Introducing Alemtsehay

Here is our beautiful seven year old sponsor daughter! Please consider doing this. Greta has 40 more children at Kechene she is trying to find sponsor families for. Just click on the button, Give me your eyes, on the right. She has pictures of available children posted. You could change the life of a child in Ethiopia in 2011!

Sponsor Child

I am totally excited as I am waiting to see the face of my sponsor child. I hope it comes before Christmas! This reminds me so much of when I was waiting for my referral! Here are some fun pictures!

Small World

It has been a long time since I have blogged. School began this fall and we have been so incredibly busy. Soon I will post pictures of our lives. For now, I have a story to share. For a long time now we have been praying for Ethiopia and for direction. I shared some time ago about Children's HopeChest and the possibility of sponsering a child in Ethiopia through them. I am sure many of my fellow bloggers already have a sponsor child. Anyway, life got busy and we put it on the backburner telling ourselves when our other house sells we will make a decision. Tuesday was Adonu's third birthday. We recently discovered our eight year old's name, Niah, is African when spelled Nyah. So we looked up the meaning of her name, on Tuesday, on an African name sight. It means purpose by the way. Cool. We decided to look for Adonu's name as well. Our search ended without any results. I decided to google his name. I clicked the first page that was in English. Amazingly it took me to the blog of a family who lives about an hour from us here in Wisconsin. This family is helping Children's HopeChest find sponsers for Kechene Orphanage. The very same place we visited in Ethiopia! One of the sponsor children posted on their sight had the name Adonu (Spelled Adanu). I couldn't believe it. Even more amazing, we closed on our house this morning. What are the chances of this all happening-Adonu's birthday, same name, house selling, local family, same orphanga? Not likely...All things are possible with God! I am so excited about how God has shown us which direction to go! I immedietly contacted the family. They recently traveled to Ethiopia in November and have 55 new kids that need sponsors. They will be posting information about the children very soon. I am so excited to see what child will become our next Ethiopian angel! The family asked me to share with all my friends that they have new children who really need sponsors. So, if you are interested their blog is greta-givemeyoureyes.blogspot.com. There button is to the right. Another amazing family doing amazing things!

Fun Stuff Everybody!

Check out the Matthew family giveaway. I think this is a very fun fundraiser.

Heart Check-up

I am one that thinks it is totally exceptable to think that ones own children are the most adorable children in the world. I also believe it shouldn't stop there. The Bible tells us in I Samuel 17:7B that "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." I have been praying about this as we are about to begin a new school year. So much of school for us is centered on heart training. I try to teach my children that all we learn throughout the year should bring honor and glory to God and that their actions should always put others first. My Sunday school teacher handed out a poem a few weeks back that I want to share. As I prepare my own mind and heart to teach my children this year I pray I can be the example that God wants me to be.

I'd rather see a sermon, than hear one any day:
I'd rather one should walk with me, than merely show the way;
The eye's a better pupil, and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing but example's always clear.
And best of all the preachers, are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everbody needs.
I soon can learn to do it, if you'll let me see it done:
I can see your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver may be very fine and true:
But I'd rather get my lesson by observing what you do:
For I may not understand you and the high advice you give.
But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

unknown author

So now here are some pictures of those adorable children. These were taken while boating on our camping trip last week.







Here are pictures of the adorable cousins we were camping with. I just love the sunglasses!

Another Milestone Gone By

My six year old lost his very first tooth last night. The difference between his initial reaction and mine were like black and white. He was jumping up and down with excitement and I had tears in my eyes. To me a tiny tooth in his little grasp was another goodbye. Goodbye to that sweet little boy smile! Those big teeth, no matter how straight and pearly white, just look so grown up. I suppose that is why we call them grown-up teeth. My wise ten year old upon seeing my reaction said, "He is getting old, soon he will have gray hair and a bald spot!" It helps to be reminded that their are many firsts to be had yet! Here are a few other firsts that brought tears to my eyes:
1. First night in big boy crib
2. First giggle
3. First kiss
4. First step
5. First time saying mama and I love you
6. First day in Sunday School
7. Last day with his first Sunday School teacher
8. First time on a two wheel bike (I'm not sure why-just seemed big)
9. First Christmas performance at church (and each one since)
10. First time writing his own name
Admittedly I didn't cry when he slept through the night or went to big boy undies. Maybe tears of joy!

