I just read these statistics over at takeyourvitaminz.blogspot.com It's unimaginable.
"According to United Nations Human Development, United Nations International Children’s Emergency and Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey, today there are an estimated 5 million orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia; 800,000 of them are AIDS orphans. The country’s cities and villages are overwhelmed; Addis Ababa alone has more than 100,000 orphans. The system is overtaxed, and sadly, new orphanages are not the answer."
Today's post there also says, "Men create orphanages for children, but God created children for families."
Saturday, May 29, 2010
A Friday afternoon in the park
We went to "Forest Park" to enjoy an afternoon with friends. It is almost 10,000 acres of nice places to walk, sit, and enjoy some fresh air. We'll be going back soon I'm sure.
Monday, May 24, 2010
We think it's good news...
So, the California Department of Justice mailed our completed background checks back to us... without taking issue that the fingerprints were opened (by them). We are so thankful for that, and especially that we don't have to waste time redoing anything!
The only strange thing is that one of ours is signed by an official, and one is not signed, just a typed in name at the end of the letter. We aren't sure if they just forgot to sign it, or if it doesn't need signed. ?? We'll send it to our adoption agency and see what happens!
Thanks for supporting us along this journey! We'll continue to let you know what we find out.
The only strange thing is that one of ours is signed by an official, and one is not signed, just a typed in name at the end of the letter. We aren't sure if they just forgot to sign it, or if it doesn't need signed. ?? We'll send it to our adoption agency and see what happens!
Thanks for supporting us along this journey! We'll continue to let you know what we find out.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Lest you entertain the slightest idea that the girls may be suffering here....
Emily obviously loves her bed above all beds. The wall decals are vinyl stickers that both grandmas have sent to decorate her room with. Super fun!
Ox's foot muscle
We can count on one hand the number of times we've eaten ground beef in the year we've lived here. It is only sold at one location, and not prepackaged. So I was looking at the "deli fresh" area of THE supermarket and thought it looked okay that day. After the 5 workers helping me confirmed that it was ground beef, I got 2 kilos. The meat was weighed and slapped with a pricing sticker that said in English "Ox's foot muscle". At least they're honest about what they ground up?? Which actually leaves me wondering if ground beef in the US has feet muscles in it?
With a lot of doctoring, the hamburgers tasted great!
With a lot of doctoring, the hamburgers tasted great!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Cross your proverbial fingers
In one small piece of paperwork that we are waiting on to complete our dossier for Ethiopia, there's a snag.
It's in the mail now, and we want to ask you to pray that it gets processed correctly.
A few weeks ago, we sent our offically done (and officially sealed) fingerprints to the CA Dept of Justice to process our background checks. They opened the official seal, but then returned them to us saying we needed to include the embassy's address. The background check results were to be sent to our adoption agency, so we don't know why they wanted that.
Our adoption agency called the CA DOJ, and asked what they wanted exactly. They said they wanted the address of the Ethiopian embassy in Ethiopia. This is impossible of course (as countries do not have an embassy on their own soil). After our adoption agency convinced them that this makes no sense, we are mailing the fingerprints back to them.
Now, the deal is.... we wonder if they will not accept the fingerprints (since they themselves opened the seal). We won't know til the mail arrives in a few days. Please lift up this situation with us. If they won't accept the fingerprints without being in an officially sealed un-tampered with envelope, we will have to buy plane tickets for the family and go try to do our fingerprints again.... only to be unsure of whether the same thing may happen again (if opened by a different CADOJ worker).
Who would've thought California would give us more trouble than foreign governments!
It's in the mail now, and we want to ask you to pray that it gets processed correctly.
A few weeks ago, we sent our offically done (and officially sealed) fingerprints to the CA Dept of Justice to process our background checks. They opened the official seal, but then returned them to us saying we needed to include the embassy's address. The background check results were to be sent to our adoption agency, so we don't know why they wanted that.
Our adoption agency called the CA DOJ, and asked what they wanted exactly. They said they wanted the address of the Ethiopian embassy in Ethiopia. This is impossible of course (as countries do not have an embassy on their own soil). After our adoption agency convinced them that this makes no sense, we are mailing the fingerprints back to them.
Now, the deal is.... we wonder if they will not accept the fingerprints (since they themselves opened the seal). We won't know til the mail arrives in a few days. Please lift up this situation with us. If they won't accept the fingerprints without being in an officially sealed un-tampered with envelope, we will have to buy plane tickets for the family and go try to do our fingerprints again.... only to be unsure of whether the same thing may happen again (if opened by a different CADOJ worker).
Who would've thought California would give us more trouble than foreign governments!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Happy times before the colds
Well the girls had a nice weekend and were in good moods. But they don't look this happy now since their colds returned! Only 3 weeks of healthy children before they got another cold! Oh well, colds can't last forever, can they?
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Spring has sprung
This large park is only about 10 kilometers from our home. It has a stream, reservoir, small hills, places to BBQ, to fish, etc. And it is very uncrowded.... which is a novelty.
