So What Is Taking So Long??

At least once a week, I get asked the question, "So, what is taking so long?"  Meaning, our adoption.  If there are indeed (and there are!) millions of orphans in the world, why does it take so long for an adoption to get finalized?

Great question!  We have wondered the same thing ourselves from time to time.  My parents and brother just recently returned from a missions trip to Kenya.  Everyday, in the small villages of Bungoma and Nakuru where they stayed, they were surrounded by hundreds of children who had been orphaned due to HIV, malaria, famine, war, etc....  Surrounded by immense poverty that we as Americans could never, EVER come close to understanding.  Children living in trash dumps, scavenging for anything that could sustain them from among the heap....if they're lucky.

Yes, orphans exist, and the numbers are staggering.  But when it comes to adoption, both domestic and international, you are at the mercy of governments, legislation, and protocol.  Things could change in an instant, or plod along for years and years....there is no way of knowing outright.

What I do know is this.  Adoption alone is not the answer to the orphan crisis.  Even if every single one of the 147 million orphans in the world were adopted tomorrow, in their place would come more.  And more.  And more.  As long as we live in a fallen world, disease and heartache and corrupt governments run rampant.  They destroy families and rip babies from mothers who truly love them enough to let them go.  There is no escape from the devastation of sin this side of eternity.  Only the overwhelming grace and hope that is offered through Jesus.

What I also know is that in the midst of it all, God is sovereign and the Great Controller of all things.  He alone holds our adoption (and our little one) in His hands.  What seems like an eternity of a wait to us, is only a blip on the radar for Him. His timing is perfect, and the day that we receive a call letting us know that we have been matched with a waiting child, will be perfect too....because it will be in His timing.  We are trusting that only God knows the specific dynamics of our family, including the personalized needs of each of our children.  Praying that at just the right time, "for such a time as this", He would open the door, and our hearts, to a child in need.

So, where are we at in the process you ask?  As of the end of April, we were holding fast at #73.  While I was hoping to have moved into the 60's this month, I am, again, thankful to see any movement at all.  Today, we moved down three more places and are weighing in at....

#70

Thanks for continuing to pray for us!  We have been so blessed by this journey, despite the wait.  Thanks for thinking to ask from time to time about how things are going!!  Our adoption is something we are passionate about and have LOVED sharing our experience with others.  To God be the Glory!

Kirsten

Georgia!!

So, it took a little longer than we expected.  14 hours to be exact, but we had a great trip visiting family down in Georgia.  The kids kept busy in the car listening to books on tape, reading, playing, and counting license plates.......and, oh, the DVD player we bought right before the trip didn't hurt either. :) 

What made this trip particularly fun was that in school the kids had learned about U.S. geography.  They would get so excited to identify landmarks they had learned about.....the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cumberland Mountains, Chesapeake and Ohio canal.  It's made traveling so much more fun.

Here are some pics from our time together....



Eliza, Rosie and Kaya at the Root House Museum in Marietta, GA





Tour of the historic Root House





Hosanna and Sophia playing peek-a-boo around the well.  So cute!!!





Our attempt at a group shot.  Where's Jackson??  Oh, he's refusing to get in the picture despite our coaxing.





There he is, well, the back of him at least.  But now Sophia has had enough.  Good thing she's cute. :)





Learning about spinning wool.





Headed to a park for lunch after our morning outing. 





Kaya and Rosie were inseparable all weekend.





Birthday Breakfast to celebrate Charles and Dan.





There's my sweet Jackson.



Watching the donuts get made.

Such a fun thing for the kids to get to do!!!

Saturday night we packed up a container of [delicious] pulled pork and some rolls and had a picnic in the park.  Rebecca's dad sings in a do-wop group that happened to be performing that night.



The kids had a blast dancing to the music.  I believe the exact quote was, "That was the most fun ever!'





Kaya, in her element.



The kids were in their glory all weekend playing in what they referred to as "the swamp."  Really it was just the creek that runs through their yard, but it certainly impressed the kids.  And yes, that is my son wearing a polo and khakis.  Don't judge. :)

1-2-3 JUMP!!!!