Adonu had a first a few days ago that made me cry for a whole different reason. His first filling. I cried because he cried. I cried because I felt GUILTY! It was so painful to watch him go through this. Before the procedure started, the dentist said, "I see kids from Ethiopia who are 16 with perfect teeth. It isn't until they come to the United States and start eating so much sugar that this happens." I think he was basically telling me that the cavity was all my fault. As if I didn't feel bad enought! He then started drilling on my baby who started to scream and had to be held down. I was feeling very low! So was Adonu!



Following this difficult visit to the dentist, I decided to take my kids to the zoo for the day. I even bought the kids a treat while there and tried hard not to feel GUILTY!




Personally, I think my boys have very beautiful smiles. What do dentist know anyway?

Children's HopeChest

This is an oldie but goodie. A few posts back I talked about my feelings of being overwhelmed by all I saw in Ethiopia. I have also talked about the impact the boys at Kolfe had on my family. In fact, I still email some of those young men! I can't believe the difference in the facilities at Kolfe from before Children's HopeChest intervention to now. There is a picture of Kolfe in the video. The boys are sleeping on mats on the cement floor. There is no paint or comfort. This is not the helpless picture of Kolfe I saw when I was there. The kids had bunk beds, cubbies, a television, painted walls and curtains. They had chickens, a garden, a kitchen, a soccer field. Awesome the life skills these guys are learning and all they have done to their home! When we visited I could tell they took great pride in their work and are preparing themselves for adulthood. This is so important for the future of Ethiopia. I think Children's HopeChest has an awesome program going on. I would love to hear stories from those of you who are sponsoring children.

The other morning we had a missionary at church. He gave a visualization of a pile of treasure on one side of the pulpit and an illiterate African man on the other side. He asked us which is the bigger treasure. He challenged us to think about what we value and what we spend our money on. The work at Kolfe and all the other orphanages in the video has been accomplished with about a dollar a day per kid you sponsor. Really? I spend more money on my coffee than that. Yet my husband and I had ourselves convinced we should sell our other house before making a commitment. I can see the progress that is being made and am feeling ashamed of what I have been valuing. God is really pricking my heart these days.

Wondering

I'm wondering how many children are going to bed tonight without a kiss from a mom or dad? How, in a world this beautiful, can this happen?

Post Adoption Blogging is hard!

I thought I would start my post with some new photos taken by a good friend Gail. You can check out the rest of the pictures on her website at www.gtphotgraphy2010@weebly.com. I can honestly say that this was one of my favorite photo shoots. Very relaxing. We surprised Dad with these photos for Father's Day this year. He had no idea. So much fun!

I think post adoption blogging is so hard and I have read other blogs that say this same thing. I do continue to check the FBI list almost everyday as I pray for the families in process. I feel as though Adonu is so much a part of our lives that I hardly think of HIM as being adopted. That doesn't mean I don't think of adoption though. In fact, I think of Ethiopia and all those faces of children growing up without a family each and everyday. My heart goes out to them all. I have a very tender spot for all those older children. In their eyes I see my children, nieces and nephews and I think who is reading to, praying with, kissing on and loving these children. They are the same as my children at home, needing love. Not a day goes by where I don't think these things. It seems so big. I spend money and have beautiful photos taken of my four children, but what about all those orphans. I am having a hard time blogging because I can't get this out of my mind and yet I do nothing. Honestly, I feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Does anyone else out there have this problem. It is like I feel called to do something, but what. Sponser a child, adopt again, support a program like Kidmia? Does this problem of orpans and where to go post-adoption overwhelm anyone else out there? Seriously maybe it is a form of postpartum depression but for adoptive families? I think I have been subconsiously avoiding blogging because I feel as though I'm doing nothing for those we left behind. All those beautiful faces longing for a family. Ethiopia was the most mentally changing event of my 35 years, but what about life changing?

