tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-303014802011-08-01T17:17:14.845-07:00“Calcuttas are everywhere if we only have eyes to see. Find your Calcutta.” ~ Mother Teresarichlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.comBlogger1111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-87204083559867465852009-10-03T15:10:00.000-07:002009-10-03T15:35:08.591-07:00

Lisa and Jeff returned home late last night from San Diego, where she got to go and see him graduate from Marine Corps boot camp. She said it was a wonderful experience, and I am even more jealous after she returned than before. I had to stay and take my NRC written exam. Rotten timing for me to have to do that, but there you go.He looks amazing though, and it is so good to see him and hear

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-54606962171375079792009-09-21T16:47:00.000-07:002009-09-21T17:14:41.281-07:00

Tonight, or really tomorrow morning at 2 am, Jeff and his fellow recruits from Echo Company will begin their final test in becoming Marines. This is called The Crucible.The daunting test these men face is described below. This is not a gimmee, nor a formality. For a fat old guy like me it seems like an impossible task, but Echo Company is ready for this. They have been prepared over the past 12

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-91234104146661310082009-08-02T18:44:00.000-07:002009-08-06T13:41:06.465-07:00

In the past few weeks we added 2 more kids to the family. They came to us via a disrupted adoption, and make an even baker's dozen.So, here is the gang, and down in front are Hannah, with the pretty purple bow on her dress, and Azariah, standing to her left.The question I get asked most is "are you done?" The real question being, is He? Don't hold your breath.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-8494412773099832342009-08-02T18:40:00.000-07:002009-08-02T18:44:44.327-07:00

Three weeks ago we said good-bye (for now) to our oldest son, Jeff. He is now 3/13 weeks through Marine Corps boot camp, and beginning a process of great change in his life. His recent letter to me said that it is the best thing that he has every done in his life. I have to agree.I love you son...

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-5346640628243619522008-06-08T06:03:00.000-07:002008-06-08T06:35:39.818-07:00

I read a couple articles at BBC News today about Ethiopia's food shortage.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7438554.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7429594.stmWe talk so much about the price of food and gas in the US these days, and I confess amidst my complaints that none of my 11 children has skipped a meal. We in the US are so privileged and sheltered from the realities of life in the

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-71317962692383787572008-06-07T11:05:00.000-07:002009-09-21T17:22:46.448-07:00

A little glimpse of life at our house these days.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-85648282712174987572008-06-07T10:55:00.000-07:002008-06-07T11:05:05.347-07:00

Last night I watched Hotel Rwanda for the first time. Wow.This morning I was checking out blogs. Something I used to do on a regular basis, but with my new study schedule I rarely go there these days. Anyway, I found a new one that fanned long smoldering embers in my heart, and the most recent posts on that blog were about Rwanda. Hmmm...Jen Lemen is the blogger, and while her story is about

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-65546862002067027952008-05-03T19:59:00.000-07:002008-05-07T18:32:15.683-07:00

Wow. First post this year, and it is a stretch to even write anything. So many things going on to tell about, and I know there are people who wonder how we are doing, but I have had no desire to communicate with anyone about anything.But, it is starting to feel like we are coming out of our post-adoption cocoon, or fog, or whatever works for you.So many things have happened to us in the past 16

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-75176339139106198942007-12-23T21:28:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:12.525-08:00

Not being able to pull off a family picture this year, we went with a collage for our Christmas card photo this year.The caption ought to be, "Whew! What a year!", followed by a deep sigh.Thanks to God for His grace for us all.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-59812272381580006742007-11-26T18:18:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:15.715-08:00

Friday is going away party day at Layla, and that was the big focus for the day.LOTS of emotions, last visits with new little friends, and kids who are suddenly facing the reality of their hopes and dreams - leaving Ethiopia. What a day. UNO at the airport - not a bad thing with hours of delay and layovers.And at the end of that long emotional day you get to the airport to begin your trip home.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-19587222983814399612007-11-25T16:04:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:18.859-08:00

This is taking such an agonizingly long amount of time that I am just going to post the remaining pictures and throw in a comment or 2 before we forget what happened.Wednesday afternoon we had our embassy appointment, and spent time at Layla afterwards.Thursday we went to AHOPE in the morning so we could see Sidisse, then went to visit an Orthodox church - one of Terefu's requests for our trip.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-65322995336494652682007-11-24T14:51:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:19.400-08:00

Trying to catch up on things around here. I think addind 6 kids in a year has us a little on our heels from time to time, and this blog is obviously one of the casualties. Not that big of a sacrifice though...One week ago today I took Marta, Terefu, Samuel and Josiah to Seattle, where we spent the night with Rich & Julie Hehn. We had a great visit with their wonderful family, and I have gross

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-23474239720983789322007-11-14T19:27:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:20.465-08:00

This is really lame. We have been home 5 weeks and I am just on Wednesday of our trip. Yep, really lame.Oh well.Wednesday is Embassy day if you are going with AAI, so that is what was planned for the afternoon. Gail came by the guest house early to finish paperwork, and we filled the morning with a trip to Opportunity House, which is AAI's new house for most of their special needs kids. Most of

