MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

We are rejoicing with TED and LORI .....we are still internet-less, which has been kind of nice, actually--except that we totally missed the Rooney's referral!!! Back on line this week hopefully. Neither of us has had an 8 hour window to wait at home for the ATT dude to work on our phoneline! I also want you to know that my best friend's baby is doing much better--she had a supply problem--he's gaining weight like crazy now!! Thanks for praying.


Have a blessed holiday!


Jana and Michael

Hey friends!! Thanks for asking about our appt!

Our dsl has been out for days. And I've got pink eye. Yummy!!

Our appt went great--we went early in the morning, stood in line in the cold, and were in and out in thirty minutes!!!!!!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Also, my best friend just had her first sweet baby five weeks ago. He is not gaining weight like he should and their doctor is very concerned. They are going to start running tests. Could you pray for baby Sol? ("soul") I know this is hard on my sweet friend and her sweet husband. Thanks.

fingerprinting appt letter!!

WE GOT IT!!!!! It could have taken sooooo much longer---like a month or more longer. We were praying it would come in the mail before Christmas. *sings the doxology*

Actually, our letter just instructs us to go in during business hours--it didn't give us a specific appointment time. I'm thinking we should go in, oh, tomorrow?




Thanks for praying!

Ruminations, sans headache.

Gladney, our agency, placed approximately 50 Ethiopian children last year.

Do you know how many families are in process right now--from 'pre-app' to 'waiting to travel??? '

Over 170.

Isn't that amazing? Think of how many individual lives are impacted with that increase.
And if that means that we wait for months longer than we would have....

....then frankly I'm all for it.

hi.

Has anyone seen the current issue of Smithsonian Magazine? The cover story is about the whereabouts of the ark of the covenant, and the claim Ethiopians make that they've had it for oh, several millenia or so. It's a great article with great photographs.

.....So our wait has increased from 0-3 months to 3mo-6 mo--which I DO realize is still a very short wait, relatively speaking. We're really hoping we might hear from CIS about our fingerprinting appt. before Christmas.....what with all the I-171h wait times, court date wait times, waiting to travel wait times, etc., I'm really starting to wonder if we will even have our court date by the time the Ethiopian courts close in early August for the rainy season. If we don't have our day in court by then, we'll be delayed at least three more months. I'm thinking we well may be cutting it very close. While I cerebrally acknowledge that God is in charge and that His timing is perfect, I can't help but be disappointed. Going from "Probably home in the late spring/ early summer!" to "Will she be home by next Christmas?!" is hard.

It's hard not to have any expectations, and not to plan ahead, for such an important event. It's the shiftable, fuzzy timeline that causes the stress.

Adoption is truly like being pregnant for an unknown number of months: will it be 3? oh wait, maybe 9? Okay, it may be more like 12-14????

I have a headache today, can you tell? I'm always 'glass-half-empty' when I've got a headache.

Off to some gulp some tylenol as the quest for a family continues,

Jana

Where we stand.

Friends and family have asked us, "What's next?"

Everything for our dossier is basically done, at this point (can I get an amen?). However, we are still awaiting our CIS (Immigration) fingerprinting appointment. So far, we've been waiting about 2 weeks to hear from immigration about our appointment--we've been told to expect 6-8 weeks just to get the appt. date. After we get fingerprinted, (yes, we've already been fingerprinted, but this is different,) we can expect to wait a number of more weeks to get the ever-elusive I-171 document, which states that Immigration has approved of us. That I-171 is the last document that will go into our dossier. The dossier will then make its way through several levels of authentication, which will take several more weeks.

We'd be thrilled if our dossier were headed off to Ethiopia by late Jan./Feb. It could take less time, or it could easily take more. We're praying for the former. :)

Thanks for praying.

Fun Stuff.

Here are some fabulous ways to give a special gift to someone you love this Christmas:

Ten Thousand Villages: Run by the Mennonites, this fair-trade website has all kinds of lovely gifts made by men and women all over the world--from home decor to jewelry.

Heavenly Treasures: Recommended by Natalie--it's somewhat similar to Ten Thousand Villages in its offerings. The most fun thing? They have pretty Ethiopian Coptic crosses--for the home, and as necklaces.

Heifer, International: This is a fun idea--in your loved one's name, give a goat, a pig, or little flock of chicks to a family in poverty. Or, of course, a heifer. :)

World Vision: A lot like Heifer: You can even buy fruit tree saplings so a family can start an orchard!

