Our I-171H is here!

We are almost done! We received our I-171H in the mail last week and are finishing up the online training course and getting the last documents finalized and notarized. I think we should definitely have our completed dossier in the mail to the agency by the end of the month to be sent to Ethiopia. We're going to have a dossier celebration when it's finished! :-)

Cakes Galore!

Here are some pics of some of the most recent cakes I've made. I'm working on building up my protfolio. :-)

It's the end of January! How did that happen?

I know, I know, it's been awhile! The new year has come and it's already almost February. Where has the time gone? What have I even been doing? I don't know! I guess I've felt that I haven't really had much to say lately, as mostly we've just been waiting and taking each day one at a time. It's been... difficult this past month. We've had major layoffs and cutbacks at work and we both were afraid we'd be loosing our jobs. My boss is leaving next week and I was sure I'd be going along with her but thankfully, amazingly, I still have a job. As those of you close to me know it's a bit bittersweet but with the economy the way it is, all I can do is be thankful. I really feel like I've just been in survival mode trying to get through all of the changes. I am encouraged though that I will get back to the land of the living again soon (more on that in a minute)!

We have had some good times this past month too. We were given a gift card at Christmas for a dinner out so we decided to use it one weekend and it was so nice. We hadn't been out to dinner at a "sit down" restaurant in quite a while and we had such a good time. We also used the gift cards we were given at Christmas for Starbucks to buy a bag of their Ethiopian coffee which was really fun. It's very strong but if you use more water to coffee it's really good. I thought it might be like the coffee we had at Queen of Sheba's on our anniverary(it had a sort of cinnamon/spice flavour)but it was a little different. Still good though and I like the fact that we are helping the farmers in Ethiopia / Africa by buying their product. I've been making a few cakes and actually have 4 to make in February so I'm pretty excited about that...lots of practice for my future cake business!! :-)

Adoption Update:
We're still waiting on our I-171 H form to come. They said it could take up to 12 weeks! I was praying it would come by today but as I cautiously checked the mail when I got home from work today, I realized that wasn't going to happen. I guess God had a different plan! Maybe it's really a blessing because we found out this week that we have to have our 8 hours of online training courses completed before we can mail in our dossier anyway; this is a new rule and we haven't even started it because originally you just had to have it done before the adoption is complete. How will they know if you've done it you ask? Well, once you've completed the course they mail you a certificate of completion that you have to submit along with your dossier! I read that one mom-to-be did her course and they told her that she did it too quickly and made her re-take it... they are very thorough! She said that she works for an adoption agency and had adopted previously so it was all pretty much stuff she already knew which is why it didn't take her very long, but I guess they want to make sure you're really paying attention and grasping what they're saying. I'm cool with that, I just know we'd better get on it!

So we need to get that done and there are some forms that we have to redo because of changes made by the Ethiopian government, so we've still got a bit to do. Honestly it's disappointing that we aren't done with this part of the process yet but I know I shouldn't be trying to rush it too much. I need to just enjoy this part of the process because each little thing we do is one step closer to our dream come true, and without each step the end result wouldn't be the same. The Lord revealed a little bit of His plan to me this afternoon (this is where the encouragement comes in). He showed me through the experience of another mom who recently brought her little girl home from Ethiopia that He's going to do a lot of work in me; He's got a lot of work to do before this is all over. I felt like He spoke confirmation to me that I'm going to know, to really know what it's like to be loved by Him. That's something that I've struggled with all of my life and it was so sweet to see that He's using this experience not only for a child to have a safe, loving home in which he or she can grow, flourish and come to know Christ, but also to open my eyes and teach me more about Him. To deepen my relationship with Him and help me to understand His love and then take that and show that same love to those who need it. Just thinking about it now makes me excited! I know that this will make an impact for others as well, not just our immediate family. I can't wait to see what's in store.

Things will be picking up around here soon, I just know it. So stay tuned!!
L

Merry Christmas!

I can't believe it's hear already but we've got the lights up, the tree up and decorated, the presents wrapped and under the tree...I think we're ready. We're going to the Christmas Eve service at church and then back to our place to spend Christmas Eve with the family. I am looking forward to being together and celebrating the birth of our Saviour!

I do find this time of year to be a little bittersweet though too. Around the holidays I always think about our two little ones in heaven that we've never had the pleasure to meet and spend Christmas with. I so wish we could have them here, teaching them about Jesus and watching them open gifts. I know they are at peace, so safe and happy with their Heavenly Father and we will get to see them one day, and oh how I look forward to that. I also know that this time next year we might have our sweet little one home with us from Ethiopia and we'll be enjoying our first Christmas as a family of 3. I am so excited about that and just can't wait! I know our Lord has a plan and is in control working it all out for His glory. We'll never know why our first two babies couldn't be a part of our family here on earth but we are grateful for the short time they were a part of our lives and grateful that we will see them again.

There are several families in Ethiopia right now picking up their babies and several more who are leaving next week for their trip. It's been very exciting keeping up with their journeys and I'm learning a lot about what to expect when we go. All of their babies are so beautiful it's just so amazing. Some of the rules have changed / are changing for 2009 which is casuing some delay in passing court there...we haven't sent in our Dossier yet so we'll have some changes to make to be compliant with the new regulations. We'll do whatever is needed of course so it shouldn't be a problem. Our agency has purchased a bigger Transition House for the kids who have been referred to families so there is now room for more kids at a time...which means more referrals at a time...which hopefully means the waiting list will go faster. :-) There is also a school on site at the Transition House which is really cool. They've hired more nannies since there will be more children and a doctor who comes regularly to check on the kids. There are still more improvements to come!

I hope everyone has a very blessed Christmas and happy New Year!

War Dance

Hello out there! I have to share with you about a movie we watched recently called War Dance. Maybe you've heard of it or maybe you've even seen it. It's about a tribe of people in Northern Uganda living in a refugee camp because rebels have destroyed their homes, brutally killed members of their families and left many, many children orphaned. I believe they said something like 200,000 children in Uganda are orphans due to the rebel attacks... and this was filmed back in 2005 so I can't even imagine how many more there are now.
The children in this film are in the music program at their school and are preparing for a big competition with other schools from all over Uganda. I won't tell you everything in case you want to watch the movie, and I definitely encourage you to do so, but I will say that it has changed me. Ever since the Lord has called us to begin this adoption journey He's been opening our eyes and hearts more and more to the circumstances that people are living in and the brutality they are experiencing all over the world, but lately in Africa. Some of these kids have seen things and been forced to do things that no one should ever have to experience. The violence that has filled their lives, for most of them it's all they've ever known, is beyond description. It turns my stomach. Little girls being raped and young boys being abducted, forced to join the rebel army and commanded to kill. It sickens me.

We've seen documentaries on Darfur, Rwanda, etc. All of these places in similar situations...Genocide, devastation. The thing that spoke to me in War Dance was the hope that the music and dancing brought to these kids. A hope for a better future. When they were singing and dancing, they were free! Free from the pain and nightmares of war. Free to just be kids and enjoy themselves. When they start to move and the smiles start to come ever their precious faces, it's like you're seeing a transformation from the Lord. It's so sweet, my heart melts.

I am so thankful for those who are able to go to places like that and make these films so we can see what's going on in the world and realize how much need is out there and how screwed up our priorities are here in America. I mean, people are living in make shift tents with one sheet separating them from the family next to them in camps in places like Sudan while we are putting ourselves and our country into deeper debt every day to have the big fancy house and nice car. While I don't think there is anything wrong with having nice things, there comes a point were it's just too much. I could go on for hours about that, but I won't here.

So basically, watch the movie and see if you don't feel the same. :-)

L