Ethiopia Days 5 & 6

We woke up Monday morning, in anticipation excited to spend time with our sweet boy all morning. We had missed him all weekend, and were beginning to realize the predicament the next couple of months were going to be in. We really missed Stella and Max back at home, but were happy to be with the baby, and just thinking about coming back to the States made us excited to see Stella and Max, but we knew that we were going to desperately miss our baby. no matter where we were, we were going to feel that missing piece. This last leg of waiting was, without a doubt, going to be the hardest of all.

We arrived at Acacia Village that morning, and they brought the babies out again to see their parents. We had a great time playing with him, and he was still very warm and loving towards us. As we were playing, I asked one of the nannies if it would be ok to sneak a visit in before court the next day if we hired a driver to bring us back to Acacia Village. She said that it wouldn't be a problem. Score! We were going to get to see him one last time before we had to go back home. I was relieved, especially since that second day he was having some teething issues, and you could tell he wasn't feeling his best. We got to feed him, and then he fell asleep in my arms. I waited a bit to put him in his bed for some extra cuddle time! We were walking to the infant room to put him in his bed, and there in the hallway were about 6 toddlers all lined up on training potties going to the bathroom and waving and smiling at us. It was the absolute cutest thing ever! I wish my 2 year old son could have seen it, they could have shown him a thing or two. When we went into the room to lay him in his crib, it was once again so peaceful seeing all those precious babies sleeping. Before we went to Ethiopia, I had sewed the baby a quilt of all of our old t-shirts and up to that point we had been sleeping with it everyday. That afternoon, I got to snuggle my baby boy up in his crib with his blanket, and I was overwhelmed with joy seeing him all snuggled up with it. We kissed him goodbye and knew that we only had one more opportunity to see him before we left, and every time we saw him, the realization became clearer that it was going to be extremely difficult to leave him. We decided to get to bed early since the next day we had a busy day of visitations, court, and we would be departing Addis after court.

We woke up that next morning and packed up all of our stuff in anticipation for Alazar to come pick us up to see the baby. We were really sad to be leaving Ethiopia. We were also fearful of coming back to the States after being in a country like this for 6 days, just the culture shock we would have, since we had both felt an internal change over the past week. Our wonderful guest lodge had a relaxing terrace on the rooftop and every day and night Jordan and I would go up there and just reflect on everything and take everything in. It had become kind of our spot when we needed to go and make sense of things. We were up on the rooftop when we saw Alazar drive up to take us to the orphanage. When we go to the orphanage, our sweet boy was all smiles, and we knew he remembered us from the day before. It made my heart happy knowing we would be leaving him on a happy note. We had such a great visit with him on our last visitation, and I wish we could have stayed longer, but we had court that afternoon. We told him we loved him, hugged and kissed all over him, and promised that we would come back for him as soon as we can to bring him home. There was happiness when we left. A peace. I felt secure in knowing that he was being cared for at Acacia Village. That if he wasn't able to be with us, there is no other place I would want him to be than with those sweet ladies that care for those children as if they are their own.

We left just in time to get back to our lodge and then get back on another van to go to court. Court was a very different setting than in the US. It was way more laid back and there was no court room. Just an office that we were called in when it was our turn. I had this heavy feeling the whole time, and I didn't know why, and I just wanted to stay hopeful, so I just kept trying to ignore it. We walked in the room where the judge was with the 2 other families from our agency, and we all had court together. After she asked us a few questions, she told the other 2 families that their babies were officially theirs and she said that our case was still pending, because of a document. She readjourned our court date to June 1st and said she would look over our case again then. I honestly don't remember much after that. The heaviness I had been feeling just kept getting stronger and I could sense that sadness and anger in Jordan. I couldn't breathe. I was absolutely heartbroken. We finally got back to the guest lodge and I immediately ran up the 6 flights of stairs to the terrace, my safe place, to get some air. I just completely lost it. I just cried and cried and we just stood in silence.