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-75312760834537519912007-11-10T10:26:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:21.339-08:00

One of the hard things about bringing home new kids (especially in bunches) from Ethiopia is figuring out how old they are, and what their birth date is. We thought we had a system, but that hasn't seemed to work in all cases.So, we finally figured out dates the other day, only to realize we had missed Terefu's birthday by about a week. Thank God she is filled with grace! We celebrated it about

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-66240772753335934602007-11-09T17:10:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:21.624-08:00

Denise posted about Halloween at Layla House, and the kids got apples as one of their treats. It reminded me of a post I meant to do weeks ago.We went to a great harvest party at a friend's house. They have a small orchard on their place, and apples were at the center of much of the food and activities.One of the games was apple baseball, where an apple was pitched just right so it could be

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-91147324628315289462007-10-22T18:51:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:23.085-08:00

Sele Enat is a smaller orphanage where all of our Ethio kids except Mary started their journey home. Terefu really wanted to go there and say good-bye to the house mothers, and I hadn't been, and was eager to see another of the Addis orphanages.The donkey train is on the road to Sele Enat, and as we took this picture I told the kids they would not see this in America. They looked at me like I was

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-25160786950681018222007-10-22T04:32:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:23.440-08:00

Our first morning with the kids. Their first opportunity at Dad's cooking - scrambled eggs, dobo, bananas and more of Teddy's bunna and shai. I think they tolerated the food, and loved the shai.Denise hung out with the kids in the morning so Lisa and I could go to Layla and see Rebekah for the first time. We met in the social workers' office, and it was really good to see her. It was also really

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-80235308271092488352007-10-17T18:53:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:24.926-08:00

At about 9 am Gail showed up to take us to Layla. We took Denise along to be there for our first moments with the kids. It completed the event for her as she is the one who asked me back in February if I knew Terefu. She is so proud of herself being the family matchmaker and all.We piled into Gail's SUV and in minutes were honking at the gate at Layla House. The gate opened and we rolled down the

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-6764475489764615222007-10-16T20:23:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:26.434-08:00

Travel day, just what everyone wants to hear about. What about the kids and babies you ask? Patience.As painful as it is, you have to get there before you get to see the kids, so months of excitement and preparation are over and you head to the airport to start your very long journey to bring them home.For Lisa and I this was waking at 3:00 am to head for the Pasco airport at 4:00. Lisa's sister

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-61639493579544368372007-10-16T20:00:00.001-07:002007-10-16T20:11:39.019-07:00

To save confusion, and to make a very long, emotional, difficult story short, here is the deal.We came home with only 3 of our 4 kids. Rebekah (Freweyni) did not come home with us. If you read my last post, we found out just prior to leaving that she had been removed from Layla House due to some behavioral issues. She returned to Layla the day after we got there, and we had the other 3 kids

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-79147440288403103792007-10-16T19:59:00.000-07:002007-10-16T19:59:45.607-07:00

I was just finished with the below post, and it was saved to be posted Friday night, late, before our early departure for the airport the next morning.Then we got a call from AAI, telling us that there was a problem with one of our kids. She had been removed from Layla that day. Needless to say, everything about our trip changed in that instant, and the post, as well as much of what we were going

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-57667106420382221952007-10-08T10:39:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:26.671-08:00

We are home now after a very emotionally tiring trip to Addis.Here we are with our 4 at Layla House.Lots to tell, but it will have to wait for energy and desire to catch up with me.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-41087597405880779652007-09-27T18:08:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:27.754-08:00

Lisa and I leave the day after tomorrow, and things are getting to the crazy-hectic stage. There is of course the packing for us, which is daunting by itself. Lisa and I and stuff for the kids for a week and LOTS of letters, packages, books for the Layla library, Denise items...we will see how getting it all in goes!Preparing for the addition of 4 more means not only beds for the new ones, but

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-2892976368542990532007-09-01T21:31:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:27.968-08:00

Four weeks from today Lisa and I leave for Addis to meet (Lisa), be reunited with (Rich) and bring home these wonderful kids. They are Freweyni and Terefu in the back, and Ashenafi and Alemayehu in the front.Five weeks from today we will be home with all 11 of our kids, together, and then the stretching and growing begins.We are all so excited that we are beginning to drive each other nuts,

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-81162825573844416592007-08-21T09:01:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:28.271-08:00

The smiles, and the words from their shirts and photo album say it all - Chosen, Jesus loves the little children, and Forever Family.We are so blessed to have such favor with God.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-49401789841414999482007-08-19T21:36:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:28.521-08:00

Yesterday we came home to a package of letters and disposable cameras from Terefu and Ashenafi's gift bags. Thank you Mary!We got a letter from Tsion (who still needs a family - hint, hint), one from Freweyni, a letter for each of us from Terefu, and letters for Lisa and I from Ashenafi.What a great way to end any day - reading I love you's from your kids who are just as anxious to be with you

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-48445400785482211822007-08-19T20:35:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:28.780-08:00

