A full heart {Ethiopia Day 1- part 2}

I never want to forget the way they looked that first day that we went back. As the gates opened and we pulled into the orphanage compound, it didn’t take more than a second to spot their faces. N and M were the very first two we saw- waving with two hands and had the biggest smiles on their faces! They had been waiting for us!


I snapped a few pictures before the van stopped, but a few seconds later, I put my camera back on the seat and jumped out of the van to love on all the kids. Every one of them came up to each of us to greet us and hug us. So many of them had remembered Randy and I and were excited for us to be with them for the upcoming holiday. They were all curious and excited to see that we had brought Jensen too. I wonder if any of them noticed when we gave our biggest, longest hugs to our beautiful N and M and then after greeting everyone else, we hugged them again! :)

The first item of business after all the greetings was to go and see the Ox. Right away the director asked if we would like to see the ox that would become our lunch for Easter- we said sure. So we walked up the hill a little and there he was, tied to a rope and just looking like an ox!


He asked if we approved and we said uh sure, and then he was made into meat- right there on the grass. Some of the kids grabbed my camera and took pictures of the event while we conveniently moved on to other things- I’ll spare you the gore though and you can just imagine what those pictures look like- lol!

As we were walking up the hill to see the ox and then to take a look at the construction of the new school buildings, I looked over and there was M holding one of Randy’s hands and N holding the other- it was like we had never left. They both had a firm grip and didn’t look like they were going to let go anytime soon.


I snapped a few pictures as we walked along and they both kept smiling those sweet smiles.




My mind thought back to the last time we were there in September and how we had felt the same way then. I had been so worried all these months about whether there would still be a connection between us or if the kids even still remembered us and then at that moment I knew there was nothing to worry about. Our hearts had been knit together and even though we would not be able to tell them how much we loved them for a few more days, there was no doubt in our minds that they WERE our son and daughter.
Even though we couldn’t communicate with words very well, we didn’t really even need words anyway- it was like they just knew we had come back for THEM.

My heart was so full I thought I would burst. During the next few hours I would find myself just staring at them, and every few minutes one of them would catch me staring and then would flash that sweet grin and then move in a little closer to one of us. I just couldn’t stop this mother’s heart from wanting that time to never end.

The few hours we were there went by way too fast. We brought some balls, Frisbees, balloons and jump ropes and the kids got those out and split up to play with them. Many of the boys quickly became friends with Jensen and before we knew it, he was off running around with them as if they had been best friends for years.






N took off with Randy and Jensen to play a game of soccer with the boys,



and M and all the girls taught me a bunch of fun, silly games that we played together. We would switch off and we’d play one of the games they knew- which were very fun once I actually learned- and then we’d play one that I knew- like Duck Duck Goose or Red Rover.


We were all having so much fun and had fallen in love all over again. Those who have been there to this place know what I mean when I say that there is just something special there. The kids are incredible and we really do love them all- I am not just saying that. We most definitely have a different, deeper love for N and M, but all of the other children mean so much to us too.







All too soon the sun was setting and it was time to say goodbye. I hated to leave them after such an amazing day, but it wasn’t too terrible- knowing that we would be back the next morning to love on them all day long! We gave another round of hugs before we got in the van and we reassured them all that we would be back the next day. As we drove off away from the compound, our beautiful M’s smiling face was the last to go out of view.



I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. I was full and I knew that at that moment, there was no other place that I would have rather been. Randy and I looked at each other and smiled and nodded in a kind of quiet agreement. We had both asked the Lord to make it clear right away about N and M and whether or not the connection was still there. And after that first day, there was no doubt in our minds that not only was the connection there, but that God was already in the process of knitting our family together.

Are we there yet? {Ethiopia Day 1- part 1}

As we left from the airport in our town that day, I remember breathing a sigh of relief. We were actually doing this. We were going back to Ethiopia and we were finally on our way. It would still be another 2 days before we would actually arrive, but it didn’t matter- we were just happy to be done with the packing and running around to get ready and be on our way to our kids.

*Here's a few pics of the craziness that came upon  our house the day before we left. Everything in this room was donations and fun stuff for the kids. We had 475 filled plastic eggs! Elliana wanted to help too when she saw how much candy there was!