I know these things happen in adoption. It is a very common thing for things to be delayed. Our agency did a fantastic job informing us about this happening, but at that point it didn't matter how much I knew or what I was expecting. It hurt... It hurt so bad. I believe in God' sovereignty, I trust in His perfect timing. I  was constantly repeating that to myself, trying to believe those words even though at that moment my hope was so dim. I was praying for his loving kindness to just swarm around me at that very moment, to allow me to see Him and find that hope again that only He can give me. I went inside to send an email on my laptop to our caseworker just to clarify some things, and as I opened it, a notification popped up on my screen from a fellow Ethiopian adoptive momma that read:

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12

I went back up to the terrace and just gazed at the beautiful mountains and trees that surrounded me and this city and these people. This peace and protection came over me. Looking at His beautiful creations that I had been mesmerized with the entire time we were there, realizing it didn't matter if my heart was full of joy, full of sorrow,  full of worry, or full of despair, these mountains, everyday, shouted His name. All I could think was, He is faithful all the time and every time. He never leaves. Even in our deepest despairs, he does not waiver or change. No matter what, the mountains and trees are singing His praise. Charles Spurgeon once said, "Think not believer, that your sorrows are out of God's plan; they are necessary parts of it. We must, through much tribulations, enter the kingdom. Learn, then, even to count it all joy." I think he was onto something when he said this. The people of Ethiopia were also a true testament to this. No matter what, we can always be joyful. He once again carried me out of that place and set my feet on solid ground, and we left that rooftop in peace.

We arrived back safely in Houston on Wednesday, and drove back to Austin on Thursday. Here is the update since we have been back in the States....

One of our documents is unclear at the moment that is interfering with our court approval to make our baby boy officially ours. Our court date is readjourned for June 1st and, if God's will, hopefully we will get court approval. Our agency will be standing in for us at this date, and we pray he brings good news. The transition back has been overwhelming both physically and emotionally. I didn't think we it would have been this hard getting back into our normal lives. We need our prayer warriors to cover us in prayer...

-Pray for our June 1st court date. They are a half day ahead of us in Ethiopia, so we will hopefully hear something the morning of June 1st (our time.)

-Pray for our transition. We are feeling a lot of heaviness on our heart about Ethiopia and REALLY missing our little boy.

-Pray for our wait time. Pray that God brings us patience and peace throughout the last leg of our journey, as it's only been a week, and it feels like an eternity.

-Pray for us as we start preparing for our second trip both emotionally and financially. Pray for our health and for God to protect and provide.

Everyone's kind words, prayers, and encouragement, have been amazing the past week. It really is helping us get through these hard times of transitions, and we honestly could not get through it without all of the love and support. We thank you from the bottoms of our hearts!

Ethiopia Day 3 & 4

We couldn't go and visit our boy over the weekend, so it allowed us some time to go and see the sights and dive into the culture of Ethiopia. We hired our driver, Alazar, for Saturday and Sunday and he was fantastic! We couldn't have asked for a better driver. He is the owner of Addis Flower Guest House in Ethiopia (which we got to tour, and I would definitely recommend.) We first, went up Mount Entoto where we were able to catch a glimpse of the rural area of Ethiopia. It was absolutely beautiful everywhere you turned. Looking from on top of the mountain you could look out and see the entire city of Addis. There was something so peaceful and safe about the lay of the land. That there was this city down below full of poverty and needy people completely surrounded by this beautiful landscape of trees and mountains. It was as if the mountains and trees were protecting the city and its people. Here are some pictures of the beautiful view!

Mt. Entoto overlooking the town of Addis Ababa.

Overlooking Addis Ababa.

With our new friends, Darik and Tracy. Love them!

One of my favorite parts was watching these women carrying down from the mountain massive tree branches bundled up on their backs. Alazar told us that the women get up early in the morning to go up the mountain. They gather as many branches they can and walk them back down the mountain to make a living. It takes them half the day to get down the mountain. Just watching the way of the people and realizing how different our lives were, I was taken aback. Seeing how hard they worked, and how much they did in one day with a smile and pride on their face, was such an humbling experience. The people were so peaceful and whether they were bringing their herd of donkeys down the mountain or playing soccer in a random field with their friends, you saw this inner joy radiating out of them, and it completely rocked my world!

