with his snippy "Do you have a cell phone with you? Where is your paperwork?" But, without hesitation, I immediately gave my biggest smile and answered his questions with lighthearted responses. I began to explain that this was my second visit and suddenly we began to converse. His face began to soften and he even cracked a joke or two. I was surprised that he was even sharing detailed information with me. He explained that the reason my prints needed to be retaken is probably because of my frequent handwashing. Due to the fact that I was a health professional and now a SAHM/artist, I have no doubt washed my fingerprints nearly away. He did reassure me that this would be the last time I would have to come. He said usually the CIS gives up after the second try and they take the best prints they can get.
I forgot to mention that I was seen right away. My first visit was 45 minutes long. I believe Thursday I was in and out of there in 15 minutes. Overall, I gave them an "excellent" rating this time. The entire staff was having a great day...and it showed.

The Call to Care for Orphans..a message from Rick Warren

2008-03-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

A Roaring Love of a Tigress

2008-03-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, a momma tiger lost her premature cubs during birth. As the momma tiger's health began to decrease due to the loss, her caretakers tried desperately to find other cubs to fill the void. After a long search, they were able to find orphaned piglets at another zoo. Placing small tiger skins around the piglets, they made the transition and the rest is history. The momma tiger's health jumped back up to normal and the piglets found a new mom! Despite the unbelieveable nature of it all, this beautiful adoption was meant to be!

Fingerprint Blues

2008-03-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

The day started early with a complete tear-drawing disappointment as our adoption agency told us to come to a class to hear families share about their journey of adopting from Ethiopia, and then cancelled the families coming because they didnt think anyone was going to show up..even though we signed up to come!!! It was a complete shock. I will refrain from sharing any comments on how I feel about our social worker who completely dropped the ball on this one. We drove in from out of town early this morning, made arrangements for our three kiddos to be watched during the two hour event and all to discover that steps had not been taken to confirm our place at the meeting. ugh...the good news is that I was able to shrug off my frustration with a little shopping at a new store before heading to pick up the kids. It was enough time away to gather my thoughts and just grab a smile from within as the sun began to shine on my face.
By the time I arrived in the driveway at home, I was slammed with more disappointing news. My fingerprints apparently were not savvy enough for the CIS. Ugh... so I have to go back and get them retaken in a couple of weeks. Sigh...
This is what I do know. God led us into this journey and He will certainly provide the way for it to all fall into place. This is just a bump in the road...or two. Sigh...
Somedays I am just tired of bumps!

Ever Considered Adoption or Why Adopt?

2008-03-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

Ever since Chris and I have begun this journey, my heart has wondered why I have not pursued adoption sooner. I am totally a believer, totally on board, and totally know that it was God that led us to this time in our lives to begin this great venture. Below is a video that gives a great message as to the biblical reasons to adopt. John Piper says it better than we ever could. I pray that as we continue on this venture, that it be an encouragement to others to consider adoption for their own families. Instead of Why adopt...consider Why not?
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Horn Of Africa Restaurant

2008-03-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

For my birthday, Chris took me to an Ethiopian restaurant near the airport. Actually this area has several ET restaurants and this one came recommended from an Ethiopian lady that Chris works with at the airport.
I have to say that it was definitely an authentic experience. ..so authentic that at times I found myself nearly panicking that I had eaten the ice cubes. Let me explain...when we travel to Ethiopia we will not be able to drink the water. It is not healthy to drink and obviously the ice cubes are not safe to crunch so you are highly encouraged NOT to eat the ice or drink the water. As we were eating yesterday, I sometimes would pause mid-crunch and had to re-establish that we were not in ACTUAL Ethiopia yet..we were still in the safe USA with plenty of safe drinking water to be had! I know it sounds a little crazy..but the environment, food, and staff were all 100% Ethiopian and we were totally enthralled. We felt like we were there...(almost!).
The food was exactly as I had been reading, stew-like and very rich in flavor. We enjoyed Doro Wat (chicken stew) and Awaze Tibs (beef tips). Of course, this was all served on one large platter with the bottom layer of Ethiopian Injera bread which is the actual 'utensil'. This style eating continues to exemplify the nature of Ethiopia....family. In this meal, you are all sharing one plate (albeit) huge. It kind of gives you that down home southern feel as everyone sits at a large table eating'family-style'. It did take me and Chris a little to get used to the spongey texture and room temp feel of the injera bread. Other than that, we enjoyed the authentic experience and look forward to trying out some of the other ET eateries.