Happy Shopping!

Imaginative is not the same as imaginary

One of the things that I look forward to the most about having a daughter is introducing her to the life of the imagination. C.S. Lewis once said somewhere that while the intellect is the "organ of truth," the imagination is the "organ of meaning." In light of this insight, it should not be surprising, then, that so much of what passes for children's literature--or any literature, for that matter--lacks any real contact with reality. By "reality," I don't mean the "facts" of everyday life, but the old "verities," as William Faulkner called them--the permanent things that have always been true: justice, mercy, forgiveness, hope, courage, etc. These "verities" seem to have gone missing in much of our literature because the imagination, or "organ of meaning," has been either suppressed or abandoned in an attempt to be politically correct or to produce literature sensitive to particular psychological, sociological, or political agendas.

I found this interesting piece written by Anthony Esolen at Touchstone Magazine's Mere Comments blog. In it, he writes about a book he owns called The Young Folks' Shelf of Books, published in 1938. William Allan Nielson, former president of Smith College, writes the introduction to the volume and says that many of the fairy tales, adventure stories, and other more contemporary stories selected for the volume belong there because they "deal with certain permanent and fundamental elements in our common nature." Nielson goes on to add: "It is fundamental for the ethical as well as aesthetic development that the imagination should be given wide scope in youth and kept free and flexible as long as possible." It seems to me that many people today would not put this much stock in the power of the imagination (perhaps that's because they confuse imaginary with imaginative). If we want children to grow up to not only believe in justice, mercy, courage, etc., but also to love those things, then we must expose them to great works of literature and nurture their imaginations. They must be brought away from their own worlds and into, as Esolen puts it, "realms far away or long ago...to sweep their hearts the more swiftly into the world, I mean the only real world there is, the one wherein there are such things as good and evil, and brave and handsome men, and lovely and steadfast women..."

--Michael

Thankful.

Thankful for the time off I have with my husband. Thankful for the cool, sunny weather. Thankful for God's specific provision for us. Thankful for our dear friends and family, who have cheered us on through the adoption process, who have prayed and are still praying for our little daughter. Thankful for you, the network of blog friends from whom we're learning so much, and by whom we are encouraged every time we post--hopefully we will meet some of you someday.

Thankful for growth and change, for rest and renewal.

Another one pertaining to Bono...

I received a link today from iLike (a Facebook add-on) for a sneak preview of a song U2 will be releasing with the remastered 20th anniversary edition of The Joshua Tree (one of my personal favorite albums). The song is called "Wave of Sorrow." Bono wrote it after he and his wife, Ali, visited Ethiopia back in the mid-80's. Consequently, the song is about Ethiopia and full of references to its culture, history and the famine of the 1980's. Here's the video. Bono explains the inspiration for the song and then sings along with a demo. Enjoy.

I'm not going to lie....

Today has been one of those kinda lonely days, one of those infrequent days when I acutely sense/feel the hole where our little child should be.

So, I admit I burst into tears when I opened this email from Anne, entitled, "CONGRATULATIONS."


Dear Michael and Jana,

Congratulations, you are now Gladney approved and ready to begin the dossier and ultimately the referral phase of your adoption process. I am mailing you both an approval packet with your approval certificate and quarterly training information for your “approved and waiting” period.......



(Thankfully we're already well into the dossier process!!!)

Bono and the RED campaign

I watched an interview this evening that Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News did with Bono. It it, Bono provides some encouraging statistics in regards to the effect the product RED campaign is having upon the issues facing Africa. For now, you can find the interview here. Sorry there's no direct link to it yet. I guess it's too soon to find it on YouTube.

Almost Finished!

With only my employer letter and our life insurance letters left to obtain, we are nearing the end of the dossier process! I can actually mentally peer beyond the paperwork process now, and into the next stage--the waiting stage!!!! It's feeling a little more real each day!

On Saturday night we had a feast with sweet friends---to celebrate God's goodness and blessing on us all. Pictured above with us at that dinner are Shawn and Jami. Thanks for the pic, Jami! :)

nothing to do with adoption.

Today, I went to Target to buy an ironing board. The sad thing is that my husband and I are totally excited about this--we've used the "mini-board" with too-thin padding for years. While sitting on the floor. And I wonder why I keep burning myself. As you've doubtless surmised by now, I am the ultimate housekeeper. That book, Home Comforts, you know the one? That's totally my Bible. Just kidding--actually that book gives me the willies. (Sorry to everyone I know who has that book.)



