How Did You Find Me?

I'm borrowing from two of my favorite bloggers, Meredith and Christine, and doing a "How Did You Find Me?" post.

So how (and maybe even when) did you find us? Do we know each other in real life? Did we meet in Ukraine? Did we connect through facebook? Did you find us while researching adoption? Did we find you first?

Leave a comment and let us know! It's fun to see all the different connections...

I love my family

When it comes to bedtime, our boys can stall like the best of them, and you can recognize it from a mile away, particularly with Daniel.

But I know that what happened Sunday night was not about stalling.

Daniel and I were in the bathroom for a sip of water. He sat his water cup down and smiled at me. He said "when I was at detsky dom (orphanage), I never saw Daddy and Mommy. But now I see my Mommy and Daddy every day!" And he literally jumped up into my arms and hugged me so tightly.

I told him once again how we prayed for God to show us our child, and that God led us to him, and we got to the detsky dom as quickly as we could. And I reminded him that no matter what happens in life, we are family and we stay together.

He smiled and gave me another squeeze and a kiss, then said "I love my family." And he calmly (yes, Daniel did something calmly!) got into bed.

With each passing day, he is becoming more and more sure of things.

God is good!

The Joy of Saying Yes

Aug 16, 2010

One year ago today, we received Daniel's citizenship certificate in the mail.

One year ago, I was overwhelmed with worry, asking God to show me how to parent this little guy. He was resistant to our affections, to our discipline, to English, to every food placed in front of him, to anything new or unfamiliar.

A year later, I'm overwhelmed with love for this little guy.

We sat at the table yesterday as he did homework for the very first time (he was so excited!). He had to draw pictures of 2 items in his house that were circles. He chose to draw an apple and a clock. I then wrote the words on another piece of paper and encouraged him to write them on his paper. He sat with such determination, and quickly & confidently called off the name of each letter as he wrote it with ease.



August 15, 2011

A year later, he's a big kindergartner, speaking fluent English, constantly following his big brother, continually coming to us for hugs and kisses, eating well and growing, learning to read and write, talking about how awesome God is, and repeatedly telling us that He loves us.

I'm thankful that when God led us to this little ball of energy and enthusiasm, we stepped out in faith and said yes. We could have said no, and life might have been easier if we had. But we would have missed out on so much. I can't imagine life without our gremlin. A child who is always smiling and who goes about life filled with joy. A child God has used to teach us countless lessons about our relationship with our Heavenly Father. A child who is fearfully and wonderfully made.

What's stopping you? What's keeping you from saying yes?

May orphan care not be this generation's trendy cause,

but may it become an instinctive action...

and ultimately, an unnecessary effort.

First Week of School

Sorry I haven't posted sooner (and thanks to Marcie for the sweet reminder that I should do an update!). The first week of school has gone well. Daniel was a very nervous boy Sunday night. He had a very hard time going to sleep. But come Monday morning, he was excited.

We drove to the park near the school, and the four of us walked to the school from there (the traffic the first week of school is insane!). 

Daniel at Open House last week

Excited about Kindergarten

Our big Third Grader

  

We took Daniel to his class first. We walked in through the doors he'll be walking into every morning. We showed him to look for the monkeys on the wall (yes, his room is a monkey theme - how perfect is that?!?!). And then he went in the room. He said hi to his teacher, hung up his backpack and filled up his water bottle. He found a place to sit and do his morning activity (coloring a picture of yourself on the first day of school). He sat down with another boy and said hi, and quickly got to work. Zack and I gave him hugs and I told him I loved him. He smiled, and then quietly went back to his work.

We then walked down to William's class. He walks through the place like he owns it. Everyone seems to know him, and everyone seems to like him. No surprises there - I have sometimes referred to him as our future politician :) We got to the door of his room, and he said bye. I asked if he wanted us to go in with him or stay in the hall. We were told we could leave. Oh well, at least he let us walk him to the door. By next year, we probably won't even get to do that. My big third grader...



William with his teacher
(taken during open house)



As we left, we had to walk back by Daniel's class, so we looked in. He was now sitting with about 3 other boys, and they all seemed to be having fun, doing their work and chatting.

Zack and I went on to work, and I got home about 5 minutes after their bus. They were already in the living room with Zack, telling him about their days. Two very excited boys. One very happy jack russell terrier (Zack said she looked for them all afternoon). And one very relieved mommy.