There's a picture below of us enjoying a BBQ there with friends. (Aubrey's first BBQ.) Our friends brought a whole container of just chicken skins to throw on the grill and then devour. :) Pigs feet, chicken's feet, cabbage and tofu were also on the BBQ menu.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Just out enjoying the weather
The weather is getting nicer and nicer! God made a beautiful creation, and we all like to get out and enjoy it!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Aubrey Mei... 9 months old
Yesterday while Emily was napping, Aubrey and I played portrait studio. :) I have to purposely make sure 'second baby' gets some camera time. Aubrey was happy to play along, and these pics are what we ended up with. She's 9 months old now! So she's reached the point where she's now spent more time outside the womb than inside. An important milestone!
She is a joy and a treasure, and we are so thankful for her presence in our lives!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Just dreaming...
We like to dream about what the next 2 or 3 additions to our family will be like. I (Carey) sketched this picture one day while I was drawing with Emily. She's nice enough to let me borrow her real Crayolas. REAL Crayolas are like gold here.
Anyways, as I drew, I found my heart overflowing with excitement at the possibility and nearness of bringing beautiful children like this one into our family.
Do we know how to do this kind of hair? No. Do we know everything we should know about raising a child of a different ethnicity? No. Do we know how to help a toddler through culture shock? No again. Do we know how to make any familiar Ethiopian food? No.
Do we want to learn?
More than you can imagine.
Friday, March 12, 2010
We don't know her, but it is worth reading...
This is written by Missy, who blogs at ItsAlmostNaptime. A letter she writes to her young children.....
Dear Shepherd, Sissy, Maggie and Ikey,
Recently we were told by people whom we love and respect why they oppose our plans to adopt. One of the reasons given was that we would not be able to pay for your college education.
It's true.
You all have college funds - college funds which recently took a terrible hit - but "they" say that by the time you're 18, college will cost anywhere between $200,000 to half a million dollars each. You might as well know now, we won't be covering that. I'm telling you now, babies.
The people said that the day would come when you would look at us with resentment because you had to apply for school loans while many of your friends got a free ride from their parents.
Maybe you will. Maybe you'll resent us. I really hope not. But maybe I should tell y'all now why your dad and I have decided to do what we are doing.
I know you're going to think I am going off topic (I do that a lot) but several years I saw a story on a TV show about how the latest trend was for parents to give their daughters boob jobs for high school graduation (I don't know what they gave their sons.) When interviewing one of the moms, she said, "I just want my daughter to be happy." And as I tossed a throw pillow at the television, this really huge thought occurred to me: I don't want my children to be happy.
My goal as your mom is not your happiness, sugars. In fact, I spend at least half my day making you unhappy. If I had a nickle for every tear that falls in this home on a daily basis, we wouldn't need to worry about college tuition at all.
Happiness is fleeting, sweet babies. That means it doesn't last. It's a quick feeling that comes from a funny movie or a heart shaped lollipop or a really good birthday present. It's great. I love to be happy. But happiness is a reaction that is based on our surroundings. And our surroundings are so very rarely under our control. Even when - especially when - we think they are. So no, I absolutely don't want you to spend your life chasing something that has so little to do with your own abilities. You'll just be constantly frustrated.
There are two things I desire for you, precious loves. There are two things that I spend most of my time as a mother trying cultivate in you. Happiness ain't one of them. (This means, sorry, no boob jobs for you.)
The first is, I want you to be content. Being content is so much different from being happy. Being content is not based on your surroundings. Being content comes from within. Contentment is a spirit of gratitude. It's the choice you make to either be thankful for the things you do have, or to whine about the things you don't have.
Being content and grateful leads to consistent joy.
As you know, because I've told you lots of times, Paul talked about being content. Paul said that he had "learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." And Paul was in some rotten situations, kiddos, really rotten.
How could Paul be content whether he was in prison or if his life was literally a shipwreck? Because Paul was constantly seeking to be in the will of God instead of his own, was constantly sacrificing his own comfort for the sake of the gospel, and was constantly being confirmed, strengthened, and blessed by God because of his obedience. He was given a supernatural power - that means something kind of like magic, God magic - to do things that most other humans could not do. And guess what? The bible tells us (in Ephesians 1) that God will give you the exact same power! If you want it!
Which leads me to my second desire for y'all.
I don't want you to be happy. I want you to be holy. That means, I want you to seek that God-power to make you content. I want you to want the Kingdom of God more than your own kingdom. And that's hard, babies, that is so hard. And that usually means passing up a lot of what the world considers happiness. But it means that you will achieve blessings directly from God that most of the world never dreams of because they are too occupied with the achieving the perfect birthday present!
This means you may be poor, 'in want' as Paul said, and that's okay. It will never, ever be okay with the world for you to be poor. So you'll be up against the world. But not your dad and me, loves, because it was never our goal for you to be wealthy - at least not in the way that the world considers wealthy.
Darlings, we love you so much. You will never even grasp how much we love you until you have children of your own, and then you'll get it, and then you'll apologize for the ways you treated us ;) But our goal is not to please you. Our goal is to please our Heavenly Father. And nowhere in the bible does the Lord command that we save our money to send our kids to college.
