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!