A way to help.

Hello All! We are all slowly on the mend now. Praise the Lord!!! Joel is sick now though with his yearly bronchitis it appears but the kiddos are doing much better. We are starting to wrap up all our home study paperwork and are very close to getting to move on to getting a social worker so that we can do the interviews and home visits needed. I am feeling so good lately that we have actually gotten towards the end of this part. We got to eat at an Ehiopian restaurant in Ann Arbor this weekend and it was so yummy. Strangely enough I almost feel better about going to Ethiopia now that I know that I enjoy the food. Kinda silly I know but it was good for me. We stayed up there at a great hotel and the kids had so much fun. We got to swim and just enjoy some much needed time away from everything.
On another note I am writing to share will all of you a wonderful thing. Our friends, Kent & Carrie Stamm, are adopting again from Ethiopia. We are so excited for them and are thrilled that they are adopting twins!!! Carrie is suprising Kent by raising their first amount needed by his birthday in March. Please visit their site and help in any way that God may lead you. I am so happy whenever I hear of more children having a forever family and being rescued from a life without someone to love and care for them. Their site is http://www.itsgodsgospel.blogspot.com/.
Blessings to all and we so appreciate all of your support!

Paper Pregnancy

I have been wanting to post for quite some time but to be honest haven't known what to post or how to put it into words. When thinking about what I've been going through and thinking the thought came to mind about being pregnant. Since I was blessed to have been pregnant 4 times previously I relate to this "paper pregnancy" in this way. Lately we have been working on all our home study paperwork. This involves lots of info. on everything personal (how much money we have, our life stories, how others think we are as partners and parents, etc.) During this time life still goes on and you deal with that along with the emotions of getting all of this around and together. I don't know why but for awhile I was kinda in a funk, I guess that would be the best way to put it. I think of when I was pregnant and my body was changing and growing and my emotions were running rampant. It's like God is slowly preparing and changing me along the way for this precious baby girl to come. I want things to happen faster and faster but if I slow down and look at what is going to take place I'm almost relieved that this all takes some time. This way I can prepare and just basically wrap my mind around what changes in our family are going to take place, how each child is going to feel, what we might have to deal with once she is home, how others might reacct to a child of color within our family & how we deal with that as well. So in a way this defenitly is a pregnancy full of growing and emotions but just one on paper and not in my belly. When I think of what we have ahead of us I'm a little nervous, very excited, and more than unaware of what God can do and will do for us and this little life. Wow! Hopefully this makes some kind of sense to others but to me it's my way to put into perspective my emotional rollercoaster and at times uncomfortableness. God is moving and I can't wait to see what he has in store!

Ethiopian Adoption: Why Ethiopia?

No we did not make this video but it was done so well that I had to share. As we learn more and more about this country that our soon to be daughter is from our hearts are more and more moved for these people and their plight.

What's up?

I have thought about posting every time I've been on the computer but either don't have time or really don't know what to say. The last couple weeks have been, well let's just say challenging. A couple Saturdays ago I fell on our basement steps and sprained my ankle pretty bad. This required a visit to the ER, an aircast, and crutches. To say the least I was NOT happy about this because I had so much I wanted to get accomplished that day and I didn't want to pay for the expensive trip to the hospital (you know we have a daughter from across the world that we're trying to bring home :) Also I have been on a roller-coaster of emotions lately. We had our conference internet call last week and I was overwhelmed. I had heard that adoption isn't for the faint hearted and never quite understood but I do now. It's a battle daily to trudge through the paperwork, make phone calls, raise money, etc. I'm not saying that I would ever not start this again but I am saying that I could NOT do this without the Lord almighty guiding me, holding me up and pushing me along the way. I keep going back to those videos I've found on Youtube of our orphanage in Ethiopia and others stories of bringing their precious ones home. It always brings me to tears and I am reminded why we are doing this. God has called us, though not always easy but oh, so rewarding to do this! So here I am in a nutshell lately, trudging along looking up above to keep me going.

Why Ethiopia?

I have heard about Tom's Shoes before but now I realize their importance. To think that these poor people are suffering just for the lack of shoes and socks. (something so small and normal in the US)

Hannah's Hope Ethiopia

This is our adoption agency and where our baby girl will come from!

Well, we've been working our way through our paperwork since we received our folders. I finished my personal profile and I'm on to our "Eyes Wide Open" workbook. Whewww, that's a lot of writing! I haven't written so much since college. We have everyones medicals scheduled and working on getting everything else accomplished when Joel isn't working in Howe, IN on overtime. I know we can do this I know we can do this....I feel like the little engine chugging up the mountain. :)
This last Saturday I fell on our steps in the basement and sprained my ankle pretty bad. We ended up with a trip to the ER, an air cast and crutches for me. Ughhhh not what I was planning to do that day. Thankfully I have a wonderful husband that did ALL the laundry that I had planned (since it was very piled up) with the exception of folding. Through all of this both Joel and I said that we are so thankful that neither one of us has to deal with this on a daily basis. I am trully greatful that we are healthy and able to get around without help. Today I am doing much better but still a bit sore, I hear it's going to take a bit for it to heal. I took it all as God was telling me to slow down and relax for awhile.....so that's exactly what I did! ;)