On with the post.....anyway, as I was walking out to my car after buying my new ironing board, I spotted a policeman patrolling the parking lot. Not a surprise--I was sorta in the ghetto and it's not uncommon to see police presence in those types of retail parking lots. What was surprising is that he was riding a Segway. I felt really embarrassed just watching him zoom up and down the parking lot aisles. He wore a flourescent yellow safety vest and a helmet. And dark sunglasses. And he was so serious, zooming up and down, head swinging from side to side, looking for trouble. And you know when people are going really fast on Segways, they kind of have this leaned forward, odd-degree angle thing going on? I couldn't help but grin at him as he sped past me and gave me a stern look.



I'm sure I find Segways funnier than I used to......because of a magician named GOB:

Hey, Everybody!

Three things to tell ya'll:

1. On Friday night, Michael and I had the exciting opportunity to eat dinner with several families from our area who are adopting from ET, including the Fournets, and the Frey's. Thanks again for your hospitality, Fournets! It was so good to meet everybody. Funny, when all of you are adopting from a baby from Africa, it doesn't matter that you've never met one another--you automatically have LOTS in common, and LOTS to chat about. I'm looking forward to the establishment of the North Texas Ethiopian Adoptee Playgroup. :)

2. At said dinner, the Fournets lent us Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia by Rebecca Haile, and Ethiopian woman whose family fled ET during the revolution in the 1970's. So far I'm really enjoying and learning a lot from the book.

3. I was tagged by my dear friend, Miss Hannah. Hannah works with inner-city kids here in our city. Love you Hannah!

Here's my stuff:

Jobs I've had:

Nanny
Salesperson, various clothing stores
Art Teacher
Middle School Literature/Poetry Teacher
PSAT/SAT/ESL Tutor (currently)

Places I've Lived:

Plano, TX
Waco, TX
Dallas, TX
*sigh*

Places I'd rather be:

Addis Ababa
Kenya
NYC
Boston
San Fran.
Texas Hill Country

Food I love:

Mexican
Italian

T.V. Shows I love:

Arrested Development
The Office
Law and Order

Movies I love:

Les Miserables
The Lives of Others
Princess Bride
LOTR
Places in the Heart
Amelie
Charade
Once
The Wizard of Oz

Books I love:

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength by the same
The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
and, of course,
There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene

People I'm tagging:

Lori
Natalie

Tabitha

Homestudy--check!

Quickly, late at night, soooo tired, loooong day.....our homestudy went wonderfully well-we loved our social workers--yes, there were two, because they were observing one another for professional development. Anyway, they were both lovely. Totally warm. And we realized that one social worker's cousin was/is still the principal of the small private school I attended in high school. Did our individual interviews simultaneously, since there were TWO s.w.s! Which made the whole process even shorter. Fabulous! We really enjoyed it, honestly. Yay!


Shawn and Jami, they said they'll most likely do your homestudy too! :)

Cleaning, and I'm tired.

M. and I spent part of today cleaning/straightening for the homestudy.....

I think I've reached an "overwhelmed" point regarding adoption paperwork. Will I ever finish? Lately I'm fatigued in general, due to "all ragweed, all the time," and this bodily fatigue seems to be transferring to everything in my life. So much going on these days. One small reason (among many larger ones) that I'm looking forward to baby coming home to us is that after she arrives, I WON'T be working every night. I look forward to being a family again and actually seeing and interacting with my husband. In that vein, Michael had the day off from school on Friday and we spent pretty much the whole morning and afternoon watching the BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice." (Michael just finished teaching Jane Austen to his sophomores.) So good! Michael is SO my Mr. Darcy.

Tears to my eyes.

For the past several days, I've been watching/listening to the marches for democracy in Burma--and the subsequent government crackdown upon the monks, citizens, and reporters. Doubtless more are dead than have been reported. Here's a great blog I found with citizen video of the marches, etc. The video further down the page, entitled "No Words," gives me chills.

The sight of those Buddhist monks marching, leading thousands of citizens.....wow. My heart goes out to all of them.

homestudy scheduled!!

Gladney called much sooner than we expected, and we've scheduled our homestudy for Oct. 9th! Somehow, having a real live Gladney social worker come to our house makes the whole thing seem a lot more real than a bunch of forms and notarizations.

itty bitty etsy shop.