In the end, God has the answers and I know he will lead me and my family as we continue this journey. For now, I pray for guidance and pray for the ability to surrender my will to his plan for my life.

We moved

The last four months have been insane. We bought a new home and an apple orchard. We now own about 187 apple trees and a goat named Socks. We purchased the fifteen acres behind our new house two years ago. When our new house and the orchard went up for sale we decided to take a look because it borders our land. Our thoughts were if we absolutely loved it then we wouldn't have to build. Worth a glance, right? Guess what? We loved the house and land and well...here we are. I'm happy to say we are moved, back online, and adjusting to it all. If someone would have told me I would move 31/2 months after bringing my son home from Ethiopia I would have laughed hysterically. Praise the good Lord Adonu is such a happy going little boy. He hasn't missed a beat with the move. He has so much room to play now and it has been fun watching the kids adjust to country life. I mean, a goat, come on!!!! I was a total city girl and now I own a small hobby farm. We are learning a lot as a family about caring for apple trees and I'm even composting. Who would have thought! Two nights ago I actually mowed lawn on a John Deere riding mower. WOW!

Through it all, Ethiopia is on my mind daily. I was so happy to get back to the FBI list and check out the adoption world. We are excited to see the wonderful Tucker family is adopting again. What a blessing. I'm also excited that a local family just submitted their final paperwork to Gladney for an Ethiopian adoption! It is truly amazing to watch God work in the lives of so many!

All I really want for Christmas

Every time I hear this song I have visions of all those beautiful children I met in Ethiopia. I pray this year many orphans will get their wish of a family. Now, after listing to this song again, I'm going to go sit in my son's room and praise God for bringing us together as a family this Christmas.

Merry Christmas

I can't believe my son has been home for fifteen weeks. I know all parents brag about their children so I am just asking everyone to please forgive me for this but, I think Adonu might be a genious. He turned 2 December 14th. Gladney said his birthday was accurate and I have so much faith in them. Tonight he sang the entire ABC song with me three times. He is saying up to five word sentences in English. He also sings almost all of twinkle twinkle and ba ba black sheep. He is so amazing. The credit goes to the awesome caregivers in the Gladney Foster Center. What amazing women. I am so glad they spent so much time with my son. I just know he will become someone great and make his family in Ethiopia proud.

Here is a copy of our Christmas letter we mailed with our card. Merry Christmas to all my friends!

Merry Christmas 2009

This has been an extraordinary year for our family as we traveled to Ethiopia to bring home our son, Adonu. We feel incredibly privileged to be blessed with the opportunity to raise this boy. He is an adventurous two year old that has completely fit right in with our family. The judge in Mauston couldn’t have said it better when he said, “Sometimes God just drops an angel in your laps.” Adonu is very happy and intelligent. He is picking up language so quickly and makes us laugh daily. We can not imagine our family without him.

Emma and Niah continue to enjoy home school, 4-H, swim club, piano lessons, and church activities. They love to help take care of their new little brother. Jason started school this year and loves it. He learned to ride a two wheel bike. He also braved his way through outpatient surgery for his trigger finger release. Jason is so proud to be a big brother!

As a family we did some camping this year, traveled to St. Louis two times, and went to Mayo Clinic for a medical conference. Brad had a near death experience after a bee sting this summer. We now know he is extremely allergic to Yellow Jackets. He will go through immunotherapy this winter. We wouldn’t want a little bee to slow him down during his biking, camping, running, hunting…….activities!

Our trip to Africa was the highlight of our year. The people of Ethiopia are wonderful and part of our hearts will always remain there. Traveling to a third world country was a life changing experience. We have learned how truly fortunate and wealthy Americans are. At the same time we realize that people around the world are similar in that they value God, family, and friends and can enjoy life without extravagance. Brad and I are praying about how we can continue to help people in need so that they can enjoy all Christ has given them. This experience has taught us to reflect on how much we have, the things that make us happy, and how we can serve others in need.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in ourselves and our own families during the Christmas season. Jesus Christ came to this earth to serve others. He gave his life for you and me so that we can go to heaven. This was a gift, he asked for nothing in return. “For by grace; are ye saved through faith (in Jesus Christ); and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” Ephesians 2:8. We ask ourselves, whom have we served? Are we following Christ’s example? Our family prays you choose to accept God’s gift and follow Him this Christmas.

