For in this HOPE we are saved

The Christmas season is upon us and every year I am amazed that the reason for Christmas gets lost in the shuffle of shopping and parties and decorations.

Mike and I are Christians. We place our hope and lives in the death and resurrection of Jesus. We believe that we are sinful and in ourselves can do nothing to make ourselves sinless. There is no good deed, no good work that I could ever do that would account for my sin. God in His grace and immeasurable goodness saw that only a perfect sacrifice, a sinless life, would rectify the wrong in the world. At Christmas we celebrate God giving the perfect gift of His Son, who would live a perfect life and yet die the death I deserved to die so that I could be made right with God.

We have nothing, no hope hope for righteousness, without the shed blood of Christ. Thank you God for your perfect gift at Christmas.

"For by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves - it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8

"Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we are dead in transgressions, it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5

"For in this Hope we are saved..." Romans 8:24

The Waiting Game

Waiting is hard. We have have now been a waiting family for 3 months and have moved 5 spots. We are very thankful for the 5 spots we have moved over the past 90 days...but 77 still seems like a very big number. For those of you who don't know, there has been a slow down in Ethiopian adoptions. To the best of our understanding, the southern part of Ethiopia has temporarily stopped adoptions with the hopes of cleaning up corruptions and allowing for better treatment of the children who need homes. While this in the long run is a good thing, it has slowed down the process significantly.  We continue to trust God and his timing. We feel strongly that He has asked us to bring one of His children home and that His timing is perfect and sovereign...but waiting is still hard. We have heard from other adopting families that this period of waiting is hard because there is relatively little communication with the agency and relative little that we can do to speed up the process. We would ask for your support in prayer for peace during the waiting process, protection of Ethiopian adoption, and a restarting of adoptions in the southern part of  Ethiopia.


2 Corinthians 12:9
"But he said to me, ' My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

A Room For Our Boy

If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE a good house project.  Welcoming our son home means a whole new multitude of possible projects!!  Here is his room pre-projects...

Right now, this room is "my office" but over the next two years it will be transformed into our son's bedroom!!  More pictures to follow in coming months...and years!  :)

Children's Hope International

Last week, we went to St. Louis to visit Mike's family.  While we were there, we took a side trip to see Children's Hope International.  It was nice to finally see the building in person after months of mail, paperwork, and emails to this mysterious place.  :)

I know, not my best photography (you can see our car in the window...yes this is where I took the pictures from) but you get the general idea.  Outside the building flies the flags of all the countries with whom CHI works.  The Ethiopian flag is second from the right...it never quite wanted to open up for us!!

A Waiting Family...FINALLY!

After months of paperwork, interviews, and more paperwork, we are FINALLY a waiting family!! We found out (on our anniversary) that we are waiting family #82!!  This number seems really big, but it includes all waiting families in front of us, including those families who want girls, older children, sibling sets, etc.  Our adoption councilor explained that the number doesn't have a lot of significance other than to help us measure progress on the waiting list.  Generally there have been 3-4 placements per month which puts us around a 24 month wait for our sweet boy.  God has purpose in this waiting time, but it still seems like a really long wait!! 

I'm a visual person and needed a way to "watch" our wait get slower so I made an 82 link paper chain...

...this is a daily visual reminder that we are waiting for our son to come home.  It is hanging in the room that will one day be his and reminds me to pray daily for his birth family, his development, his nutrition, his care, and his heart.  I am excited to watch this chain get shorter in the coming months!!!

Tomahawk Projects...Besides Adoption

Adoption is not the only thing that Mike and I enjoy.  :)  While we wait for our sweet boy, we (mostly meaning me) find lots of ways to get into trouble around the house.  This spring, I had the crazy idea that I wanted a flower garden across the back of the yard.  How hard can this be, right?  HA!  Mike was agreeable to this project seeing as our weeds were taking over his well manicured lawn.  With visions of beauty in our hearts and ignorance in our heads...we began the project...

...this is our yard before 3 pallets of brick, 20 bags of sand, 24 cubic yards of dirt, lots of rain, a little snow, and LOTS of helpful hands from my family...

...and...drum roll please...the final project!!!  Beautiful right?  Missing something??

...yes,  we neglected to realize that we needed LOTS and LOTS of dirt to fill in our "garden".  So this was delivered to our house (on the hottest weekend of the summer)...

...it turns out that 2 dump trucks of dirt is a LOT of dirt...24 TONS of dirt to be exact.  With the gracious help of family and friends, we managed to move all of this dirt in a single weekend.  In case you were wondering, we used wheelbarrows and manpower, not a Bobcat...despite the helpful advice given to us by multiple random strangers who stopped by to admire (and laugh) at our pile.  I have to say that our pups were especially helpful in our process...

