Our Adoption Video

I've been wanting and intending to make this video for the last 18 months. I guess it was just not the right time until now.  I know that my heart, and our family, are not the same.  My perspective, and my view of all that God has done and is doing, are different than they were 18 months ago.  So here's the story...for now.  :)

Sometimes you just have to show up

As I mentioned yesterday, Rebekah and I are going to Ethiopia in November.  We're going with a group from Children's Hope Chest, an organization Jim and I hooked up with when we were in Ethiopia to bring Y and MJ home.  We were compelled by the work they were doing to help not only orphans, but families.  Families with children who might otherwise been placed in orphanages had they not received much needed help and support. 
I'll be explaining more about Children's Hope Chest, and about our trip, over the next weeks, but meanwhile we were given a wonderful opportunity yesterday to share our passion and to raise money to help the children we'll be visiting in November.  Our church family has been a tremendous blessing to us over the last year since we joined, and the women's ministry agreed to host a fundraising breakfast for us.  Actually, to say that they agreed is an understatement.  Months ago I e-mailed the two ladies who lead the women's ministry to ask if they might be willing to help, and they enthusiastically RAN with it. I was overwhelmed.  We decided to have a One Purse breakfast, asking each lady who attended to bring a "gently used" purse.  We would eat breakfast,  R and I would share our presentation for Children's Hope Chest, and then everyone could "shop" for a new purse.  The suggested donation to "purchase" a purse was $10.  We expected between 30 and 40 women to attend, so I was hopeful that we might raise $300 or so.  Oh ye of little faith (okay, oh ME of little faith).  Through those ladies, God provided $903 for the children at Trees of Glory and Kind Hearts, the Children's Hope Chest Carepoints we'll be visiting.  I could hardly believe it.  I had to count it three times.

Here's the kicker.  I had been preparing for that presentation for weeks.  Yet I felt completely unprepared.  I like to talk.  I talk too much.  I'm a verbal processer, and I sometimes need to hear myself talk just to complete a thought (I'm not kidding...ask my husband).  I can certainly be eloquent at times, but there are plenty of times when I cannot put two sensible words together.  I'm much the same when I write.  Sometimes my heart just flows out through my words, and I can feel it.  But often when I try to write I just can't get it to flow, and I'm sure I couldn't write a convincing ad for a yard sale.  The night before the breakfast, after weeks of preparing, I was trying to write a final outline for my talk.  I couldn't get it out.  I tried to share with Jim what I planned to share the next morning, and it was awful.  A-W-F-U-L.  I was a bit panicked.  This was really important to me, and I had felt that God was leading me to do this, but I didn't know if I could. 

I'm sure someone out there knows just where I'm going with this.  I was right.  I couldn't do it.  I think that God was just clearing the path.  I got up the next morning (well, I didn't actually sleep, but I'll explain that in a minute), drove to the church with R and NG, went in, and started setting up.  I had no idea what was going to happen, or exactly how I could pull it off.  But I do know that HE wanted me to know that nothing that happened that morning would be because of me.  He wanted me to know that my words were not needed.  That if there was anything that any of those ladies needed to hear about adoption, or orphans, or families in Ethiopia, or about Himself, it would come from Him, not me.  And it did.  I'm thankful, so thankful, that I didn't walk into that church confidant that I had it all together.  Calmly assured that I had a great, convicting speech planned.  I had nothing to offer, and I knew it.  But the girls and I had prayed all the way there that if God had anything to say, He would say it.  That any agenda set forth would be His, not mine.  Truly, He chooses the weak to show Himself strong.  He just wanted me to stand up and open my mouth.  More of You, Lord, and less of me.  I'm crying a bit now as I write this, because as dear as those children and families we'll be serving in Ethiopia are to me, they are infinitely more precious to Him.  And He is teaching me more and more that I am precious to Him, too. 

I have to add that the two weeks prior to the breakfast were horrible.  Every day some new catastrophe seemed to happen.  The dog had a tumor, which required surgery.  MJ broke her collarbone.  My back went out.  A had a fever of almost 105 degrees for three days.  The bathroom flooded, I ran a red light (at an intersection with a red-light camera) rushing home between a myriad of doctor's appointments, and we found out that R needs a root canal.  There was more, but really...need I go on?  Jim was convinced that we were under attack because I was preparing for this presentation at church, but I wasn't so convinced.  I was thinking small.  The night before the breakfast (remember, the night I was flustered because I couldn't even explain to Jim what I would say the next morning), I was up literally all night coughing.  Perfectly healthy all day the day before, no cough at all.  I swigged cough syrup through the night, got up and went to church with no sleep.  (Okay, I admit it...I stopped at Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte in a moment of exhausted weakness).  I never coughed once during my talk, or felt sick at all.  By the time I got home, I had no voice, and was in bed and miserably sick for the rest of the day.  Here's the thing...I do believe that God preserved my voice and health so that I could go to that breakfast.  So that I could have the chance to see Him show up and show ME that He is all I need and more.  He could've just kept me from getting sick at all.  He could've kept me from coughing all night so I'd have been rested.  He could have kept me from getting sick and losing my voice afterward. But I don't wish He would've done it that way.  I would've missed the chance to see Him prove Himself to me (again).  He doesn't have to...He does it because He knows I'm weak, that my faith is often so small.  And He loves me anyway. 