With Love,
Brad, Beth, Emma-9, Niah-7,
Jason-5, & Adonu-2

Two Year Photos!

Court Hearing

We are so excited to have the final step in completing our adoption done today. The judge was amazing. He commented that he read Adonu's file and was amazed at what he had endured and how far he had come to be here. He then paused and looked at us and said, "Sometimes God just drops a little angel down into your laps!" I had a hard time not crying! It is awesome that he said this as I commented in my last post on how nervous I was to have a toddler put in my lap! I love how God works things out! I also think the court day was important for my older children. It seemed to have given them a real sense of inclusion in the process and provided some closure for them on finalizing Adonu as their forever brother.

Confessions and Court dates

Our family has been tremendously blessed with the addition of Adonu. He is such a sweet little boy. I just can't tell you how much I love him. I have to make a confession that maybe others have felt? I think deep down I'm a little shocked at how easy it has been to love him. Secretly I worried a little that it will be hard to love a toddler just plopped in my lap and that I would favor my biological children. This is so not true. It reminds me of the posts a month or so back where everyone was talking about the love they have for their adopted child/ren and the impact they have had on their lives. I now have a full understanding of the sweet words I read on those blogs and I'm overwhelmed by the capacity to love which God has given us. Sometimes I feel guilty at how easy our transition home has gone and I feel bad posting becuase others have had a difficult time. Know that I'm praying for you all.

October has been busy. We took our second trip to St. Louis. It was much different this time as compared to six months ago. A toddler sure changes the dynamics. We took our 15 year old niece to babysit the little ones while we were at the hospital. This was a smart thing to do! After Emma's appointments were done, we enjoyed going to the top of the arch, visiting the science museum, the zoo, and doing some shopping. Adonu was an incredible traveler even when I took a wrong turn on the way home and added two hours to our six our drive!

We have also been enjoying fall fun carving pumpkins, jumping in leaves and eating too much candy! We moved Adonu's bed into Jason's room and they were both super excited. Now I need to transition him to a big boy bed!

We have our court date on Monday. Please pray that it goes smoothly and that Adonu will officially be an American!

Adonu's Dedication Day

Adonu is doing amazingly well as are the other children. It seems like he has always been here. We can't believe how much he is talking! He says, "Shut the door" and "I lub you." Super cute! He loves to be sung to and to dance. He is a ball of energy who gets into anything but toys! He was scared of the dogs for about a week but will play fetch with them and pet them now. He eats well, but doesn't like vegtables very much. We have decided to keep his given name with a small change in the spelling to aid in pronunciation. We just love the way he says his own name. It is very fitting.

Very excited for the upcoming court season and seeing more of the beautiful children of Ethiopia finding forever families! Praying for God's will in the lives of those older boys at Kolfe. Keep your hearts open!

Orphan Sunday November 8th

Orphan Sunday from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

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More Random Thougths

More random thoughts about our trip. The top picture is of some markets we passed. These were everywhere. Genet told us people come from the country to sell their produce and handmade items in the markets. Some have shops such as these and others lay their items on blankets on the ground. It was neat to walk around the markets our driver took us to. The workers were very kind and enjoyed showing us their things. We bought some traditional clothing for our children, a flag, and other small gift items. There were often beggers or children selling bubble gum at the markets. We learned that one Birr is enough for them to buy some bread so we started carrying around Birr. I believe one Birr is about 12.5 cents in American dollar. People were so appreciative of our gifts. We also brought friendship bracelets and small airplanes for the kids we saw. So fun to watch their faces with these new treasures. One boy we ran into had a homemade toy as seen in the picture above. He told us how he made it and demonstrated it. It seems that children don't really have store bought toys, they make things from the items around them. How crafty! The children loved having their photos taken and we did this often. I took a lot of photos at the Kolfe boys home, which I will talk more about later. If anyone is traveling to Ethiopia soon, I would like to send the photos of the boys with you. They really wanted me to send pictures back of themselves with their friends to hang by their beds. I have printed many and would love for someone to hand them out. I think they would be so excited to get them. Let me know if this is something you would like to do. Those young men were amazing and I'm not yet ready to talk about that experience. Very emotional for us.

