Saturday, April 6, 2013

April 6, 2013



WAITING and WAITING


We were told the waiting would seem endless and YES it most certainly does.  Still waiting on the 5th clearance that our son needs, which is basically a stamp on one document which says he's "officially" adoptable.  We all know that, they all know that, but without that official stamp on that particular paper nothing is going to happen.  We find that everytime we are out with our with our family and grandkids we think about how nice it would be to have him home and here with us.  Knowing that you can't do anything but pray & trust in God's timing makes it hard for someone like me who is a "doer".  My new prayer is that the Lord helps me to rest in Him & realize I've done all I can do. 


I still think about how in awe our son was of the ocean and the pool in our neighborhood and how badly he wanted to be here to swim.  Still holding on to the fact that he will be here in time to enjoy those things. 

Please pray with us as we wait on this clearance. 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

March 27, 2013



INTERESTING COMMENT!!


Well received my first "out loud" negative comment & what I consider very ignorant comment today.  I was speaking with someone I knew from when I worked today, & I was sharing some of our adoption story.  She was asking me some questions about our son & said, "I'm not sure how to really put this, but is he civilized?"!!!  I looked at her & thought you certainly aren't serious.  I told her, "YES, of course he's civilized, why would you ask".   She just assumed that because he lived on the streets in Ethiopia for most of his life he was some uncivilized teen that we were going to try & turn into a productive member of the human race.  I told her that he was a polite, respectful, helpful boy who inspite of his difficult life probably is better behaved than many teens  in this country who have had almost everything handed to them.  Must confess I left thinking, "how ignorant a person"!!


Thankfully the remainder of my day was better!!  Each day I get up wondering if this will be the day we hear that the 5th clearance we need is in.  Feels like when I was pregnant with my kids & was near my due date.....will today be the day I go into labor.  Felt the same way with all my grandkids too!!  That waiting & wondering if today is the day tests your faith.  At least it does mine. 


I'm busy trying to get tickets sold for an outdoor concert that a friend is doing for us.  If you live in the Mount Pleasant area, this will be an awesome event.  Concert is 4/20 at 1 P.M.  Tickets are only $10/person.  You can leave me a comment on the blog if you are interested.  Will be at a beautiful setting....panoramic view of Wando river.

We are getting so close to our goal financially.  If you would consider donating a small amount we would really appreciate it.  Go to www.razoo.com/story/One-Less-Orphan

Saturday, March 23, 2013

March 23, 2013




WAITING GAME IS ON


Well, we are definetly in the midst of the waiting game.  Since all our paperwork is done & the doing is over, the waiting game seems endless & at times useless.  We can understand the need for precautions to be taken where children are concerned, but some of what takes place (or actually doesn't take place) seems to be time wasting & unecessary.    I must confess that at times I do well, but find myself frequently having to ask the Lord for forgiveness in not trusting His timing & resting in Him. 


Our sons birthday was the other day, at least the date the Ethiopian government picked for his birth date.  We know he wasn't aware of it, but we were & couldn't help but think & pray for him all day.  Thought about all the things he liked to do,  like his love of soccer, & how he talked about Manchester United & how he wants to play soccer in America. How he was beginning to play basketball with my 2 oldest grandsons, & how we have decided we will get him a basketball net & ball when he comes home.   We thought about the fun he had with my grandchildren, the way that language wasn't a barrier when he spent time with my 3 oldest grandsons & how they would laugh & be silly.  Thought about  the funny things he said to make my husband & I laugh & his warmth & love & deep desire to be part of a family.  Thankfully, our family.  We talked about how we would have a huge birthday party for him shortly after he comes home.  His first ever birthday party. 

Our biggest focus as far as prayer goes at this moment is for him to receive his 5th & final clearance.  Seems like it's taking forever to come in.  We do know that many of the children up for adoption from the Tigray area are all waiting on this clearance, so in a way, we are glad it's just not him.  At least we know there's nothing questionable with his paperwork.  Just a waiting game.  What is frustrating is that our dossier will get to Ethiopia on 3/27 & after it's translated, if that clearance is not in, it will be sent to our adoption agency's office in Addis.  It will sit there & wait until someone gives us that clearance.  If you read this, please pray with us that the clearance will come next week.  We are "seeking & asking" the Lord for favor. 


Please consider a small donation to help us raise the remainder of the money needed.  We have come such a long way, but still need to raise the remainder of the travel money that will be needed.  You can go to:  www.razoo.com/story/One-Less-Orphan   God bless each of you who read this.

