Praying for Sehin!

I find myself studying the few pictures that we have of Sehin. That's her, in the middle, wearing pink pants and a grey sweater. I love that this picture was not posed... it catches her in a moment of joy.

From what we hear, she enjoys spending time and helping with the younger children. We can imagine her at home with us...maybe playing barbies with Jenna or playing soccer with Kayla. We can't wait to get pictures like this... catching her in a moment of joy... with her new family.

JESUS loves the little children...

I love how Jenna exemplifies Christ-like qualities! She's SO excited for her new sister to come home from Africa.

Home Study

"The adoption home study is a detailed written report of your family compiled and prepared by a social worker. This can take three to six months to finish. The adoption home study requires the prospective adoptive family to gather different documents, answer several questions, and explore their reasons for adopting. Through a series of visits and interviews the social worker can get a complete picture of who you are and what life is like in your family."

We've almost completed our home study. We've met with our social worker three times. We're essentially just waiting to get our FBI fingerprint clearance and then we can proceed on with this process.

This has been a great learning process for me (Amy). I am someone who likes to be on schedule and it has been a time to surrender that desire. I have to know that God is in control of this whole process and His timing is perfect.

*If you are a mom, you would know my heart though; my baby is half-way around the world and I am waiting on paperwork, of all things, to go and bring her home.

"Ye Ganna baal" Christmas Holiday

Christmas is a very important holiday in Ethiopia, since over half of the population is Orthodox Christian. It is celebrated on January 7th.

There are a few key components to Christmas in Ethiopia:

1. Manger scenes always have the 3 maji since it is believed that the king who gave frankincense was King Balthazar of Ethiopia.

2. Frankincense is a part of much of the celebrations.

3. Ethiopians attend a Christian Orthodox church service if there is one nearby.

4. Sing carols and carry candies during and after the service.

5. Eat an Ethiopian meal, usually Doro wat (stew).

6. Play games.


As we approach Christmas in our own home, we pray for of our gift from God about 10,000 miles away.

Sehin wanted to know...

We are blessed to have some contact with the orphanage director in Ethiopia. He lets us know how Sehin is doing. He gives her pictures that we send and she is able to ask some questions about our family.

One of the pictures that we sent was a family Christmas picture. There was snow in the background. Sehin wondered if it was cold here all the time. Oh honey, it can get cold here in Spokane. We wear warmer clothes when it gets cold. It can be so much fun to play in the snow though. Zac, Kayla, Jacob and Jenna like to take the snow and make a ball out of it. You can throw the snowballs at each other.

Sehin asked what we do for a job. She wanted to know how much time she would have to be alone. Oh love, we are both teachers. We work while the children are at school but we get to spend the rest of the time together. You won't have to be alone.

Sehin said, "Mam and Dad, hurry hurry, please come and take me home to America." Oh, sweet daughter, we are coming as fast as we can. We can't wait to take you home and to care for you. We want you to feel safe and loved. We don't want you to have to worry any more. You can trust us. God sent us to be your forever family.

Another way to help...

I got a call from a new friend, Maliaka Hefling, who offered to help us raise money for our adoption fund. She's donating her commission on Scentsy orders to our adoption fund!

I was floored! Not only did she take the time to read about our situation, she felt like she wanted to help and be a part of bringing Sehin home!

If you are looking for some Christmas gifts for family or friends, check out the Scentsy products on her website... it will do MORE good than you know! *Look for Sehin's fundraiser link

https://fragrantoffering.scentsy.us/home

We're touched by your responses!

We've gotten many offers of prayer and

we've raised over $900 towards our adoption fund! Praise God!

Here are some of the responses we've received:

"Good luck with the adoption!"

"God bless you in welcoming Sehin into your wonderful home and family...she looks like a sweet and beautiful young woman. We are so anxious to meet her in person!"

"Congratulations on your upcoming adoption. God bless your family!"

"We're so excited for your family...we'll be praying for and supporting you 100%"

We're so touched by the thoughtful responses and contributions that we have received. We're thrilled to see how God is working through us and around us during this time!

Soddo, Ethiopia

I think of our daughter often. I wonder what she is doing this very minute. I pray that God will put a covering over her and protect her until we can come.

"You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry."
Psalm 10:17

The Work Behind the Scenes...

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence." Jeremiah 17:7

Kayla, Jacob and I spent hours addressing, stamping, folding, and sealing our fundraising letters.

We're trusting God that He will provide all of the money that is needed for this adoption.