The Swamp People.....Kaya, Jackson, Ezra, Joseph and Rosie.

So there you have it.  A weekend of fun, family-time.  Hope yours was a great one too!!!!






Kirsten

Hello again!!

It's been awhile....and quite frankly, I've been enjoying the break.  :)

Since my last post, life has just been, well,  really busy.  Here are a couple of the highlights though....

Last year, in the beginning of September, Kaya had decided that she wanted to go for something called, "Memory Masters".  It is a really big honor within Classical Conversations (the homeschool group that we are apart of).  MM is completely optional.  It is an oral exam in which the student must recall from memory EVERYTHING they have learned this year.  This includes: skip counting through the 15's (plus the squares and cubes), geometric formulas and equations, listing all 44 presidents of the United States in order of their terms, recalling a 160 point timeline beginning at Creation and going all the way to the Obama presidency, the periodic table of the elements, human anatomy, 24 history sentences, with dates, of major historical significance, conjugating irregular verb tenses, locating all 50 states and their capitals on a map, locating major geographical U.S. landmarks (rivers, mountain ranges, prominent features such as the Grand Canyon, etc....), memorizing John 1 in Latin and then translating to English, and many other terms to be defined.  All together, the facts that the student needs to recall total over 500.  In order to get MM, students need to be able to answer EVERY question correctly.  No room for error, people!

Well, on Monday morning she went for it.....And......SHE GOT IT.

It was a fun, but stressful morning for all the moms and kids involved.  8 students total from our campus went for it.  There were tears of happiness, anxiety, lots of hugs, shouts of joy and nerves on end.  Each student tests individually with their tutor, with testing taking a little over an hour per child.  But in the end, ALL 8 students achieved Memory Master.  What a celebration we had after!!!  So, SO proud of each and every one of these kiddos.  Sitting in and testing with these kids really gave me an appreciation of our Creator and this amazing brain He has gifted us with for learning.  Truly a miraculous organ!!

Here are Kaya and I last night celebrating her accomplishment on a Mommy-Daddy-Kaya date at the Melting Pot. :)


                           

She's beautiful, isn't she?? :)

In other news, today is my hubby's birthday.  We are celebrating by heading down to Georgia to spend the week with family.  WE.  CAN'T.  WAIT.  Tonight is birthday dinner and packing the car up.  Then, tomorrow, bright and early, we head out.  12 hours. 7 states.  4 kids.  It will be quite the adventure, I'm sure. :)    Either I'm very naive, or incredibly confident in my children's car-riding abilities.  Haha!  Not sure which (probably naive!), but I do love long car rides and am really excited.  We'll be staying with Charles' brother, Dan (who coincidentally, happens to have the same b-day as Charles, just 5 years apart), his wife, Rebecca, and their 7 children.  It's going to be a BLAST!

Lastly, we have adoption numbers for you from last month.  We moved down another three to.....

#73

Seriously, are we cruising or what??!?  ;)

Thanks for all your continued prayers!!  We have been really blessed by each of you along this journey.





Kirsten 

Happy Resurrection Weekend!

Alright, alright.  So I know I'm a little late in the game, but we JUST pulled out our Easter stuff at the beginning of this week.  With normal housework, homeschooling, testing last week, and just LIFE in general, Easter kind-of snuck up on me.

But it's Friday, and Sunday's coming!

So here's a look back at this week and all the fun things we have done to prepare for Easter:



Seriously.  2 dozen hard boiled eggs.  Eaten up in 24 hours.  Crazy!





Sophie was so happy to be dyeing her own eggs!



I just couldn't resist this sweet, sweet smile from Joseph!



Why Easter eggs?  They represent new beginnings.  A new life transformed by the resurrecting power of Jesus.





Out came the books.  The Resurrection Eggs.  The Jesus Film movie.  My kids LOVED reading, and telling (and retelling!) the Easter story.  Even Sophie.  Too cute!