 

Sunday, March 10, 2013

March 10, 2013


ANOTHER MILESTONE COMPLETED IN OUR JOURNEY


Was so grateful to have mailed our dossier package out on Thursday.  What a wonderful feeling to be totally done & it mailed off, received by the adoption agency, & being sent to the Ethiopian embassy in DC on Wednesday!!  After they review it, they will send it to Ethiopia & then we wait.  Takes them about 2-3 wks to translate it & then they review it.  Seems like it's taking about 3-4 months for courtdates to be issued from the time they receive the dossier.  We are praying, praying, praying that things will move along quickly & that will not be the case.  Our desire is to have a June  courtdate & our son home by mid July.  That will take a miracle......but we've seen many.  Including God calling two retired people to adopt an almost 15 year old boy, having a family that has been so supportive & financial miracles.  We are only $5000 from our goal. 


Got to send off our first package with a family from Indiana that left today.  It was exciting knowing he would get something from us.  Wasn't much, only allowed to send a 1 gal. ziplock bag, but I think he will like what's in it.  Sent some math pages for him to practice his math in english numbers.  He liked doing math when he was here.  He just loved the few days that he went to school with my grandson, Owen, who attends Palmeto Christian Academy.    Very insistent that we will go to school there when he comes home. Remember him saying to me, "Mom, I go school here when back America".   Probably not an option the first year, since he will have a lot of catching up to do, but we're believing with intense tutoring & schooling, it may be an option the second year.  He has lost so much of his childhood to poverty & living on the streets that we want to do all we can to bless his life like all of our lives have been blessed.  Not just in a material way, but with a room of his own, a home where he's loved, extended family that loves him, never going to bed hungry again, enough protein in his diet for him to catch up height & weight wise. 

Please consider helping us with a small donation of $25 to reach our goal in the next few weeks.  Go to www.razoo.com/story/One-Less-Orphan.  Please consider sharing that site with others who might like to help us in giving this boy a chance of a life that we all take for granted.

 

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

March 5, 2013



MISTAKE IN LAST POST!!!  


Sorry, I just wasn't thinking when I ended that last post with our fund raising site.  The correct one is WWW.RAZOO.COM/STORY/ONE-LESS-ORPHAN

March 5, 2013



DOSSIER READY TO BE MAILED!! 


It's hard to believe that our "paper chase" (that's what they call your process of document gatherings) is over!!!  Can hardly fathom that.  Seems like it's been a long, long process but yet it seems like he just left. As I was thinking of all of this paperwork being mailed, I remembered how our son one day told me that when he was in Ethiopia, "I pray, pray, please, please God family in America".  God answered his prayer and we are blessed to be that family.  I am just in such awe of our Lord & God.  We have seen him doing amazing things through all of this.  Did a yard sale this past friday afternoon & sat. a.m. and raised $745 after  expenses.    We've been getting donations from people all over the country that we don't even know, from as far away as California & this one  was amazing....2 days ago we got a small donation from someone in Norway!!!!!  We have raised all but $5000 of what we need.  That is truly a miracle, because we started off needing to raise $27,000!!  Would love to have all the funds raised in the next few weeks, so if you read this, would you consider making even a $25 donation to help us reach our goal.  Also, if you would pass this blog along to friends that would be so helpful.  You can make your donations to our website:  www.razoo.com/story/One-Boys-Story.   Thank you & blessings!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

March 3, 2013



OUR JOURNEY TO BEING OUR SON HOME


Well I've told some stories about the month our son stayed with us, now let me tell you about our adoption journey.  First let me say, that one of the hardest things I've done was for us all to go to the airport on 1/15/2013, knowing that our wonderful 30 days with this sweet boy was up and he now had to return to the orphanage.  It was a very emotional time for all the host families and boys who were returning back to Ethiopia.  When the time came for him to board his plane it was a very tearful good-bye.  Watching him cry & as he walked thru security looking back at us every few minutes and waving was emotional.  My 6 year old grandaughter, Sierra, was there along with some of my other grandchildren and she just sobbed as he left.  I know her seeing her nonnie, my husband, her mama & aunt Tracy crying added to the emotion for her. 


I am glad we are now on the process of getting him home. All of our paperwork is complete & ready to be mailed to AWAA (our adoption agency).    It's a tremendous amount of work & papers to fill out, collect, notorized, etc.  They don't make it easy & having seen my son & daughter-in-law go through it with their adoption and now us, I truly believe it could be made easier.  Governments need to realize these are children waiting to be loved and given a home and families waiting to give them that love.    Some of the paperwork is definetly necessary to screen the wrong kind of people out, but much of it is just ridiculous.  We are now waiting for our son to get his 5th & final clearance.  That's a major priority of prayer.  Without that, they will not be able to give us our courtdate for our first trip to Ethiopia.


We