Sorry for the delay in posting ya’ll :) from the texts and emails, it’s been too long.
We are back from our mission trip, we arrived in the afternoon of July 1, after that very long and tiring flight from Addis.
I have been trying to get back into life here and as I have said a couple of times, figure out how to navigate life here with only half my heart.
This trip was special, in that we were able to reconnect with people and make some amazing new connections and of course meet our new son’s.
First to tell you about the trip: We arrived in Addis the morning of June 19th to beautiful sunny skies. We met our drivers and went straight over to Korah for their church service. What a joy to start the trip worshipping with some of God’s favorite people!
We rested during the afternoon, separated items to go with us to Nekemte and Gimbie and then went to bed again as we had a very early morning and LONG ride ahead of us.
The trip to Nekemte isn’t for the faint at heart that’s for sure! The first 2 hours or so to a little town called Ambo are beautiful and paved…then… comes the unpaved. So for 6 or so hours it was a very bumpy ride! Gorgeous scenery though so it was kinda worth it…lol
In Nekemte we had a wonderful little hotel, with great staff. We gave our little waiter guy a run for his money…literally the dude RAN everywhere! But as you leave Addis and travel to outer cities you find that menus, like road signs, are merely suggestions. We were amused at the amount of items not available but the items that were. So fun.
We worked on the orphanage there by painting the courtyard fence, the nannie’s room, and the bathroom. We had the kitchen repaired, hung curtains and cleaned up. It was a great time.
Then on to Gimbie where the menus really are a waste of printing…lol but fun to try to figure out what we might be able to eat. Here is where one of our team members got to meet her son’s for the first time and we were able to meet a wonderful woman named Monica that has been a volunteer here for more than 2 years. What a witness!
We found our team’s core here in Gimbie when we ran into a crisis of faith that allowed us to truly turn to and trust God. He is always faithful!
We returned to Addis a day early… and I contracted my first bout of travelers belly… ugh!!! Thank you god for Cipro and Phenergan!
In Addis we were able to visit Korah and our friends back at Mesenge Church. These guys are truly amazing! Nine leaders that distribute their responsibilities and help to lift each other up. Truly an inspiration! We were able to buy teff flour, coal, sugar, salt, soap and other items as well as buy real sturdy shoes for 50 of the orphans of the church. These are some of my favorite people ever!!!
We went back several times to help with some other projects including help with fixing the walls of the gym for the men. Seriously these guys have made weights out of car parts and rigged up a lat machine and are using this area as a ministry to the men of the community. They know that the men need extra encouragement and this is a way for them to work on frustration as well as their spirits. LOVE it!
We took a little trip out to Adama to visit our friend Tezera and the kiddos there, as well as see the new orphanage there… oh my word! Talk about dreaming big! God is amazing!
We fell in love with our driver Agegnehu (Again-yo) we had a boys van and girls van. Agegnehu got stuck with the girls, but I don’t think he minded. He was great fun and such a fun sense of humor.
And in the midst of all of this …. I met my boys!!!!
What a precious day!
We arrived at Layla… a little late as we were on other people’s time :)
B was in his room and one of the kids ran to get him. He came around the corner took a look at mom, S and I and made a bee-line for me. And just wrapped his arms around me! Oh be-still my heart! He is so happy and joyful, and LOVES electronics! He knew how to work all the camera’s and my iPod and S’s ipod Touch :)
We were waiting for A to arrive so he showed us around the compound. He is obviously well loved by the nannies!
Then as we were walking in came A! Again right into my arms… sweet sweet little soul. Man the difference in personality. A is just quiet and sweet and shy and sad. Leaving him was the hardest part! S was really broken over leaving him. The SW even said, B is the light of the orphanage, many will miss him, A is ready to leave!
They have so many similarities to N and E it’s amazing! LOVE how God does that!!!
Only really bummer part of the trip was that I lost ALL the pics I took. Here’s my PSA of the year, if you have a SD Disc in your camera, DO NOT FORMAT it! Ok if you are saying Duh to me right now …just zip it. :P
More soon….
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Saying Good Bye and Timelines
So one of the outcomes of N's miracle acceptance is the hard fact of saying good bye. Because he will be going to a new school he will have to say goodbye to many of his friends.