It had been such a whirlwind- planning this trip in only 2 weeks. But we were so very thankful for so many of YOU, our family and friends who came alongside us and helped in so many ways. We brought so many donations for the children and had every piece of luggage jam-packed and weighing exactly 50 lbs- we probably had 100 lbs worth of vitamins and Easter eggs alone! We managed to survive the 16 hour flight to Dubai and stayed at a local hotel overnight, although none of us got much sleep- between the nerves and the loud party on the floor below, it was almost impossible!


A little excited maybe?!



View of Dubai as we were speeding to the airport


Last leg of the journey!


As we were flying that morning towards our beloved Ethiopia, I wrote a little in my journal about some of the feelings and thoughts that were going through my mind. I kept picturing our N and M and wondering what the first moment that we saw them again would be like. In so many ways it felt like it did that morning we were in Korea and going to meet Elliana for the first time. Back then I was nervous about how it would go and yet so excited to be only hours away from meeting the daughter we had prayed for so many years to be blessed with. And of course you know the rest is history. It was one of the best days of our family’s life and we cannot imagine life without our sweet, spunky little girl.



I knew that this being in Ethiopia would obviously be a lot different, but in some ways it was the same. We were not coming as part of a mission team, but as a mommy and daddy who were ready to call them our children forever. Here’s a little excerpt from what I wrote that Friday morning:

…I wonder what their reaction will be? Do they love us? Do they even still remember us? Will we be able to express our feelings and everything we would like to tell them through a translator? Will they understand the huge loss they will face in the coming weeks, months, and years? Will they even want us to be Mom and Dad?


Lord, I know how much you have been at work in mine and Randy’s hearts since September and it really is incredible. A year ago, I could NEVER have imagined this road we’d be on. And now? Well… I can’t even imagine them saying no. We will be devastated. But please Lord, as we have been praying for months already, we want your will and I ask you now to be at work in the hearts of our N and M. I’m asking you to make it completely clear even TODAY when we see them again. We won’t even tell them until tomorrow, but I know that you are in this and will make it clear to us and give us a peace- even today.



And before we knew it, we were getting ready to land. We were back and we were so excited! After having only a little hassle at the airport with customs (they were trying to open all of our plastic Easter eggs and were accusing us of bringing in expired candy because they couldn’t find the dates on each individually wrapped one! It was actually quite humorous!) then we were on our way to our guest house. We quickly got our bags in our room and then had our friends waiting for us downstairs already. We were so blessed to have the same three guys with us the whole time we were there- the orphanage director, a friend from Hopechest, and the driver of our van- who we had just met this time and became fast friends with. We love them all!

It was SO good to be back in Ethiopia! The sights, the sounds, the smells.




We were soon on our way to a local café to meet with our agency’s legal rep. We knew we had some business to discuss first and we just wanted to get it over with so we could see the kids! It wasn’t too painful, especially since I was getting to enjoy a macchiato at the same time- oh how I had missed those amazing little shots of espresso and milk the past 7 months! As I mentioned in one of the posts from Ethiopia, there was one piece of news that was discouraging from our meeting. We were not going to be able to talk to N and M about the adoption on Saturday. In fact, at this point we didn’t know when we would even get to and we were really disappointed. We thought we had it all planned out.
But oh how good our God is and how His plans are far better than ours!

Some more views of the city. (All taken from the back seat of a van driving fast on some bumpy roads. Not bad I think!)





Because we were there during Fasika (Easter) there were sheep and goats and animals EVERYWHERE. Even more than usual because everyone was preparing for the big day and getting ready to have some big time feasts!


Look closely at the top of the van. Yes they're actually still alive



And then we were FINALLY on our way up the mountain, into the countryside, heading towards the children’s orphanage in Sululta.

View of the city as we were driving


During the 50 minute drive, my stomach was in knots.

I took a few pictures as we drove, but mostly I prayed again that God would make it so clear from this first meeting.

And a few moments later- He did just that.

Part 2 coming soon...




(Sorry- I really don't try to type these posts and tease you, but it was just kind of a natural place to stop right now. I will have to finish the rest soon! I promise! And I also won't make them all this long. Well, I don't know if I can actually promise that one! ha ha!)



Today is the day! Will you pray for us?