Daniel was thrilled to ride the bus and to get to take a drink in his lunch (they only drank water at preschool). We looked through their backpacks and talked about their days. And they both seemed excited to go back.

By Tuesday afternoon, things were continuing to go well. William walks Daniel to his class before proceeding to the older kids' side of the building. William gets on the bus and immediately makes sure that Daniel has made it safely (kindergartners get to go to the bus first). I love how he takes his big brother role so seriously!

By Wednesday night, our Gremlin hit the wall. He'd had another really good day at school. But he was weepy at dinner, and couldn't hold his head up. School was obviously wearing him out.

Last night he almost fell asleep at the dinner table (at 6:00!). We told him that today was the last day for the week. He cheered "the last day of school!" and we quickly reminded him that he gets to go again next week, too! Didn't want him thinking it was over that fast! Thankfully, he seemed okay with that, as long as he could have a couple of family days (that's what he calls the weekend) in between.

I got to talk to his teacher this morning. She was calling to discuss something totally unrelated, but I asked how he's doing. She said he's doing really well, just sometimes has a hard time controlling his body. I almost laughed out loud, because I knew if there was anything she'd say, that would be it. Nothing inappropriate, he just tends to swing his arms around in line and things like that. I appreciate the feedback because it gives us something to work on.

William has had a great week. He's had homework every night, but nothing too extensive. They are doing projects this year about their family's country of origin. He's going to do his on Ukraine. I sent an email to his teacher and briefly explained our situation and how it relates to the project, including the fact that we told him he didn't have to share anything he didn't want to. She sent an amazingly supportive reply, and even shared the fact that she herself is adopted :) I love how God works things out like this. William is so excited to get to do a report on Ukraine, and I'm excited to see his enthusiasm.

So one week down, and a lot more to go. But both boys seem to be excited about the new school year. And with a Gremlin on the loose, that elementary school will likely never be the same again!



Countdown to Kindergarten

Our little Gremlin starts kindergarten Monday.

And this Mommy is struggling. Why?

1. The school is huge, and Daniel is small.
2. The school has tons of kids, and Daniel sometimes wanders aimlessly.
3. The school day is long, and Daniel's four-hour preschool class was a lot for him.
4. This Mommy is just nervous for her little guy.

But I'm also thankful. Why?

1. For the first time, both boys will be at the same school. (less running around, and no more tuition!)
2. William's teacher volunteered to let him go each afternoon and get Daniel before going to the bus. Daniel's teacher thought that was a great idea.
3. William has told us he's going to watch out for his little brother.
4. Daniel is super excited about kindergarten.
5. Daniel's teacher seems incredible. She'd already talked with Ms. Moore (William's former speech therapist, who will do Daniel's speech therapy) and gotten all the info on Daniel.
6. Ms. Moore - she's fantastic, and has been working so hard behind the scenes to get Daniel into the right class. I love that we already have some at the school advocating for our little guy! Plus, I know she'll help him make even more progress with his speech.
7. Daniel's teacher is known to be super fair and strict, with structure and clear expetations, and won't put up with things that some teachers might. Perfect for Daniel!
8. His kindergarten room is decorated in a monkey theme. I can't think of a better theme - Daniel was thrilled.
9. His para-pro also seems to be really great. She knew William and was also totally on board with him helping Daniel.
10. William got in a super third grade class, too. His teacher seems really nice - and she's a Christian!!

Ethiopia: Sunday, final day

We finished packing. The guest house agreed to let us keep one room for all of our stuff. So everthing was moved to my room since it was on the main floor. We then went to church. We attended an international church. They have two services: one in Amharic, and the second in English. We attended the English one, and it was a great service.

After that, Desalegn asked where we'd like to go to lunch. We all agreed we wanted to go back to Lucy's (the lunch spot from Saturday). Then we did some more souvenir shopping. Finally, we stopped at a coffee shop just across the street from the football stadium. There was a game going on (Ethiopia's national team, and I can't remember what country they were playing). It was unbelievable how loud it was. I kind of wished we had time to go watch some of it! But we all went into the shop and enjoyed one last traditional cup of coffee, before saying our good-byes to Desalegn. We returned to the hotel, changed and finalized our packing, and then were off to the airport.