For those of you who asked about my etsy shop: thanks. I really truly only have about 4-5 prints for sale right now. Yesterday I checked my shop, and giggled that: 1. all my listings had expired and so my shop had been empty for who knows how long, and 2. Yep, I have sold exactly three prints on etsy. :) However, I do hope to add some new work (particularly about adoption/family/motherhood) in the months to come. I also hope to improve the quality of my photos; the images really don't do the art justice.

Thanks for the encouraging words, guys. (If you're interested in the print of the woman, I would be happy to print one for you.)

Reflecting: after the paperwork??

I have an art degree, and have taught art for awhile. I love printmaking, especially. I even have a few prints for sale at this cool shop/craft studio here in town--it's called MAKE. Occasionally I sell a print or two on Etsy, though it's not something I've devoted a lot of energy to quite yet. Anyhow--I've got a few ideas rolling around in my head for some prints--ideas that have sprouted from my own adoption reflections, I suppose.

My little brain is so full right now of job, adoption, paperwork, etc., that I don't really have the juice. But my little brain is thinking this: that making some art, and maybe even selling it, is a great "waiting for a referral" activity. :)


Here are a few prints I made late last year--The first is called "Woman Waiting," and is a reflection on my own infertility, among other things. The second print is called "Tree of Life."
Sorry the image quality/lighting is so poor.

Full-ON

...Full-on into our dossier prep---yay! Still rejoicing that we have Kate of KBS Dossiers to lead us through it all.

The Provider.

This week, Michael and I experienced God's sweet provision in a miraculous, (and I do mean miraculous,) way. It's actually taken a few days to recover from complete shock! But we shouldn't be shocked, I'm thinking. Because our Father is so good like that.

Here is what our hearts are singing:

Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to its setting,
The name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God
Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
the things that are in heaven
and in the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
To make them sit with princes,
With the princes of his people.

He makes the barren woman abide in her house
As a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!



-Psalm 113

OH, thank you, thank you, thank you.

I could scream. In a good way--- I sent it off today!!!! Our check, our notarized stuff, our app, to Gladney. The first part. And the rest is almost done.

Okay, so I know for most people this part isn't THAT hard--but Michael and I have been so busy adjusting to new things at work, etc., that getting this first part done has seemed endless. As if we've been doing everything in slow motion. And underwater. So, for us, getting this first part off is cause for big, big smiles!!!!

Congratulations...

to Renee and her husband Geert, a Gladney couple who just received their referral for TWO sweet little cousins. If you visit their blog, scroll down and read the last few entries for some amazing stories about how special their little ones are! :)

"Why Ethiopia?"

.....Someone asks me this nearly every day. I am always somewhat at a loss, except to say, "We just felt inclined toward Africa." Knowing the curious probably don't really want to hear about all the myriad ways in which we've been led to this decision over years of time, I usually don't say much more than that.

And there are, of course, other, more concrete reasons for choosing Ethiopia:

One in ten children in Ethiopia die before their first birthday• One in six children die before their fifth birthday• 44% of the population of Ethiopia is under 15 years old• 60% of children in Ethiopia are stunted because of malnutrition• The median age in Ethiopia is 17.8 years• 1.5 million people are infected with AIDS (6th highest in the world)• 720,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS alone, and there are 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia.• Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any country in Africa• In the 90s the population (3%) grew faster than food production (2.2%)• Drought struck the country from 2000-2002 (first year no crops, second year no seeds, third year no animals)• Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school. 88% will never attend secondary school.• Coffee prices (Ethiopia’s only major export) fell 40-60% from 1998-2002.• Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000.• In 1993, after 30 long years of war, Eritrea broke from Ethiopia and became an independent nation leaving Ethiopia landlocked without any major seafaring ports.

Been thinkin' about our baby girl. Been thinkin' about her African hair and how this lily-white momma's gonna fix it. Research.

Jesus, Jesus,
How I trust Him!
How I've proved Him
o'er and o'er.

Jesus, Jesus,
precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace
to trust Him more.

We sang this lovely old hymn at church on Sunday. I've been humming it under my breath ever since: as I make out our check to Gladney, as I wonder/worry about the health of our baby-to-be, as I continue to get to know my Korean students and figure out my job, as I send my sweet husband off to his first day of school, knowing how very little I will see him this semester......"oh, for grace to trust Him more."

Melissa Fay Greene: On newly adopted older children, including her own.