THE PEOPLE OF MT. ENTOTO

These women are amazing! Every morning they walk
up the mountain and collect tree branches.
 It takes them half a day to walk back down the mountain
with the branches. All to earn a living.

More resilient Ethiopian women.

donkeys, donkeys everywhere!

The kids of Mt. Entoto playing soccer.

Fields on Mt. Entoto ready for the rainy season.

While on the mountain we were able to visit some Ethiopian churches and museums. Ethiopia is a part Christian part Muslim nation. All is at peace, and they are very religious. We enjoyed learning about their customs and seeing some of the oldest churches in the history of the world. It was beautiful seeing and learning how other people halfway across the world worshipped the same God as me. They weren't afraid to lift their hands and dance and sing really loud!

The monastery of the priests and deacons from the
octagonal church on Mt. Entoto

Limestone communion cave carved out by hand during the
days of King David.

100 year old paintings depicting Jesus' miracles
inside the octagonal church.

More paintings within the church of Jesus serving His people.

The first Christian church in Addis

Another church in Addis. They believe that the Arch of the
Covenant is inside.

St. George Cathedral

Beautiful stain glass window in the bell tower
outside the St. George Cathedral

We also got to do some shopping at the market places. This is where we got the most interaction with the people. Seeing all the street children running up to us and wanting us to buy what they had offer was the most humbling of all. You see images and even some documentaries about life in a third world country from afar and I think one, you don't believe it is as bad as they are depicting it, or two, maybe you see how bad it is, but it is easier to turn the channel or turn your head, than deal with the reality of how these kids live. Seeing it with my own two eyes, was absolutely sobering. These kids are real. Their situations are real. They work day to day to provide for themselves and/or their siblings and all of them exuded so much joy and happiness, as if they had everything they needed in the world. We have so much stuff, and yet, I find myself every day complaining about something. We get upset because we want better paychecks, a better government, better healthcare, or drama-free relationships, and these people don't have any of that. Most don't have parents to fight with, healthcare when they are sick, or a government system that cannot possibly help all of the 8 million orphaned children in need of food and shelter. Their needs are OVERWHELMING but they are completely satisfied with what they are given. They praise their God everyday no matter what, and they are completely satisfied with Him and what He has given them. I had such humbling interactions that I cannot get out of my head, and don't think I ever will.

More sweet children of Ethiopia getting ready to tour a museum.

Making scarves.

The food and the coffee was absolutely fabulous. I think my husband ate more in Ethiopia than he does in the States! There was coffee everywhere you turned and all of the food was delicious.

Delicious Caramel Macchiato at Kaldi's Coffee
(equivalent to Starbucks). YUM!

Jordan's favorite Ethiopian meal which he ate almost everyday.
Tibbs and injera bread all eaten with just your hands.

Tamaco Coffee Shop with Tracy and Darik.
Met some extremely nice Ethiopian men there who were great
company. The people are so warm.

While we were out one day we were invited inside of an Ethiopian traditional wedding. They only happen 3 or 4 times a year, so it was an honor to be a part of it. We walked up and the people inside said, "please come in," and escorted us in and sat us down in the middle of the ceremony. The people around us literally were hand feeding us and shoving meat filled injera into our mouths. They got us all up and the little kids around us were showing Jordan and I the dance and rhythm of the clapping. It was unbelievable watching these people celebrate. They were even friendly towards wedding crashers!

We were invited into a traditional Ethiopian wedding.
They only have 3 or 4 a year, so it was a special and
unforgettable experience.

Beautiful little girl at the wedding.

This little boy was a doll!
He was teaching Jordan and I the song and dance
that the people were doing.

We had an unbelievable weekend, but we were so ready to go see our boy again at the orphanage, and ready to go to court so we could hear the words HE IS OURS!

Ethiopia Day 1 & 2

We had such an unbelievable experience in Ethiopia! We had an amazing 6 days that will forever change our hearts and we long for the day when we will soon return...