We just found this picture of Terefu with Haile Gebrselassie yesterday. It was taken by a family traveling to bring home their son, and it looks like some of the older children got to go to a track meet where they were able to meet him.According to Wikipedia "he is considered by many to be one of the best distance runners of all time, having broken 24 world records and won numerous Olympic and

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-5038090553403500652007-08-15T08:09:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:28.934-08:00

Denise Baker is headed back to Ethiopia, and will be blogging once again on Destination Ethiopia. She will be working for Adoption Link and hopes to spend some time at Layla House as well.If you aren't aware, Denise was a volunteer at Layla last year for 7 months while Marta was there, and has become a friend of ours through our travels there and at home since she came back. She is an amazing

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-44312573985607438072007-08-03T10:47:00.000-07:002007-08-03T10:57:02.823-07:00

Now that we are through court I can talk about some other changes our family has recently been through.From the summer of 2001 through the summer of 2002 we lived in Hermiston, Oregon while I was starting up a new power plant there. I worked for Calpine. We drove ~35 miles north to the Tri-Cities to go to church at the Tri-Cities Vineyard, and during that year we became very close to a number

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-29928210558321563762007-08-02T13:58:00.000-07:002007-08-02T14:09:17.989-07:00

..other than We Made it Through!!!Our case to adopt Terefu, Freweyni, Alemayehu and Ashenafi successfully made it through court today in Addis Ababa, so we are way more than happy to announce that we are now the proud parents of 11!It feels kind of surreal. I wasn't sure what would happen, and really thought that we might get bumped out of court for some reason (need more info, some signature

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-17361330741654447822007-08-01T18:35:00.000-07:002007-08-01T19:17:21.448-07:00

The word we got from AAI is that power is out in Addis around the courts so only 4 cases were heard yesterday before they called it a day. Same today, and we are not one of the 4 families. So we are still waiting, and praying. Two of the many defining characteristics of an adoptive family. We should hear more news later this week as to our status, but for now it is just wait and pray.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-23339178276548236892007-07-27T16:39:00.000-07:002007-07-27T17:22:24.486-07:00

I just heard from AAI that our court date is set for August 1st. It looks like we will beat the court closure this year, rather than sit waiting until October like we had to do last year. God willing that is the day we become a family of 13. Then we will enter the ranks of what I called medium sized families in this post last year.I can hardly believe that. Just 3 years ago this month we came

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-70484024336808577482007-07-24T20:24:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:29.276-08:00

After a month of being computerless, my new Dell laptop came today and I can reenter life...I can't beleive how much of life involves a computer and the internet. Anyway, that and many other changes in life that I will have to tell about later have kept me from keeping this page up to speed on what we are doing.I am happy to say though that we are in Group S, which means we will be going to court

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-52788108418424703112007-07-06T18:02:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:29.375-08:00

This is what I see on the outside of one folded letter when I open the envelope from Terefu, and another that says Mom. They know!We weren't to the point of letting them know, and AAI still had our gift bags in Port Angeles, but according to Terefu's letter Gail told them. Thank you Gail!!! It is so good to know that they know. They know they have a family - and in that instant so much of what

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-5916655092115670442007-06-16T19:34:00.001-07:002008-12-10T01:08:31.056-08:00

Just some pics of the kids over the past few months. Song at Easter...Mary and Jeremiah...Pure Joy...We call them the twins... One of Daddy's girls... Marta and friends...Family at Kah-Nee-TahThe boys and I...King of the pool (and everything else!) What a blessing they are

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-13349465052865815712007-06-14T19:55:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:31.433-08:00

I didn't get to know Ashenafi very well while I was there, but the time I did spend with him was wonderful. Very sweet and quiet. He spent most of our time together on my lap. I wish I knew he was mine while I was there, but that is the way it goes.But I did spend lots of time with Terefu, and I love her dearly. She is very devout Orthodox, and Marta says she REALLY prays. Such a good fit for our

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-19068826163837524042007-06-13T19:07:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:32.036-08:00

Wow! First post since April 15th! So much to say the whole time, so much of it couldn't be shared, and I had no desire to write a word. Burned out all around from constant change...but, today I feel like jumping back in, so here goes.As I said before I have been writing letters to many of the older children since I came home with Meklit. Every few weeks I write a bunch of letters, include

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-24143705620599059152007-04-15T08:54:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:32.133-08:00

I closed my last post with the comment about "my daughter, who doesn't know she is my daughter, or does she? Maybe God put me on her heart too? Who knows." And then I promptly picked up an old copy of Citizen magazine from Focus On Then Family, which we used to get but it never got read so we dropped our subscription.To be honest I wanted a little bathroom reading material, so I flipped through

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-46198017065532219712007-04-12T20:46:00.000-07:002007-04-15T08:53:42.786-07:00

We got home Thursday night, and on Saturday we had a meeting with our social worker for Marta's 2nd post-placement visit, so Meklit got #1 out of the way too. And, we were able to get a new home study visit out of the way too! Very efficient - home 2 days and having a new home study being worked on - I like it.Meklit was settling in very well, so the visit went great. She said she would talk to