We leave in just a few more hours on this crazy adventure back to Ethiopia! It has been a really insane week around here, and will remain that until we are on that plane headed for my beloved Ethiopia. Really quick before we leave- I don't want to forget one very important thing. And that is to ask you if you will PRAY? This is definitely one of the bigger, more faith-required things we will have done in our lives and we are in desperate need of others who will go before the throne of God on our and our children's behalf. We will be gone exactly one week, and while that is such an incredibly short amount of time to fly all the way to Africa and back- a lot can happen in that short time as well! We are praying for many more miracles in this God-orchestrated story!

 Here are a few things we are asking you, our friends and family if you will commit to praying for:

• Physical protection while we travel. We are praying against any sickness or injuries- we don't have time to be sick! :o
• Spiritual protection for all involved. This kind of thing (walking by FAITH, sharing God's love, & caring for the orphans) makes the enemy mad and he would love no other thing but to see us stumble and fall. We must remember that when we are weak- that the LORD shows His strength and power. Pray that we would only look to Christ in all things.
• For N and M's hearts. Pray the Lord would already be preparing their hearts for hearing what we will tell them. Pray that they would be able to understand what adoption will truly mean for them and their future. Pray that they would have unity in their decision. Pray that they say YES! :) {couldn't help but state the obvious!}
• For our emotions. It would be a flat-out lie if I said that we wouldn't be devastated if they said no to wanting to be adopted. Our emotions have already been running high this week as we think about being with all the children again... but I don't know how we will bear it if God's answer is not what we hope for.
• For Jensen. He is so excited to go, but a little nervous too. Although he is quite an experienced traveler for a kid his age, he is not sure what to expect in Africa and has expressed some fears with that. Knowing his heart and what the Lord has done in his life already- I have assured Jensen that he will fall in LOVE and want to go back again and again. What an awesome blessing to be able to see what God does in his life through this trip.
• For our kids at home. Austin will be finishing up his local mission trip tomorrow with our church, and Nathan and Elliana are headed to Auntie's house today. All 3 of them will probably be back and forth between Randy's sister's house and Randy's parent's house a mile down the road. They are in the best capable hands so we are not worried, but of course pray for them as we are away from them for a week. Especially our little Elliana. She has a really hard time with any kind of change, so please lift her up specifically this week. I know we will have a lot of hard nights when we get home (we had 2 months of hardly any sleep after the last trip), but sometimes we have to do things like this that are hard.
• For strength and sanity for Allyson & Ryan and Tim & Darla- who will be caring for our kids while we are away! :)
• For all of the children at the orphanage. I am not sure how they will take the news if N and M say yes. They are all like brothers and sisters and I am sure it will be really hard to understand. It makes me sad just thinking about it.
• For one of the other little girls at the orphanage, M who is going to be told that she has a family who wants to adopt her. We have the amazing privilege and blessing to be able to take her a care package and letter telling her about the adoption.
• For us to be open to whatever the Lord has in store for us. I know from experience how dangerous this prayer can be! Last time this is what we prayed and now look at where we are at! We want to be led by His Spirit and not by our emotions or flesh.
• Pray for our next door neighbor. His wife (also my friend) passed away very suddenly last week at the age of 40 and it has been really hard. We have been trying to minister to him as best as we can while we prepare to leave. But the service is this weekend and I so wish we could be there for support. So please just pray for him in this very difficult time.
• And lastly pray that God would be glorified no matter what happens. We are simply pencils in the hand of God and we are trusting Him to write our story, as well as N and M's. If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you know that absolutely NONE of this could have happened without miracles from God. Every single thing in this process has seemed impossible before the Lord swept in and showed his amazing power. He has put us here in this place for such a time as this and we are blessed to be along on this journey!

THANK YOU sweet friends! I know those of you who told me that you would pray- WILL PRAY! And so many of you donated and gave so much and I want you to know that we will be talking about all of you while we are there. We will be telling all of the children about YOU, our dear sweet ones in the U.S. who gave and have prayed for them! We are so incredibly blessed by each one of you! We love you!

I will send updates when I can- both here and on facebook- so check back soon to see how God is answering our prayers! 

Now off to prepare for a looong day of travel! 

4 days

It still does not seem real.

Are we really leaving in only 4 more days? Will we really be on our way back to Africa in just a few short days? Has 7 months really gone by?