This has been truly disturbing him since he found out he would be going there. We have had many conversations about it, and how he's had to say so many good byes...and how in some cases he didn't get to.
So Wednesday morning he looks at me with a lone tear rolling down his cheek and says, "Momma, I still have hundreds of people to say good bye to, what if I don't get to them all?" I hugged him and said, that it really wasn't good bye, just see ya later because E was still going to the home school and he would see the kids.
The blessing was that we were able to go to a walk through, just for the kids, of the new school that very same night. He was very nervous. He was quiet and reserved (this is how you know he's nervous...cause he's NEVER quiet and reserved). We walked into the school and upon signing in were informed that a young lady from his class was going to be coming to the school as well, and would be on that very tour that night. Thank you GOD for small blessings. He perked right up...could have been the blue lollipop as well. ;)
So as we are waiting for said little girl I recognize the name... I ask him "I? The same I from your class? The I you were 'going out with'?? ...tee hee hee my boy the Romeo. He rolls his eyes and says "Yes mom. But I dumped her... but it was ok because she wanted to dump me any way" Insert mom eye roll.
So she shows up and they are so very happy to see each other. the tour was great, the tour guide was excellent in sharing what the kids needed to hear to get excited. So the N on the way home was a different kid. He's excited and working hard on getting through those 100 good byes.
So that brings me to the time line:
Today was USCIS fingerprint day!!! YAY! Can't tell you how goofy it is to be so very excited about getting finger prints done. :)
But then I spoke to our agency that said that at this point unless we are able to get our Dossier into ET before the beginning of July then it's not probable that the boys would be home before the end of the year.
Ok this is where I need you all.... I need your prayers! I need us to all stand together and pray that the Lord not make my boys...or any of the other children for that matter wait any longer than need be to come home!!! NEXT YEAR?!
So pray with me folks, that the Lord touch those that need to be touched so that the paperwork is done well and done quickly and that we are able to move through the system in a manner that brings our boys home. PLEASE?! Thank you!! :)
This has been truly disturbing him since he found out he would be going there. We have had many conversations about it, and how he's had to say so many good byes...and how in some cases he didn't get to.
So Wednesday morning he looks at me with a lone tear rolling down his cheek and says, "Momma, I still have hundreds of people to say good bye to, what if I don't get to them all?" I hugged him and said, that it really wasn't good bye, just see ya later because E was still going to the home school and he would see the kids.
The blessing was that we were able to go to a walk through, just for the kids, of the new school that very same night. He was very nervous. He was quiet and reserved (this is how you know he's nervous...cause he's NEVER quiet and reserved). We walked into the school and upon signing in were informed that a young lady from his class was going to be coming to the school as well, and would be on that very tour that night. Thank you GOD for small blessings. He perked right up...could have been the blue lollipop as well. ;)
So as we are waiting for said little girl I recognize the name... I ask him "I? The same I from your class? The I you were 'going out with'?? ...tee hee hee my boy the Romeo. He rolls his eyes and says "Yes mom. But I dumped her... but it was ok because she wanted to dump me any way" Insert mom eye roll.
So she shows up and they are so very happy to see each other. the tour was great, the tour guide was excellent in sharing what the kids needed to hear to get excited. So the N on the way home was a different kid. He's excited and working hard on getting through those 100 good byes.
So that brings me to the time line:
Today was USCIS fingerprint day!!! YAY! Can't tell you how goofy it is to be so very excited about getting finger prints done. :)
But then I spoke to our agency that said that at this point unless we are able to get our Dossier into ET before the beginning of July then it's not probable that the boys would be home before the end of the year.
Ok this is where I need you all.... I need your prayers! I need us to all stand together and pray that the Lord not make my boys...or any of the other children for that matter wait any longer than need be to come home!!! NEXT YEAR?!
So pray with me folks, that the Lord touch those that need to be touched so that the paperwork is done well and done quickly and that we are able to move through the system in a manner that brings our boys home. PLEASE?! Thank you!! :)
Friday, May 27, 2011
Miracles!