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-27269981404521088232007-04-02T05:53:00.000-07:002007-04-02T11:07:13.721-07:00

Oh boy.When I went to Addis this time, I had an ulterior motive, an agenda beyond bringing home Meklit. As I was preparing to leave I had 2 questions posed to me. The first, from Julie Hehn, was "who is next?"We had some interest in some of the older girls who are still there, and I went with the intent of getting to know them a little bit better, and to see if God would speak to me about whether

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-18961568101160195202007-03-30T20:34:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:33.304-08:00

It seemed like I had just got there and really I had. Day three and I was needing to pack us up to leave that night. I packed up all of the things I had brought to donate at Layla, and Meklit, Ted and I headed over for breakfast.By now when we walk in the kids swarm us, and we are hugged and kissed all over again. What a great start to the day. Meklit is taken by Tsion, and she will again spend

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-20039579457265977132007-03-30T18:37:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:34.823-08:00

Tuesday evening we went to Meklit's orphanage for her going away party. I was hoping it would be with all of the kids - both young and old, but it was such short notice that they could only have the younger kids and a few of Meklit's older friends. It was still really good. Lots of singing and praying by the kids, and snacks and my first and only (so far) coffee ceremony.It was obvious that the

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-5463034971354609092007-03-26T16:59:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:38.595-08:00

Some of my favorite people...not all, just some from this last trip... each is different in their own special way...precious... beautiful... full of life... sweet... passionate about our kids... mine... too cute to not stop you in your tracks...all precious in His sight.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-57982241699500599742007-03-19T19:34:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:39.050-08:00

After yet another bad night of sleep in Addis (for me that is, Meklit slept like a baby), Ted, Meklit and I headed to Layla for breakfast again. This morning it was bread with peanut butter and sweet, hot tea. The food is good, but the company is better than can be imagined. When I had picked up Meklit, Gail recommended that I take her to a hair salon to get her ready for her going away party,

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-70962274728182077992007-03-16T20:55:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:39.684-08:00

***Again, this post was written on the trip, just not posted until now with pictures added.***Without the jitters of meeting Meklit for the first time I thought I would do better, but as soon as I woke up the first time (at 4:30) I was done. My mind started racing about all the other kids I would meet or be reunited with, and there was nothing to do but get up.I jumped in the shower, met Ted

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-86686282747495168422007-03-16T20:51:00.000-07:002007-03-17T22:52:43.760-07:00

***This post was written on the trip, just not posted until now, so things are a little out of order - oh well.***This trip to Addis seems almost surreal. Getting the news on Wednesday, leaving town Friday for an early Saturday flight, there hasn’t really been time to process it all. It seems odd. Part of it must be that this trip is different though. There are no butterflies about meeting

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-66967006090154029082007-03-16T20:38:00.000-07:002008-12-10T01:08:39.945-08:00

Meklit and I got home late last night. What ever you do, if you can avoid a 3 day stay in Addis do it. The trip there, 3 long days to try and do what you want, followed by the trip home is just about enough to kill you.This is a picture of 2 of Marta's close friends, Tsion and Rahel, and Meklit, a newer girl Maria and I in "J" class hanging out. Then picture of Meklit and Rahel. These older

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-61700901729763943192007-03-07T19:21:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:40.082-08:00

In a few days this is where I will be. This is a photo of the SW corner of Addis Ababa where the AAI guest house, Layla House, and Little and Big AHOPE are. Simply put, it is one of my favorite places on the planet.In this area of that city there are few beautiful vistas or amenities that would earn a city in the US spots on any top 10 lists. By our standards it is a poor area of a poverty

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-85709543266608897612007-03-07T16:53:00.000-08:002007-03-07T16:58:09.434-08:00

Finally able to breath out (as in I have been holding my breath for a long time now) we can happily say that Meklit's waiver is done, and we can now bring her home. There are no appointments or forms or fees or hoops to jump through, just come get her. So, I leave this Saturday the 10th, will have her on Monday, and we fly back out on Wed the 15th returning to Portland on the evening of the

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-73130643029527367242007-02-07T14:25:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:40.340-08:00

It has been nearly 2 months since we left Meklit, and I am thinking that in the next couple weeks we will get word that I can go and bring her home.That is the very glass is half full side of me talking, but it sounds really good to me. We were thinking all along that it would be about 2 months, and have been praying it would be no more than that, so we are ready God - just have them give us a

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-20329332776145453242007-02-06T20:08:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:41.106-08:00

One way beautiful ferenge bride + one habesha daughter with mad braiding skills = one very konjo wife!Undoubtedly the envy of this small town atleast. I keep telling Marta that for a few $$ per head this could be her college money, but she doesn't seem to get it yet.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-33261991413813407922007-02-03T14:43:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:41.328-08:00

Our friends the Hehn's have a family line that goes something like "are you kidding me or just joking" that originated with one of their Ethiopian kids and an early struggle with some Americanisms in the English language. If you hang out with them you will hear it, but it is an inside joke. When Marta first came and started to warm up to us and become playful, someone would say something to her