CIS Fingerprints- CHECK!

2008-03-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

We can totally check this one off the list! DONE! Friday morning we rose early, smuggled the sleepy kiddos into the car with a breakfast snack, and headed downtown in the pouring rain. Through the school zones and rain and rush hour traffic, it took us nearly an hour to get there. I was doubting my husband's insistence that we leave that early..but truly, we needed to (sorry honey!). We got there just in time. There were quite a few applicants already standing in the drizzly rain waiting for the doors to open. By the time we parked the car, the doors opened and we hopped in the back of the line with kids in tow. There were a couple of not so nice employees...but overall, our experience was rated, "good". We had to fill out a survey and I did mention that I sure wished our greeter had atleast made it appear he enjoyed his job more. I just said a quick prayer. I cant imagine working in such a tense environment. The documents have to be perfectly inline, every name correct, every t crossed, and I dotted. The fingerprints have to be done perfectly as well. For me, she had to redo them several times. Apparently I have soft prints that dont show up as well.
One of the staff told Chris that the couple before us was also adopting from Ethiopia. We had no idea. It was not the environment for chatting. As a matter of fact, Liam got reprimanded for not staying in his 'zone'. Yikes! I thought they might throw us out the way he pointed his finger at our toddler. At one point, when we were standing in another line, Chris and I were instructed to line up against the wall (as opposed to casually standing about 3 feet from the wall in a not so straight line!) Yikes again! We were glad when it was over. It took 45 minutes from beginning to end.
To really top it all off, we were all treated to a nice hot breakfast at IHOPS. Thanks Dad!

Fingerprints update

2008-02-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

I made several calls to the CIS offices on Monday and through a plethora of transfers, disconnections, and onhold music, I finally was able to speak to a LIVE person. Atleast I think he was alive. He was not of much help. I explained our circumstances of receiving this odd letter with the appt date but no appt time. He said this was not the actual notice and that I needed to go to the Memphis office to find out. WHAT?? We are no where near the Memphis office! I explained that I just needed someone to confirm if an additional letter was sent that was currently en route or did something happen in the mail or did perhaps our letter have a misprint?!! In the end, he gave me an email to contact the Memphis offices. An email! I also explained how we were on a time crunch since the appt was supposedly scheduled for 4 1/2 days away!! I asked for a phone number and was informed that no local offices have public phone numbers. OKAY! I was grateful I had internet access and a current email account.
After the phonecall, I emailed them. No response of course...for several days. However, to our great surprise, within hours of this entire ordeal, Chris brought in the mail and guess what was on top? Our fingerprint appointments with a date and time!! They were printed on official watersealed government paper. I had to immediately email the CIS in Memphis again and ask them to 'disregard previous email!'
In the end, actually later that evening as I was recounting the events and my anxiety, etc...the Lord clearly spoke to me that I should have trusted him more. Yes, Lord....I should have.
We look forward to our appt on Friday. It is at 8am..so we will have to travel with the kids early early to get through the school zones and rush hour traffic, but we will make a morning of it! We are just grateful the letters finally arrived in the mail.

CIS Fingerprints

2008-02-23T16:43:00.000-08:00

We got our fingerprints appt today!!! Yeah!! We feel like we are moving closer and closer to our baby girl! We are a little confused about it but we will call our social worker on Monday. It said simply, 'your appointment date'. We understood that we would have a time and a date but ours only had a day specified, no time. Anyway, they dont give you much notice We have til the end of the week! We are excited though...we are moving, moving, moving forward.

Neighborly love

2008-02-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

A friend of a friend's neighbor just came back from Ethiopia last month. They created this beautiful video of their adventure. They live just miles down the road. This video is much like the experience our friend had two years ago when she and her family were adopting their son from Ethiopia...and it moved her to tears. It did the same for me! Chris and I both agree that the moment the nannies were loving all over the babe was the quencher for us! We loved it. Check it out for yourself.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-LMFqU1WaVE

Why Ethiopia?

