Welcome to Rob and Candy's Blog

We are going PINK- we are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. We'll be sharing our journey to adopt our daughter!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Gotcha day

One year ago we went to the transitional home to pick up Henry. We knew it might be a traumatic day for Henry. He loved his nanny and she loved him.
December 30 was another big change for a little boy who just turned 23 months old.
When we picked him up and carried him to the van he cried out for his "mama". I knew he was calling for his nanny. With crocodile tears in his eyes we left the transition home ready to become Henry's parents.
Little did I know that this little boy who loved his nanny and cried out for her would quickly attach to me. In the early days I called Henry "Barnacle" as he was attached to my hip. He demanded that I carry him everywhere. At bedtime he wanted to go to sleep laying on my chest.
Today, Henry is a little boy who runs to his mom and dad for safety but most of the time he is out exploring his world.
We are on vacation this week so Henry is sleeping in an unfamiliar bed. Each night I lay down with him at bedtime. After we say our prayers Henry reaches out for my hand and holds it in his. For me, there isn't anything sweeter in the world than holding hands with my son.
Thank you God for Henry.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

One year ago

On December 29, 2008, Candy and I showed up at the Transition House in Addis along with two other couples. All of us were anxious to meet the children we were adopting. Our hosts came out and invited the first couple in. And then the second. And then it was our turn and we were told "Hailemariam is napping."

For a deflating two hours we mingled with the other children at the orphanage and took pictures on behalf of other waiting parents. We would stick our heads in the room of the sleeping 2-year-olds and hope that Hailemariam had awakened. We waited and waited, and final, his beautiful eyes were opened. And I (Rob) picked him up.

Now, I am an adoption "veteran." I know that on the first meeting of adoptive parents and children the Disney music is NOT playing in the background. Hailemariam was emotionally attached to the wonderful caregivers at the transition house. In his world, he knew who was supposed to be there lifting him out of the crib, and it wasn't (1) a man who (2) spoke a language he'd never heard. My son started crying and had to be taken by his primary caregiver.

I, the adoption vet, felt terrible. I was tired from jet-lag and totally depressed. I tried to put on a brave face, but I was bummed. My wife wisely played off the tenderness of the woman at the Transition House who absolutely loved Hailemariam. Watching her, learning from her, Candy began bonding with our boy that very day. I moped around on the margins.

The next day, we went back to the TH and ("gotcha!") took Henry (Hailemariam's new name) with us. It didn't take long for me to get over that initial disappointment. Nor did it take time for Henry to figure out that I am not a bad guy.

The first 7-9 months of 2009 (after adjustment for time periods), Henry routinely awoke any time between 4AM and 5AM. When he got up, I would bundle him up and we'd walk - anywhere from 2-4 miles. It was great exercise for me save for the fact that I never got used to getting up that early. After school started (for our older son, Henry went to nursery school) we tried to get Henry to stay in his room until 5:15, and then 5:30, and then 5:45. For us a major treat is when the boy actually stays asleep until 6 or 6:15. But, as tired as I was, those early mornings yielded beautiful bonding between Father and Son.

Now, Henry is my bud and whenever I am not home he constantly calls for "Daddy." Conversely whenever Candy is out of sight, he wants "Mommy." When she went on mission trip in early December and was separated from us for a week, Henry greeted her return with his own return to waking up at 4:30 AM (and sometimes before 4). So, it feels like we are three steps forward, two back. I guess that's parenting.

Henry has infected our family with affection and happiness. I like to think we were happy and affectionate before, but Henry has raised it to whole other level. He illumines the fog we are in when we have to get up in the predawn darkness with him by dancing, singing, and joying us into the day. As tired as I am some mornings, I can't be too crabby because he is so happy. His dark eyes are fountains of happy excitement and pleasant impishness that lighten the entire room and all who meet him. The smile that accompanies those eyes is contagious and now as Henry is learning to speak, his successes and failures alike delight us.

The early wake-ups aside, Henry's arrival has been an infusion of spring. His fit into our family is so natural, it couldn't be any better. The past year has been dramatic, tiring, fulfilling, and a daily blessing for which we thank God.