Ethiopia: Saturday, Day 6

Met for breakfast at 8:45. Then departed around 9:30. Solomon (our awesome driver - if you're ever in Addis & need a driver, let me know!!) picked us up along with Galetta (finance manager at Bethany) and one of his friends.

First we drove up to the top of a mountain for a good view of the entire city of Addis Ababa. We went to a museum about the beginnings of the church and monarchial history in Ethiopia. We saw the first emperor’s quarters. There is also an orthodox church there. We did see some men outside signing under an awning-type area. Brad, Ann and I walked over to see what they were doing. Turns out, someone had died and was laying on a bed (table-type thing), dressed in very traditional and elaborate clothing with a decorative umbrella over the body. The men were singing what sounded to be sorrowful songs – and it appeared the women had to stay away from the area, as they were sitting quite far away and were not participating in the songs. I asked if they were mourning, or if it was part of a funeral procedure, or something else. Galetta said it was more traditional things that orthodox Christians believe must be done to kind of plead the deceased’s case for heaven.

After that we drove to what they call the national history museum. We paid and went in, but it turned out to be primarily about evolution, and was not exactly what we'd expected. Plus, we were all getting hungry. So we didn’t stay very long.

We walked next door and met Helena (Sebilu’s wife) at a restaurant. I have to say this was probably my favorite meal and restaurant of the entire trip. It was a beautiful outside setting (much like a few other places we’d been). They served everyone a spicy pepper vegetable soup first and it was great. Then our food arrived and it was outstanding. The portions were huge and we all had a lot of food left over, so we had it all boxed up and were able to give it to a couple of different people around the city later in the day.

We then drove through the Markato – the enormous central market in Addis, considered to be the largest market (or one of the largest) in Africa. Street after street, vendors sell pretty much anything you could want or need.

We finally arrived at a strip of stores that specialize in more souvenir-type items. I bought a number of things, including a coffee pot and some small gifts for the boys.

We returned to the guest house for about an hour & a half. I stayed in the internet room and rested and talked to Zack for a few minutes. The others went walking and encountered some children in the shacks behind our building and decided to take some snacks to them. I gave them a lot of my snacks. I think we’ll likely go over there once more tomorrow and give them the rest of what we have left before leaving.

Solomon picked us up at 6:30 and we went to a restaurant called Top View for dinner. It has a great view of the city. Sebilu and Helena joined us there. We had a great meal, and great conversation. (Bonus: Sebilu just happened to wear a University of Tennesse shirt to dinner!)

We got back to the hotel, talked to family, and then all went back to our rooms to pack. Just one more day.

Ethiopia: Friday, Day 5

I got very little sleep on Thursday night – maybe 4 hours at best. It was hot and I just didn’t feel sleepy. Thankfully I still feel pretty refreshed this morning, and hopefully will be able to get through the day without being too tired! …

Got packed up and met in the lobby to check out. Desalegn ran into a couple of men that he knows very well. One is the national leader of one of the Ethiopian churches (kind of a denomination group). We made arrangements to meet with them in the afternoon.

Loaded up the van and then walked back to the Rift Valley Hotel next door to meet with area church leaders. The plan was to brainstorm about how we could work together. The meeting was scheduled to start at 8:30. Finally around 9:30 Desalegn decided to get things going. We were supposed to have several of the denomination/fellowship leaders and board members there but for some reason they couldn’t come so we started without them.

Things started very slowly. Brad shared openly about a number of ways that Cross Pointe could help and offer services. The leaders were all very slow to respond. They kept talking about how it was hard to speak when their fellowship leaders were not present. Desalegn encouraged them, telling them it was simply a brainstorming session and they should share all of their ideas. They finally began talking a little bit. At one point a gentleman named Mebratu spoke up. As it turns out, he works at KVI and oversees the sponsorship program. He had some great ideas and we finally started feeling a bit more encouraged.

Brad expressed an interest in connecting more with Mebratu and one of the sweet ladies from KVI that was also in attendance. So they went out into the hall to speak further. Desalegn went and sat with the other 8 leaders to tryand get them to open up about ideas. So we waited while they all talked.

