Here I Go

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 packed, roads open to the airport (after last night's freezing rain closed them) kids showering me with love and kisses and promises of missing me and taking good care of Mom, I am off to Portland tomorrow to catch an early Saturday morning flight for DC, and then on to Addis.

I am staying at the AAI guesthouse close to Layla, so I don't know if internet will happen or not. I am so ready to meet our girls. No butterflies yet, but they will surely come. God's peace to us all.

Connections

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 told us the best news of all. Out of the very few kids home so far from their orphanage (single digits I think), Meklit's friend lives only about 2 hours from us in Portland, so they will grow up knowing each other. What an amazing experience in so many ways this process has been.

Both of our girls have friends near by, people to make them feel like they are not alone in this world full of ferenges. And again I say...Thanks God.

Giving Thanks

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.

Freedom

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 soundly as they sleep, that more of us don't have pools at home. It must be worth the cost, effort and space. Hmm...

And we did see our dear friends who love us Sunday morning at The Bridge. A few years ago we spent a year (in the midst of our nomadic period) in Hermiston, OR, and drove the 1/2 hour north to attend church at the Tri-Cities Vineyard. They have since parted ways with the Vineyard (a good parting) and are associated with Streams Ministries. None of that matters to us, because we love them and they love us. And that is really all that matters.

We love going to visit them, and wish we were closer, but we are not. So we go when we can, and enjoy the feeling of home while we are there.

When I think of Pastor Tom and his church family, what is most striking and noticeable to me in the midst of worship, prayer, fellowship, prophetic stuff, etc...is the intentional focus on, desire for, and pursuit of freedom. I won't go into their details, which would be so much better coming from Tom's mouth or blog, but I will say this - walking into a place where freedom is given such value, and where safety exists to trust that you can be free and not thrown out the front door is SO refreshing. That kind of freedom, compared to stoic, safe, follow the rules of this church kind of living is like eating fresh baked bread just out of the oven, rather than last week's crusts that are ready to be fed to the pigs.

As I drove the van to the Tri-Cities, I thought about this post, and about freedom. I thought that in the world and in our selfish nature, we think that freedom is doing things our way. Living life for me, on my terms, for my gratification and enjoyment. But in the real world, in the Kingdom of our Liberator and Master, it is just the opposite. Those are the steps that lead to bondage, and slavery, and away from freedom.

Bottom line is this - if you are not free, you are in bondage! I think of the Far Side cartoon of the slave galley. There is this one emaciated slave shackled to the bench rowing away, and whistling a happy tune. The brig master is saying to his mate something like 'we just aren't getting through to this guy'. The point is that bondage can be very obvious, or it can be much more subtle. But even when it is subtle, and hard to spot, walking into a place where freedom reigns just feels so, well, free.

10, 9, 8...

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 well start out with an evening in the pool.

In 8 days I work my last day before taking a week and a half off for the trip. I am ready to be away. It has been a very long year for me at work, and it is a great time to go away and be rid of thoughts of work for a little while.

In 7 days the last of Meklit's waiver paperwork will be packed, ready for our embassy appointment.

In 6 days I will be impossible to live with, or maybe I already am...

In 5 days my sister gets Meklit's waiver form signed by our OHSU Doctor, and FedExes it to me.

In 4 days I attend church for the last time without Marta physically present in our life. What will these girls who were raised in the Ethiopian Orthodox church think of our version? I want to know what they think, and I look forward to trying to see things from an Orthodox perspective. I am certain there is richness to be discovered by looking.

In 3 days I pack my 2nd bag. The first was packed a few weeks ago, and holds all of Marta's and my things for the trip. This one is just for donations, gifts for the kids at Layla and AHOPE - lots of board games, balls - tether, soccer, volleyball, and wiffle, hackey sacks, jacks, pumps and needles for the balls, hand drums, clothes, luxury items like Luna bars, lavender soap and soft for Denise, and medical supplies for AHOPE. Lisa is very skeptical about the mountain in the corner of our bedroom fitting into one very large rolling duffel, but if you suck all the air out of everything, it is amazing how dense one bag can get. After this there is just my backpack remaining. And, that evening I will watch the USC-Notre Dame game.

