Thank you just isn't enough!

Today we come to the end of a long road.  And it feels like there is so much to say, to explain, to justify, to understand, to reconcile, and to celebrate. But that is not what is on our hearts. There is really no way to sum up this part of our journey until we first recognize all the people who have helped us get here.  We could not have done this without all of you walking along this very unpredictable, bumpy, and sometimes painful road with us.  And now that we are standing at the end looking back, we can’t help but see all the people standing behind us cheering us on and celebrating our new family.  And although it is easy to see you now, we know there were times that the road was too dark to see you.  But it is clear now that you were there all along!

To our prayers warriors we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts!  You are a part of one of God’s great miracles.  It has been 2 years and 3 months since we started this process.  We estimate that it has taken over 50 people in 2 countries from our home study to our final sign off to complete this adoption.  Several 100 pieces of paper, 1 judge, 4 sets of finger prints, 10 nannies, 1 social worker, 1 case worker, 2 adoption units, 3 drivers, and finally we became a family of 3!  If you don’t consider that a miracle, I am not sure what is.  And every single one of you helped make it possible.  We have always believed in the power of prayer, we have just never been so closely immersed in such a blanket of love and community. We just can’t say it enough, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

"Thank you" in Amharic

To all of our family (blood and not, you know who you are) thank you for your support.  We know you were praying but you were also in the trenches with us.  From the support you showed when we first told you we were adopting to the preparations you are now making for our arrival, we thank God for you everyday!  You never judged us for the emotions we felt through out this process.  You grieved when we grieved you rejoiced when we rejoiced!  You didn’t always understand our emotions but you were there regardless.  You welcomed B into our family before we ever even knew his name.  You helped us prepare our home, our lives, and our hearts for a new addition!  To say that we are blessed is not enough, our cup runs over with immense joy.  We cannot wait to continue living life as a family of 3 because we know that B will be loved by so many!

Lastly we have to give an extra special thanks to Grandma Lisa.   She sacrificed a lot to be with us here in Ethiopia for a month.  The unconditional love and support you showed us can never be repaid!  Your willingness to put up with us was no easy task.  And the love you showed B is beyond what anyone deserves.  Without you and Grandpa Dennis this adoption would have been very difficult for us financially.  Your selflessness and generosity is unmatched by anyone we have ever known.  We can only pray that we will be as good of parents to B, as you are to us!

WE LOVE YOU ALL! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

8 lesson from my 8 month old

As my “cock-a-DUDE-all-doo” awoke me this morning with his squawks of joyful yelling I began to think about what it would look like if we all approached life with a more childlike attitude.  (In the name of full disclosure I will admit my demeanor and contemplativeness was not so happy when my little Dude awoke me at 10, 12 and 2 in the morning!)  So as I lay there for 30 minutes listening to the sound of B yell, talk, coo, and laugh I began compiling in my head all the lessons he has taught me in the last 2 weeks.  And because I found some of them challenging and profound I wanted to share them with you.  (And again in full disclosure, thinking about these wonderful things my son has taught also helps keep my mind off the wait!) 

So here they are:  8 lessons from my 8 month old

8. Don’t be afraid to find your voice.  And use it often once you do.

7. Make farting/ surbert noises with your mouth at inappropriate times.  It doesn’t matter how old you are, it will always be funny!

6. Eat when you are hungry and sleep when you are tired.

5. Laugh often!  Even if you have to fake it for a little while it almost always turns into real laughter.

4. Cry when you are sad or upset.  It is not a sign of weakness but an opportunity to show how much you need others.

3. Don’t be afraid to rely on people who are older and wiser than you.  They can teach you the ropes and help you avoid dangers that you may not understand yet.

2. Take time to play and interact with others.  Life is too short to be busy all the time.

1. Find joy in all circumstances.  Don’t let your surroundings determine your attitude.  If you have your family by your side and God in your heart you can tackle any challenge the world might bring.

Why did we choose to stay?

The day we found out about B, was without a doubt one of the happiest days of ours lives.  And we relished every moment of the day.  But there was one thing we learned that day that just never set well with us, a fact about B’s story that we would never be able to change, and it broke our hearts.  B was abandoned. 

We hadn’t even met our little guy yet, but already we ached for him, for the fact that he would always have a missing piece to his journey.  Of course we knew we would do everything possible to provide B with the best possible home.  And we knew part of that responsibility meant providing as much information for him as possible about his native country.  As to how we would do that we weren’t exactly sure.  The only thing we knew for certain was that providing him information from books and second hand sources didn’t feel adequate.

It was that desire in our hearts that led to very extensive prayer and got us asking the question, what would it take to stay in Ethiopia between the two visits?  We also asked ourselves what benefit would an extended stay be to our family and particularly B?  Well upon first look, the cons for staying quickly outweighed the pros.  Just to name a few, there was our jobs, our house, the money, the lack of contacts in Ethiopia…. the list goes on.  So in the face of such odds we did what we have done through this whole journey, ignored the world and turned to prayer.  We knew that if God wanted us to be in Ethiopia He would make a way.  And if you have been following our journey you know that is exactly what He did.  We have been in Ethiopia for 7 weeks now.  And to be honest the day we got on that plane to leave was a huge leap of faith!  We had one contact and a place to stay for 4 days!  From there it was all in God’s hands, an exciting but very scary feeling!!

Last Saturday I sat in room sharing a meal with over 20 of our friends that we have met in the last 7 weeks and I thought back to that day.  To the leap of faith it took to leave on a one way journey to a place unknown and trust that the Lord was in control!  I also couldn’t help but think of that sinking feeling in had in my stomach when we found out B was abandoned.  But there in that room as Mike, Grandma Lisa, B and I hosted an American meal for our Ethiopian friends, I felt assured, I felt content, and I felt excited!  God had done more than I ever could have imagined.  Not only did he provide countless opportunities for us to serve and get to know the Ethiopian culture, he had provided us with friends and family here in Ethiopia!  As I interviewed our friends and had them share a few things with B on video, my heart was full.  As I watched B move from lap to lap and arms to arms, I knew he was loved.  I knew he had a community here, I knew he would always have aunties and uncles in Ethiopia.  At that party God opened my eyes and revealed to me the most beautiful picture to the question above, “this my dear, is why you chose to stay!”

There are no words to say how blessed we are to have family here in Ethiopia.  Nothing could fully describe the feeling of knowing we have made friends for life.  And although we know B will still be missing pieces of his life puzzle, we feel confident that some of those holes will be filled by the amazing people we have met on this part of his journey.