- Rob and Candy


Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Water bottles

These are empty water bottles.


What is the first thing that went through your mind when you saw the picture?
Recycling, trash? Or something else?

While we were in Ethiopia my view of an empty water bottle changed.

Here, at home, my husband will tell you that I will not throw away an empty plastic bottle. Yes, even at Chick-Fil-A I put the empty plastic milk bottle in my purse so we can recycle it at home. I hate to throw away anything that can be recycled. In Ethiopia, I thought recycling wasn't an option so a put my empty water bottles in the trash. That is until I saw our driver throw an empty bottle out the car window. At home we call that littering but not in the countryside of Ethiopia... an empty water bottle is treasured. Many children outside major cities have to walk miles to school, to the market and to water. They typically carry water home from a well in a 3, 5 or 10 gallon container. Most families cannot afford to buy small water bottles. I learned that throwing an empty water bottle out to a child is a gift. It's a chance for a child to carry a reasonable amount of water with them daily.
Once we learned this everyone in our van would pass empty water bottles up to the front. Tom, Solomon or Simon would toss them out when they saw a child walking down the road. We would all look to see if the child would pick up the bottle. Every time they would run out to get it. Many times we would get a wave.
We we arrived at Kind Heart, Heather had gathered up several water bottles to toss out the window on the ride back to Addis. One little boy peered into our van and saw all the bottles. Through our translator we asked if he wanted them. He answered, "Yes, all of them."
It's hard to forget that something we think of as trash or recycling could be so valuable to a child.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Tuesday, Dec 8 in Ethiopia

Tuesday was to be a day of shopping. Instead we visited two additional locations. One was Green Light Ministries.

Green Light Ministries works with preschool children who are extremely vulnerable. The children would be left at home or playing on the streets if this FREE preschool was not open. They have a small room to house the children and a dangerous outside area for the children to play. Like so many locations we visited, Green Light Ministries does not have ongoing funding.

We were able to do some shopping at the post office. I was able to see Samuel one last time. He asked if I was coming back again. I said, yes and I would find him when I arrived in Addis.

Tuesday night we left Addis. Twenty-four hours later I arrived home. I have not stopped thinking about the children we met in Ethiopia.

Monday in Ethiopia

On Monday we headed out of Addis to Kind Heart. Here we meet 56 pre-kindergarten children who are considered "extremely vulnerable". These children's parents are day laborers. They are very poor and may only eat a few days a week. They are fed lunch ONLY on Wednesdays. We arrived on Monday- not a lunch day. The children were hungry, again we saw children eating grass. We just could not bear the thought of playing actively with them when they were so weak from hunger. As we spoke to the director, he explained their number one need is FOOD!

At this point we made the decision to go into town to buy some food for the children. Buying food in Ethiopia is slightly different than buying it in the USA.

We had to find a store that sold rice. Once we found the place they had to carry to rice out of the store to the industrial scale where it was weighed and poured into sacks. We bought 17 kilos of rice and 3 gallons of cooking oil at this store.

Then we had to find a produce store for onions, oranges and bananas.

The children would eat lunch on Monday.
One of our team members is actively looking for sponsors for this location.
If you donated money towards the Ethiopia trip, part of it went to buying food for this location.
After visiting Kind Heart we headed back to Addis for lunch. Then we went to the AWAA transition home. I was able to love on several families children!
We also stopped to see the street kids play soccer!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

All I want for Christmas

If you want to give a gift to children in need this Christmas season check out HopeMongers. We had the privilege of meeting Sam Henry, Chief Monger (his words!) and his family in Ethiopia. HopeMongers' goal is to connect YOU directly with people and help you find tangible opportunities to make a lasting difference in their lives.
We visited several Ethiopian orphanages in desperate need. HopeMongers has their needs listed on this website. Check it out, you can make a difference in a child's life for as little as $10.

