A Present for Our Son

On Saturday, our friends Aaron and Heather Crowley leave for Ethiopia to finally meet and bring home their infant son.  The Crowley's have been a part of our lives for many years ... though not in a significant way.  Our kids all went to an AWANA program at their church and I think that Heather taught all 3 of them at one time or another.  That is as deep as our connection went.  I knew who she was ... often got her confused with her sister-in-law who also led a group ... but did not know her enough to have a conversation with her.  Then almost a year ago, exactly ... I bumped into her talking to another one of my friends.  That friend said, "Heather was just telling me about their plans to adopt from Ethiopia."  Little did either of them know, but Dave and I had just decided to move forward with our plans to adopt a few weeks earlier.  We ended up using the same adoption agency - America World Adoption.  Since then, Heather and I have had the chance to share our hopes, fears, joys, disappointments and ultimately our faith as we've been on this journey together. They have waited 11 long weeks since Ethiopian courts officially made them the parents of their little boy, and we are so excited that they are finally on their way.  And as if that's not enough, because we used the same agency, they get to take a care package to our son ... and take current pictures of him to bring back to us ... and even sit with him while he's opening it!  Isn't that amazing?  Here's what we're sending (the blue book is a photo album with pictures of us)!

Blessings to you as you travel, Crowley family.  We can't wait to welcome you home!

Queen of Sheba

My first time eating Ethiopian food was when I lived in Washington, D.C. while I was in college.  There is a very large Ethiopian community in D.C., and this restaurant was actually quite nice.  We did not even have a table or chairs.  We sat on these big, fancy pillow type things and there was a tall stand in the middle where the food was placed.  Who would have thought so many years later ... that we would be heading to Ethiopia in a few months.

So we took the kids to dinner for their first experience eating Ethiopian food last week.  There are actually several Ethiopian restaurants in Portland.  Dave and I had tried one last summer on my birthday while our adopting plans were still unknown to others.  That one was called Mubai's.  Very casual. The lady there was very friendly, and it was delightful enjoying dinner with our secret plans ... wondering how this whole adoption process would work out.

So this week, we went to Queen of Sheba, also very casual. I had heard it was good from several people.  We found some non-spicy food in "alitcha" sauce for our 2 spice averse kids, and then Ethan and Dave and I really enjoyed the more traditional spicy food in the "berbere" sauce.  For those who have never eaten Ethiopian food, it is served on an enormous plate that is covered with the biggest "pancake" you've ever seen ... the traditional bread called injera.  It is a fermented, somewhat spongy texture bread, and you use the injera to pick up the food.  Ethan thought it was awesome not having to use silverware.  Everyone liked it ... the only negative was from our oldest who doesn't really care for sourdough type flavors ... he didn't really like the injera.  Next time we'll ask for a fork for him.

I Will Not Leave You as Orphans ...

I will come to you.  John 14:8  

This is my brother-in-law, Eric, coming home tonight after rescuing his new daughter, Anna from her life as an orphan.  It is an amazing story of God's providence.  She was a child with medical needs that resulted in her being flown to the hospital, where Eric works, for treatment.  He heard about her situation, and so their family of 11  began praying for her ... praying that a family would step up to adopt her.  Eventually, God placed it on both Eric and Kim's hearts that perhaps they were supposed to adopt her.  Isn't that amazing?  A family with 9 children already, deciding that they have enough room and love for one more!

And when they called us to tell us that they were adopting ... we were able to say, yeah, us too!  Isn't that just like God to move brothers who live 3000 miles apart and talk rather infrequently to the same calling at the same time. 

Welcome home, Anna Elder!  We are so blessed to have you in our family.

READY FOR SOME NEWS?

The last couple of months have been very quiet on the adoption front ... paperwork turned in ... and estimated wait time of 2-3 months ... So we've just been doing our regular life. Kids activities, work, the usual.  I really chose not to think about the adoption too much and when we might get matched to our child, though lately, I had been wondering if we weren't getting close.

While I was at work on Thursday, my cell phone rang ... and I missed the call, but saw that the area code was from Virginia, where our adoption agency is.  And then my heart started beating fast!

WE GOT OUR CALL AND ......

He's 3 1/2 years old, and he is absolutely adorable.  We are feeling quite blessed (and a bit overwhelmed) with the new reality that our son is real, exists and has a face with a beautiful smile.  Thank you all so much for your prayers and support.  More will be needed ... and we'll be giving you new opportunities to join with us.  The next prayer is that we would get an amazingly quick court date ... before May 9th.  Chances are slim, but we are praying in earnest for that.  It would mean that we would only have to travel to Ethiopia once.   We so wish we could share his darling picture, but we can't post them until he is officially ours.  However, I might have one stored in my phone if you happen to see me in the near future.  :-)

What I Did Today ...

Left my house @ 8:15 to drive here ....

To get these documents certified ...

So that we could go here ...

To mail this ...

To America World Adoption Agency.

In other words, our dossier (all the paperwork) is on the first leg of it's journey to Ethiopia!!!

Next big milestone will be receiving our referral ... the picture of the actual child that will become a part of our family.  Becoming more real, each day.

What's In Your Heart?

Read a great blog this morning that asked this question ... using a necklace she received at Christmas as the starting point.  Here's the link http://mycrazyadoption.org/whats-in-my-heart-2.  Feel free to go read it.  She writes a great deal about international adoption as well.

I love the question ... especially at the beginning of the new year.  Are the things in my heart this year, the same as last?  Am I making room in my heart for the things that God wants there by clearing out the old things that should not have a place there. 

The new things that I have made room for this year .... our new child who we will hopefully meet this year. I find myself longing to see this face, hold this child, love this gift that God is bringing to our family.  The second thing that is taking up more space in my heart than ever before, is my ministry with Saint Child.  I have served this organization for almost 4 years ... and for much of that time, it was service, obligation, one more thing to do.  Don't get me wrong, I believed that what this maternity home was doing mattered.  Taking young women who have nowhere else to go ... giving them a safe place to stay, immersing them in a loving family ... giving them a chance for a fresh start in life while they are growing and giving birth to a new life ... this is big stuff, important stuff.  It's just that my heart, my emotion wasn't always in it.   It is a blessing and a curse for me to be able to separate my heart from my actions much of the time.  But when those two line up?  There is a powerful change ... in me and in those that I am privileged to serve.

What's in your heart this year?

The Blind Side

I realize that I'm a little late to this party.  Knew from the first moment I saw the trailer for this movie that I would love it.  My oldest son wanted to see it so badly, and it has taken us this long to find a time when we could both go.  Took my 12 year old as well.  I could have done the ugly cry so many times throughout ... ok I did.  The reality of opening your heart to love someone .... someone so different with hurts that you can only imagine. Our adoption plans obviously made this so real.  Things that made me sob as I thought of our child in Ethiopia ... Michael saying he's never had a bed.  Stuffing food in his pockets at Thanksgiving.  Flashbacks of painful memories from his childhood.  LeeAnn's (the mom) conversation with Michael's birthmom.  Things that made me smile ... first Christmas photo and the family member calling and saying did you know you have a black child in your family picture? ... black and white skin reaching across the table to hold hands before praying for the meal ....  the true love and acceptance given this child.

Favorite line ... "You're changing that boy's life," spoken by a friend.  "No, he's changing mine."  says Mom.

Left me speechless ... and crying ...