We arrived in Ethiopia on Wednesday night at 10pm. After a 19 hour flight with an 8 hour time change, we had just enough energy to check-in to our guest lodge and walk down the street  to grab a pizza at Bruno's, which ended up being one of our favorite places to eat. When we got back to the guest lodge, we were welcomed with a power outage (in true Ethiopian style). Thank goodness we listened and brought a flashlight. I looked at Jordan and said, "This is Africa." We went to sleep with such anticipation, knowing the next day we would be meeting our precious boy for the very first time.

Here are some pictures from our guest lodge and the streets of Bole in Addis Ababa. We loved this friendly neighborhood and all the local eateries and shops around it.

The view from our room at Afro Land Lodge. To the left are families' homes,
and along the streets are shops and local businesses. And, of course, everywhere
 you look is the beautiful Ethiopian background of mountains and
clouds that go for days.

Jordan on the lodge rooftop. I am in love with this man!

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains will burst
 into song before you, and all the trees in the fields will clap their hands."
Isaiah 55:12

THE PEOPLE OF BOLE, ADDIS ABABA

The produce stand on the corner.

The local hangout.
Love how affectionate everyone is towards one another!
Everywhere you turned there were people embracing each other.

Ethiopian woman preparing a meal for her family at her home.
We enjoyed getting a bird's eye view into people's day to day lives.

Enjoyed watching the neighborhood children play at their homes.
They were so incredibly cute! 

Ethiopian woman washing dishes.
These women work so hard from sun up to sun down whether it be washing
and hanging out laundry, preparing and cleaning up meals, or taking care of
their children. 

Friday morning came around quickly. We woke up to a wonderful breakfast  prepared by the guest lodge with some amazing coffee! (puts my morning coffee at home to shame) Before we knew it, we were told by the front desk that our CWA driver had arrived to take us to the orphanage to meet our son. We were the first of 3 families picked up that were also in Ethiopia meeting their children for the first time. It was such a relief meeting other families that were in the exact same position as we were, and it was great to be able to share our feelings about everything going on! We couldn't have asked for better families to travel with and walk along beside us through this part of our journey. I will never forget traveling the streets of Ethiopia. The traffic is absolutely crazy, and the streets are filled with people.

THE STREETS OF ADDIS ABABA

Imagine NYC traffic without traffic lights, stop signs, unmarked roads,
and people and donkeys everywhere you look!
The driver kept telling me to close my eyes!



Typical Ethiopian building. Everything was so colorful!

The streets of Ethiopia.

Almost to Acacia Village, the orphanage of our sweet boy.
Everywhere you looked the scenery was breathtaking.

We arrived at Acacia Village and were greeted by a few of the nannies that took care of our boy. We were escorted into a play area, and the reality hit me all at once that after 2 years of praying and waiting and longing and holding on to God's promise, we were FINALLY going to hold and love on our sweet boy in just a few moments. A little boy that had no idea how much he had been prayed for and how much he was already loved. A little boy that God set apart before he was even formed in his mother's womb. As we stood there in anticipation the nanny walked in with our sweet boy in her arms. He had just woken up from his morning nap and just looked at us intently with those big brown eyes, and I immediately stretched out my arms and embraced my precious baby boy for the very first time. I had waited for so long for this one moment, and it was so worth it, I would have waited a million more. He was very warm towards us and kept laying his head on my shoulder. I love that he loves to cuddle! We walked into the playroom and played on the floor with him. All I could do was just watch him with amazement that I was here in this moment. We made the most precious memories that morning of introducing him to his momma and his daddy! I absolutely adored watching Jordan become a father once again and falling in love with his son.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come for you." John 14:18

After awhile of playing and getting acquainted with our son we were taken on a tour of the beautiful Acacia Village. We were able to meet all of the nannies that were caring for our sons, and I felt so relieved seeing them interact with him with such love and kindness. And as if my heart wasn't full enough, we were introduced to all of the other children waiting for families that lived at the village. We got to interact and play with all of the children there, love on them, and get a glimpse of their daily routine. I was so overwhelmed with emotion, but was also trying to take in every little thing about our boy...his smile, his giggles, what he liked to eat, how he liked to sleep, how he liked to be held, what toys he liked to play with, and so forth and so forth.

