Today marks Month 4 that we have been on the waiting list!!! They say the estimates for a referral are 5 1/2 months to 9 1/2 months so we are getting there! We simply cannot wait to get that call and see a picture of our precious baby girl!! We are still trying to rest in the fact that God has had this planned since the beginning of time so He knows what is best.
I stayed up Friday night...waiting to see that first picture of Amos united with his mom and dad. Strange...I know...since i do not know Aaron or Jamie Ivey personally but I do know what it is like to want your children home. They have been trying to get Amos home from Haiti for 2 1/2 years. And Friday night...that is what happened. Click here or here to read more about Amos' adoption and amazing story.
Mighty to Save (Hillsong)
Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.
Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.
Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.
So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.
My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.
Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus (x2)
It's official!! As of January 19, 2010...we are on the waitlist to adopt from Ethiopia!!!!
We are so excited. The current average wait time for a referral is 8 months for a child birth to 12 months and 4 months for a child 13 months and over. Since we are approved for a child 15 months and younger we fit into both categories. SO, we will just wait on the child God has for us and His timing.
Haiti...there are no words to describe the images and the destruction that we have witnessed on the news this last week. They are real people that need our help. Right now, prayer is the number one thing we can do. But, the second is giving our money. This past week, I have spent money on things I did not need and my heart has been in constant turmoil everytime I go to buy something else....something else that is not necessary...something else to fill up my house.
I just received an email saying that the cookbook I have been wanting for the past couple of months is on sale...going from $40 to $18. I was giddy and clicked on Amazon to order it. Then that voice...you know the voice I am talking about...deep within my soul...began to speak. Is now a really good time for that? Are you really going to use that?
The images of the destruction and the orphans panned through my head as if I were looking at a photo album. Then, I made the decision. I would donate that money towards Haiti instead of adding one more book to my collection that I probably would not use. I don't always make the most sacrificial decisions but for today...I did. And I encourage you to do the same.
Here are a few ways you can help.
Click HERE to give to Compassion International's efforts to help Haiti.
---Russ and I believe in Compassion and fully support them in anything they do!!
Also, a couple that are in the process of adopting from Haiti are also selling shirts that will benefit several organizations in Haiti. Click HERE to purchase these shirts.
---You can click HERE to read Aaron's blog and about the organizations the money help.
We just received an email saying that CIS got our addendum to our homestudy today. They also said they couldn't give us a timeframe but hope to have it completed by the END OF THE WEEK!! Oh, how great that would be. Please pray that we get that paperwork back so we can go on the official waitlist. Thanks for loving us!!!!
I have said this many times but adoption is hard. The ups and downs. The getting your heart and mind excited because everything is going well (and quick) and then having to hold back because you experience a tough time of waiting. It is extremely emotional...something you can't quite explain. I have never experienced so many emotions all at one time.
We are still waiting for our CIS paperwork to come back. Right now the current wait is around 60-90 days from the time your paperwork is turned in correctly. Remember, this is the paperwork we must have to finish our dossier (in order to get on the waiting list). We got a letter last week stating that we needed to correct something on our paperwork. We will fix that, send it back in, and hopefully it will be correct.
My heart broke last week when we found these two things out....that our paperwork was done wrong AND that the wait was so long. Russ reminded me that there will be pauses in this process and that this is really our first one.
It has been harder since we made the realization that she could be born (or about to be born). Now, we don't know this because we do not have an actual child picked out but....we just feel it. The waiting has been so much harder since we thought of this. My heart aches for her and for her sweet mom in Ethiopia. Something hard is going to happen to this mom and that makes me so sad. Pray for her mom...that she would experience and know God's love.
I think of the both of them daily. I cry often and my heart physically aches some days. But, I know God's plan is perfect. His timing is perfect. I do trust him completely in this. I feel like I am walking in the dark right now but I know there isn't really a dark when you trust in Jesus. Times of unknown but still there is light. And the great part is that the two main characters of this story are sources of light: the "One" true light and little Lucy "bringer of light."
Psalm 139: 11-12
"If I say surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you."
We are getting closer to getting on the waiting list!!! We just sent our home study to immigration for approval. Once that gets back...we send our dossier to Ethiopia.....then we will officially be on the waiting list.
Please join us in praying for these things:
1. Pray that we would receive our FBI fingerprint approval. They were sent off 4 weeks ago.
2. Pray that our immigration approval would be back by Jan.1st (or before :0 )
3. Pray for Lucy. Pray for the sweet lady that is probably carrying her in her tummy now....that she would know how much Jesus loves her and has a plan for her life.
Most days I am 100% sure that we are doing what is right. But sometimes...I have a "oh my gosh what am I doing" kind of day. It is on those days that God continues to show us that this is right and that He has this. The way people have supported us is nothing short of a miracle. We are constantly getting cards, people telling us they are praying for her, money, etc.....We did not expect any of this but are sooooo thankful for God providing. Thanks again for all of the support!!!
Lucy,
You are so loved and your story is and will continue to touch people's lives. Your momma and daddy didn't know they could love someone so much that they have never met. But, we do. This process can be overwhelming but please know that God has worked out every. single. detail. Your story is causing us to trust and believe more than we ever have and for that we are so thankful. You are talked about every day and we pray God gets all the glory for your amazing little life. We love you.
I found these on a blog of a couple adopting from Ethiopia. Click here to see their blog. They just reminded me all over again of why we chose Ethiopia. Adoption is hard. Period. But hearing these renew my passion and my fight for my child.