I decided to walk downstairs for a minute - mainly just to move around and cool off a bit. On my way back up Brad stopped me to share something. Back on Tuesday he was insistent that we stop in Ziway. That was obviously God’s doing – because he learned from these 2 KVI team members that KVI has about 5 or 6 orphanages, including one in Ziway! We talked at length about some possibilities in partnering with them. We are going to look into a couple of possibilities.

After the meetings concluded we had lunch at the hotel. Then we went to another hotel and met the 2 gentlemen (from the morning) for coffee. The leader shared a lot with us. He told us his background and much of his story, which I wish I could share on here. But just believe when I say, God has done amazing things in his life. He told us some incredible stories about the work that God is doing through Ethiopia, as well as some details on the structure and growth of the evangelical movement. He and the other gentleman were both very interested in the possibility of partnering, particularly for things like pastoral training.

After that we headed back to Addis. Traffic was bad so it was close to 2 hours in the car. We went to the Bethany offices and dropped off our donations (thanks again to those who helped by donating clothes & toys!). They will use them primarily for the foster families when they receive a new child. Then we went to exchange money and get gas. After that it was back to the guest house to check in.

I really like this place, it is nice, comfortable, and great to be around other Americans, particularly those with a heart for orphans! (all the families here are in the adoption process) There were a few that didn't seem to be believers, so we were able to share about the work we were doing with Bethany and in the process, share Jesus with the.

We had dinner at the guest house (GREAT food!) - and we laughed harder than we had all week, as we shared stories and re-lived a few rather interesting moments from the last few days. After dinner, we were able to connect and talk with family. Another long but great day!

Ethiopia: Thursday, Day 4

Another good day! We met in the lobby this morning and once again, no internet. Walked over to the hotel next door for day 2 of the foster family seminars. Different families attended today. While yesterday’s discussions were good, I believe that today went much better. I think we stepped out of the way today and let God move, and He really spoke through us. Great discussions, and I pray that they were helpful to those involved, and that they will be helpful to others who may view the footage that was filmed.

After the seminar ended, we drove to the home of a family that attended yesterday’s seminar. The father invited us over for a traditional coffee ceremony. It was great being in the courtyard of his home, being a part of their culture and learning a bit more. The hospitality here is more than I could have imagined. The ceremony includes coffee, popcorn, roasted seeds, and roasted corn. We also had some time of sharing scripture,  the father of the family showed us the many fruit trees and sugar cane in his yard, and we prayed together.

After the coffee ceremony, we went to dinner at The Safari Resort. On the way back to our hotel, Desalegn said he'd now taken us to all but one of the resort hotels in Adama.

The internet was still down when we got back to the hotel at 9:30. So I borrowed Brad’s phone and made a quick 2-minute call to Zack, just to let him know I’m okay. As much as I knew we might not have good connectivity, it made the homesickness much harder when I couldn't check in.

Ethiopia: Wednesday, Day 3

We met in the hotel lobby around at 7:45. Had granola bars for breakfast because the breakfast at the hotel was traditional Ethiopian food, and I honestly didn't think I could eat it that early in the morning!

The seminar was held at the hotel next door, so we walked over. It was a panel discussion that was primarily for families that are in the process of or are interested in becoming foster families. Some of the families that are already fostering were in attendance as well, which brought a particularly good perspective in my opinion.

Our team was there to answer questions. there was really nothing off limit. Scheduled to start at 8:30, we finally got going around 9:00 - so basically, it was 8:30, African time :)

We began with short introductions. Then we had a time of worship through music, which was cool.  Very spirit-filled worship experience. Then a local pastor did a devotional time, preaching on Isaiah 66:1-2.

After that Brad and I did a brief introduction of our church and team.  Then we began the discussions. It went well, but went very slowly. By our first break time we’d made it through just one question. We continued on and had great exchanges with the families. It was a long day and the room was very hot (yeah, probably 85 - 90 degrees outside, and no ac!), but it went well.

We finished around 5:30 in the evening. We took an hour break and then went to a resort in the area for dinner.

Got back to hotel around 9:00. Tried to get on skype, but the internet was down. So back to the room. I was exhausted! Thankfully I got a very good night’s sleep. Woke several times and checked internet but it never came back up.

Interesting fact for the day: we asked Desalegn how many letters are in their alphabet. He answered “33”, paused, and then said “Times 7”. Big alphabet!