I believe in miracles…I believe they still happen and God still shows up in ways we will never understand. I try hard to keep my eyes open to His work…cause man it’s good stuff!
Recently we were given the opportunity to see miracles happen in our boys….ok these miracles could be construed as a braggin momma post…just a forewarning…
First miracle: My N.
He was relinquished to an orphanage at the age of 2 yrs old. He didn’t live in the best circumstances and had been rather ill. We brought him home at about 2 ½ yrs old. He learned a new language, had to endure the trauma of separation and then adjust to a new life…he was then overcome with grief at the arrival of a new little brother with terrible medical issues. He’s had a less than optimal start.
The miracle is his brain…it’s exceptional! His little brain is always working, always moving, always ahead of everyone else…and sometimes himself. It’s a struggle a lot of the time because it tends to make him impulsive and he forgets to think things through as his brain is always about 5 steps ahead.
Our school district has schools that are designated for children with ‘gifted’ brains. There is much testing and parent and teacher input to be able to be approved to go to this school. Guess who got accepted??!!
Yep! Our N! It will allow him to be in a school with other children that understand how his brain works…and teachers that like those brains and can help them reach potential! We are so excited for him. Trauma could not hold him back… he has defeated so many odds and is flourishing, growing, maturing, accepting, and becoming all that God intends!
Our next miracle is E.
Now he’s a living medical miracle all by himself. Seriously, if we hadn’t been able to get him here, he would be hanging with Jesus right about now. But that’s not the miracle I am referring to here.
When E was in the hospital in ET, he was in a coma; we were told that the type of illness he was experiencing could cause cognitive and other mental delays. There was no way to tell. I will admit to being scared of what that entailed. It wasn’t a deterrent, but when you are given news you aren’t prepared for, you gotta adjust. ;)
He has had a tough time learning to speak and has had some learning comprehension issues. He’s one smart cookie, but there are some places where his brain doesn’t seem to make a connection. He knows what he wants to say or do but recognizing letters and numbers has been a struggle for him.
This year he was accepted into an all day kindergarten program and speech therapy.
The miracle is that the other day as I sat with him to do his homework, I watched him think of, spell out and then write for himself 3 sentences that included his spelling words!!! THEN completed a math worksheet that included addition problems!!! At the beginning of the year he was still having issues comprehending most letters and couldn’t count past 11…and usually got stuck on 8.
Seriously, when you do all the pre-adoption training there is a ton of emphasis on brain development and how it’s damaged or altered because of less than optimal circumstances. And we have seen some of that…but the miracle is that we have seen the incredible gift of healing as well. The healing of bodies, and hearts and minds!
My children are miracles…and I am blessed every day that God chose us to parent them!
Recently we were given the opportunity to see miracles happen in our boys….ok these miracles could be construed as a braggin momma post…just a forewarning…
First miracle: My N.
He was relinquished to an orphanage at the age of 2 yrs old. He didn’t live in the best circumstances and had been rather ill. We brought him home at about 2 ½ yrs old. He learned a new language, had to endure the trauma of separation and then adjust to a new life…he was then overcome with grief at the arrival of a new little brother with terrible medical issues. He’s had a less than optimal start.
The miracle is his brain…it’s exceptional! His little brain is always working, always moving, always ahead of everyone else…and sometimes himself. It’s a struggle a lot of the time because it tends to make him impulsive and he forgets to think things through as his brain is always about 5 steps ahead.
Our school district has schools that are designated for children with ‘gifted’ brains. There is much testing and parent and teacher input to be able to be approved to go to this school. Guess who got accepted??!!
Yep! Our N! It will allow him to be in a school with other children that understand how his brain works…and teachers that like those brains and can help them reach potential! We are so excited for him. Trauma could not hold him back… he has defeated so many odds and is flourishing, growing, maturing, accepting, and becoming all that God intends!
Our next miracle is E.
Now he’s a living medical miracle all by himself. Seriously, if we hadn’t been able to get him here, he would be hanging with Jesus right about now. But that’s not the miracle I am referring to here.