Just pictures











Samuel with Flat Stanleys



Saturday continued and Sunday in Ethiopia

After visiting the orphanage in Woliso we went to lunch and then back to Addis. We visited a drop in center - Promising- which helps vulnerable children with tutoring, school supplies, uniforms... while we were there we met a young lady (16 years old or so). Her story is heartbreaking-
Her parents are in their 60's and they tried to force her to marry an older man, so she ran away. She lives with her brother and takes care of his two young children. Her brother is unemployed and they are extremely poor. She takes care of his children after school and in the morning. She is top in her class but has no money for school books, clothes, school supplies. She cannot work because she must take care of her brother's children in order to "pay" for her share of the rent. I wonder how many other Ethiopian girls are in this situation?

The last stop of the day was a soccer ministry for street kids. The sun was setting when we arrived. We talked to the kids and watched them play a little bit. Heather called me over saying one of the boys said, "I know your faces." as he pointed to Heather and me. Really, what are the chances that he would know us? There are approximately 3 million people in Addis, how could we "run into" someone in Addis? Heather asked the boy if he knew Robel (our guide when we adopted with AWAA last year). The boy said yes. This teenager is named Samuel. He is one of Robel's street kids. When we were in Ethiopia last year we went to the post office area to buy souvenirs and we met some of Robel's kids. Robel set the kids up with tissues and gum to sell so they would not beg on the street. Of course, we bought gum and tissues from the boys. Matthew even bought them Cokes while we were there.
Samuel remembered us. I could not believe it! As I started to think back on that day I remembered him. I gave him a hug asked him about school. By this time it was dark and we needed to get back to the guest house.

During dinner Karen suggested we try to get together with the street kids on Sunday to buy them shoes. She had noticed many of their shoes had holes in them. Samuel's shoes were two sizes too big!

Sunday morning we had breakfast with Robel. He said he'd get the word out to the kids to meet us at the post office that afternoon.
Sunday we went to church. Jeremy on our team was the guest preacher at a church in Addis. It was an amazing time of worship. After church we went to lunch (Metro Pizza) and then to meet the street kids.
We couldn't buy shoes because the shops were closed but we did take them to lunch. Actually, Jeremy paid for lunch which was so sweet of him! The kids enjoyed sodas and tibs. We also brought the kids each a pair of new socks, pencils and toothbrushes. They were all very grateful.
One boy kept asking where David was. He said David was going to buy him an exercise book. He kept insisting he needed an exercise book. I thought, why did he need an exercise book? Finally, I asked, What's an exercise book. It's not a work out book but a composition book. School children do their homework and take tests in an exercise book. This boy had filled up his exercise book and needed another one to take his chemistry exam. The book cost about 84 cents but he didn't have the funds to purchase one. Without the book he would get a 0 for the exam.
After lunch we went in search of an exercise book. Imagine three white woman walking through the streets of Addis surrounded by 15 or so street kids. I am sure we were a spectacle because all the shopkeepers walked out of their shops to watch us walk by.
We went to 4 shops before we could find one that had exercise books in stock. We bought exercise books and pens for all the kids. At one point two police officers were concerned for our (American women's) safety. We explained that what we were doing and it was okay that the children were so close to us. The officers said okay but I noticed they didn't walk away.

We said our goodbyes and Samuel gave me a silver cross. He asked me if I would be back and I said I would be back next year. I asked what I could send him. He said he needed clothes. I took a good look at his clothing. He had a hoodie jacket with the hood riped off, a worn t-shirt, pants with holes in them and shoes that were too big. I promised to send him some clothes.

When I got back to the guest house I was so upset with myself. I should have traced his foot so I could buy the correct size shoes....

Monday, December 14, 2009

Saturday, Dec 5 in Ethiopia

It was another early wake up in Ethiopia. Saturday is a day of shopping, people all over Addis go to the market place. In order to beat the traffic we left very early. We drove on perfectly paved roads for 2 hours... ah pure joy. We went to a Woliso which we later learned was 99% Muslim.

You could feel the spiritual darkness as we entered the area. I could not shake the feeling.

We visited Woliso Emanuel orphanage. There we met Job, a pastor, church planter and orphanage director. This orphanage houses 43 children (ages 5 - 15) and three babies. They had no formula for the babies when we arrived, they were using cow's milk with a little water and teff added. The children at the orphanage walk 5 kilometers to school each way. The orphanage does not have on going funding, they receive occasional gifts from visitors and that's it. They trust that funds will be donated to help feed and clothe the children, not to mention paying the staff.