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-58675439039640209912007-02-02T20:58:00.001-08:002008-12-10T01:08:41.708-08:00

It is a dark day for me, and I assume many of us AAI and Layla House parents. Denise is no longer in Ethiopia, but back in the US in Portland.My daily obsession of checking for updates, hoping to hear a word about Marta or Meklit at first, and my not so obsessive looking for stories about the kids I know and love who are still there will now sadly come to an end. Maybe like a favorite book I will

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-66493461316076270412007-01-30T14:38:00.000-08:002007-01-30T15:03:20.670-08:00

Since I got back from Ethiopia I have been in a funk. Can't really explain it, or express my feelings and thoughts about it, because I don't really understand it all.Much of it I write off to the burdens and stress of my life right now, which is just a temporarily abnormal amount. It will go away with time.But one of the issues I know I have been stewing on (I am a crock pot kind of guy) is my

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-47646897049066158922007-01-28T20:03:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:42.677-08:00

Last year at this time my son Jeff, our friend Jan and I had just returned from China with Song.We were there for 2 weeks, spending time in Nanjing, a visit to Suzhou (his city), and in Guangzhou.Our last full day in Guangzhou was my birthday, and we ate dim sum to celebrate, played on the playground and drank our last hot ginger cokes.The day before we received Song's US Visa, which was a happy

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1166919277203526512007-01-12T21:05:00.000-08:002007-01-12T21:56:03.183-08:00

I have been trying to write about AHOPE for a week now, and I just can't seem to do it. This little bit will have to suffice for now.If you go to Addis and don't visit these kids, it is a huge mistake. Not to take anything away from the other kids, but in a country where so many are orphaned by a disease that has left its mark on everyone, these kids were not only orphaned, but left to live a

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-91143036395686499562007-01-01T15:02:00.000-08:002008-12-10T01:08:43.788-08:00

The purpose of my first trip to Addis was to bring Marta home. The other purpose was to get to know Meklit so that my second trip to bring her home, alone, would be a success. Everything else I did and experienced was gravy.Meklit. First thing was pronounciation. Meh-kleet, as in baseball cleat is how you say it. Early on we thought it was Mary, but it is obvious from Marta that she has never

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1166920311340152252006-12-23T16:14:00.000-08:002006-12-27T12:06:54.770-08:00

I wanted to share our experience of staying at the guest house while in Addis, maybe with a little bit of opinion and recommendation along the way.The official name is the Ritmo Guest House, but since I don't know what Ritmo has to do with it, it is just the AAI guest house to me. I love it there, and I think that the guest house is part of the reason we had such a great time in Addis.We have

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1166750094649952632006-12-22T17:14:00.000-08:002006-12-22T18:15:55.956-08:00

Denise Baker, as many AAI families know is the author of the blog called Destination Ethiopia. For many families like ours, her writing has been a nearly daily dose of comfort and hope as we waited, was my Addis and Layla House travel book as I prepared to go, and now that I am home her words are like a soothing balm to my achy breaky heart. (She might just cringe at a country song reference in

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1166803978209994072006-12-22T07:53:00.000-08:002006-12-22T17:45:49.240-08:00

Before I get too far removed from my post about taking Group 5 to the Sheraton for swimming and lunch I wanted to post the rest of the pictures of the kids from our day. Sometimes Blogger only lets you get a few loaded, so these are the rest of the Group 5 kids that I couldn't load back then. These kids are also sweet, wonderful, etc.Nobody could spend a week with these kids and not want to adopt

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1166748975457017122006-12-21T16:21:00.000-08:002006-12-21T17:37:27.066-08:00

As I sit down to write this, and load these pictures, I realize the ache in my gut is because I miss it so much. I never dreamed this could happen.I have always loved Chinese culture, but after bringing our 2 kids home from China, I can't really say that I miss it, or want to go back to any of the places. It isn't that I didn't enjoy my visits there, but they were just trips to places, and

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1166592937239061572006-12-19T20:15:00.000-08:002006-12-19T21:36:42.900-08:00

On Wednesday Rick, Sandra, Denise and I took Group 5 to the Sheraton for a day of swimming and lunch at the pool-side restaurant. We taught them some basic strokes, took them to the deep end one at a time and threw them in the air, taught them the correct way to splash each other, and played and played and played with an amazing bunch of kids - I don't know who had more fun, the kids or us adults

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1166154809430787102006-12-14T18:29:00.000-08:002006-12-16T14:18:47.396-08:00

Anyone who is adopting from Layla should not miss Tuesday night at Layla House. Why? I'll get to that.Tuesday was a big day. We hung out and played at the guest house, and Marta wasn't feeling well so she slept through lunch at the pizza place right around the corner. Meklit and I shared a fasting meat pizza, which means it was without cheese. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians fast meat products for

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1166069871428209132006-12-13T19:56:00.000-08:002006-12-15T19:59:54.290-08:00