Anyway, if you prayed for the breakfast, thanks.  And if you were there, well...thanks is a small word.  I was blessed.

Tomorrow I'll try to post the video we made for the breakfast.  :)

Pray for us tomorrow...

Oops...I meant to post about this earlier in the week.  The big news is, R and I are going to Ethiopia in November.  We're going with a group from Children's Hope Chest, and I'll explain more about that later.  Meanwhile, we are so blessed that our church is standing alongside of us in our desire to help families in Ethiopia, a passion we've had since we got home with Mihret and Yosi 18 months ago.  Tomorrow morning our church women's ministry is hosting a breakfast to raise funds for the Children's Hope Chest carepoints we'll be visiting in November.  Please pray that God will use us to speak up for these children, and that we'll be able to help provide for some of their many needs.  R and I are really excited. We made a video about our adoption, something I've been wanting to do for a long time, and we'll be able to share it at the breakfast.  I'll post it here after that.  It's really to late to post this asking for prayer for tomorrow morning, but whenever you read this, please pray anyway!    

Moving forward, Looking back

Is anyone out there?  (I think I heard an echo...)  A friend asked me ...a few weeks ago...why I hadn't posted cute pics of the kids having summer fun, so here they finally are.  I know I haven't posted since Easter, but at least I'm getting to the summer pics before fall officially arrives!  We do have some big events coming up this fall that I want to share about, but first I'll wrap up the summer.  We had a full summer, so here's the first batch, with another post to come.  (Enjoy, Grandma!)

First, a camping trip (the first of the summer)

 For E, it wouldn't be summer if we didn't catch any reptiles or amphibians!

Some of E's friends taught him how to make sushi this summer, and he taught his dad.  We're all fans!

Cow Appreciation Day!  (Free food from Chick-Fil-A for anyone dressed like a cow)

This is how we spent most of our summer (at least 3 hours/day, five days/week): at the pool.  All six children were on the swim team.

The second camping trip of the summer:

I'll finish up the summer on the next post!

Looking back, Part 2

Soooo, camping, swimming, dressing like cows, what more could we ask for? Here's the rest of our summer:

A trip to the beach (courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa):

What happened to my Sweet Pea?  Seems like R grew up this summer.

First sight of the ocean! 

Now you've been with us right up until the first week of school.  We had a great summer; so much joy. 

Unfortunately, the first week of school started with this:

MJ broke her clavicle (wrestling with her brother), and we ended up in the ER.  We don't often see her with a frown...

 but it really didn't take long...

 for her to cheer up.  (6 weeks in the sling, though!)

...and poor Samson had surgery the same day (and yes, he's wearing the cone of shame.  sigh.)

So now you're up to date.  Stay tuned to see what we're up to next...

:)

The Week After Easter

"We never did the Empty Tomb Rolls!" R said this morning, as we finished our breakfast.  Empty Tomb Rolls, along with a few other traditions that we enjoy during Lent, didn't happen this year.  Every year we start out the season of Lent (and Advent too), with a frenzy of plans, activities and expectations, but some of them always fall by the wayside as the days go by and the busyness of "real life" co-exists with our attempts to make the days holy.  But I'm learning...that all of the days are holy. It's not just knowing that all of the days are holy...it's beginning to learn to live them as if they are. To experience the holiness of everyday. I love the week after Easter.  Or Christmas.  Or any holiday.  I look forward to those ordinary days perhaps more than I look forward to the days which are slated as "special" on our calendar.  The excitement, the frenzy of activity, the growing expectation, and then the joyful glow of the long anticipated holidays...those are lovely.  But there is also, for me, often a sense of unreality.  God doesn't use our calendar.  I do love to honor Him, and to offer up those special days to His glory, but my heart truly longs to learn to stay with Him in a deeper more consistent way...every day.  The quiet let-down of those "after holiday days" is often, for me, a time of deeper connection with God.  I've let go of the expectations of making the days special, and I'm knowing that it's only Him...without the rituals or traditions...just Him.

There's another thing too.  It's all of those special traditions and rituals that we never got around to during Lent.  We started out the Lenten season by drawing a slip of paper out of a bag every day...each slip with a special lesson or activity to prepare us for Easter.  Let's just say that there are still a few (quite a few) slips of paper left in the bag.  And we started reading a chapter each night from a book called Amon's Adventures, which we should have finished on Easter Sunday.  But God provided us with some different opportunites on the last few evenings before Easter...and we still have four chapters left to read.  And of course, there's always those Empty Tomb Rolls.  We prayed together a lot.  We learned some new worship songs which we can keep singing.  We dyed some beautiful eggs (I think my ears are still hurting from blowing out 35 eggs; you can see a few of them in the picture at the top of this post!).  Best of all, during those 40 days of Lent we worshipped and talked and read and worshipped some more about the good news of Easter, and I think MJ has really begun a journey of learning and understanding something about grace.  But we're not finished!  Easter (the Easter that's a day on the calendar) is over, but for us it isn't ever over.  So we're finishing up Amon's Adventures this week.  And today we're making Empty Tomb Rolls.  And we watched some "Easter Movies" this week even though Easter is over (at MJ's request). She just keeps wanting to hear the story over and over again.  The days are holy.  The days are holy.   