On the grounds they have converted a dung barn into a church. There we were privileged to hear some of the children sing songs of praise.
The team gave $900 to the Hopechest Africa Director to purchase food and formula for this orphanage. If you donated money, please know that a portion of your funds went to this location.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Dec 4 in Ethiopia

We started our day by visiting Hope for the Hopeless- it's an outreach to street kids in Addis. I was completely blown away by this small transition center/orphanage. The director is a man after God's own heart. He and his staff minister to street kids from age 5 to 15 years. Yes, you read that correctly- they minister to children who live in the streets of Addis. Their staff invites boys and girls to come to their transition center for a meal, a shower, a place to wash their clothes.... the children can come and go but the goal is to have them stay. If they choose to stay they will live in this location for 3-6 months (until they relearn to obey instructions from adults) then they will go to the orphanage outside Addis. The goal is to transition the child back to their family (if it is safe) or to live with a guardian.
During their 3-6 month stay in Addis they attend school, receive discipleship, the child works with a psychologist to help the healing process. Healing from what you ask? Many of these children have been exposed to physical and/or sexual violence, they have learned survival techniques required to survive on the streets of Addis. Many of the boys we met had scars on their faces and heads as a result of street fights with other street kids. The children are not forced to stay, it is completely their choice, and some choose to leave because they will not abide by the rules. The staff learns everything about these children in order to rebuild their lives, their future.

We hung out with the children, drew with chalk, gave them balloons and listened to their stories. Pete had an IPOD with speakers with him. One little boy took to the music right away never leaving Pete's side. Another little boy who was about 8 years old traveled 500 kilometers by bus (alone!) from his village to escape his drunken, abusive father…because of Hope for the Hopeless he has hope for the future.
Later that afternoon we would meet one of the two girls, Meron, who live at Hope for the Hopeless. Meron's story is told in Tom Davis' book- Red Letters. Meron's parents were sick so they sent her to a relative who enslaved her and abused her. She ran away to find her parents but learned they had died. Now she was alone on the streets of Addis with no place to turn. She stayed awake for 3 days trying to avoid the street gangs of boys only to be discovered.... unthinkable things happened to her. The staff for Hope for the Hopeless found her and brought her back to the transition center. This is were she began to heal.

After we left Hope for the Hopeless we went to Compassion Family International. This is a drop in center for vulnerable children. If it were not for this center these children ages 2 to 8 years old would be home alone or on the streets while their parents are at work. We were so touched by this ministry and the children we asked what the most important need was. We were told mattresses. The children at this location napped at their desks! Needless to say they did not nap for very long! We were able to provide money to purchase mattresses and bedding.

At this point we were suppose to be meeting some people for dinner. However the Holy Spirit prompted us to talk about Hope for the Hopeless. Our group huddled together and decided that we would go back to provide them money for food- their biggest need. When Tom called the director to say were were on our way, the director said that they had been praying for a miracle all day. They had run out of food and had no money in the bank. Karen and her van stopped along the way to purchase bought 10 kilos of bananas, 10 kilos of oranges, 9 kilos of carrots and 7 loaves of bread and delivered it with the funds to the transition center. When the funds and food were presented to the director there was not a dry eye in the group. The transition staff were openly weeping. You could feel the Holy Spirit among us. I cannot adequately describe the intensity of the moment but I know that we were an answer to prayer. For those of you who donated money, please know you were a big part of today.
Here is a clip of our team at Hope for the Hopeless.



Going into an Orphanage from Tom Davis on Vimeo.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Leaving Grace Baptist Church, Thursday, Dec 3

After 4 hours of playing with the children at Grace Baptist Church, we prayed for the pastor and his team then we were ready for the journey back to Addis. The pastor asked if we could take his cousin back with us. We agreed. The cousin was a young woman in her 20's. She had a baby with her. It was not long before we realized she was very sick. She said she had some sort of intestinal issue. Every 20-30 minutes we had to stop the car because she was so sick. The road was not like on many US highways where there are rest stops, fast food places or gas stations along the way. No, the road to Addis from Kombolcha is miles and miles of nothing. So, our traveler had no choice but to be sick on the side of the road. We gave her water and wipes to clean up a bit, we gave her Tums and Bonine but nothing helped.