Our next stop was at Meklit's orphanage. She goes to public school, and gets back at ~4 p.m. so we were there to meet her. She is shy too, so I played it safe and squatted down a few feet from her and said hello. I don't think she knew I was coming, and she was very quiet and shy.We met Sidisse, thanked her for allowing us to have Meklit with us for the night, and left for the guest house.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1166068433366525852006-12-13T19:05:00.000-08:002006-12-13T19:55:13.353-08:00

After a long flight to Addis, and a restless night wondering what she would be like, I finally got to go to Layla House. Gail picked me up at 9:30 in the morning (I had only been up for about 6 hours at that point - plenty of time to unpack and lay out Marta's things) and we drove the 2 minutes up the street and around the corner, and we were there.The gate opened, and in we drove. I walked down

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1165732462259411722006-12-09T22:21:00.000-08:002006-12-09T22:34:22.270-08:00

Just a very short note to say that Marta and I are home. The time and trouble of attempting to post anything from Addis wasn't worth it, so all my time was spent with my girls and the kids at Layla.Will write more later, but for now, it is good to have her tucked in to bed under our roof.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1164946629492584882006-11-30T20:06:00.000-08:002006-11-30T20:17:09.516-08:00

After packing, unpacking to get rid of 12 pounds, repacking, getting more requests for stuff, unpacking, biting the overweight-bag-fee bullet and putting the 12 extra pounds back in as I finally repack for the final time (until I get to Portland and have to unpack one bag to get the requested items to be purchased before I catch my plane in their saved nook) I am ready to go.Paperwork done, bags

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1164945958002989992006-11-30T19:59:00.000-08:002006-11-30T20:18:16.056-08:00

Today I got an email from another adoptive Dad. I had been hoping to hear from him for a while now, and was so excited to get his message. His daughter who recently came home from Ethiopia is one of Meklit's closest friends from her orphanage. He sent pictures of our girls together, and of Marta, and had such sweet things to say about both Meklit and Marta. Good stuff for a Dad's heart.He also

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1164323583609839592006-11-23T15:03:00.000-08:002006-11-26T18:19:37.070-08:00

Today we got some emails from Julie. She is in Addis, and sent some pictures of Marta.She is so shy she will hardly let Julie take her picture, even though they are close.When Julie told her that I would be coming for her soon, this was her response. Thanks God.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1164265864532168352006-11-22T22:18:00.000-08:002006-11-23T16:12:10.593-08:00

Last weekend we went away. We drove a couple hours east of us to Tri-Cities, WA to shop, play in a hotel pool with the kids, and mostly to see dear friends who we love.We did shop, and we can happily say that we are 100% complete in our Christmas shopping. Very nice.We did play in the pool, and everyone had a ball. It is amazing to me that as tired as kids get from playing in water, and as

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1164262004108735402006-11-22T21:24:00.000-08:002006-11-22T22:13:38.066-08:00

In 10 days I fly out of Portland for Addis, and finally get to meet the girls who have stolen my heart. This wait has been so short, but has felt like an eternity to me. I am ready.In 9 days we drive to Portland to stay the night, so we can avoid trying to get out of the house at 3 a.m. Saturday morning with all the kids. It would be a bad start for Lisa with tired grumpy kids, so we might as

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1163398253901279752006-11-12T22:04:00.000-08:002006-11-14T06:31:15.970-08:00

This morning when I walked into church I noticed that the US flag and the church flag (I guess that is what it is) were both brought forward from where they usually are, and were placed with prominence on either side of the worship team, front and center. I thought, "Oh yeah, Veterans Day." I am a veteran, and appreciate that I and other vets who chose to serve are recognized. I don't want a

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1162943953007573972006-11-07T15:34:00.000-08:002006-11-07T15:59:13.023-08:00

I found out the other day that my friend Leslie Gould has a blog. Our parents have been friends since we were little, so Leslie and I grew up together. She and my sister were 3 years older than me, so really I was tolerated at best, or allowed to be the subject of their fun. They must have been somewhat kind though because I have nothing but good thoughts and memories of Leslie. My sister on the

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1162596940608580982006-11-03T15:14:00.000-08:002006-11-03T15:40:13.456-08:00

Mine!Mine!!Mine!!! Mine!!!!And Mine!!!!! Oh, Lisa says it is nice to share. What ever. So ours, ours, ours, ours and ours!!!!! Thank you God, the adoptions are final and our family now belongs to these 2 precious girls, and vice versa! Our embassy appointment is Dec. 6th, so I will travel on the 2nd, and return home about a week later! I leave 4 weeks from tomorrow!!! Yaaaaahooooo!!!!!