...they were primarily supervisors on this "bathroom renovation" as Zoey called it.  But, in the end, it was all worth it and we LOVE our new garden!!  Now the fun begins!!

...THE FINAL PRODUCT!!!

...Zoey adding the final touches to her bathroom renovation...

...the first fruit of my new garden!!  I transplanted 3 Rose of Sharon bushes this spring thinking they wouldn't survive and here we are at the end of the summer enjoying their beautiful flowers!!

Adopt Together Fundraising Tool

Adopt Together is an online organization developed to assist families with the cost of adoption.  Over the last several years, the cost to adopt has continued to rise which prevents many orphans from finding forever homes.  Home study fees, dossier fees, documentation fees, and travel fees can reach upwards of $35,000 which discourages many families from pursuing adoption. This website allows adopting families to create profiles with their stories and through donations from family and friends, raise money towards the cost of their adoption.

Mike and I have gone back and forth on whether to use this fundraising tool.  Our choice to adopt is our own and we do not expect family and friends to foot the cost.  We trust fully in God that if He wants us to adopt, the funds will be available.  However, since making our adoption public, several people have asked how they can support us.  Honestly, outside of continual prayer, financial support would be greatly appreciated for those who feel led.  This website is set up as a non-profit organizations which allows us to receive 100% of the donated funds in the form of grants.  To donate to our adoption, click the "Donate with Adopt Together" tab to your left.  To learn more, watch this video: 

On Adoption and Orphan Care

Faith has played a big role in our desire and understanding of adoption. We found encouraging words that the Southern Baptist Convention has committed to with regards to the care for the orphan. We believe that God desires for all children to have a loving and supportive family and hope to play a small role in this plan.

ON ADOPTION AND ORPHAN CARE
June 2009

RESOLUTION NO. 2
ON ADOPTION AND ORPHAN CARE

WHEREAS, In the gospel we have received the "Spirit of adoption" whereby we are no longer spiritual orphans but are now beloved children of God and joint heirs with Christ (John 14:18; Romans 8:12-25; Galatians 3:27-4:9; Ephesians 1:5); and

WHEREAS, The God we now know as our Father reveals himself as a "father of the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5) who grants mercy to orphans (Deuteronomy 10:18; Hosea 14:3); and

WHEREAS, Our Lord Jesus welcomes the little ones (Luke 18:15-17), pleads for the lives of the innocent (Psalm 72:12-14), and shows us that we will be held accountable for our response to "the least of these brothers of mine" (Matthew 25:40); and

WHEREAS, The Scripture defines "pure and undefiled religion" as "to look after orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27); and

WHEREAS, The satanic powers and the ravages of sin have warred against infants and children from Pharaoh to Molech to Herod and, now, through the horrors of a divorce culture, an abortion industry, and the global plagues of disease, starvation, and warfare; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have articulated an unequivocal commitment to the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn; and

WHEREAS, Churches defined by the Great Commission must be concerned for the evangelism of children—including those who have no parents; and

WHEREAS, Upward of 150 million orphans now languish without families in orphanages, group homes, and placement systems in North America and around the world; and

WHEREAS, Our Father loves all of these children, and a great multitude of them will never otherwise hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, June 23-24, 2009, express our commitment to join our Father in seeking mercy for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage our pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God's concern for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend churches and ministries that are equipping families to provide financial and other resources to those called to adopt, through grants, matching funds, or loans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage local churches to champion the evangelism of and ministry to orphans around the world, and to seek out ways to energize Southern Baptists behind this mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptist churches to join with other evangelical Christians in setting aside a special Sunday each year to focus upon our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we pray what God is doing in creating an adoption culture in so many churches and families can point us to a gospel oneness that is determined not by “the flesh,” or race, or economics, or cultural sameness, but by the Spirit, unity, and peace in Christ Jesus; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we pray for an outpouring of God's Spirit on Southern Baptist congregations so that our churches will proclaim and picture, in word and in deed, that “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

Having fun sharing our secret

So...Mike and I kept our adoption a secret for about 6 months.  We did this primarily because we wanted to be sure that there wouldn't be any hang ups with our paperwork and approval.  And also because we knew that our journey was going to be a long one (18-22 months) and we thought that adding 6 more months to our wait would seem like a REALLY long time to our family and friends.  But with our approval, we figured it was about time to share our exciting news.  We told our family and friends in a variety of ways including phone calls, emails, postcards, and cookies...yes I said cookies.

Our Dossier is Submitted!!