A few hours into the journey she said she could not go on. She had an aunt in a village a few miles ahead, she asked if we would let her out at the village entrance.


Our driver stopped so they could get out of the van. I wondered how far would she have to walk to her aunt's home? Many Ethiopians walk miles each day but this woman was sick, she was probably dehydrated, she had to carry a baby.... Would her aunt be home? We had no choice but to let her go.

Our drivers were concerned about driving on the treacherous roads after dark AND were concerned that restaurants were not safe (sanitary enough) for westerners so we did not stop to eat. We enjoyed granola, peanut butter crackers and nuts for lunch. This was much more than many of the children at Grace Baptist Church would eat that day.
The journey to the guest house took a little over 9 hours.


Right before I went to bed Tom L. was talking to me. I said something to him that made no sense. I knew I wasn't making any sense so I headed for my room. I went to bed around midnight feeling very emotional. I thought it was from all we had seen in the last few days. Soon I realized it was something more serious. I heard voices in my head. When I closed my eyes I saw a wolf and a cat talking in my head, their voices would not stop. I saw alligator wallpaper that was not there. I opened my eyes and I saw little people in the corner of our room... they were as tall as gnomes. I asked Heather and Karen if they saw the little people. They did not. Karen quickly realized that I was hallucinating which was quite a relief to me. I knew something was wrong but couldn't figure it out. It was a side effect of the malaria medicine I was taking. Heather prayed that I would stop hearing the voices so I would be able to sleep. I slept fitfully but the voices were gone. I was able to switch to another malaria medicine (thanks to Pete) which did not have the same side effects. I was ready for Friday.

Friday, December 11, 2009

The road to Kombolcha- Day 2 and 3 in Ethiopia

We left the guest house at 4:30AM. We were told that the drive to Kombolcha would take about 6 hours. Little did we know that the trip would take about 11 hours. Evidently, the Ethiopian government decided that they should pave most of the road from Addis to Kombolcha.

I experienced the most treacherous drive I can recall. We dodged, people, camels, horses, carts, goats, cows, dogs, other cars/trucks.... We climbed a mountain and reached 10,600 feet, driving through fog so thick that we could not see more than 10 feet in front of us. Our driver was amazing. He navigated the van through potholes and thick gooey mud.


Entering the fog...

crossing the "dry" river bed
When we finally arrived in Kombolcha we were greeted by 120 children that were "at risk". Many are single or double orphans (meaning one or both of their parents have died). Some children live with guardians who cannot afford to feed them... they can only provide shelter.

The children were skin and bones. Some were eating grass because they were so hungry. There was a little boy who looked like Henry. I wondered, if we had not adopted Henry would be be starving too? It's hard to look into the eyes of hungry children knowing that I could not bring comfort and healing to each one of them at that moment. We played with them for a little bit, learned their names and heard the story of Grace Baptist Church. Grace provides the children with an education but is unable to feed them. This location is available for sponsorship!


After playing with the children we went to the hotel. How I longed for a US hotel. The towels were as large as a hand towel! Our beds were surrounded by mosquito netting which Heather and I used while we slept.


On Thursday we headed back to Grace Baptist Church to play with the children. The children were sooo excited to see us again. We tried to blow up some balloons and play with each child but there were way too many kids per adult. We were able to create four stations- A bible craft, bible story, parachute game and a children's game station. The kids LOVED it. They all rotated through each station so we were able to spend time with each group of children. Tom L and I played duck, duck, goose, London bridges, and head and shoulders, knees and toes with the kids. The girls wanted to be sooo close to me. They touched my skin, kissed my hands and face... they pressed their bodies against mine so tightly I had to wonder if they were touched, loved, encouraged at home. The children were eating grass because they were not fed. It was so heartbreaking to see.

We asked the pastor what the most immediate need was. He answered FOOD. We were able to give him $2,000 for food. (If you gave me money I was able to donate money to this site on your behalf.)