Beautiful acacia tree outside the orphanage.

Beautiful Ethiopian scenery from Acacia Village.

Next, it was lunchtime, so we were invited into the dining area to feed our baby and a coffee ceremony. We noticed a lot of Ethiopians serve popcorn with their coffee. I loved that! Jordan was holding our boy as we were feeding him, and he looked up at Jordan's eyes and just close his eyes and fell right to sleep. It was the most precious thing. We were able to cuddle him a little while longer and then walked him to his room and lay him down into his crib. The entire room was full of little infants sleeping in their cribs. It was so quiet and peaceful! I didn't want to leave, but I leaned over and gave our sweet sleeping boy a goodbye kiss knowing that I would see him again in a couple of days. Our hearts were completely overflowing! We had fallen in love with precious little thing, and we were just in such amazement that God chose and entrusted us to be this sweet boy's parents. There was nothing better than seeing my husband overflowing with love for this sweet child. It made me fall in love with him all over again.

That night, we had quite the adventure in a taxi cab trying to find the Island Breeze restaurant that we were meeting up at with the other families. Luckily, when we were about to tell the cab driver to take us back to the guest lodge, Jordan looked up and saw the restaurant. That night we also discovered that Ethiopia is a place where the streets have no names, so google map really doesn't help when it comes to directions. It was so great to be able to talk with the other families about meeting our children for the first time and experiencing something that not too many people get to experience.

We went to bed that night, so in awe of God and His plan and His journey that He laid out for us, and in awe of the joy and love that came flowing into our lives by walking His path. Our hearts were full and it was just two days in. We had no idea what was ahead of us and how this place and these people would take a piece of our hearts and always be a part of us.

Cut-A-Thon 2011....Change your hair, Change the world



OK! So here's the deal.....

SUNDAY, April 10, 2011 my salon, along with 3 other salons, are having a cut-a-thon. A cut-a-thon is where haircuts are offered at a GREAT price and all the proceeds of every single haircut goes directly towards a good cause. In this case, the great cause is the adoption of our son. All of the hairstylist are capable of cutting and styling ALL hair types and ALL people. The more people come to get their haircut the more money we raise. SO TELL YOUR FRIENDS, TOO! We are asking for a $25 donation for women's haircuts, $15 for men's haircuts, and $5 for kid's who are 6 and under.

We have 4 amazing hairstylist, that will be providing the services, as well as, some very generous cosmetology students who have donated their time to assist the stylist. You don't need to make an appointment or anything. You can just show up at THE GALLERY OF SALONS (2525 W. Anderson Lane, Austin, TX 78757) anywhere between 12:00 - 4:00 and we will accommodate you. Bring the whole family, if you want, bring your friends, your neighbors. Especially bring the people who you've been meaning to recommend to your hairstylist, because they desperately need help in the hair department. (You know who I'm talking about. That person that just popped into your head after reading that sentence!) It's a great way for them to get a professional haircut for a really cheap price, and at the same time, contribute to a great cause!

JUST GOT A HAIRCUT? That's not a problem either. You can still come and be a part of this special event. We will be having a silent auction for some really cool stuff, lots of hair products, accessories, and t-shirts for all you shoppers out there, as well as a FREE raffle just for showing up and being with us!

WON'T BE AVAILABLE THAT DAY OR DON'T LIVE IN THE AUSTIN AREA? You're in luck, that won't be a problem either. You can still participate by buying a t-shirt, bidding on our silent auction items, or entering in our raffles. (More details to come on those, so keep checking back!) You could also just donate funds by using that "donate" button at the top right-hand corner of the blog. Another way to contribute, is get the word out. The only way this event is going to raise funds is if people show up. So you can also help by sharing this blogpost, tweeting out the event, donating your status on facebook to tell your fb friends about our event, or wherever else you can share information to other people. If you would like flyers to hang up at your office, in your neighborhood, at your church please contact me and let me know at kristinmichaelstylist@gmail.com.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP-- If you, personally, or your business would like to contribute to the event, we need you. We need raffle prizes, silent auction items, and even just people willing to help advertise. Please contact me if you feel led to do this.