2008-02-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

Probably the most frequently asked question as we have begun this adventure is: Why Ethiopia?
Well...the best way I can put it is, for all these reasons and more...
We have always known that adoption would be part of our lives at sometime, somewhere, somehow.
Domestic adoption, while completely needed in this country, did not seem like an option for our family.
We felt the calling to Ethiopia as we began to explore, in depth, the countries that were our options through the agency we had chosen.
The wait to get an adopted child through Ethiopia is about a year...which is incredibly less than most other countries.
We fell in love with Ethiopia and its rich culture and its great need to provide safe and loving homes for its near 5 million orphans.
Have you looked at their skin? It is irresistably beautiful!!
From all the experiences that we have heard, we were even more convinced.
We have many interracial families that have totally inspired us to think outside the box.
We have never felt so much peace and guidance from the Lord as we have during this adventure.
We have been sponsoring a child in Africa through World Vision for over three years. Our hearts have naturally been drawn to that country through our sponsored child, Charles, who lives in Malawi.
Without sounding completely crazy, we feel the Lord drew an arrow straight to Ethiopia for our eyes to see.
...and more!

Home Study

2008-02-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

Well, today we had our second Home Study with our social worker and we were with her for about four hours. We had numerous questions to answer with many interuptions from our precious little 18 month old. We gave her all of the home work we have gotten done so far. We only have about three more things to do and our home work will be done!! It has taken some time, but we are on the road to be getting our precious one from Ethiopia. After we get the rest of the home work done, we just have to wait. We are getting more and more excited! We still can't believe that our dream is becoming a reality. We watch on-line everyday about different couples that our coming home with their baby. Everytime we watch and read, we get more and more excited! I can't wait to post our adventure on u-tube for others to watch the Cottrell Adventures! More great news to come soon..

Police Clearance Letters

2008-02-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

A normal part of the homestudy process is to get police clearance letters. When we sat down with our social worker to discuss the infinite paperwork list, this was one of the items. She gave a brief description of what it entailed..and basically it sounded something like this, "All you have to do is go to the local police department and ask them for a letter of clearance". This sounded incredibly easy and so a couple of weeks ago while I was out and about, I dropped by our local police department and 'asked for a letter'. To my surprise, this process was a little more complicated than just the asking. First of all, I had gone to the city police and not the county sherriffs department. Since we live outside the city limits, we are supposed to use the county dept. I did not know this, of course... AND, I did not bring Chris, which is apparently a no-no. They will not submit letters unless you are TOGETHER. So, it took a week and half before we could go to the sherriff's dept because of our crazy busy schedules. Then, instead of simply telling them our names and addresses, we had to fill out a form with more info and describe in detail what exactly we wanted this letter to say. The lady was pretty adamant about this. We found out that we dont go home with this letter that day. Instead, it will take a few days to a week. This was again another shocker. I was glad we had not waited until the last minute to do this. In closing...our letters are supposed to be ready by Monday. Yippee! We can hopefully check this one off the list!

Valentine getaway

2008-02-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

Chris and I are having some much needed couple time this weekend at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. We were so blessed to have some incredible friends offer to watch the kids while we whisked away for a night without the kiddos. So far, it has been a blast. We had incredible uninterrupted chat time on the drive down here, we got some great time to shop around and we just finished a fabulous meal at Niko's right around the corner from the Choo Choo. We started off with Rock Shrimp served over zucchini cakes...mmmmmmmmmmm. Then we split an entree of Eggplant Parmesan with spinach, artichokes, and feta cheese. It was VERY delish! We topped the whole meal off with a flourless chocolate torte served with raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Is your mouth watering? Well, it should be!!
Our time together has allowed us great opportunity to stay connected about our endeavors regarding our babe in Ethiopia and just enjoy the sweet moments of each other without the kiddos. Although I do have to say, I miss them--a little :)

progress

2008-02-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

Well we got our Lap top today and we are able to relax in the bed now and blog. It's funny because everytime we do anything remotly related to adoption, our kids ask "are we getting our daughter yet?" As a matter of fact, our oldest son asked tonight, "what is her name?" We are almost done getting all of our paperwork done for our home study. We have our second appointment scheduled next week and hopefully we will have all of the paperwork done for our social worker. Our kids don't understand how hard it is to get all of the paperwork for the homestudy. As a matter of fact, we don't even understand. God is definitely working in our favor. Everything is coming together slowly but surely.