One Sought Me

We are going through a divorce .  Yes, I know this may come as a surprise to you.  As we were in the dark too, before the pain was real and in our home. Before the hurt came out in tears and outward behavior.  Divorce is tough.  It hurts and it's not something easy to go through or to get over.  After a divorce, a separation of what you thought was forever and trusted with all your inmost being that it would be forever, there may always be a bruise on your heart.  A bruise that when pressed, still hurts.  Even years later, there is a spot. No one says to someone going through a divorce, "oh you'll get over it."  And if they do, they clearly have no understanding of relationships. So why does it seem a very popular response to us about our young adopted son, "he'll get over it." Or "He's young.  He'll adjust so easy."  Ummm, no.  You clearly don't understand relationships. It's time we set things straight. We are going

Many times in our first weeks home, I try to imagine what our little 'just-turned-two year old' thinks of this new world he was swept into?  For all his life he has been in an orphanage with peers to play with and adults who are the caregivers.  For all he knows, that is what adults do.  And thanks be to God, our son had wonderful, caring, and affectionate "Nannies" who did hug him, kiss him, feed him, play with him, and sing songs with him.  That care developed a huge place in his little mind to be able to trust adults and build relationships with them.  But how do you explain a family to little one who never has never known?  How do you say, "I am your mom" and expect that he even knows what that is? Remember the movie, "Look Who's Talking" starring John Travolta as James, Kirstie Alley as Mollie, and Bruce Willis plays the voice of Mollie's son, Mikey?  The movie spans Mikey as a newborn baby through a young toddler. Although he was

This little birthday boy enjoyed his first birthday party with his close family.  We are ever so thankful to be able to have Tarik home with us for his birthday this year.  Last year we missed it but still had a cake with some friends of ours to celebrate the day.  This year we almost missed it again, but by the miracles of last minute doors opening so we could get to Ethiopia, we were able to have Tarik home with us just in time. We were only home 2 weeks before his birthday came.  Everything is so new to him that even having the grandparents over to our house was a bit overwhelming. Take a look at these birthday pictures!  We made a "1" cake and a "2" cake since we missed celebrating his first birthday with him and wanted to make up for it!  The cake was a hit with him smashing it and making a huge mess of the icing.  Such a precious site to see his facial expressions!  Tarik loves to sing, so singing "Happy Birthday" made his day.  After the song he

A little baby boy,  Rebira , was born in Adama, Ethiopia. Rebira's roots began in  th is  city  in   Africa  but  he was soon placed in an  orphanage, Yosef Yelojoch Bet.  Through a long, rough, faith covered road of international adoption our family met this precious child and he became our much  loved son!   God's child placed into our forever family is  our  miracle.      Rebira was only a few months old when he started at Yosef's orphanage.  He was named "Rebira" (pronounced Ruh-beer-ruh) by the orphanage director, Girma Dejene.  This man is a pastor and began caring for the orphans by God's calling on his life.   "I reared the fatherless as would a father.  No stranger had to spend the night in the street" states Job 31 of the Bible .  This verse is the orphanage's creed.   Mr. Girma  first took in abandoned street children to his home before working towards the Yosef Yelojoch Bet (Joseph's Children's House) compou

Since we started our adoption journey in late 2012, we had always considered taking one or more of our biological children with us to first meet our new child, experience the country from which a new sibling was from, and to soak in more culture than what is contained in the US borders. Our older children were 10 years old and  near 8 years old at the time we began.  Over much thought and years of time to pray about it, we decided to offer the trip to our now 12 year old daughter - the oldest.  From the beginning, she was excited to join us!  Like a trooper she got all her required shots and we had her passport ready. We are ever so glad that we made the decision to take her with us.  It was a huge step for her and an amazing experience that she will never forget.  In years to come, I wonder what the Lord will do with the seeds that have been planted in her mind from what she did and what she saw.