In some ways it feels like we were just there. I can still hear the voices of the children singing to us and remember how it felt just to have no other agenda but to love on them and play with them. I can still picture the funny things we did as a team and making ourselves look ridiculous just to get them to laugh and smile. My stomach turns as I remember the fast driving on crazy roads and my nose can almost smell the strong scent of roasted coffee, popcorn, and incense all mixed together. And my heart beats faster as I look at the pictures over and over and over and wonder what would have happened if we hadn't said yes? Where would we be if we hadn't done what we knew the Lord was calling us to do? What would our lives be like if we had said no to God?

Well, I can guarantee you that we would certainly NOT be in the process to adopt a 10 and 12 year old! No, it took a trip to Ethiopia along with the Holy Spirit's nudging and lots of wrestling with God to bring us to this point. But now that our hearts and eyes have been opened- there is no turning back. We are in this for life. And I for one cannot wait to see what God has in store. Because of course you know that it is not just about N and M right? Don't get me wrong we are so thrilled and excited to hopefully be able to adopt them, Lord willing, but we also cannot ignore those who are left behind. God has already been stirring things in our hearts and minds and I have no idea what will come of them- but we are praying about it all and especially for those older children all the time.

This sweet one is always on my mind. I love this boy. I will share a little more about him with you very soon, because he is one that I will never forget and I don't want you to either.

Same goes for these two. We cannot wait to see them again in only a few days. They are AMAZING young men!

So, we leave in 4 days and I'm sure that you are wanting to know a little of the details right? :)
Well, of course I already explained our purpose in going to Ethiopia in that super long post below so here is our "very flexible" schedule. By very flexible I mean: we know when we are supposed to arrive and when we are supposed to leave (and if you remember our trip last time- even then there are no guarantees!) but as far as while we are in country, we have a few contacts who we plan to meet up with who will help us to get around and everything, but we are going to have to just go with the flow! Just to clarify- we are going by ourselves- not with a group, organization or agency.

Anyway, here is what we hope to do in our very short time away.

4/20 WED: Leave CA 

4/21 THURS: Arrive in Dubai. Stay overnight.

4/22 FRI: Arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at 11:30am. Meet with a few contacts and discuss some business. Drive up and visit with the kids at the orphanage for a few hours.

4/23 SAT: Go to drop-in center on the way to our kids' orphanage. Stay and play with the kids all day. Talk to N and M about the adoption(!) Help with any projects if needed. 

4/24 SUN: EASTER. Not really sure what the plan is but Easter is the biggest holiday in Ethiopia and we want to spend the day with the kids. Right now it sounds like they are trying to get the bus to bring the kids to the city and we will all go to the stadium for an Easter service. We will just go with the flow! After the service, go back to the orphanage for the feast and Easter egg hunt.

4/25 MON: Kids are back to school all day. Go with one of our hosts to the Mercato, Kidhane Mihret, Layla House, Kolfe, and Korah. The director has invited us for a meal at his family's house.

4/26 TUES: Go back up the mountain for the last time and see the kids at school. Go back to orphanage to play, give lots of hugs and then say goodbye. :(  Boo. Flight leaves Addis at 7:30pm.

4/27 WED: Arrive home in CA.

Phew! Doesn't that make you tired just reading it? It will be a whirlwind of a trip and I am sure it will be exhausting in more ways than one, but we are so excited about what the Lord is going to do! 

As you know, our 12 year old Jensen will be traveling with us but we are always sad to have to leave any of our kids behind. Our oldest will be participating in a local mission trip for the first few days that we are gone, but for most of the time we are away our 3 kiddos will be at their amazing Auntie and Uncle's house in the country- having fun and running around with all the cousins. Papa and Grandma will be helping too and we cannot express enough how incredibly grateful we are for such supportive family! They are the reason we can even do any of this! 

And YOU. Our other family and friends. You have been incredible. We have received so many donations, offers to help and prayer support from so many of you. You are all a part of this trip. What a huge blessing you are! THANK YOU!

Please be praying for our preparations as we get ready to leave in a few days. There have already been many obstacles to get through and some sadness as well. I will update again before we leave with specific prayer requests for our time in Ethiopia. 

4 DAYS! It's so close I can taste it!