Within days of the arrival of our ten-year-old son, Fisseha, from Ethiopia in May 2004, our kids discovered he could aim and throw a spear through a plastic frisbee. "Mom!" screamed the other kids. "You've got to see this!" Fisseha had found a thin, white, metal bicycle flagpole on the driveway and was piercing the flying frisbee with it. If Lee, fifteen, threw the Frisbee near a tree, Fisseha could spear the disk with the bike flagpole and nail it to the tree. That night at dinner, our non-English-speaking child shook his head to decline the nice cheese lasagna I offered.

"Hmmm, no," observed our oldest son, Seth, then nineteen. "I definitely have the impression he prefers to spear live game."

Later Fisseha would carve his own spears and hurl them, and he would peel bark from the trees and weave it into twine with which he wove slings and bullwhips. He had been a goatherd on the central plains of Ethiopia his whole life before landing in the American orphanage in Addis. . . .

******

Marta Little, who thanked God for her cute mother, made up a song. She sang it in a sweet, high voice and her mother, Chris, wrote it down:

My one mommy die, my one mommy die.
My one daddy die, my one daddy die.
I sad, I sad.
Now Mama no die, now Mama no die,
Now Daddy no die, now Daddy no die,
I happy, so happy.

I clothes to wear, I fooding,
I good house, thank you Lord.
Ticklish, my daddy,
Good food, my mommy,
Thank you, Lord.

******

Frew, age eight, was adopted to Alaska. The sunny, barefoot little boy of Addis Ababa now appeared in photos in a hooded parka, mittens, and snow boots, grinning broadly between two red-headed sisters. "I heard him praying in English the other night," his mother said. "He said, 'Thank you, family me.'"

******

Our daughter Helen, who arrived at five in February 2002, made lots of friends quickly in America. But I always heard her ask a child, soon after making her acquaintance or near the start of a playdate, "Do you have a mother?" If she was feeling shy, she would whisper to me, "Does she have a mother?" Most children and adults were surprised by the question---"Of course I have a mother!" the children replied. "Of course she has a mother!" said the grownups.

Only our African friends were not surprised by the question. Helen had a mother again now, too, as she was eager to tell, but she didn't take it as a given about anyone.


---from There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene

.....

Yes, that's me down below. You, too, can simpsonize yourself. It's hours (okay, maybe just a few minutes) of fun.

Greetings.

Hi, there. Not too much to say. I have my physical tomorrow, and Michael has his next week. We're on the verge of completing our Gladney app. Yay. God bless Michael for doing most of the work.

Last week was my first full week of my new, "tutoring all evening, every evening" schedule. It went well overall, but it took me just a week to realize that we WILL be hiring KBS Dossiers to assemble our foreign dossier for us!!! Heavens. Once Michael starts back to school, I can't IMAGINE us pulling together a dossier. Despite the cost, we are extremely content with our decision! : )

A few more from Mexico....

.....because I'm missing it right about now.




White boy hits the beach!

I really like sea turtles.

Michael posing for his on-location fashion shoot.

Our last night ends with dinner on the beach (and us

looking a bit pinkish.

Friends join the blogosphere!!

Our sweet friends, Shawn and Jami, have FINALLY gotten themselves an adoption blog. :) Shawn and Jami are in the process of adopting TWO little ones from Ethiopia and were part of our inspiration to adopt from that country. They are so dear-so add these guys to your sidebar! :)

We had a lovely time!

Cha-cha-CHA!

We won't be posting for awhile, because #1, we really don't have anything to post about, and #2, we are going on our first "real" vacay together....to Mexico. Yahoo! This is something we totally would NOT have spent money on had we known we were adopting when we bought our plane tickets months ago, but since the damage is already done, we're taking our trip knowing that it will most likely be our last real vacation together sans children. Adios!

Another healthy ethiopian baby boy!

Okay, seriously, someone call in the Cute Police.

Another couple received their referral!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!

oh my goodness.

This video starts a little slowly, but is definitely worth watching in its entirety...This is footage of 3 Ethiopian boys seeing pictures of (and receiving presents from) their soon-to-be adoptive parents. All 3 boys have been adopted into the same family. So beautiful.

The Real Deal.

We got our flippin' sweet big official Gladney app. today!!!!!! Woot. We are so insanely busy right now that I don't think we will start filling it out in earnest till' we get back from vacation 2 weeks from now.

How bad is it, people? Should we be afraid?

He hears all our prayers....