But the Lord does command us to care for the orphan around fifty times. He does tell us to care for the poor around 300 times. He does tell us that when we care for the neediest, we are caring for Jesus Himself. And in chapter six of the book of Matthew, He tells us to seek His kingdom first, and let Him worry about the rest, like college tuition. Because it's all His anyway.
They said that one day y'all would resent us for using 'your' college money to go and get your sister out of an orphanage in Ethiopia and bring her home to you.
But I know my babies. Even at your tender ages, I know your hearts, and I have already seen you weep for the least of these. I know the prayers I offer up to God that He and not the world would shape the desires of your hearts. I am trusting Him to answer those prayers.
So, sugarbears - I just don't believe those people.
Love,
Mommy
Dear Shepherd, Sissy, Maggie and Ikey,
Recently we were told by people whom we love and respect why they oppose our plans to adopt. One of the reasons given was that we would not be able to pay for your college education.
It's true.
You all have college funds - college funds which recently took a terrible hit - but "they" say that by the time you're 18, college will cost anywhere between $200,000 to half a million dollars each. You might as well know now, we won't be covering that. I'm telling you now, babies.
The people said that the day would come when you would look at us with resentment because you had to apply for school loans while many of your friends got a free ride from their parents.
Maybe you will. Maybe you'll resent us. I really hope not. But maybe I should tell y'all now why your dad and I have decided to do what we are doing.
I know you're going to think I am going off topic (I do that a lot) but several years I saw a story on a TV show about how the latest trend was for parents to give their daughters boob jobs for high school graduation (I don't know what they gave their sons.) When interviewing one of the moms, she said, "I just want my daughter to be happy." And as I tossed a throw pillow at the television, this really huge thought occurred to me: I don't want my children to be happy.
My goal as your mom is not your happiness, sugars. In fact, I spend at least half my day making you unhappy. If I had a nickle for every tear that falls in this home on a daily basis, we wouldn't need to worry about college tuition at all.
Happiness is fleeting, sweet babies. That means it doesn't last. It's a quick feeling that comes from a funny movie or a heart shaped lollipop or a really good birthday present. It's great. I love to be happy. But happiness is a reaction that is based on our surroundings. And our surroundings are so very rarely under our control. Even when - especially when - we think they are. So no, I absolutely don't want you to spend your life chasing something that has so little to do with your own abilities. You'll just be constantly frustrated.
There are two things I desire for you, precious loves. There are two things that I spend most of my time as a mother trying cultivate in you. Happiness ain't one of them. (This means, sorry, no boob jobs for you.)
The first is, I want you to be content. Being content is so much different from being happy. Being content is not based on your surroundings. Being content comes from within. Contentment is a spirit of gratitude. It's the choice you make to either be thankful for the things you do have, or to whine about the things you don't have.
Being content and grateful leads to consistent joy.
As you know, because I've told you lots of times, Paul talked about being content. Paul said that he had "learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." And Paul was in some rotten situations, kiddos, really rotten.
How could Paul be content whether he was in prison or if his life was literally a shipwreck? Because Paul was constantly seeking to be in the will of God instead of his own, was constantly sacrificing his own comfort for the sake of the gospel, and was constantly being confirmed, strengthened, and blessed by God because of his obedience. He was given a supernatural power - that means something kind of like magic, God magic - to do things that most other humans could not do. And guess what? The bible tells us (in Ephesians 1) that God will give you the exact same power! If you want it!
Which leads me to my second desire for y'all.
I don't want you to be happy. I want you to be holy. That means, I want you to seek that God-power to make you content. I want you to want the Kingdom of God more than your own kingdom. And that's hard, babies, that is so hard. And that usually means passing up a lot of what the world considers happiness. But it means that you will achieve blessings directly from God that most of the world never dreams of because they are too occupied with the achieving the perfect birthday present!
This means you may be poor, 'in want' as Paul said, and that's okay. It will never, ever be okay with the world for you to be poor. So you'll be up against the world. But not your dad and me, loves, because it was never our goal for you to be wealthy - at least not in the way that the world considers wealthy.
Darlings, we love you so much. You will never even grasp how much we love you until you have children of your own, and then you'll get it, and then you'll apologize for the ways you treated us ;) But our goal is not to please you. Our goal is to please our Heavenly Father. And nowhere in the bible does the Lord command that we save our money to send our kids to college.
But the Lord does command us to care for the orphan around fifty times. He does tell us to care for the poor around 300 times. He does tell us that when we care for the neediest, we are caring for Jesus Himself. And in chapter six of the book of Matthew, He tells us to seek His kingdom first, and let Him worry about the rest, like college tuition. Because it's all His anyway.
They said that one day y'all would resent us for using 'your' college money to go and get your sister out of an orphanage in Ethiopia and bring her home to you.
But I know my babies. Even at your tender ages, I know your hearts, and I have already seen you weep for the least of these. I know the prayers I offer up to God that He and not the world would shape the desires of your hearts. I am trusting Him to answer those prayers.
So, sugarbears - I just don't believe those people.
Love,
Mommy
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