In 2 days we lay around and eat left overs. What will it be this year? Turkey tacos? Asian turkey soup? Maybe turkey wat? We do have some injera in the freezer, so maybe that will be it!

In 1 day we celebrate Thanksgiving. Thankfully, it will be the last without Marta and Meklit being home. We have so much to be thankful for, and will have so much more to be thankful for next year. And the next? Who knows. Well, He does.

And finally, in 17 days, Gus will no longer have to toddle around saying "Ta Ta" to the pictures that are everywhere in the house. He will have the real thing right here at home with him to love on and be loved on by. And maybe he will learn to say Marta, but personally I am hoping "Ta Ta" sticks around for a little while longer at least.

Blessed are the peacemakers...

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 bunch of praise, but I think that sacrifice, particularly significant sacrifice such as that given by many veterans should be noted. I understand the thoughts behind the flag being highlighted, and the playing of God Bless America, but due to things I have been reading recently, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

During the past 6 months or so, as we have tried to walk down the path that God has laid out before us, my world view has changed significantly. I don't know if there is an area that hasn't been affected, if there is a way of looking at life that I don't see through a different lens than I did a year ago.

It isn't just the adoption. Much of it is about my newfound passion for Africa and its people. It is about justice, mercy, loving your neighbor, the kingdom of God. And some of what it has stirred in me is distaste for the line of thought that seems to flourish in the American church; that God has somehow thrown out His Kingdom thoughts, His ideas of love for us all, and set aside the USA as the apple of His eye. It seems as though we think that within our borders there is some special grace, mercy and favor not available to others in the world.

If that last bit ruffled your feathers, just ask yourself this question. Do you think the heart of God aches more for American lives lost on 9/11 than for the lives of thousands of children who die each and every day due to lack of food and clean drinking water? Or the lives of Iraqis and American soldiers who are being killed continuously in Iraq today?

Last night I flipped past CNN and paused long enough to have to see what was going on. The program was titled "Combat Hospital", and what captured me was that they were carrying a young girl into the ER at a military hospital (like a MASH unit I guess) in Iraq. The US medical team (Army I assume) began working hard to save her, and part of that was trying to figure out what had happened to her.

She had been shot in the head, in one ear and out the other. The lead doctor stepped back at one point and told the team the results would not be good from this case, and for everyone to essentially settle down, take things slow and careful. As I watched this little girl bleeding from her ears, thinking she will certainly die, I had to change the channel.

With a knot in my stomach I realized that if she had been shot in the US, by anyone, her story would have been all over the news, and we would hear about it for days. The fact that she was born in Iraq meant that we could care less, even if she was killed by an American bullet. I don't know who shot her, but it very well could have been one of our soldiers. Or it could have been an insurgent's bullet. Who shot her is irrelevant, it isn't the point. The point is that it broke my heart to think that she had to die. Her parents could care less where she was born, they just want their daughters to not be shot in the head.

In a chapter of The Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne talks about what led him to go, and of his experience when he went to Iraq before we began bombing and invaded. These are parts of that chapter, minus much of the detail.

I began to consider what it means to pledge allegiance to Jesus and his cross.

After counting the cost of going to Iraq and the cost of not going to Iraq, I went to Baghdad in March 2003 with the Iraq Peace Team...

Essentially, I went to Iraq because I believe in a God of scandalous grace. I have pledged allegiance to a King who loved evildoers so much he died for them, teaching us that there is something worth dying for but nothing worth killing for.

Looking back now I am embarrassed at how surprised I was to find friends and family in Baghdad. It was as if I thought Iraq was filled with Osama bin Ladens and Saddam Husseins, and not with families and children just like ours.

One of the most powerful worship services I've ever experienced was just a few days before I headed home. Hundreds and hundreds of Christians from all over the Middle East had gotten together - Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox.