Many of our dear family and friends who read this are praying for us. Thank you so much for asking how you can pray. Here are a few specific requests for now:

1. For financial provision. We are working lots to pay for big chunks of the adoption as we go along. We will also be applying for adoption grants. Will you pray that God would bless us with some grant money? We may possibly apply for a no-interest adoption loan to cover any fees we can't pay. Please pray God would provide for our needs in His perfect way, and that we would have grace to trust Him....... We praise God for providing a well-paying job for me (Jana) for the fall.

2. For clarity and communication. This fall, we will both be working full-time. The catch is, Michael will be teaching during the day, while I (Jana) will be tutoring all evening. I will actually leave the house before Michael gets home from school and won't return till 9:30pm. Essentially, we will be trying to gather various adoption documents, etc. while barely seeing each other for the entire work week. This will be difficult. Please pray that we would be able to communicate well with each other regarding the adoption and stay clear on what we actually need to do.

3. That our families would be emotionally prepared to lovingly receive a "foreign" child into their lives. We hope and pray that they will be fully accepting of a child of another race.


Even the teensiest prayers from total strangers are greatly appreciated!!!!!:)

The I-600A is on its way...

I sent off the I-600A form today. Let's hope I did everything correctly.

Gotcha!

Today a bloggy friend-and fellow Texan-- had a very big day in Addis Ababa!! So sweet to see.

Let's get this show on the ROAD, baby.

Yesterday we FIIIIIIIIIINallly had our phone orientation with Gladney! It went great--Judy was so helpful. We feel clear where we were once muddled. Now, off to our I-600!

I thought I would introduce you to the babies we already have--they're ten years old, but babies just the same. Together, they weigh about 10 pounds......Curiously, the story of how we got them is tied to adoption--both domestic and international!

Here's the story: the sweet R. family at our church adopted about a million kids. No, that's an exaggeration. They adopted eight kids from Cambodia, China, and Texas-because that's how big their hearts are. And then, upon adopting all these little people, they looked around and said--"Wow, we have THREE chihuahuas and TWO cats already! We need to cut down!" That's when Michael and I came in. We had been chatting about getting a little shelter dog--maybe some kind of terrier. The R. family donated two of their tiny doggies to help keep us company. We aren't sure how they're going to feel about a new baby in the house......

Lately, the baby seems faaaaaar away,

....and the money we are preparing to shell out seems oh-so-concrete.





I have told myself-- "You may look, but you may not buy!" and "No buying baby stuff!" till later on in the process. I know once I begin, it will difficult to turn back the nesting tide, as it were. Then my sweet best friend, herself currently five months pregnant in Boston, unexpectedly sent me this gift in the mail:

We are using it as an inspiring little reminder of what is to come....

Silly willy....

Go here to see the cutest Ethiopian toddler EVER doin' some dancin'. Oh. my. word.

My favorite part is the eyebrow action at the end. This little guy was brought home to the States this spring. I believe he's three years old.

He's got moves! And he knows it!

John Piper on Adoption.

I am spending part of my Sunday listening to John Piper's sermon on the similarities between our salvific adoption into God's family and us adopting a little one into our family. You can go here to listen or to read. I recommend listening!

Love.

This is my Michael. He is a really gifted high-school literature teacher at a classical school here in our Big Texas City. Pre-adoption plan, his plans for this summer included: getting some much needed rest, coordinating student trips to plays, etc., developing curriculum for next year, and attending several academic conferences. Now that we've made the firm decision to adopt, Michael has added to his summer plans, 1. working at a local bookstore, and 2. tutoring several students each week. The extra money will go to toward "the adoption fund."

So let me say, I love my husband. I love that we are of the same heart on this whole adoption thing. He is my soulmate, and I am so thankful for the sacrifices he is making in order for us to go on this journey!

Today.

Today as I'm off to work, I am excited at the thought of a wee brown baby who belongs to us....

Primer #1: A long post....

....but worth the time.

In 2000, when Melissa Fay Greene began to learn about the plight of Africa, there were 12 million AIDS orphans living there. She read how the UN described Africa as a "continent of orphans."

From Melissa Fay Greene:

By 2010, between twenty-five million and fifty million African children, from newborn to age fifteen, would be orphans......Human beings are not wired to absorb twelve million or eighteen million or twenty-five million bits of information; our protohuman ancestors never had to contemplate more than about ten or twenty of anything......Twelve million orphans today. Twenty-five million orphans tomorrow. And those were just the numbers of AIDS orphans; if you added in the orphans from malaria and TB, you hit thirty-six million sub-Saharan orphans, and those numbers didn't include children deprived of the adults in their lives by war and famine.