When E was in the hospital in ET, he was in a coma; we were told that the type of illness he was experiencing could cause cognitive and other mental delays. There was no way to tell. I will admit to being scared of what that entailed. It wasn’t a deterrent, but when you are given news you aren’t prepared for, you gotta adjust. ;)
He has had a tough time learning to speak and has had some learning comprehension issues. He’s one smart cookie, but there are some places where his brain doesn’t seem to make a connection. He knows what he wants to say or do but recognizing letters and numbers has been a struggle for him.
This year he was accepted into an all day kindergarten program and speech therapy.
The miracle is that the other day as I sat with him to do his homework, I watched him think of, spell out and then write for himself 3 sentences that included his spelling words!!! THEN completed a math worksheet that included addition problems!!! At the beginning of the year he was still having issues comprehending most letters and couldn’t count past 11…and usually got stuck on 8.
Seriously, when you do all the pre-adoption training there is a ton of emphasis on brain development and how it’s damaged or altered because of less than optimal circumstances. And we have seen some of that…but the miracle is that we have seen the incredible gift of healing as well. The healing of bodies, and hearts and minds!
My children are miracles…and I am blessed every day that God chose us to parent them!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Still Here
Wow!
It's been a while since I have blogged here. It's been a whirlwind of activity and blessings abound.
Not much happening on the adoption front. We have our finger print appointment on June 3 with USCIS. I am really excited about that and it happened pretty quickly. I am now working on getting all things notarized so that when the I171H comes in I can immediately send it in to the agency and begin the next step.
We did get confirmation that we should be able to meet both boys while in Ethiopia!!! YAY!! So so sad D won't be there to do that, but S, mom and I will be there and can give them our welcome bags in person. How cool is that?!
Our mission trip is officially FULLY FUNDED! Seriously I should have been chronicling is all so that you could see all the amazing ways He's been funding it. We have been getting big donations from places we had no idea they would be coming from! And tiny donations that remind me of the lady with the one copper penny. It's truly been awe-inspiring!
We have met some amazing people and just seen God in action all over the place.
I was talking to my friend L the other day saying that my prayer has become that I allow God to take ALL the glory... so much has happened over the last couple of weeks that I felt a twinge of Pride coming in and man did I want to squelch that quick!!!
I am PROUD of our team and our accomplishments, but I sure want to be careful not to let it be about anything I have done. I have worked hard and made the effort, but God is the one rewarding and providing. I joked on F-B that I had prayed one night about God taking my pride away and then the next morning gave me an N with attitude. :) He knows just how to answer prayers doesn't he?
So we are less than a month from our trip. Everything is coming together, and I am less than a month from seeing my new sons. Man...how does it get better than that?!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Joy Overflowing
Do you ever just feel like you don't know what to do with the joyous blessings God pours over you?
Watching what He is doing in our lives has me up early this Saturday morning because my brain is just flying with thoughts of joy and blessing.
It's funny how when you can see the blessing and the ways God is working in your life, all those things that would normally bring you down or make you sad no longer have the same effect. There are still rough patches and hard places here, there are still misbehaving children, and grumpy people around...and yet the light of the Lord is shining so much brighter.
Last night (Friday) we had our last big fundraiser for our mission trip. It was a rap concert at our church. There is a local group that offered to come out and play for us. Rap isn't usually my thing...secular rap isn't something I choose to listen to, however these guys are a Christian group (good thing since they were singing in our church huh?) We sent out flyer's and requests, put it on the radio and talked up all over FB and Twitter.
We were asking for a suggested 5.00 donation at the door and were planning to do a love offering for them during the show.
At 7pm we had the first 5 pews of the church ...middle section... full. It was supposed to start at 7pm. There was no one there.....
My partner who set this fundraiser up, was freaking out. We were looking at about $100 for us and feeling really awful that the band wouldn't be feeling a ton of love. At 715 we decided that we would just pray with them... OH MAN WHAT A PRAYER!... and then start about 730. I think we were hoping a bus full of angels would appear. ;)
The funny thing is that through it all I was calm... I know that God will provide all that we need, I knew He would show up. I felt His hand on this. I was feeling badly for the bands that had come out and spent their time...but knew God would bless them too.