Yum! (This was supposed to be a short post about our dinner, but turned into a long walk down memory lane.)

Believe it or not, until tonight I have never tried my hand at cooking Ethiopian food.  There are a number of reasons for this.  First, when we got home from Ethiopia we were rather overwhelmed with life in general, and new recipes were not at the top of my "to do" list.  Also, Y and MJ had no trouble adjusting to our American diet; they ate everything we put in front of them, and lots of it, so I didn't feel the need to prepare foods that were more familiar to them.  Finally, we were less than enthusiastic about our experience with Ethiopian food while we were there (except for our breakfasts, which were cooked at the guest house where we stayed and offered fluffy french toast every single morning).  Almost everything we ate in Ethiopia looked, smelled, and tasted pretty much the same.  Actually, we came home feeling as though not just the food but everything in Ethiopian smelled the same to us.  It was the smell of berbere, an Ethiopian spice that seemed to us to permeate everything in Addis Ababa.  Even the money smelled like berbere (you can still smell it on the bills we brought home for the children).  On our first day in Ethiopia the smell seemed exotic and intriguing.  By the time we were departing for home it seemed cloying and clinging and not very appetizing anymore.

Fast forward about a year to our visit to an Ethiopian restaurant (about a month ago).  We all loved it.  All eight of us scraped the plates and downed every crumb of injera (Ethiopian flat bread, which is served with every meal).  As I look back, all but two of the meals we ate in Ethiopia were what I now somewhat affectionately refer to as "street food".  We were not allowed to go out of our guest house with Y and MJ, so most of our meals were ordered from the same mysterious vendor who, upon receiving a phone call from our guest house, would rush there on foot with a menu and take our order.  The menu included several Ethiopian dishes, along with spaghetti and ravioli.  We would place our order, and the man would disappear, then reappear shortly with our dinner, which always included large portions of injera.  We quickly discovered that "spaghetti" and "ravioli" were code names for pasta covered in some sort of berbere flavored paste.  We could also order pizza, which tasted remarkably similar to the spaghetti and ravioli, except the berbere paste came on a pizza crust, and was accompanied by little packets of some spice which we found to be painfully hot.  Jim bravely attempted to order an Ethiopian dish from the vendor one night.  It was called Beef Firfir.  He still doesn't like to talk about it.  This all sounds as if we have a very negative opinion of Ethiopian food, but I'm just saying that in retrospect we've realized that most of what we ate there wasn't very good Ethiopian food.  We did have two wonderful meals while in Ethiopia, both at authentic Ethiopian restaurants, but unfortunately it was the "street food" which left a strong impression.  (Y and MJ didn't mind it a bit, I must say; more than once MJ put away a man-sized portion of "Ethiopian ravioli.")  Oh, and Jim wants me to point out that we never had a bad cup of coffee while in Ethiopia (though I learned the hard way that you do have to specify that you want sugar when you order a mocha latte from Kaldi's, the Ethiopian version of Starbucks). 

When we brought Y and MJ home, we also brought a large bag of...berbere.  It has remained in our pantry for 13 months, tightly sealed in a freezer bag so as not to permeate all of our food with the smell.  So finally this week I decided to try cooking with it.  I found a recipe for "Ethiopian Sloppy Joes", an adaptation of a dish called Dinish Wat.    And when I opened the bag of berbere, I really did flash right back to the first day in Ethiopia, when that smell was exotic and intriguing.  (And I longed, as I have many, many times over the past 13 months, to be there and experience beautiful Ethiopia all over again.  But that's another story.)  I started preparing dinner, and while it was cooking I had to make a run to the grocery store and left R tending the pot.  When I came home and opened the front door, the whole house smelled of berbere, and I froze in the doorway because I was overwhelmed with the pleasure of it.  It's amazing how smells can spark memories and emotions.  And how time can allow lovely memories to overcome the difficult ones.  I was so excited to put that food in front of MJ, knowing how much she would relish it, and I wasn't disappointed.  It's been awhile since she's eaten a man-sized portion of anything, but she did it tonight.  Actually,  everyone loved it.  I'm even claiming medicinal qualities for this dish, because Jim has a bad cold and the berbere cleared his sinuses right up.

The next time I go to Ethiopia (can you hear a prayer in there?), I'm going to relish the Ethiopian food.  Even if it's "berbere ravioli."  I'm going to appreciate it...value it...enjoy it.  

Meanwhile, here's a shot of our "Americanized" Dinish Wat:

And here's a link to recipe:

Ethiopian Sloppy Joes

But if you want it to be really good, you're going to need some of this:

And I'm not sure if I'm willing to share mine.  I checked, though, and you can order yourself some on Amazon.  Enjoy.
:)