Every year we do our own Passover dinner with our family.  It has become something our kids talk about all year.  We retell the Exodus story, letting the kids act it out as we go.  Waving the palm branches, painting the doorposts, and parting the Red Sea with a staff.  We talk about how each part of that familiar Old Testament story points to the New Testament Jesus. 



Making Resurrection Rolls!



 

And......eating them. :)



The kids put together a little Easter basket to take to Mimi this morning.  Cute little Easter bunnies making a delivery.  Made alot of people smile. :)



Love this picture!





I so, so badly wanted to make an Easter garden with the kids this year.  Wasn't on the ball enough to plant early though.  Instead, they collected sticks today and made these for our front planter.  Love! 



The eggs, the books, the baskets......they're are well and good, but it's all just a means to an end.  To point to Him.  Traditions that we've created for our children in hopes that they will lead them to Jesus, our risen Lord, who conquered death and rose again on the third day.

Our family has had a taste of this death-conquering Jesus this year.  There IS power in His name when we cry out to Him.  Power to heal the sick.  To make blind men see.  Even to resurrect from the dead.  All we must do is believe. 

Believe in the One who created the universe.  Who spoke life into being.  Who sent His only Son to die on a cross.  For our sins.  For my sins.  Whose blood was spilled, so that I may have life eternal.  And who, on the third day rose, in all power and glory. Conquering death once and for all, for all who believe.

That is what Easter is all about. 

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

~Romans 10:13

I'll leave you with a song I've had stuck in my head all week (you will have to pause the music player at the bottom of this page before playing the video).  Happy Resurrection weekend!

                       






Kirsten

Moving on DOWN!!!

Yes, that's right....we are moving on DOWN!!  Down the list, that is. :)

The end of March brought in slightly cooler weather, but it also meant an update from our social worker.  As of last month, we had dropped down to #80 - a HUGE feat, considering we hadn't moved much at all in about five months.  Today??

Let me give you a couple hints......

It's an important year for our country AND it also happens to be the name of the professional basketball team here in Philly.  Give up?

This month we moved down FOUR SPACES to.....

 

Woohoo!!!!!  So excited to see ANY movement at this point.  Well, any movement in the right direction, that is. :)  Each month as we've moved down, I've seen my faith increase.  Last month I shared about audacious prayers.  Just the other day I read this and I was nearly doing backflips on the inside:

 

"Then Jesus said to them, 'Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.'  And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me.  The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.'  I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity, he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.  So I say to you:  Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.  Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"'

Luke 11:5-13

Jesus WANTS us to audaciously, in faith, approach his throne.  Not from a "name it and claim it" standpoint, but as a child approaches his/her parent with complete trust that they have their best interests at heart.  So thankful that we serve a God whose attention to detail is unmatched.  Whose hand is guiding our adoption process from beginning to end and sees each day before it ever comes to pass.  Whose very heart is for the orphaned and the widowed and the down-trodden.

So thankful that He has led us on this journey and has brought us to this point.  Continuing to pray audaciously that He would continue to bless our journey, leading us even closer to bringing our little one home.  All glory and honor go to Him!




Kirsten

Movie Review!!

Looking to head to the movies this weekend? 

Maybe you would consider supporting this film?



                  




I went last weekend with a couple of friends (first time I had been to the theater in a LONG time!!) and it was WONDERFUL.  October Baby is a beautiful celebration of life - ALL life.  Whether that life is 9 or 99....or still in utero.  I thought the writers did a great job of portraying all sides fairly, without villainizing any one person.  The movie is rated PG-13 due to the subject matter, so use caution with young children.

So, find a couple friends, call your local theater, FANDANGO....whoever!  And grab a coke and some pretzel bites (and maybe a few tissues!).  You're in for a treat!




Kirsten 

Classic Re-post: One Small Act

Classic re-post from March 2011.....A look back at our journey to Ethiopia....

One comment that we’ve heard over and over by people as we’ve told them about our plans to adopt, is, “Wow!  What an awesome thing you are doing for that child!”