This week has been a HUGE week in our journey.  On Monday, Mike and I went to Topeka to have our final documents authenticated.  Long story...but after a short heart attack, our paperwork was completed!!  Wahoo!!! We then promptly put it in the mail to our agency who received it Wednesday and notified us that our dossier is now on its way to Ethiopia via Washington D.C.   Within 2 weeks, we should officially be a waiting family.  Currently, the wait time is 18-22 months for a baby boy.  This time seems long, but it is worth it to know that he is truly meant to be our child...and it gives me more than enough time to decorate his room.  :)

Frequently Asked Questions

So, I'm sure that our adoption announcement catches some of you off guard.  Why, when all of your friends are having babies, would you choose to adopt?  Can you have your own children? Why choose Africa? Why Ethiopia? Why Children's Hope International?  The questions are endless...believe me.  These are questions that Mike and I have been wrestling with for several years.  I wanted to take the opportunity to answer some of the FAQs...

#1.  Why Adoption?  Many of you who know me, know that I have talked about wanting to adopt for a long time.  I am not one of those girls who dreams of being pregnant with warm, fuzzy feelings.  Even before meeting Mike, I knew that I wanted to be a mom.  I just wasn't sure they would be my biological children.  As Mike and I have talked about what our family will look like in the future, both of our hearts have been drawn to adoption.  At Redeemer Fellowship (our church), there was a sermon about a year ago which painted a beautiful picture of Christ's love and sacrifice for us.  Christ loved me, even in my sin and filth, so much that he died on the cross in order to adopt me into His family. At the end of the sermon, Kevin (our pastor) spoke about what we can do in response to God's love for us.  For both Mike and myself, our answer was to adopt.  God calls His children to glorify His name and one way that Mike and I can do this is to adopt one of His children.  "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me...' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?...And the Kind will answer them, 'Truly, I way to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"  - Matthew 25:34-40

#2.  Can you have children biologically?  Will you have children biologically?  The answer to the first question is, we don't know and the second is, yes Lord willing.  We thought that adoption would be a fun adventure for our first shot at parenthood.  We have the time and resources to pursue this now, time and resources which may not be available if we had biological children first.  

#3. Why international adoption?  Mike and I carefully considered both domestic and international adoption.  I can't say that we came to a conclusive decision as to why we chose international over domestic, other than to say that it is what seemed right for us.  I feel that becoming parents is always an adventure, and international adoption as a means of becoming parents seemed like the right adventure for us. 

#4. Why Africa? Why Ethiopia?  We initially considered Africa because one of Mike's good friends from college has recently moved his family to Uganda.  We have learned a lot about Africa, particularly eastern Africa, from Ben and his family.  There is a great deal of poverty and illness in Africa which leads to a greater number of orphans.  There is a tremendous need for orphan care in eastern Africa - this includes in country support as well as international adoption.  We landed in Ethiopia by chance, but have since fallen in love with the country and its people.  We initially looked into adopting from Uganda but quickly expanded our search to eastern Africa. The agency that we have chosen to work with has a strong relationship with Ethiopia and felt confident in our ability to successfully adopt from this country.  

#5. Why Children's Hope International?  We looked into several international adoption agencies before landing on CHI.  We chose to use CHI initially because a friend of Mike's recently adopted from Ethiopia using this agency and highly recommended this agency to others. Then, after speaking with CHI, we felt confident that they were a trustworthy organization who had the best interests of the children at heart.  Thus far, we have been very pleased with CHI and are excited to move forward with them!

These are just a few FAQs that I could think of right now.  I'm sure more will come as our news becomes public!

We Are Adopting!!

I must start out by saying that I am not a blogger.  I enjoy reading other blogs, but I have never felt a reason to blog myself...until now. Mike and I began a journey in March of 2013 that I believe is finally worthy of a blog.  Our journey is...ADOPTION.  We are so excited to finally announce that we are planning to adopt a baby boy from Ethiopia!!!  Our son's ETA is relatively unknown at this time.  In fact, he isn't even born yet.  But the dreaming, research, interviews, and paperwork have already begun.

Mike and I made initial contact with Children's Hope International (our adoption agency) in March.  At that time, we were not necessarily planning on pursuing adoption.  We were just interested in learning about the process. We had always planned on being parents in our early thirties and not before. So to find ourselves filling out an application for international adoption 2 days later caught us both by surprise.  After speaking with a representative from the agency, we learned that an international adoption is a LONG process for many reasons.  She encouraged us to begin the process now if we wanted to be parents by the time we were 30.  She explained that once the home study is complete and the paperwork is filed with the government, the wait time to adopt an infant baby boy from Ethiopia is 18-22 months.  This is then followed by a wait period of a few months before bringing our child home.  After praying and considering this information, we decided to take the plunge.  Since that time, God has been so good to us.  He has protected us and affirmed us at every turn.  Our home study is now complete (yes...we passed) and our paperwork is nearly filed.  We were thrilled today to find that our final outstanding document arrived much much earlier than expected!  God is so good!  Our final step is to submit our dossier (compilation of paperwork about us sent to the Ethiopian government) to CHI and wait to be placed on a waiting list.  

With all of that being said...my blogging adventure begins!!