Day #1

We arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday, Dec 1, 2009! We loaded up the two vans and headed for the guest house.
Our team consists of 4 women (Shiloh, Karen, Heather and me) and 9 Men (Tom Davis, Simon, Tom L, Jeremy, Josh, Caleb, Pete, John, David) and a team of Children's Hope Chest staff in Ethiopia. We had lunch and then headed to our first care point/orphanage.
We played with the children, handed out care packages and then headed back to the guest house.
We went to a traditional Ethiopian Restaurant for dinner. Before we could order I got sick so our driver took Heather and I back to the guest house. Heather took care of me and made sure I was safely tucked into bed. She also had the team pray for me when they returned from dinner.
Wednesday morning I was feeling much better. I was well enough to go to Kombolcha.

Comfortably Numb

I've been home for almost 48 hours. I am feeling "Comfortably Numb". I cannot feel anything but numbness. I think my senses have become completely overloaded and there for have shut down. I am going through my own personal "brown out".
How do you interact with suffering, starving children, terrible conditions and not feel something?? While I was in Ethiopia I felt the children's pain, I heard tummies rumble from hunger, I saw children eating grass because they were so hungry.... and today I have a choice- I can remain in this comfortably numb position or I can do something. Through the jet lag and my stomach issues I would prefer to be comfortably numb but I KNOW that isn't the right choice... I can choose to ignore what I saw but I cannot... it haunts me...I close my eyes and I feel the children kissing my hands, my face, I hear the children giggle and laugh, I hear them singing songs of praise and I know I have to do something. Today I will ask church leaders to help support an orphanage in Ethiopia. If you are interested in supporting an orphan through Children's Hope Chest please e-mail me at Mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com

Thursday, December 10, 2009

So much to say

Blogging was pretty difficult in Ethiopia. Imagine 13 people sharing one computer with dial up! VERY SLOW.
I'm home now and trying to process everything I saw and experienced. I feel pretty numb.
In a few days I hope to start sharing my experience. Right now, I trying to be present for my husband and children. Jet lag is not my friend and I've picked up a stomach bug on the way home.
Thanks for praying for me while I was gone. I had an amazing time with some amazing people.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Images from Ethiopia

Some images from Ethiopia



















Some of the kids we've met








Thursday, December 3, 2009

Ethiopia

so many places to start, so many thoughts....
Tuesday we went to a drop off center and met some beautiful children.  We handed out bags of goodies and then played with the kids.  It was a sweet time.
That night at dinner I was so sick that our driver had to take me back to the guest house.  Heather came with me.  She took care of me in my worst moments.  She had the team pray for me and in the morning I was so much better! Praise God.
It's a good thing I was feeling better because we left early Wednesday morning for Kombolicha.  We were told that it would take 6 hours...um... it took 11 hours!  I cannot describe the trip in words.. think pot holes the size of VW bugs... (NOT KIDDING).unpaved roads for miles... so bumpy your head it the ceiling of the van, we drove through a "dry" river bank filled with water because the main road was closed.  fog so thick you could not see 10 feet in front of you... did I mention we were on a side of a mountain without guard rails... good times!  seriously, we had a great time in the car despite all the hazards. 
I would do it again tomorrow.  the children we met were amazing!  Some are orphans due to AIDS.  Many are living with a relative but only have a school uniform and a roof over their head.  They rarely receive food, care, or encouragement.  The relatives they live with have so little that taking in an orphan is a hardship.. they can only provide a roof for the child.  so heart breaking...
What do you do with that? How do you play with children and then walk away?  How do you save these children?  Children who just kissed my hand, kissed my face, held my hand.... these children want is a chance in life...
I cannot do it by myself... so I sit here and pray.. What am I suppose to do?  I want to do the things that I am called to do not the things I think I can do.  I need to listen for the quiet whisper... but yet my days here are filled with noise, needs, children, heartbreak and longing... perhaps that is the quiet whisper I need to hear now..
The good news- the children we met today have Jesus in their heart... something far greater than worldly possessions.  We were able to provide food for the children for many days to come...  today, that's what I hang on to..