The first act was a mime/dance group... GOOD stuff! Then we played an amazing video made of our pics from the last trip and I shared what we were doing...then another 2 guys got up to sing... also great stuff.. I am still singing "Do Something" :)
Last was our headliner group, Raiderz of the Lost, 2 brothers rapping for Jesus. Their biggest concern other than sharing Jesus is that you understand them. :) We could and they did!
Not only did they share Jesus they took a love offering for US. They didn't want the money they wanted to raise the money for us, they wanted to share Jesus and the love of God with US. And man did they ask well!!! :) God annointed the night, annointed their asking and we made over $900 in that evening with just our small group of people!
Do you love God?! Yeah me too...
Watching what He is doing in our lives has me up early this Saturday morning because my brain is just flying with thoughts of joy and blessing.
It's funny how when you can see the blessing and the ways God is working in your life, all those things that would normally bring you down or make you sad no longer have the same effect. There are still rough patches and hard places here, there are still misbehaving children, and grumpy people around...and yet the light of the Lord is shining so much brighter.
Last night (Friday) we had our last big fundraiser for our mission trip. It was a rap concert at our church. There is a local group that offered to come out and play for us. Rap isn't usually my thing...secular rap isn't something I choose to listen to, however these guys are a Christian group (good thing since they were singing in our church huh?) We sent out flyer's and requests, put it on the radio and talked up all over FB and Twitter.
We were asking for a suggested 5.00 donation at the door and were planning to do a love offering for them during the show.
At 7pm we had the first 5 pews of the church ...middle section... full. It was supposed to start at 7pm. There was no one there.....
My partner who set this fundraiser up, was freaking out. We were looking at about $100 for us and feeling really awful that the band wouldn't be feeling a ton of love. At 715 we decided that we would just pray with them... OH MAN WHAT A PRAYER!... and then start about 730. I think we were hoping a bus full of angels would appear. ;)
The funny thing is that through it all I was calm... I know that God will provide all that we need, I knew He would show up. I felt His hand on this. I was feeling badly for the bands that had come out and spent their time...but knew God would bless them too.
The first act was a mime/dance group... GOOD stuff! Then we played an amazing video made of our pics from the last trip and I shared what we were doing...then another 2 guys got up to sing... also great stuff.. I am still singing "Do Something" :)
Last was our headliner group, Raiderz of the Lost, 2 brothers rapping for Jesus. Their biggest concern other than sharing Jesus is that you understand them. :) We could and they did!
Not only did they share Jesus they took a love offering for US. They didn't want the money they wanted to raise the money for us, they wanted to share Jesus and the love of God with US. And man did they ask well!!! :) God annointed the night, annointed their asking and we made over $900 in that evening with just our small group of people!
Do you love God?! Yeah me too...
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The Mountain of S has Crumbled
Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
--1 Chronicles 16:24
What does that mean? The Mountain of S?
Well my S...my baby girl has had the hardest time with our adoptions from the beginning. She was the baby of the family, and for all intents and purposes an only child because Z lived with his father.
So the addition of another child, much younger, and in need of so much attention really rocked her world. She loved him eventually...but she felt...replaced.
Then came E-man. She wasn't vocal about her concern, but she wasn't pleased that we were adopting again. Especially after we got home and our world was turned upside down with his medical needs and all the issues. That first 8 months or so were a kicker for ALL of us.
We have had many a conversation about it. Talking through her hurts and her sadness. We relied on her alot to help care for the boys in the beginning which didn't help ease her resentment.
But as things have settled. The boys have found their places in the family, we have found our places together, and we have eased her responsibility considerably when it comes to them. Life has become ...well... good again. She is in love with the boys and they love her. She posted on FB the other day how great it was to come home to her brothers shouting her name in excitement just because she's home.
The other night she and I were out together and were discussing our new boys. She said to me, "Mom, I am really pretty excited about this adoption. I really just can't wait to have them home!" If I weren't driving I may have fallen over. She went on to say that she had told a friend that as well...and the friend was also very surprised.
She is coming with me on this mission trip, where we pray we will have the opportunity to visit with the boys... and she's so very excited for it all.
This is HUGE!
God has worked this adoption in such amazing ways...some that would seem small to others...but so very huge in the scheme of life.
God is SO cool!!! :)
--1 Chronicles 16:24
What does that mean? The Mountain of S?