Afterward, I was able to meet with one of the bishops who had organized the gathering, and I explained to him that I was shocked to find so many Christians in Iraq. He looked at me, puzzled, and then gently said, "Yes, my friend, this is where it all began. This is the land of your ancestors. That is the Tigris River, and the Euphrates. Have you read about them?" I was floored - by my ignorance and by the ancient roots of my faith. It is the land of my ancestors. Christianity was not invented in America - how about that?

The bishop went on to tell me that the church in the Middle East was deeply concerned about the church in the United States. He said, "Many Americans are for this war?"

I nodded.

And he asked, "But what are the Christians saying?"

My heart sank. I tried to explain to him that many of the Christians in the US are confused and hope that this is a way God could liberate the Iraqi people.

He shook his head and said, very humbly, "But we Christians do not believe that. We believe 'blessed are the peacemakers.' We believe if you pick up the sword, you die by the sword. We believe in the cross." Tears welled up in my eyes as he said, "We will be praying for you. We will be praying for the church in the US...to be the church."

I think that we need this prayer. I think we have been looking for too long through lenses such as conservative and charismatic, of God bless America rather than Your will be done, and we need to step back and rethink things. I think we need to speak words like those of the ER doc in Iraq - I don't think the outcome of this is going to be very good...we need to start to think of things in terms of His kingdom, without concern or regard for borders or flags. To be wholly His, our first pledge of allegiance must be to the cross of Christ, and then to other entities as this first commitment allows.

Blessed are the peacemakers...

My Friend Leslie

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 other hand is a topic for another day. Certainly I entertained her.

Leslie is also the author of books, good books. I read her first book, "Garden of Dreams" last year, and I REALLY enjoyed it. It is very real, and touching and sad, and I think a great first book. Even if she wasn't my friend I would say that, just not here on my blog.

Her second book, "Beyond The Blue" is in the stack of books on my dresser that I am currently working through. Leslie and her husband adopted a daughter from Vietnam, and this story is about adoption, though not their personal story. I haven't gotten to the point in the story yet, but she tells me my daughter Joy has a cameo in the book. It was at the editing stage while we were in China bringing Joy home, so she wrote her in. That has to be worth buying the book all by itself!

So, check out Leslie's blog, and better yet, buy some of her books. Tell her Rich sent you and you won't save a dime, but you'll still get a great book!

Supposedly It's Nice To Share

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!!!!!

Dreaming

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 your father and the God of Isaac..."

Last night I had a dream about meeting Marta for the first time. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a Jacob's ladder type of dream, but it was still pretty good. I don't dream much, or remember dreams much, so I take note when I do.

I was hugging her in the hall outside of a hotel room, and Lisa was hugging me from behind. My face was buried in the top of Marta's hair, and we were just holding each other, lots of happy tears and I think I got snotted on pretty good. I told Marta that I love her. That is all I needed. Great dream. Can go ahead and wake up now. But there was more.

Then we went into the room and I introduced her to 3 other kids, who we were also taking home. I don't think I knew it in the dream, but I think they were siblings. There was a girl about Marta's age, and her 2 younger brothers. I introduced Marta and the girl, and I didn't know her name, but she introduced herself to her sister as Jael...

...Jael...the "other girl" I spoke of and was looking for in the beginning of the Mary & Marta post last June...looking for her led us to our girls. God revealed her to us, and we have known about her for a couple of years, and have a picture of her, or a representation of her, on our kitchen wall with all the other kids. We pray for Jael and talk about her quite a bit around here.

You see, we believe that God still speaks to us, that He still communicates like He did throughout the bible, through many creative means. One of those being dreams. So what does this dream mean? Was it a God dream? Could be. Bad pizza? Nope, didn't eat pizza...I don't know. I just know that for the first time, she showed up in my dreams.

I also know that if there is another girl over there, with or without siblings, and God says she is for us, we will bring her home. That was decided years ago when we counted the cost and said we would follow Him.

For now, the thought of court tomorrow, going to bring Marta home, and meeting Meklit in a month is good enough for me. But who knows what dreams will become reality tomorrow?

Get To The Point You Ninny!

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 thought for self, from one who loves without knowing those she loves.

Sappy? Get to the point, you ninny? Ok, I will.