From Ethiopia

This Candy's husband Rob posting on her behalf while she is in Ethiopia. Here are some of her Facebook messages to me.

I was very sick last night (Early Wednesday, 12-2-09 ), I am feeling better this morning but we have a 6 hour trip ahead of us early today. Please pray I stay well. I am preparing my heart for what we will see. Yesterday we went to an orphanage and drop off center in Addis. I was an incredible experience. The kids were so full of life. I met a little boy named Hailemariam. He reminded me of Henry, sniff snif.

(Posted Thursday, 12-3-09) Thanks for praying- I was healed!! Seriously, I have never gotten over a sickness this fast... you all rock.
I cannot tell you how beautiful and heartbreaking the last few days have been.

(Posted Thursday, 12-3-09) I cannot explain what has happened in the last few days in a few words. I was healed from sickness! I survived an 11 hour trip to a church NE of Addis. The children were so beautiful and loving. They would kiss the palm of my hand, my cheecks, they wanted to be so close. They have nothing but Jesus in their hearts. Many are not fed for days .... How do you leave children in that state?? Heart breaking to say the least. If you donated money I gave some of it to the center there so they could feed the children. Not able to blog- check out Tom Davis' blog daily.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Off to Ethiopia!

Tomorrow our team will be on our way to Ethiopia!
Please keep us in your prayers.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Ethiopia Count down!

I'm testing out the e-mail feature to make sure I remember how to blog while in Ethiopia. I cannot believe that I leave in a few days. l will meet most of the team at Dulles airport Monday morning.  We will arrive in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.

Karen did great job posting our schedule in Ethiopia on her blog! 
Here's our schedule:
Tuesday - 8:30 am Ethiopia time (8 hour time difference) arrive and travel to the Ethiopia Guest Home.  Visit "Promising" Drop-In center which serves 81 children.
 
Wednesday travel 6-7 hours to the town of Kombolcha (North of Addis) to visit Grace Drop-In center which serves about 180 children, but there are over 400 children identified in need.
 
Thursday - spend morning again at Grace Drop-In center and then travel back to Addis in the afternoon.
 
Friday - Visit CFI school which serves about 25 kids.  Visit "Hope for the Hopeless" drop-in center which serves 15 orphaned children.
 
Saturday - Travel to Woliso ( about 1 hour South of Addis) to visit Emanuel Orphanage which serves 122 orphans.  Then travel to Debre Zeit (about 1 hour East of Addis) to visit Elolam Orphanage which serves 120 children locally, and another 110 children from Addis.

Sunday - Visit Kind Heart drop-in center which serves 56 children in Addis.  We will be attending a church service as well.
 
Monday - Visit Gospel for All Nations drop-in center which serves 40 children in Addis.

Tuesday - Several of us will be visiting the America World Adoption Transition Home where we adopted our children.  We will also have time to do a little shopping and touring before catching a 10:15 pm flight to the USA.

Wednesday- arrive home!!

Monday, November 23, 2009

A little girl's heart and Igor's painting

Today, I received a letter in the mail with a check. The note was written by a little girl whose heart was touched on Orphan Sunday.

Here's Igor's latest painting. It was inspired by a sailboat adventure he had with his cousins a few weeks ago.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Fall fun, Henry, Flat Stanley & packing

Fall has arrived! The leaves are falling, cooler weather is here... This is Henry's first experience with fall. He loves playing in the leaves.

Igor loves to climb....

Henry has no fear.... Here he is scaling the outside of the stairs. Notice his, "whoops, I've been caught doing something wrong" look? Like many toddlers, I cannot turn my back for a second or he will be in some mischief.


The trip to Ethiopia is in 9 DAYS!!! So far, everything from gift bags to toothpaste has been donated. The amount of donations received has been amazing!!
To everyone who donated- THANK YOU!
I packed two bags yesterday with only donations. The two bags weigh a total of 96 pounds! I need to do some created packing since I haven't packed any clothes or personal items. I can take 100 pounds for free. If I go over it will cost $50...