Years ago, I would have thought the same thing.  After all, isn’t it noble to provide a home and clothing and food for a helpless child without?  Isn’t it admirable to love on “the least of these” as Jesus commands?  Isn’t it the responsibility of the church to “help orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27)?  While obviously, all this is good, I am struck by the fact that it is a view that places us as the rich westerner riding in on our white horse to “rescue” some poor, helpless, forlorn child from poverty and what we deem unacceptable.   In reality, instead of God using ME to “rescue" this child, I believe that God is using THEM to rescue me. 

Rescue me from what, you ask?  The idols of materialism, “The American Dream”, etc…  Their presence in my life and in the lives of the people they touch, is doing much more for us, then we could ever possibly do for them.  Already I have seen how God is using this one child, a child whom we have never met….a child whom may not even be born yet, to impact a community.  To stir hearts.  To change lives.  This child, by simply being whom God created him/her to be, is allowing us to catch a glimpse of Jesus. 

Now, understand when I say, that adoption is a beautiful thing.  It is a beautiful picture of how God has rescued us all from our spiritual “orphanages” and made us a new creation in Christ.  Just like a bride and groom depict Jesus (the bridegroom) and the church….or how the love of a parent for a child models the agape love that God has for His people.  Adoption portrays how God has loved us, pursued us, and given us an inheritance far greater than what we were destined for.  It is a picture of the place we hold in the family of God.  But God is at work, and He is doing something even bigger.

So how did we get here?  Honestly, we just felt that God was calling us in this direction.  We felt that we wanted to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.  Right now, there are 145 MILLION orphans in the world.  We are hoping that when we return from Ethiopia, there will be one less.   But sadly, that will still leave 144,999,999.  We are but one.  And so, some may wonder (quietly, to themselves), “So, what’s the point?”  The point, for us, is to in some way inspire others to follow God’s leading.  That may look differently for you, than it does for me.  God may not be leading you to adopt at this time.  But certainly He is leading you somewhere?  How can we climb out of our comfort zones to truly be the hands and feet?

Many of us are looking for Jesus in the churches.  We are looking for him in Christian books and theology.  In worship music and Christian radio.  And while all these things are well and good (and necessary!!), I can’t help but to remember that that is not where Jesus hung out.  He hung out with the prostitutes…the tax collectors…the blatant “sinners”.  He was more commonly found amongst the poor and the needy, than the rich and the affluent.  So while I do recognize that adoption is a beautiful thing, a noble act that mirrors how God has taken us, and adopted us as His sons and daughters and bestowed upon us all of His inheritance, I see how this “thing” is so much bigger than us.  It is so much bigger than this one simple act.  God is using it, and HAS used it already, to reach others.  To show His glory.  And He’s doing it through one small child.

I’d love to hear how God is revealing Himself to you.  How is He using “the least of these” to make Himself known to you?  God is constantly at work…often times we are too busy doing “His work” to notice though.  But HE is there…in the face of a homeless man who climbs into your dumpster at work to collect scrap metal…..in the face of a single mother who is working two jobs to support her children….in the face of a small Ethiopian baby who has already captured the hearts of so many.  He is there.  Will you see Him?  Or will you walk right past?

So what small acts are YOU doing today??  Might I interest you in running/walking a 5k and/or a 1 mile walk to raise money that will build an orphanage in Kenya??  My parents and brother are heading there in a couple months with their church to do just that.  They'd LOVE your support!  Check out the link here to register for this event.



Visit here to register.  Scroll to 4/14/12 - Jamison, PA: 5k for Kenya Kids and 1 mile walk for more details.

                                                             

And.....here is Kaya working on one small act of her own.....



Joining us for a girls-night-out to help sew dresses for little girls in Kenya.  So proud of her!!!



Right now as I type, a group of guys are playing poker to help us raise money for our adoption. I have said it before, but we are truly blessed with some GREAT friends. 

So, SO many ways to get involved and create some small acts of your own.  What is God laying on YOUR heart?? I guarantee that what you intend as a small act to bless someone else, God will use to bless YOU. 




Kirsten