Today we got a package from Julie H., which she brought from Addis with her on her last visit. She delivered letters for us to the girls, and brought something in return.

Marta wrote a return letter, and then took Julie into her room she shares with the other older girls at Layla. She took down a small box of her personal items, and proceeded to carefully choose a gift for each of us, her family, from the small collection of her things, and sent them to us via Julie. Lisa has a necklace, and the rest of us have bracelets, which are the most precious gifts my children have ever received.

I can't tell you how deeply touched I am that my 13 year old daughter would send us these things of hers, and how easy the tears well up when I tell the story - which I have, to anyone who will listen. What she surely doesn't understand is that she is the gift, from another great gift giver.

The thoughts that jumped into my mind were of the biblical stories of the widow's mite, and Mary's tears and perfume to honor her Savior. Great gifts, which didn't escape notice, and showed the heart of the giver. You see, what Jesus could have said to the rest of the people present, the ones who didn't get it, was that it was the thought that counts.

I speak of the beauty I see in my girls, and yes, I do think they are lovely. But my daughter has incredible inner beauty, depth of character, and a loving heart. I can't wait to meet her.

New Court Date

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.

Reality

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 down the path of adopting the girls in Ethiopia, we knew that there are some truths we would become part of. Relative to China (our previous adoptions) the process in Ethiopia is much less regimented, and with that comes some room for less than predictable timing. The upside to that is that the process can be much faster than working with China, so there is give and take. We are currently on the give end of things, and in the end the bump in the road with getting to court will probably be a pretty minor setback.

So with that in mind, today I decided that I was going to have peace about this latest waiting, and that is what I am trying to do. God is in the business of being in control and working out details, so I will trust Him, and welcome the fact that sometimes reality stinks. Although the glass half-full reality is that we are really close to the end of this latest journey, and soon I will be leaving to meet our 2 new lovely daughters in Addis.

To do something positive, I packed one of our big rolling duffel bags for Ethiopia with all of Marta's and my things, and a bunch of things for the guest house - board games and such. The other big duffel is saved for supplies to take to AHOPE.

Now I am going to open a bottle of Maryhill Zinfandel, which is as close as I get to fine wine, because it does appeal to me.

Turning Blue

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 we heard from our agency that the license has now been renewed, and they anticipate having news of a new court date for us either today or tomorrow. Good news as it is a step forward (after a couple back) but still very frustrating as it could be ??? when we actually get into court.

Travel for me would still be ~4 weeks after that date, so we have probably slipped into December for travel for Marta, and who knows when for Meklit. Sometime early next year. I know we have only even known about the girls since May, and didn't start our paperwork till June, but this is KILLING ME!!!

The other good news is that as I said below, our friend Erin is in Addis right now with her daughter Belane, and she has spent time with both Meklit and Marta, and her messages about the girls are very encouraging. She and Denise both say that Marta is VERY shy, and we will have to go slowly with her. That will be tough for me when I first get to Layla, and for our family when we get home, but God knew all about that when He chose us all for each other.

Belane And Her Family

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 part doesn't get much coverage because of fatigue, lack of internet access, etc. but with Erin and her great access to broadband at the Addis Hilton, there should be plenty to consume as you follow along on their journey. I know I was choked up today reading about their first day together, and my thoughts of being in their shoes made me ache with desire to go soon.

Not Quite Yet

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. Frustration or not, we are near the end of the road for Marta, and she will be home in His perfect timing.

One Step Closer

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 that I will be over in Addis in mid-November, and Marta and I should be home before Thanksgiving. Lots to be thankful for this year.

I will be able to spend time with Meklit on that trip, but she has to wait a couple more months before we can bring her home. Having her home for Christmas seems like too much to hope for, but you never know!

Time to start packing!

Life as an Ordinary Radical

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 challenges you to not only think and see things differently, but to live a life that is evidence of that change.

I got my first taste of Shane's book through some link on some blog a few months back, and was hooked and had to get the book. If you click on the book cover above, it will link you to a chapter of the book in .pdf about his working with Mother Teresa for a summer. It is such good stuff, that I don't think you will be able to resist getting the book for yourself to read the rest of the chapters.