Do you see Flat Stanley among the markers, crayons and underwear?
Flat Stanley is going to Ethiopia with us! Flat Stanley is courtesy of Dottie, who is an adoptive mom and Elementary school teacher.
It's not too late to donate funds for our trip. Every dollar donated will go towards food, emergency medical procedures, shoes... for orphans. Our team will report on how the money will be spent. We promise to be good stewards of all funds donated. It cost less than a dollar a day to feed an orphan in Ethiopia.
To donate go to:
Click on GIVE
Please put November Ethiopia Mission trip in the comment section.
Thank you!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Weekend recap

Friday night my brother met Henry!



Saturday night we enjoyed food, fun and fellowship at the second annual AWAA Africa get together. We had so much fun!


Four years ago today we adopted Igor in Pskov, Russia! Tonight we celebrated at Igor's favorite restaurant. He enjoyed scrambled eggs and pancakes for dinner. We love you Igor!!

In TWO weeks I'll be in Ethiopia!!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

catching up

This weekend was my grandmother's memorial service. My sister and I flew to AZ to attend the service. It was a sweet time to remember my grandmother with family.


Sunday was Orphan Sunday. Rob wore this shirt- sharing the plight of orphans along with his sermon on social justice.

Sunday night was the lantern walk at nursery school. It is inspired by St. Martin, a fourth century army officer who - according to legend - went out into the night searching for people in need of help. As we walked around the pond the only light was from our home made lanterns and candles along the path. We hung our lanterns in the trees. Then we warmed up in front of the bonfire and ate baked apples and cookies.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

What are you going to do? By Pete Kidd

Pete and Andrea adopted their little girl from Ethiopia last year. Check out his blog post:
What are you going to do about it?
Or you can read his post below.

Nearly three years ago, shortly after making the decision to adopt a baby girl from Africa, Andrea and I had an after dinner conversation that ended up laying the foundation for a mission and a passion that we never could have imagined.

As we sat around our dinner table that night, we were just beginning the process of getting informed on the basics of the country that would present us with our third child - Ethiopia. We had just begun learning about this poor landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa - bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, and Somalia to the east. We learned of a third-world country roughly the size of state of Texas that had been ravaged by HIV/AIDS, famine, poverty, drought and flood, and home to an estimated five million orphans. That’s right, five million orphans.

And one of them was my baby girl Gabrielle.

As we sat around the dinner table that night, we discussed what Gabrielle might want to know someday about her native country, her culture, her heritage, the circumstances, and the reasons. We vividly imagined the day that Gabrielle would approach us, look into our eyes, and ask us THE question:“What happened to my mother and father?”

As we speculated on how this conversation may unfold, we realized that although we might not have a specific answer to this critical question (unfortunately it’s very common for Ethiopian orphans to be left without a trace of his or her family history) we recognized that we could at least explain the likely circumstances leading her to becoming one of the five million orphans: poverty, disease, hunger. Strangely, this gave us some level of comfort - comfort that we could provide Gabrielle with a rationale (as awful and evil as it is) that might satisfy her need for answers at some level.

BUT our comfort evaporated when we thought further about her next logical question:
“What did you do about it?”

It was at that very point that Andrea and I started to realize that this adoption was just the beginning of something much more than simply adding another child to our family.
“What did you do about it?”

Can you imagine getting that question from your little girl and not having an answer? We had to have an answer, a good answer! We could no longer ignore the massive injustice and problems occurring on the continent that was to provide us with our daughter. We now had skin in the game….
“What did you do about it?”

Can you imagine having an awareness of the fact that there are five million orphans in Ethiopia alone and doing NOTHING about it?
“What did you do about it?”

Can you imagine knowing that 5500 Africans die every day of AIDS (a preventable and treatable disease) and doing NOTHING about it?
“What did you do about it?”

Can you imagine knowing that nearly a million Africans die each year of Malaria and doing NOTHING about it?
“What did you do about it?”

I plan on having a really good answer to this question when it comes out my little girl’s mouth. And if it goes well with Gabrielle, I may just repeat my answer the day when I meet God face to face and have to give Him an account....
What's your answer? (http://www.hopechest.org/)

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween & Igor's paintings

It was 80 degrees on Halloween so we had to make some modifications to the costumes...



Igor's painting- two oil paintings



one water color