Who was going to raise twelve million children? That's what I suddenly wanted to know. There are days that Donny and I thought we'd be driven insane by five children. Who was teaching twelve million children how to swim? Who was signing twelve million permission slips for school field trips? Who packed twelve million school lunches? Who cheered at twelve million soccer games? (That sounded like our weekends.) Who was going to buy twelve million pairs of sneakers that light up when you jump? Backpacks? Toothbrushes? Twelve million pairs of socks? Who will tell twelve million bedtime stories? Who will quiz twelve million children on Thursday nights for their Friday-morning spelling tests? Twelve million trips to the dentist? Twelve million birthday parties?

Who will wake in the night in response to eighteen million nightmares? Who will offer grief counseling to twelve, fifteen, eighteen, thirty-six million children? Who will help them avoid lives of servitude or prostitution? Who will pass on to them the traditions of culture and religion, of history and government, of craft and profession? Who will help them grow up, choose the right person to marry, find work, and learn to parent their own children?

Well, as it turns out, no one. Or very few. There aren't enough adults to go around. Although in the Western industrialized states HIV/AIDS has become a chronic condition rather than a death sentence, in Africa a generation of parents, teachers, principals, physicians, nurses, professors, spiritual leaders, musicians, poets, bureaucrats, coaches, farmers, bankers, and business owners are being erased.....



To be continued....

A Slice of Ethiopian History, (or, Why a Whole Bunch of Ethiopian Restaurants are Called 'Queen of Sheba.')

Earlier we mentioned Ethiopia's ancient Christian heritage. Remember in the Bible when the Queen of Sheba visits King Solomon? She was an Ethiopian queen.

Here is bit more of Ethiopian history:

The population of ancient Ethiopia was once a blend of African people and Semitic people who had migrated from Saudi Arabia. The founding of the "Judeo-Christian" Kingdom of Ethiopia is recounted in the important chronicle called the Kebrä Nägäšt or "Glory of Kings." The story unfolds as the first Ethiopian emperor, Menelik, son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, brought the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to restructure Ethiopia on the model of the kingdom of Israel. By the fifth century A.D., the Ethiopian Christian religion was firmly established and reinforced by the ruling monarch. The African, Byzantine and Islamic influences continue to color this dynamic system of beliefs, worship and art.

Right between the eyes....

I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to wake up. My thoughts wandered on over to Ethiopia for few seconds, as they often do these days.....and it hit me, if we are hoping to travel about a year from now and pick up a baby under a year old, our child-to-be is most likely out there somewhere right now, in the womb of his mother. I don't know why I haven't processed this reality before.

What is this woman doing right now on the other side of the world? It's probably appropriate to assume, given that she will be forced to give her baby up, (or that she will die, and someone else will give the baby up,) that she is in a miserable position right now--whether it be due to poverty, disease, or some other factor. Please pray for the mother of my child when you think of us. That God will bless her and give her the strength to bear the unbearable. And that God would protect the little one inside of her.

Mailed the Pre-app to Gladney....

...yes, there is actually a "pre-application."

We are applying to apply.

Sounds good to me.

Launching the '08 ONE campaign--a bi-partisan effort....

Leaning toward Gladney...

Last night, we attended Gladney's presentation on international adoption....Ironically, Gladney was not one of our top choices intially, but we've continued to hear so many good things about their Ethiopian program that it's ended up as our current TOP choice! Kinda funny how those things work....The Gladney rep told us to expect an estimated time frame of about a year---keeping in mind, of course that things can always change. That general time frame would be quite fab, as Michael and I are teachers and would be in the middle of our slower summer schedules a year from now. It would be easier to travel during that time, and obviously wonderful to have some extended time with our new little one. Of course, the best laid plans.....:)

Goal for THIS summer include completing our homestudy and dossier. We'll see!!!

These last few weeks, I've often found myself silently praising God for family members who are thrilled for us, for friends and a church who love us, and for the opportunity to follow after God's heart and adopt an orphan. What a beautiful picture of the gospel adoption is--a picture of the way we have been adopted into God's family as cherished sons and daughters.

Happy New Millenium, Ethiopia!

I did not know this: Ethiopia stills uses the Julian calendar--the calendar made official by Julius Caesar around 46 BC. Of course we here in the States--and those in Western Europe--use the Gregorian calendar. Consequently, Ethiopia is seven years behind us.