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1162522025500493422006-11-02T17:56:00.000-08:002006-11-02T21:15:29.396-08:00

Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. He came to a certain place and camped for the night since the sun had set. He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to sleep. And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky; angels of God were going up and going down on it. Then God was right before him, saying, "I am God, the God of Abraham

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1162329859363404292006-10-31T13:15:00.000-08:002006-11-01T06:25:28.886-08:00

Today I learned the true meaning of the statement, "it's the thought that counts".Rather than having it explain away a tacky sweater from in-laws, or a fruitcake from a coworker, I learned the depth of what it can mean, of what it is meant to communicate.Rather than hearing it as a cynic, today I can say I understand what it looks like, due to a gift from the heart, made sacrificially without

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1162239516414963522006-10-30T12:16:00.000-08:002006-10-30T12:18:36.480-08:00

I just learned that the new date for Group A to be in court is November 3rd, which is this Friday. It is good to hear that things are going to start moving forward for everyone who is waiting for their kids.The Zinfandel must have done the trick. Any excuse, you know.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1162082145937684012006-10-28T16:47:00.000-07:002006-10-28T17:51:14.076-07:00

I almost called this reality bites, and even though that is true, we choose how we respond to things in life. In Searching For God Knows What, Donald Miller quotes a friend of his who set him straight when he was whining about something. Don said to his friend, "but the facts of reality stink." His friend replied that "reality is like a fine wine, it will not appeal to children."When we began

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1161869590758726742006-10-26T06:23:00.000-07:002006-10-26T08:46:05.420-07:00

It has been a dry few weeks of writing for me as I feel like I have been holding my breath in anticipation of the girls court date and the desire to then make travel plans. I still haven't let out my breath...There was an issue with the annual renewal of our agency's license with the Ethiopian government, and some new paperwork they wanted to see this year. That has been the delay, and yesterday

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1161651002531055492006-10-23T17:42:00.000-07:002006-10-23T17:50:02.543-07:00

Over at Erin's blog there is a wonderful story unfolding. Erin and her husband Josh have just been reunited with Belane, and will be bringing her home with them soon. All of the adoption stories you read on blogs mostly center on paperwork and waiting and the emotions tied to both, but here you get to read along as this family gets to do the fun (and very emotional) part as well.Many times this

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1161177658635326392006-10-18T06:16:00.000-07:002006-10-18T06:20:58.650-07:00

Got confirmation this morning of the bad news I had heard through the grapevine that Group A's cases hadn't made it through court on Monday, and would be "rescheduled". If I wasn't feeling still out of it from 3 days of stomach flu I would post some encouraging scripture about patience, and trusting in Him, but I don't have the energy.But, I do know they are there and that He is in control.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1160417973108627172006-10-09T11:08:00.000-07:002006-10-09T11:20:22.790-07:00

The news we were anticipating came out this morning, and we are happy to say that Marta and Meklit will be ours next Monday! That is the date for their case to be heard in court, and the outcome is that they will be ours.The next step is for documents to go through the system and their embassy appointment will be ~4 weeks later, at which point I can travel and bring Marta home. This should mean

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1160082869813630662006-10-05T13:02:00.000-07:002006-10-06T10:19:00.110-07:00

I am in the midst of reading Shane Caiborne's book The Irresistible Revolution - Living As An Ordinary Radical. In ways it is much like Donald Miller's books, as Shane looks at faith from a different perspective than most, which I really like. But it is different too, in that while both inspire you to rethink your paradigm for following Christ, Shane's style leads you to a more practical end, and

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1159843594883860622006-10-02T19:07:00.000-07:002006-10-02T19:46:34.980-07:00

Thank you Anne and Steve!!! Today in the mail we received a CD from them, with a movie of Marta and some of the older girls from Layla singing a New Year's song. They are clapping and singing, and Marta is keeping rhythm on a hand drum (empty can) and singing along.It is exciting to see my girl, and to see her singing is even better, but this was the ultimate. You see, I am pure hack when it

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1159813038844396062006-10-02T10:38:00.000-07:002006-10-06T20:19:28.953-07:00

Lisa and I were talking this morning about a number of things, and it really got me thinking. The 30 Days of Nothing thing just came to an end for quite a few families, and I made a comment to one of Mary's posts at Owlhaven about it. My comment was on the line of thinking that while we are restocking our pantries and getting back to normal, or normal minus a little bit because of slightly

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1159417761081333502006-09-27T21:17:00.000-07:002006-09-28T09:16:44.340-07:00

This post is just a bunch of random stuff that is going on with us.1. We are sitting on the edge of our seats (so to speak) with the anticipation of the courts reopening in Addis next week (rumor has it). Will our case be heard right away? This is our hope, but we are trying to not be too hopeful. What a roller coaster this process can be. All I know is that I am ready to meet the girls, and have

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1159394637737300622006-09-27T14:40:00.000-07:002006-09-27T15:03:57.823-07:00

Tomas Perez over at A Company Of Friends has a great post about dual citizenship, related to faith and not adoption. It is a discussion of residing within the kingdom of heaven, and the United States, and the responsibilities that go along with that residence status. Good stuff.