SO, here's the recap:

CUT-A-THON FUNDRAISER

BENEFITING OUR ADOPTION

Sunday, April 10, 2011

12:00-4:00pm

at Gallery of Salons

2525 W. Anderson Lane, ATX 78757

BE THERE, OR BE SQUARE!

For more questions or information, please email kristinmichaelstylist@gmail.com

                                                  

"Bring it on, God!".....and He did.

I love writing in journals. I've done it since I was a little girl and I enjoy it even more now as a grown woman. As of right now, I have five journals stashed around the house, and whenever I feel the need, I pull one out and start writing. It's such great therapy for me, that I can write everything down that's going through my head. It's kind of like word vomit! Every year since I was 10, my favorite journal entry is always January 1 of every year. I always right down goals and dreams that I have for the upcoming year. I love going back and reading them at the end of the year, to see my progress. Well, last night I read January 1, 2010. All it said in big bold letters, was "I will wait upon You, Lord....Bring it on!" and boy, did He bring it.

I've never been more stretched, more disciplined, and more molded by God than I have this year. Not only going through painful legal battles, and embarking on our adoption journey, but we've also gone through a lot of growing as a family. I can see God slowly changing us and preparing us for what's ahead in 2011. The struggles have been ruthless, and I've never cried so hard and felt so helpless and hopeless. Amidst, all the pain and struggle that 2010 brought, it also has led me to fall even more in love with Jesus. He has been my rock this year and has provided for my family every step of the way. God putting me through the fire this year has brought me the most unimaginable joy through His grace and His mercy. He's given me many moments and milestones that have forever changed me for His glory, and i will never forget them. He has broken down my family, only to make us the strongest we've ever been, and He's taught me how to love so much harder than I ever have. What a truly indescribable God He is and oh, how He loves us.

So what do I want for 2011?

I cannot wait to meet our son. I cannot wait to get to finally travel to Ethiopia, this beautiful country with the most resilient people, a country that I have fallen in love with. I cannot wait to take a little piece of their culture and add it to our family. I can't wait to sit outside with Jordan on our porch and watch our THREE kids play together. I cannot wait to complete our family!

And yes, we are getting closer and closer everyday. Here's what's next with our adoption:

Our homestudy is complete and has been added to our dossier. (the big fat stack of paperwork that will be sent to Ethiopia.) We have a few more forms to complete for our dossier, i.e. doctor's notes, police clearance letters, and we are also about to start filling out our I600A form. This is the immigration form that is needed to legally be able to adopt internationally. Then, we will wait for our FBI appointment to be fingerprinted. Once our dossier is complete it will be sent to our Secretary of State to be notarized, then it will be sent to Washington DC to be notarized at that level, and then finally it will go to Ethiopia and go through all the proper notarizations there. Then it becomes the long waiting game to be matched. I can't wait to start waiting, as funny as that sounds.

Thanks again, everyone, for their supporting words, encouragement, and prayers. They are all felt! Keep praying for us. Happy 2011!!!!!!!!

We got the email!

Very exciting news! we received our dossier adoption planner through email today. Now the paperwork really begins. We also have to sign up for our adoption parenting classes as well. We're still waiting on some of our homestudy paperwork to come in, so that we can schedule our home visits. They said that it will take up to 12 weeks to get it in, so hopefully, it will take less. The ball has officially begun rolling. Fun, fun stuff ahead and it's a beautiful day outside! Life is good. God is good.

The Check I've Been Waiting to Write

Today I've never been happier to write and mail off a BIG check!! Yes, we finally got to mail off our IAP form and first agency fee. God is good.

And yes, Stella decided to document the paperwork process with her fabulous photography work!

I'm a little on the quirky side when it comes to some things. Having a bit of a type-A personality, I love organizing, sorting, and absolutely love filling out paperwork! Even when I was little and your elementary sent you home with a ton of paperwork for your parents to fill out on the first day of school, I always begged my mother to let me fill out all of mine and BOTH my brothers' as well. It's such a soothing thing for me. (I know, quirky, right!?!) It's the little things that God does, like giving me the love of paperwork, that makes me know I was made for this process!