Why Adopt From Ethiopia
• One in six children die before their fifth birthday
• 44% of the population of Ethiopia is under 15 years old
• 60% of children in Ethiopia are stunted because of malnutrition
• The median age in Ethiopia is 17.8 years
• 1.5 million people are infected with AIDS (6th highest in the world)
• 720,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS alone, and there are 4.6 million orphans in Ethiopia.
• Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any country in Africa
• In the 90s the population (3%) grew faster than food production (2.2%)• Drought struck the country from 2000-2002 (first year no crops, second year no seeds, third year no animals)
• Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school. 88% will never attend secondary school.
• Coffee prices (Ethiopia’s only major export) fell 40-60% from 1998-2002.
• Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000.
• In 1993, after 30 long years of war, Eritrea broke from Ethiopia and became an independent nation leaving Ethiopia landlocked without any major seafaring ports.
We need to make a difference in the lives of orphans. How are you going to be a part?
We are so excited!! We have our fingerprinting appointment tomorrow as well as our first homestudy visit. We are praying God would find favor on us during this time. Thanks for praying with us through this entire process. We feel that God has a story using Lucy and we are just glad to be a part of it. We will eventually write down the backstory that brought us to adopting from Ethiopia but...right now we are up to our necks in paperwork (and organization and time management are not by strong-points :) ) We will let you know how tomorrow goes!!!
I want to share with you a place that has captured my heart. While in China in October I had the privilege of getting to visit Bethel Home. Bethel is the only home for blind orphans in all of China. They provide for them in amazing ways and truly care for them. Bethel cares for almost 50 children but...there are millions more that need a caring home. I was able to meet the director and see his heart. He and his wife have an amazing story of obedience and hearing God's call for their lives. Russ and I are praying for ways to financially help Bethel...they are in need and I feel like God is calling me to share their story and find others that want to help. Please take 10 minutes to watch this incredible video. I will post more once Russ and I figure out how God wants to use us to help Bethel. If you want more info...please contact us!!! (or go here and see the different ways you can help).
I am pretty much obsessed with blogs. I spend way too much time reading them and am currently having to learn "time management" skills to ensure that I don't stay up all night reading them....which I would never ever do :)
I had seen this blog before but not until after they had gotten back from Ethiopia. I saw that they had a book coming out on their adoption so I ordered the book. I received the book on Wednesday and had finished it by Thursday. From Ashes to Africa is an amazing story on going from extreme hurt and pain to a joy so amazing they could have never dreamed it for themselves. Please check out The Bottomly's blog here and order their book here. This book will stir up many emotions in you but leave you with a hope and peace that only God can provide.
While I do not know the pain that The Bottomly's went through, I do know what it is like to know that you have a child out there (or soon to be born) and want them home. Reading about The Bottomly's getting Silas made me excited about the day that we get our child!! My heart is becoming more and more ready.
Adoption can sometimes feel very lonely. While we have not started the process yet, we are praying about the specifics of our adoption. We deal daily with some not understanding. While most of the time it is such a wonderful opportunity for us to share about what God did for us, sometimes I just feel so alone. I read the blogs of Maris and Steven Bush. While I do not know them personally, I have felt very connected to them--with them choosing to adopt their first child. Here is an article that Maris wrote for a magazine. Just click here and then turn to page 5. My heart feels very much like hers did. Hope you enjoy!
Also, you can click here for their adoption website.
My friend Blake posted about this article on his blog. This was the second time this week I have heard about this. Here are some excerpts but you can also click here to read the article from Relevant magazine.
"The problem is, many Christians vote these convictions, but that’s largely where their personal involvement in the issues stops. Are the government leaders we vote for meant to do our job for us?"
" If God has given you a heart for the poor, or to see a reduction in the number of abortions, or to promote peace, or to help the sick, or to stand for strong moral values, or to be a better steward of the environment, then your personal focus needs to be on that—whether or not the President shares your same values. "
"The Bible reminds us to pray for our leaders, but it also talks about praying for those who persecute us. Though I can’t foresee any situation where this would be the case, what if one day every value Christians stand for, even religious freedom itself, was legislatively removed? Christians in China and many other parts of the world face this reality every day. Would it change us?"
"We’ve heard that only 5 percent of people who attend church regularly actually serve in any way. I’ve read that if every Christian in America actually tithed 10 percent of their income, we would have enough financial resources to wipe out global poverty."
"Many Christians want to overturn Roe v. Wade, but I don’t hear nearly as many leading the charge on a national adoption movement. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, where are all of those babies going to end up? Christians should be focused on personal action regardless of legislation, not just waiting for the right number of Supreme Court justices to come along."
I love the thought about many people being pro-life but yet not being pro-active in the fight for orphans. What if everyone against abortion were active in promoting adoption? We could definitely make a dent in the 132 million orphans in the world!!
I read an article this morning that has shattered me. I have a heart for orphans and have heard and seen many devastating situations. But, then I read this. Today I am praying for the people that live in Mae Sot garbage dump in Thailand near the Thai-Myanmar border.
The quote that is sitting with me today is this: "Still, she says scavenging for food in the dump is actually an improvement on her previous life."
Contact Blair at blaircurtis14@comcast.net to place your order for cookies! She will donate half her proceeds to Lucy!!!! Cookies are $1.50 each or $2.25 (if they are bagged individually with ribbon). More pics are under the July 10th post. Thanks Blair!!!
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