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1159329837020617792006-09-26T20:06:00.000-07:002006-09-26T21:27:42.150-07:00

We just returned from a weekend with friends, and their many lovely children. Out of their 22 kids, I think (couldn't ever get a good head count) that there are 11 at home, and 4 more on the way, as they are currently adopting from Ethiopia like us. We had such a wonderful time with them. It is funny. We don't get many invites anywhere anymore, but with this family our 7 was nothing big to add

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1158962528445574532006-09-22T14:57:00.000-07:002006-09-22T15:02:08.466-07:00

If I sound like a broken record and keep pointing to what is happening in Malawi, that is because I am! I looked at Suffer The Little Children today, and was blown away with lots of posts about good food and smiling babies, beautiful pictures, strange weather (raining babies) and day to day life from a son's perspective.What an adventure, and what stories these kids will have to tell the rest of

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1158367197764231702006-09-15T17:06:00.000-07:002006-09-15T18:28:39.390-07:00

Today I was driving down the Columbia River Gorge to The Dalles (a bigger town in Oregon where we go to shop) with Song and Joy, our 2 kids who were adopted from China. We were driving and jamming pretty good to Dwell, a Vineyard release from a few years back.I started thinking about when they came home, the airport scenes when family and friends saw the dear ones we had been waiting so

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1157985634460644472006-09-11T07:21:00.000-07:002006-09-19T09:33:34.906-07:00

This morning I got a wonderful Monday morning surprise. I went to Babyssinia to make my usual cruise through the other blogs and there was Marta! It is a pic of their baby smiling and being cooed by our Marta, and they are both very beautiful! You should go see it right now! It will certainly make your Monday better too!Rich

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1157744263554078252006-09-08T12:33:00.000-07:002006-09-08T12:57:06.673-07:00

There are 2 excellent posts and discussions regarding whether older kids should have a say in their adoption or not over at Martha's AdoptBlogger. This is something that I always wondered about, and she has invited discussion on the topic. Good stuff.Rich

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1157740789359749552006-09-08T11:06:00.000-07:002006-09-08T13:09:10.626-07:00

I love to cook, and I love to cook things in a crock pot during the winter. Like much of cooking, you take a bunch of things individually that are somewhat appealing, but together they become something very appealing. This can be especially true in a crock pot - after hours of cooking you walk in the house and it just smells so good.I am a crock pot kind of guy. I take things, often from many

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1157640985492257772006-09-07T07:45:00.000-07:002006-09-08T13:03:46.496-07:00

There is a great update over at Suffer The Little Children about the 2 babies in their lives. If you are wondering, this is the Langdon family who with their 6 kids moved to Malawi in the late Spring and have just started a new orphanage, and now have babies!Also, we got an email that lists some needs they have, so if you feel inclined, they need support. Here is part of the email from Lisa

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1157601551950976652006-09-06T20:11:00.000-07:002006-09-07T08:38:41.276-07:00

We got some new pictures from Julie today. These 2 capture some of what in my mind is who our girls are.To me, Marta is serious, and somewhat pensive. And from what we have heard she is just adorable, very loving, nurturing and helpful.Then there is Meklit who we are told is a "pistol" who is "very adorable and she knows it", and from the pictures we have she is all of this and more. We have

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1157579232734271972006-09-06T14:40:00.000-07:002006-09-06T14:47:12.753-07:00

We just heard from AAI that we are in Group A, which means our file will be in the first group the court sees when it reopens in October! The Ethiopian courts are closed each year for the Ethiopian New Year from early August to early October, so everyone is anxiously waiting for news of the reopening, and how they unjam the bottleneck of cases that have piled up during those 2 months.This is

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1157479441758198722006-09-05T10:34:00.000-07:002006-09-05T11:04:01.786-07:00

We finally got pictures of the girls getting their gift bags! This is the step in the process with AAI when they find out that they have a family, and they get a bag with a t-shirt, photo album, a couple small gifts and a letter from us. It is the first time they see pictures of their family, and hear through the letter that they are loved and very much wanted. Or, as it says on the shirts that

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1157133119837176202006-09-01T08:57:00.000-07:002006-09-08T13:03:09.143-07:00

God bless the Langdon family. While I don't know them personally, I feel like I do know something of their heart, and want to know and realize in myself their passion for going and doing. They are a family of 8 who used to live near us, and earlier this year packed up and moved to Malawi, Africa to start a new orphanage. I would say that they have heard and obeyed.Based on what they have done, I

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1157043475775549592006-08-31T09:01:00.000-07:002006-09-08T13:04:18.766-07:00

Leave It To Avery is a blog that I frequent from a guy who in many ways is similar minded to me. Not a common occurrence in my experience.Avery is a Vineyard guy, who seems to look at church things from an out of the box perspective, and he and his wife Heather (who blogs at Burakaeyae) are adopting from Ethiopia as I write this. This is much of who Lisa and I are, and we have so few people who

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30301480.post-1156204858696330272006-08-21T16:47:00.000-07:002006-08-22T09:55:56.600-07:00

Yesterday was my youngest son's 1st birthday. Jeremiah Gustaf had to share the day with one of Lisa's cousins who got married, so the remnants of cake on Jere's face are also crumbs from his first wedding cake.This month my oldest turned 16, and my youngest turned one. No more milestones for a while for us.He is pure sweetness, and while I long for this age to last forever, I can't wait to see

richlisadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167537102382207278noreply@blogger.com2