I was shocked at the housing in Ethiopia. The tin wall in the second photo above is what we saw a lot of. There were miles of small houses with this tin for walls and dirt floors. We could look down streets and see people outside their houses washing dishes and doing laundry. Laundry was hanging everywhere! Genet told us that people rent these tin houses. On the opposite side of the street though there were often high rise apartments and beautiful government buildings. We weren't allowed to take photos of the government buildings, but the difference between them and many neighborhoods was astounding. Even in the living conditions, the people were truly content and enjoying life! I feel guilty when I think about the enormity of my house compared to what I saw in Ethiopia and I wish there was more I could do. Honestly though, I keep going back to my own obsession with a clean house and nice stuff and I compare this to the contented lifestyle the people of Ethiopia have. I realize they have it right. Their families are their blessings not their things. If only more Americans could regain this mindset!

Lastly for today: Entoto mountain. I was sick the day we took this trip so I don't remember very much of the museum and church tour. My husband loved seeing this church which was the first ever in Ethiopia. He also enjoyed the museum and all the history. I believe it was 30 Birr per person. Again, I was ill so it is foggy. Speaking of ill-if you go anywhere make sure you use the bathroom before you leave the guest house. It seems toilets are rare in Ethiopia. If you like camping in remote areas you will be fine with the bathroom situation. If you are not an avid outdoors person, this might be a little awkward for you. I'm not saying it is bad, just very different than what we are used to. Also, bring a travel pack of kleenex in case you really need to use the facility. I didn't see toilet paper very much. On the way down the mountain, we saw a lot of donkeys, goats and woman carrying firewood, as in the photo above, grain, or water. The woman and children we saw going up and down the mountain are tremendously strong and hardworking. As a side, it smelled very good up there. It was nice having a break from the diesel smell from all the blue vans in the city!

My children are needing to be redirected back to school. More later:)

Home Sweet Home

Life has been full of fun new adventures in the last week at home. I haven't taken the time to blog because I'm just enjoying Adanu and my family. I'm hoping to get some things down over the next few days though. Above is a picture of our first meeting with Adanu. He was a little nervous at first, but warmed right up as you can see in his smiley picture at our guest house. Adanu is a very spirited, active, happy boy. He is such a blessing to us.

We stayed at the Bejoe house. This guest house is beautiful as you can see from the photo. The staff is amazing and I am forever changed by all the things they shared with me. I would recommend anyone staying there. If you are traveling soon, tell Genet hi from us. She is a wonderful addition there and helpful beyond measure! My favorite part of staying at the guest house was watching the staff interact with Adanu. His face just lit up when they spoke Amharic and he interacted so well. I was able to learn some words that we are still using. They taught me dog, open, car, spoon, come, look and many other words. I will be sad when Adanu looses his Amharic but I'm glad I caught his interactions on video for his future! I pray we are able to pass his culture on to him.

I also posted a picture of the church that Belay took us on a tour of. What an emotional tour that was rich with history and faith. Amazing. I am so thankful to Belay for sharing all the historical information about his family and his roots in Ethiopia. The people of Ethiopia are a very loyal and loving group. I am so proud to say that my son is an Ethiopian. Thanks to Belay for giving us this view of his wonderful country.

We went to an Ethiopian restaurant one night. I tried injera for the first time. I actually liked it. Some of the food was a little spicy for my taste, but mostly it was delicious! The dancing was way cool. We ended up buying a CD with traditional music and Adanu loves it. He dances to it and even tries to sing a little.

I'm tired, my spelling is falling apart and I need to prep for school! So more later. Chow!