In the news.

Recently, an article about Ethiopian adoption came out in the New York Times. We can't seem to locate it, but here is a similar article (by the same reporter) in the International Tribune Herald.

Bono and Africa

Others out there in the Ethiopian-adoption-blogosphere have posted this, so I figured I'd do the same for those viewing our blog and just getting themselves introduced to Africa, etc.

Bono (or Paul Hewson, for those on a non-stage name basis) of U2 has, in recent years, increasingly put himself at the forefront of issues regarding Africa--AIDS, fair trade, debt relief, etc. Statesmen here in the United States have been impressed by his knowledge of the issues and his conviction. I thought I would embed this footage of Bono speaking at the prayer breakfast held by President Bush over a year ago. It's just over 20 minutes long but worth your viewing.


I have long been a fan of U2. From when I first heard the Joshua Tree and felt a deep connection to its sentiments at 10 years old (I had older brothers) to my more recent enjoyment of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, I have (in hindsight) always been inspired by Bono's desire for unity--not just in a political or social sense but in a deeper sense--the unity of heaven and earth. Most good lyric poetry is written with this same desire. While I don't know if U2's work will prove to be music for the ages, they have, nevertheless, produced music that has consistently echoed the sentiments of good lyric poetry from the past (here and here are two classic songs--and videos!--of theirs that perhaps illustrate this best). Enjoy the prayer breakfast footage.

"Narrower and narrower."

Okay, so I think we may be down to TWO agencies that we are interested in pursuing further. I've decided that I would prefer a local agency--that narrows it down a ton. Other things that helped us: some agencies don't allow you to choose gender, etc. It's actually a relief to discover these things--especially when there are so many well-thought-of agencies.

We're going to a presentation next week for one of our top two, and we hope to speak on the phone with the other. Looking forward to more clarity! :)

Narrowing it down....

Whew! There are lots of good agencies out there. Editing out some of them has been hard. We do feel like we're starting to have some clarity. I'll be making some phone calls in the next few days to some agencies....hopefully things will become even more clear after I speak with them!

Coptic.

M. and I are drawn to Ethiopia's ancient Christian tradition. Ethiopia is around 50% Christian, called Coptic or Ethiopian Orthodox, and 50% Muslim. Both of these groups live together peacefully.

I've admired the Coptic cross for a long time. It often has a circle incorporated into the design, representing eternity.

Let's Talk About Food

So Jana and I decided in order to get off on the right foot with this whole adoption thing, we should go and have ourselves some authentic Ethiopian cuisine. Therefore, last night, we went and experienced a little bit of Ethiopian culture at a place that reminded me of my time in Morocco (I went there just before my senior year in college). The feel of the place was very African--due in part, no doubt, to the Ethiopian wait staff, smells, music, men not in any hurry to move on to the next place, etc. There were brightly colored walls painted with green, brilliantly yellow, sky blue and pink hues. There were kind waitresses who could tell it was our first time eating Ethiopian food.

Of course, there was also the food. I honestly cannot remember what the name of our dish was, but for the uninitiated, most (or all?) Ethiopian dishes come with--and on (as you can see in the image above)--a bread called injera. I've never had anything quite like injera. The Mexican tortilla and Indian naan don't quite compare--even though they are similar. It's spongy, tastes like sourdough, and looks like foam rubber. But don't let that last description fool you: it's quite tasty. It's sort of gray-ish in hue and looks like a large, very thin pancake. You use it to grab your entree. I like that Ethiopians--and I guess quite a few African cultures do (Moroccans do at least)--eat with their hands. It's also eaten from a common dish--something else I remember fondly from my time in Morocco.

One word of advice: eat the injera upon which your dish is served (see the image above again). I think we looked like idiots last night when our waitress showed up and noticed our--by then--untouched soggy pancake bread, reddened by the strong spices of the stew and disintegrated in the middle by its liquid base.

Here we go!!!!

1. Make the decision to adopt NOW rather than "someday."
2. For various reasons, decide upon international adoption rather than domestic.
2. Make the decision to strongly consider Ethiopia.
3. Read There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene.
4. Solidify our decision that Ethiopia is the one. Start daydreaming about caramel colored
children with huge dark eyes. . .
5. Start researching agencies and grant/adoption loan opportunities.
6. Feel thrilled to death. Wonder if our child (children?) has already been born way over
there on the other side of the world?