Well my S...my baby girl has had the hardest time with our adoptions from the beginning. She was the baby of the family, and for all intents and purposes an only child because Z lived with his father.
So the addition of another child, much younger, and in need of so much attention really rocked her world. She loved him eventually...but she felt...replaced.
Then came E-man. She wasn't vocal about her concern, but she wasn't pleased that we were adopting again. Especially after we got home and our world was turned upside down with his medical needs and all the issues. That first 8 months or so were a kicker for ALL of us.
We have had many a conversation about it. Talking through her hurts and her sadness. We relied on her alot to help care for the boys in the beginning which didn't help ease her resentment.
But as things have settled. The boys have found their places in the family, we have found our places together, and we have eased her responsibility considerably when it comes to them. Life has become ...well... good again. She is in love with the boys and they love her. She posted on FB the other day how great it was to come home to her brothers shouting her name in excitement just because she's home.
The other night she and I were out together and were discussing our new boys. She said to me, "Mom, I am really pretty excited about this adoption. I really just can't wait to have them home!" If I weren't driving I may have fallen over. She went on to say that she had told a friend that as well...and the friend was also very surprised.
She is coming with me on this mission trip, where we pray we will have the opportunity to visit with the boys... and she's so very excited for it all.
This is HUGE!
God has worked this adoption in such amazing ways...some that would seem small to others...but so very huge in the scheme of life.
God is SO cool!!! :)
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Movin' Mountains!
Hey! It's teeter totter gal :) Here I am teetering and tottering and I just had one of those fly up in the air moments! :)
This past week we have been working with our local police station to get a clearance letter for hubs. He has a checkered past...nothing that would preclude us from adopting (ya know since God used us to change that law ;) ) ...but we needed a police clearance. At first we were told no, then we were told we could get a modified version which wouldn't have been acceptable. D was ready to just take it as it was... and I said, "No way! We have 2 boys that need us. We have 2 boys that need us to fight for them, and I am not settling on what these people don't understand."
We asked friends for prayer and specifically for Lieutenant W, as he was the guy that had the ability to do it or not. He had no clue how many people were praying for him specifically. ;)
This morning I got the email from him that it was done and would be waiting for us at the station!!!!
Yep! He still moves mountains!!!
AND
We have been raising money for the mission team which has been a teeter totter in and of itself as well. We have our last fundraiser this weekend and we are going to be at goal! All $21000 will have been raised...and I believe we will be over our goal. To quote a friend of mine "Ain't God Good?!"
God is honoring our fight for our boys. He is honoring our efforts. We keep trusting Him and He keeps coming through. Oh I wish you could see their faces. :) I wish you could be with me to meet them in June...praying that it's in God's plan that we are able to do so... I believe He will move the mountain that will prevent that! :)
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.
--Psalm 111:2
What mountains can we pray to be moved in your life?
This past week we have been working with our local police station to get a clearance letter for hubs. He has a checkered past...nothing that would preclude us from adopting (ya know since God used us to change that law ;) ) ...but we needed a police clearance. At first we were told no, then we were told we could get a modified version which wouldn't have been acceptable. D was ready to just take it as it was... and I said, "No way! We have 2 boys that need us. We have 2 boys that need us to fight for them, and I am not settling on what these people don't understand."
We asked friends for prayer and specifically for Lieutenant W, as he was the guy that had the ability to do it or not. He had no clue how many people were praying for him specifically. ;)
This morning I got the email from him that it was done and would be waiting for us at the station!!!!
Yep! He still moves mountains!!!
AND
We have been raising money for the mission team which has been a teeter totter in and of itself as well. We have our last fundraiser this weekend and we are going to be at goal! All $21000 will have been raised...and I believe we will be over our goal. To quote a friend of mine "Ain't God Good?!"
God is honoring our fight for our boys. He is honoring our efforts. We keep trusting Him and He keeps coming through. Oh I wish you could see their faces. :) I wish you could be with me to meet them in June...praying that it's in God's plan that we are able to do so... I believe He will move the mountain that will prevent that! :)
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.
--Psalm 111:2
What mountains can we pray to be moved in your life?
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