"For we are HIS workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so

that we would walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

It has been a joyful week at the Michael house. I feel God's presence inside of our home just working inside of us, and wrapping His arms of love and joy around all of us. He's really preparing our hearts for this precious little man who will, hopefully soon, be joining our family. Amidst all the craziness in our lives right now, He is the one who creates this peace inside of us, and is carrying us through.

So what's next...

Now that our IAP form is mailed out, we will be hearing from our agency, hopefully tomorrow, and they will provide us with our adoption planner (pretty much, a BIG checklist of everything we need for our dossier.) We are working everyday to finish up the paperwork on our homestudy to finish that. Tomorrow we are going to get fingerprinted and send off for our last document we need to send off for our homestudy paperwork. The estimated completion time for that will be around 6-12 weeks. Please pray, that all of the records I have sent off for will arrive back to us safely and in a timely manner to keep this process smooth and in His timing.

Again, thanks so much to everyone who has been involved with our journey thus far. NONE of this would have been possible if it weren't for all of you. There's nothing more beautiful than seeing a community of people coming together to bring Him glory.

Please keep praying for our legal situation as well. It's still dragging on, and somedays still gets the best of me. I pray every morning for God to just keep pointing my mind forward, to what's ahead, and to not look behind on the past and the situations that I cannot change. It's a daily battle, but He is faithful.

Great is Your faithfulness! Great is Your faithfulness!

Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed YOUR hand hath provided.

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!"

- "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" Thomas Chisholm

Updates, updates and more updates!!

Our online fundraiser is coming to an end and we're thrilled that we get to complete our homestudy! Just one step closer to getting our little boy. A big THANK YOU to Clare Holmes for hosting the online fundraiser. God really knows how to orchestrate His body of believers to bring His will into fruition. Please go and order yours or someone elses little one a custom shirt. If you can't do that, check out all the prizes that are being raffled off. There's everything from delicious munchies to jewelry to professional photography sessions. Here's the link to read about the fundraiser details.

www.cherrylimeadecreations.blogspot.com

Also, to place an order, become a fan of "Cherry Limeade" on facebook and message her to let her know what you want to order or how many raffle tickets you want to purchase.

A little background on how this fundraiser started--Clare is an old family friend from forever ago, and we had reconnected through facebook. She had messaged me and told me about her business, Cherry Limeade, and she had been praying for an opportunity to use her business for His glory. That's when she came across my blog and that's how this fundraiser came about. Clare, you rock!!!!!!!!!!

I think I've realized just how big and powerful God's presence is. He's moving in our lives in such a big way and we feel such great joy! This weekend I got to be a part of the Together For Adoption Conference in Austin, and got to meet and connect with a lot of great people. WOW, what an encouragement the conference was for us! It really provided healing with the lawsuit and just allowed me to focus on what I feel, running through my veins. If you've ever been pregnant/or have wanted to be pregnant, you understand that overpowering feeling of having a hole in your heart that only a child will fill! Guess what, adopting a child feels the same way! So, we decided to finally finish up our preliminary paperwork and FINALLY MOVE FORWARD amidst this crazy lawsuit! I love the way He loves us!

So, here's what we need right now-- A LOT of prayer!!!!!

Please pray for our finances. it's still unknown how much money we will have to settle on with the lawsuit and we're praying that He will provide the funds we cannot provide. We are completely trusting God that He will guide us in the right path financially.

Another prayer request for my prayer warriors: I'm having a surgical procedure done Friday on an irregular mole that I've had on my arm for a while, and finally went to the doctor. Please pray that everything goes well and that the test come back negative for cancer. Also, pray for a speedy recovery so that I can get back to work as soon as possible!!


"Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed." Hebrews 12:12-13

Garage Sale Update (2 weeks to go)

Wow! The garage sale collection has been growing daily. We are so blessed to have such amazing people surrounding us and supporting us on this crazy journey. Thanks to everyone so far who has donated to our cause. We've been doing our nightly sorting of all the items and we are just so grateful that we have bags of stuff to sort through each night. The garage sale is quickly approaching and we're excited to be doing a fundraiser like this in our community. It's such a great way to raise awareness of adoption and the orphan and a great way to live in community with one another. We have a lot of work to do still, and still need more donations, so keep 'em coming! I've thoroughly enjoyed just getting rid of all the "junk" at my house. It feels so liberating, stripping down your house to just the things you need. I can't believe I buy some of the things that I buy.

So what are the proceeds of this fundraiser going to?????

1. Our IAP form (Initial Application Package) $2500...This is the first payment to our agency.
2. Home Study $600-$1000

Once we finish these two steps we can start our dossier and then finally be put on the waiting list for our little boy.

Please continue to pray that God shows up big time at this garage sale! Also, that the process continues to move forward into the next step in the process.

Also, if you, or a family member, or a friend have any stuff after your spring cleaning that you would be willing to donate, please email me. We can come and pick it up if you need us too. The garage sale is going to be Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19.

Let the Journey Begin...

So, after a couple of weeks of figuring out the "blog world" (thanks, Thomas) I am finally at the point of writing my very first post!!


As most of you know already, Jordan and I have decided to grow our family by one more and adopt a little boy from Ethiopia. Right after my youngest was born (Maximus) we thought that we were done. We had the "set", one girl and one boy. We were living the American dream and we were happy. While I was having babies, one of my closest cousins was in the works of adopting her first 3 of 6 from Ethiopia, and I became addicted to reading her blogs and just wanted to know more about Africa, orphans, and all the injustices going on. God began to break my heart for all of these things.



A couple of years later, the Haiti earthquake happened, and my heart had felt the heaviest it had ever felt in my life. I kept having images of all these children that were just like my kid's, with nowhere to go and nobody to hold them and love on them when they were scared. The most heartbreaking thing for me, was that a lot of people thought that the earthquake was what put Haiti into a crisis situation, but the reality is, Haiti was already a crisis situation that we neglected. The extreme poverty and millions of orphans in one of our neighboring countries. Then I knew. I felt deep down inside that I had to do my part. As a believer, that's what we are commanded to do.





"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight reign on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God, our father, accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:26-27




Why adoption?? Because there are 147 million orphans in the world and God revealed to us that one of them is our son. Period.

Why Ethiopia? Ethiopia has the most orphans in all of the world and is one of the poorest countries in all of the world. It receives less aid than any other country in Africa. One out of six kids will die before the age of 5. To think that, children are dying because of starvation, and I complain that my pantry "never has anything good in it". In Ethiopia, the patient to doctor ratio is 1 to 24,000, and I complain about copays. The list goes on. But, I continue to be amazed at the people in the midst of all the poverty, injustice, and crisis. They have absolutely nothing, but have such amazing spirits. We have so much as Americans: Freedom, mind blowing technology, etc. but yet we can always find something to complain about. These people have nothing. They sleep on dirt floors, they have no clue where their next meal is going to come from, but yet they have so much joy. Not only must we help these people, our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we can also learn from them. I believe that I need Africa, more than Africa needs me.



"Rescue the perishing; don't hesitate to step in and help. If you say, "Hey, that's none of my business," will that get you off the hook. Someone is watching you closely, you know- someone not impressed with weak excuses." Proverbs 24:12 [The Message]

Adoption is a long and expensive process. We would love for you to come with us and follow us on our journey. There are so many ways you can play a part in getting our son home. First, is prayer. Right now we need some prayer warriors to pray about finances. I wish we had 20K laying around in an account somewhere, but we don't. We know God isn't going to let that get in the way of His will. We are getting together some awesome fundraisers and we need God to show up big time! Another way, is donating to the cause. Our first fundraiser is a giant garage sale (thank you, SMBC for all of the experience and training!!) If you, or someone you know has anything to donate to sell at our garage sale, please let us know. Every dime we get will go straight into our adoption account. We'll keep you posted, too, about other fundraisers that we have brewing that not just people in Austin can contribute to as well. God is doing such amazing things, and He is good.

Let the journey begin....

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11