While I am tempted to cut and paste most of the chapter here for you to read, I will hold back and just give a couple teasers from the sample chapter linked at The Simple Way.

When Paul writes, “The life I live I no longer live but Jesus lives in me,” he meant it. Over and over, the dying and the lepers would whisper the mystical word namaste in my ear. We really don’t have aword like it in English (or even much of a Western conception of it). They explained that namaste means “I honor the Holy One who lives in you.” I knew I could see God in their eyes—was it possible that I was becoming a Christian, that in my eyes they could catch a glimpse of the image of my Lover?

I came forward and sat in the doctor’s seat and began staring into the man’s eyes, and the decision had already been made. I began carefully dressing the man’s wound. He stared at me with such intensity; it was like he was looking into my soul. Every once in a while he would close his eyes in pain. When I was finished, he said to me that sacred word I had come to love, “Namaste.” I smiled with tears in my eyes, and whispered “Jesus.” He saw Jesus in me. And I saw Jesus in him. I remember thinking back to one of the stained-glass windows of my United Methodist Church bought for over $100,000. I saw a clearer glimpse of Jesus in this leper’s eyes than any stained-glass window could ever give me. I knew that I had not just looked into the eyes of some pitiful leper in Calcutta, but I gazed into the eyes of Jesus, and he had not just seen some rich, do-gooder, white kid from America, but he had seen the image of God in me. That is nuts. If we began to truly believe that we no longer live but Jesus lives in us, as Paul says, our world would look very different. Living in the leper colony, I felt like I had entered the Gospels. They became three-dimensional.

It is full of good, difficult, challenging, inspiring, sure-to-stir-some-people-up stuff. The back cover of the book says "Shane's message will comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable..."

Which are you?

She's A Star

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 comes to hand drumming, but still, deep down inside of me there is some real rhythm dying to come out, and I have been playing djembe for about 9 years now. I have played on the worship teams at our churches, and love it, but alas, am a hack. So to see my baby girl jamming with some real rhythm on a hand drum, well it just about brings tears to this dad's eyes.

There is hope for the family name now, and I am already talking serious smack around the house that this proves that there is beat in these dry bones, and MY DAUGHTER is the proof! Now I am certain that I will be taking a smaller djembe to Layla when I go, and the drum in this pic is nearly identical to the one Marta will be playing when she gets home.

So thanks again Anne & Steve, you have made my day bright, and the movie has been playing on repeat since I got home from work. The other members of the family don't have the deeply committed appreciation to be able to listen to it for hours, but then, this is a dad & daughter thing.

Warm And Fuzzy

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 changed perspectives about consumerism, the families we would be emulating are starting another 30 Days of Nothing, as they cannot restock and talk about how wonderful it is to have this new perspective, over a big celebratory bowl of Ben & Jerry's, Blue Bell, or Tillamook ice cream.

(If you haven't already picked up on it, the "Warm and Fuzzy" title was a little sarcastic. This post is far from warm and fuzzy, is not about throwing rocks, but is about looking at how we live our lives from an objective point of view, and to always try to change that which is not correct.)

I read a Mother Teresa quote today that was most likely used by her in another context, but is perfectly fitting for this strand of thoughts. She said:

It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish. ~ Mother Teresa

Lisa and I then talked about the grandness of life in the U.S., or gluttony of life here for that matter, with regard to what Mother was saying. Some things that come to mind from our life:

• We have enough clothes in our home to cover atleast 6 families, much of which is so specialized that it only sees the light of day every few years, or at the holidays.
• I am afraid to do the math and figure out how many kids at AHOPE could be sponsored with what we spend on media/entertainment/communication in our home.
• We waste way too much food. We either overconsume or throw out food that we let spoil so we could have something that sounded better at that moment.
• Our kids are too spoiled, and have so many toys it is rediculous.
• We have 3 vehicles, and as Avery talked about last week, we must have 10 bikes.
• When ever I come home from a monthly Costco trip, I wonder during the endless procession into the house with our stuff, where is the line of stuff coming out of the house?
• We are never truly in need of material things.

