California Again!

A lot of things have changed since my last official blog update. We are currently in the middle of our home study, but it has slowed down considerably due to... well, life. We realized early this Summer that Brandon was going to be traveling a considerable amount of time. After about 12 weeks of straight travel, Brandon was asked to be the program manager for a project in Pasadena! This was a little bit of a shock to us because it would require a temporary (8-12mos) move to California, but it was a great opportunity for Brandon. So we packed up our little family, moved some good friends into our Timnath house, jumped on a plane and "moved" back to California.

We have been able to complete most of our paper work while here in Cali, but it has been very tricky trying to figure out a time when we can complete our home interviews. We are hoping to complete the HS by the end of October, and submit our dossier by the end of the year.

This new situation is constantly reminding us that God is sovereign over this situation. My heart is ready to have another baby in my home now, but the Lord knows the child that He has chosen to add to our family and exactly when we will bring him home. We are trusting that He will continue to direct our steps as we continue to move forward. His timing is always perfect!

God Answers a Prayer

My heart is so filled with joy because of the good work of our faithful God! My sister Johanna and her husband Matt have been praying that the Lord would see fit to bless them with a child for the past couple of years. For God's glory and for the good of Matt and Johanna, He chose not to answer that prayer. They began to consider the possibility of adoption (with perhaps a little bit of encouragement from me).

Here's the story...

On Monday Matt and Johanna met with an attorney to discuss the possibility of a private, local adoption. They were both excited about the opportunity and warming up to the idea of adopting, but were choosing to wait and pray just a little bit longer. On Friday of the same week, the attorney called and informed them that while she did not want to pressure them into making a decision, she might have a possible match. She asked them to write a letter to the birth mom, as well as put together a picture collage of their life and family. In most cases. this would be no big deal, but Matt was in Florida and Johanna was in Colorado in the midst of the busiest wedding weekend in history. Separated by a two hour time difference, they completed their "homework" at 12:30 AM (2:30 AM Florida time!) on Monday. The attorney then presented four families letters and pictures to a young lady who was to choose the family she would like to raise the baby she is carrying. And by God's overwhelming grace, Matt and Johanna were chosen! So in the course on one week, the Lord confirmed their decision and answered their prayer... All before a contract was even signed! How awesome is that?

Encouragement From Friends.

This past weekend Brandon, Calvin and I were blessed to spend some quality time with Matt and Brianne Kopp and their two boys, Jacob and Andrew. Remember these names, they will come up again in this blog! Matt and Brianne have been very instrumental in encouraging us toward adoption while they wait for their own referral from Ethiopia. They are much closer to bringing their child home than we are and their anticipation is growing. The excitement was contagious!

Our time with them was precious... but the highlight was our trip to Anaheim to experience Ethiopian food! Jacob Kopp explained how you use the Injera bread to eat your dinner. He said "it's like pancakes, only pancakes have brown on top." That was a very accurate description from a 5 year old. The food was wonderful, and the coffee... AMAZING. Roasted in a pan and ground with a mortar and pestle. It was arguably the best coffee I have ever had.

Brianne gave me some great tips on how to make the adoption process move more quickly and smoothly. She is so practical when I tend to be a bit more flighty. It is so wonderful to have friends who share our heart for adoption. The fact that they are 10 steps ahead of us is also a wonderful thing!

And so it begins...

This past Sunday, Brandon and I submitted our application to adopt a baby boy from Ethiopia. We were accepted into the program through America World Adoption agency on June 7th. So begins one of the biggest, scariest and most exciting adventures of our lives! We are now trusting the Lord for the funds, the patience, the courage and the wisdom to complete this adoption.

Why us? Why now? Why Ethiopia? How can you help? …Glad you asked!

So why us? The Lord has been working to cultivate a heart for adoption in both of us for about a year now. We were initially inspired by some good friends of ours, mentors in the faith, when they took a step of faith and began the adoption process. We had often talked about adopting… but that would be down the road when we were done having our own children. Through books, sermons, and the powerful Word of God, we have grown in our understanding of adoption, and believe that now is the time. (More to come on that thought).

After the earthquake in Haiti, I would sit in front of the news images of all the newly orphaned children and weep. There are tears in my eyes as I remember even now. Their plight seemed so helpless. In a spiritual sense it was much like my plight before God adopted me into His family. As my favorite hymn says “I was lost in utter darkness till you came and rescued me!” The adoption of a child is about so much more than a humanitarian act of kindness. We are choosing to adopt so that we may more clearly reflect Christ to a world without understanding. Jesus Christ paid the highest price so that we may become the sons of God! Taken out of our helpless and desperate situation, we are brought into the family of God! When we understand our salvation in this way, we can better understand the heart of our Abba Father toward the orphans and widows in our world today.

Why now? We are not fooling ourselves into believing that this is going to be an easy transition. After all, we are adopting a little boy from Africa. We are going to become a “multi-cultural” family. My son Calvin has the fairest skin and the bluest eyes. The contrast between the two brothers will be… shall we say… undeniable? Calvin will be, Lord willing, around the age of two when his brother arrives. We believe that now is the time to adopt because Calvin will still be young enough to adjust quickly to his new brother. For any children that the Lord may bless us with following this adoption, our family will simply be “normal.” That is the best explanation that I have for the “why now” question, but the truth is that the Lord is sovereign, and it appears that He has chosen this time for us.

Why Ethiopia? Ethiopia is about twice the size of Texas and is the second most populous African country. Upwards of 5% of the population are orphaned children, due to the extreme poverty of some areas. Ethiopia is also very willing to work with the United States to allow for international adoption. The adoption agency that we chose has worked with Ethiopia for a long time and has a very established relationship with the country. Plus, Ethiopia was the original source of the coffee bean! It is still their main export to this day! Which leads me to my final point…

How can you help? Buy coffee! We are going to be using all of our proceeds from the coffee business to help fund this adoption. You can go to the link on this page and buy premium Ethiopian coffee directly from our blog. It’s for a good cause! Also, all the money I make doing hair will go toward the adoption fund, so please support me with my Kitchen Cuts! But most urgently, pray! Pray that the Lord would allow this process to be glorifying to Him! Pray that He would be working in our hearts to prepare us for the road ahead as we add a new member to our family. Pray for our son, that he would be healthy and that he would come to us quickly! Pray, most of all, that he would adopted into the family of God.

So, dear friends and family, we are excited to announce that we are expecting a child!

Where in the world is Ethiopia?

Right here!