We're keeping track of our fundraising totals on this blog, so everyone can see the work that He is doing in our lives.

Song that speaks to me...

Jumping head first!

One of the adventures that we are embarking on in this process is getting to learn more about the Ethiopian culture. I had the opportunity to visit a local restaurant, Queen of Sheba, to have lunch with a gal who adopted 2 Ethiopian girls last year. We spent 2.5 hours talking and eating. I learned a lot about her experience, asked a lot of questions, and dished up some unique cuisine.

"Be the change that you want to see in this world." -Ghandi

This is a picture of Sehin, her mother, and her sister. This picture strikes a nerve deep inside of me. It is a mother, who is too sick and too poor to care for her own children. She prays to God that He might find someone who could love her daughter....He picks us. I do not know why.

The orphanage director sent me a message from her mother,

"Hope is a great thing for my daughter, who needs a long life and better future."

The Process

I feel like I have been up to my eyeballs in paperwork. I had no idea how much an adoption entailed. There are copies of birth records, marriage records, vet records, doctor reports, reference letters....the list goes on and on.

We're taking one item at a time and trusting that, if this is God's will, He will help us get through it all. One day, when I was feeling discouraged about the mountain of paperwork piling up, I got a great devotional by e-mail. This is what it said:

DO THE WORK!

"Be strong and courageous and do the work. Don't be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all of the work related to the temple of the Lord is finished correctly." 1 Chronicles 28:20

I love how God can speak to us through music, other people, and through His word. He is constantly encouraging us through this process and we're stepping out on faith!

Searching for a needle in a haystack...

Our search began for one girl in a country with approximately 5 million orphans. At the time, all I had was a name and a picture. I researched and got a list of possible adoption agencies that might be representing Sehin. Call after call , message after message, e-mail after e-mail....NOTHING. One lady told me that I was literally looking for a needle in a haystack. I responded, " I guess if it is God's will for Sehin to be my daughter, He can lead me straight to that needle."

David said is Psalm 139

"Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me."

Praise God! He knew where she was and led us right to her!

Lord, you want us to do WHAT?

One of the greatest parts about being a Christian is the personal relationship that we have with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We talk with him... invite him into each part of our day... and we HEAR from him in a very real way.

This particular conversation started on Amy's birthday, August 24th. Ryan and I were talking with Zac and we asked him how we would feel if we had another child. His response was unexpected. He said, "What are you going to do, adopt a child from Africa?" We both replied, simultaneously, "If God put that on our hearts, we absolutely would." The conversation seemed harmless at the time...

On September 12th we were at our church bible study. We were studying in Ephesians (1:8) where we learned that Paul prayed, "that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling..." At the end of the Bible study a gal handed out a picture of young girl from Ethiopia who desperately needed a home in America. Ryan and I were both in tears.

You can probably see where this story is heading...

When God asks us to do something that is so out of our comfort zones, it isn't uncommon for people to ask for "a sign" so that they know that this is really a request from God. And the "signs" started coming right away...

-Amy calls her mom to talk about the possibility of adopting an orphan from Ethiopia. Linda says, "I'm not sure why, but the book that I got you for your birthday might help you in this decision." The book, a birthday gift, was written by Mary Beth Chapman, called Choosing to See. The page that Amy opened to was the lyrics from a song written by her husband called, What Now?



-We rationalized that "sign"...and prayed, "Lord, if you really want us to adopt this girl, please play a Stephen Curtis Chapman song on the radio. Not long after, sure enough, a Stephen Curtis Chapman song comes on the radio. I thought to myself, of course a song from him would come on the radio... it is Christian radio! I couldn't say the same thing after the next 6 songs all had to do with helping the orphans, the needy and the least of these...

-On September 16th, Amy was listening to the radio and a Focus on the Family broadcast came on talking about International adoption from Ethiopia. Ryan heard the same broadcast, on the same day, on a different station.

-The next day, at Women of Faith, a video presentation comes up on the big screen talking about how World Vision was helping a family in Ethiopia.

The signs kept coming until we both finally felt at peace about our decision... then they stopped completely.

A Prayer...

Have you ever prayed a prayer without knowing how exactly God would answer?

My prayer... Lord, break my heart for what breaks Yours!

My goal in this prayer was to become more Christ-like. What I forgot was that often times instead of giving us exactly what we pray for...He may give us an opportunity to learn something through experience. For example, when I pray for patience God may not give me the gift of patience...instead, He may give me an opportunity to practice patience.

So you can imagine what can happen when I pray for God to break my heart...