Then there are some recent things outside of our family that we talked about. And this isn't stuff that we are pointing fingers about, just triggers for our discussion. Like spending thousands on vacations, new cars, houses WAY bigger than the need for shelter and basic comfort, whether it all could be afforded or not. I told Lisa that I knew some would say, "yes, but they earned it. They worked hard for that and they deserve it."

Do we deserve it?

REALLY?

How do I, primarily sitting on my oversized backside, being paid way too much to do what I do, deserve more than a single mom in Addis Ababa who slaves away all day long to buy enough food for 2 of her 4 kids, meaning she will have to make a tough decision and give a couple of them up for adoption, or let them all die. Do I deserve it because I am better, more industrious, or more gifted than her? Certainly there is a component of this that is due to my efforts, but how much of it is just plain luck, or blessing that I was born here rather than there?

When I only use my block, or my street, or my town, I can possibly come to the conclusion that I deserve it. But the One who's opinion counts doesn't have such limited vision. He sees all, and in His kingdom view He would most likely agree that I DON'T DESERVE ANYTHING. It is only by His grace and mercy that my kids have not known need, ever.

We are adopting the kids God points to and says "they are yours", and we are sponsoring some kids at AHOPE. But God, do not let me or my family be comforted with doing these things while living a life of gluttony, because "we deserve it!" Open our eyes, minds and hearts God, and give us joy in the midst of learning to live a sacrificial life. Don't allow a child to die so that we may live as we wish.

Sorry to dupe you into reading this if you were looking for warm and fuzzy adoption updates about the girls. Those will come later. Today, this is as soft as it gets.

Good Fruit

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 Marta home ASAP, and start the waiver process for Meklit yesterday!

We are also so happy and excited to hear from others who have been waiting for so long that will be in court right along with us. It is going to be a fruitful season.

2. I am starting to shop for the trip and for the girls, and for a guy who hates to shop, I can honestly say I can't wait to take my new teen aged daughter shopping. I ordered a bunch of beads and clips for their hair this week, and also got hair care products to take with me. Is it too early to pull out the rolling duffel bags and start packing? Hopefully only 6 weeks to go, and I think after this weekend I will get them out. Obsession can be a good thing.

3. I noticed yesterday that my post bumped off the last one about the girls, so there wasn't a picture of them on the active posts, and I thought I should remedy that. So here are a couple just because their wonderful faces should always be on here.

This is Meklit with a friend who is now home (have to crop faces of kids from her orphanage) looking at the friend's family photo album. It is a very cool part of the Ethiopian adoption experience that our girls each have friends in the US, and we are in contact with their families. That is rarely the case with China adoptions, and something I think will help the girls to not feel so alone and removed from their first home and culture.

And this is Marta with one of her friends, who will be coming home soon as well. This was taken by the dad of the little one during his visit to meet his daughter. What a sweetheart she is! I just can't get over the looks of adoration from both, and think this shows some of the depth of Marta's character. This is on our fridge and I stare at it every day, and count the seconds until I won't have to be satisfied with looking at a picture.

4. This weekend we are traveling up to Vancouver, BC to attend a wedding reception and banquet for my Chinese cousin who was just married. It should be quite an evening as Uncle Wai Mo knows how to throw a party! It will certainly be a feast like no other, with 20+ courses of amazing dishes, and our whole crew is already drooling with anticipation.

It will be our first time across a border with Joy and Song, so I am a little paranoid about having all the documents to make sure we can get them back in the country, but I am sure it will be fine. And Wai Mo has a big house if things don't work out.

5. We are a home schooling family, but we have just enrolled Song in the local public school to see what type of resources they can bring to the table with regard to teaching things like Braille. So yesterday we had a meeting and assessment with school teachers, and the lady leading the charge was down from Yakima. And let me tell you, what an answer to prayer she was! We will be able to have him at home still, full-time, and the teachers are going to come to us, and provide all of the resources needed for him. Lisa is beyond relieved to have this assistance and expertise, and Song should eat it up.

It seems like a busy time for us and for many others, but as I said before, it IS going to be a fruitful season. Thanks God.